Train stations in Leipzig

Leipzig Hbf is the station for nearly every journey: ICE, IC, FlixTrain and regional trains all stop there, and the city centre starts just outside the hall. The S-Bahn platforms underneath it appear in timetables as Leipzig Hbf (tief).

Arriving at Leipzig Hbf

The station stands on Willy-Brandt-Platz in the middle of the city. Long-distance trains and most regional trains use the upper platforms. The S-Bahn leaves from platforms 1 and 2 underground, reached by escalator or lift from the main hall; follow the signs for S-Bahn and City-Tunnel. Leipzig Hbf (tief) is that lower level, not a separate station across town. Luggage lockers are at the entrance to the S-Bahn station.

Trains from Leipzig Hbf

The fastest ICE reaches Berlin Hbf in 1 hour 14 minutes and Dresden Hbf in 1 hour 5 minutes. Frankfurt (Main) Hbf takes 2 hours 55 minutes, with up to 17 direct trains a day. Munich Hbf takes 3 hours 12 minutes, with a direct ICE about every hour, and Hamburg Hbf also takes 3 hours 12 minutes, with up to 10 direct trains a day. Many ICE services to the south-west run via Erfurt and Fulda. These times apply to the timetable valid until 12 December 2026.

FlixTrain also runs from Leipzig Hbf to Berlin and Hamburg on most days of the week. A EuroCity leaves for Prague at 05:49 via Dresden, Děčín and Ústí nad Labem and reaches Praha hl.n. at 09:25, daily until 12 December 2026. The Nightjet NJ 408 leaves at 23:49 on most nights for Frankfurt (Main) Süd, Karlsruhe, Basel and Zürich HB, arriving at 09:05, with sleeping and couchette cars.

Regional trains fill in the rest. DB Regio runs the RE 50 Saxonia-Express to Dresden, which takes 1 hour 34 minutes, and the RE 10 to Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder). Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn runs the RE 6 to Chemnitz and the RB 110 towards Döbeln.

From the station to the old town

Leipzig Markt is one stop from the platforms below the hall, about a minute by S-Bahn. A single ticket within Leipzig costs €3.80 and is valid for one hour. The €2.50 short-trip ticket is not valid in the City-Tunnel, so it does not work for this hop. Trams 3, 4, 7 and 15 also run past the station, and the centre is close enough on foot that many visitors skip the ride altogether. Tickets are sold at machines at the stops and in trams, and in the LeipzigMOVE and MOOVME apps.

The other stations

Leipzig Markt and Leipzig Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz are City-Tunnel stops served only by the S-Bahn, and they are the closest to the old town. Leipzig Bayerischer Bahnhof is the next stop on the same tunnel line, also S-Bahn only. Leipzig Messe is the stop for the trade fair, served by the S2, S5 and S5X and about 5 minutes from the main station; tram 16 runs to the Messegelände stop as well.

Leipzig/Halle Flughafen is on the S5 and S5X, which together run every 30 minutes and take 12 minutes from Leipzig Hbf. The trains stop beneath the terminal, with lifts and escalators up to check-in, and some IC trains call there too.

Tickets and the Deutschlandticket

The Deutschlandticket costs €63 a month. It covers regional trains, the S-Bahn, trams and buses, so it works for the City-Tunnel, Messe and the airport. It does not cover ICE, IC, EC or FlixTrain. It is a subscription, but you can take it for one month if you cancel by the 10th of that month.

Rail passes and reservations

As of October 2026, an Interrail Pass covers ICE and IC trains in Germany, where a seat reservation is optional and costs €5.50 in second class or €6.90 in first. The Nightjet to Zürich is covered by the Global Pass only, not by a One Country Pass for Germany, and it needs a paid reservation priced by berth and date. Regional trains and the S-Bahn need no reservation, but riding the S-Bahn on a pass counts as a travel day. FlixTrain is not included in the pass.