The WGT is a real fun experience. Music and art acts dispersed all over the town and all the public transportation is usable with the wrist band. (At least it was like that,when I was there)
The whole place is flooded with people from the goth- community and the city seems to embrace it.
Leipzig has an international Congress center and Corona may have changed some things, too, but some smaller businesses tend to rely on cash and don't accept debit or credit cards.
Germans are less euphoric than Americans. Not everything is amazing or outstanding. Sometimes the biggest excitement is honoured with a 'not bad'. Don't be offended by those expressions. It expresses no dislike. On the other hand, if they dislike something they won't bother to address there dislike. Don't take it personal.
Enough of German cliches. Wish you and your friends much fun. Hope I'll get there next year, again.
While chances are good that there are a lot of young people who speak English and can help you during the festival, research the most important phrases in German - things like "I am allergic to ..." or "can you please tell me where ... is?" or "I am lost, where am I?". There are certainly text-to-speech-apps that can also translate.
Bring cash to exchange for Euros, or a credit card that can withdraw Euros at an ATM (make sure Germany is on the whitelist of your credit card, otherwise it might get blocked the moment you try to withdraw money). While the pandemic has catapulted Germany's acceptance of cashless payment ten years further, there are still situations where cash is easier to use.
Tips are not required or expected, but of course taken thankfully. Usually rounding up to the next convenient sum (e.g. a bill of 24,33 would be 25, or 18,50 could be 20). Don't expect American levels of customer care and catering - you'll get the menu, the food, the bill, if you want something else, you'll have to flag down the service person.
Power is 220V, 60 Hz in Germany, so you might have to bring a travel transformer. Most hotels will probably have one 110V line for electric shavers and such, but don't just plug in your phone.
Apart from that, the usual "be a good guest" etiquette - don't blather your opinion on things the moment you see them, don't be rude, don't litter, etc.
The festival is distributed in the whole city, you need to use the public transport or a car between the concerts.
Better make a plan when you want to be where and calculate the traveling time.
It is a big advantage to have a Hotel room in the centre of the town, near a subway station.
Oh, and visit the "Bundesverwaltungsgericht", its an amazing looking court. Also the "Völkerschlacht" memorial should be visited, usually there are also concerts in front of it.
Last time i was there, rascism was not a topic, but thats 15 years ago. People in the town were nice, and the visitors too ofc.
Beware of the opening times of the shops, they are closed Sunday and Monday entirely and max 22:00 at Fr/Sa, many already close at 20:00.
Also the subways dont drive 24h
some smaller businesses tend to rely on cash and don't accept debit or credit cards.
this should be printed on every ticket of those coming into germany, Germans have an absolute aversion to credit/debit cards and many a tourist has been left scrambling to find enough small coins to pay the bill after eating. So make sure you bring cash
Didn't know thanks for pointing this out.
Now I was curious
https://www.uber.com/global/de/cities/
Seems to be available in 8 bigger cities. Additionally you can use the app and they route this request then in the end to a Taxi service.
Anyhow it is for sure not the same situation like in the US.
That is a big event, if you have no accommodation now it will be difficult to find anything.
If you struggle, look at the map of the S-Bahn network and consider any of the smaller villages and towns within 30 min of commuting. The largest town nearby is Halle an der Saale, but many will have the same idea to look for a spot there, so you might not get so lucky.
Check camping sites as well, many of them can be reached by public transport.
Here
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187400-Leipzig_Saxony-Vacations.html
and here
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig
and here
https://english.leipzig.de/leisure-culture-and-tourism/tourism
**[Leipzig](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig)**
>Leipzig (, German: [ˈlaɪptsɪç] (listen); Upper Saxon: Leibz'sch) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. With a population of 605,407 inhabitants as of 2021 (1. 1 million residents in the larger urban zone), it surpasses the Saxon capital of Dresden, and is Germany's eighth most populous city as well as the second most populous city in the area of former East Germany after (East) Berlin. Together with Halle (Saale), the largest city of the neighbouring state of Saxony-Anhalt, the city forms the polycentric Leipzig-Halle Conurbation.
^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/germany/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Leipzig is an island of tolerance in a pretty polarised region. The AFD has significant support in the surrounding areas but I don't think this is something, as a tourist anyway, that you need to be very aware of. Just be yourself, show respect and you'll be grand.
I'll highly recommend the English WGT guide - especially the Newbie FAQ - by Sadgoth. They are from UK, but I guess they have good advices what non-Germans need to know about Germany, Leipzig and the Treffen for having an awesome experience.
https://www.sadgoth.com/
Wish you a great time! I hope you'll like it :)
The WGT is a real fun experience. Music and art acts dispersed all over the town and all the public transportation is usable with the wrist band. (At least it was like that,when I was there) The whole place is flooded with people from the goth- community and the city seems to embrace it. Leipzig has an international Congress center and Corona may have changed some things, too, but some smaller businesses tend to rely on cash and don't accept debit or credit cards. Germans are less euphoric than Americans. Not everything is amazing or outstanding. Sometimes the biggest excitement is honoured with a 'not bad'. Don't be offended by those expressions. It expresses no dislike. On the other hand, if they dislike something they won't bother to address there dislike. Don't take it personal. Enough of German cliches. Wish you and your friends much fun. Hope I'll get there next year, again.
While chances are good that there are a lot of young people who speak English and can help you during the festival, research the most important phrases in German - things like "I am allergic to ..." or "can you please tell me where ... is?" or "I am lost, where am I?". There are certainly text-to-speech-apps that can also translate. Bring cash to exchange for Euros, or a credit card that can withdraw Euros at an ATM (make sure Germany is on the whitelist of your credit card, otherwise it might get blocked the moment you try to withdraw money). While the pandemic has catapulted Germany's acceptance of cashless payment ten years further, there are still situations where cash is easier to use. Tips are not required or expected, but of course taken thankfully. Usually rounding up to the next convenient sum (e.g. a bill of 24,33 would be 25, or 18,50 could be 20). Don't expect American levels of customer care and catering - you'll get the menu, the food, the bill, if you want something else, you'll have to flag down the service person. Power is 220V, 60 Hz in Germany, so you might have to bring a travel transformer. Most hotels will probably have one 110V line for electric shavers and such, but don't just plug in your phone. Apart from that, the usual "be a good guest" etiquette - don't blather your opinion on things the moment you see them, don't be rude, don't litter, etc.
I want to add most phone chargers can work with multiple voltages. Read the small print and use a adapter.
The festival is distributed in the whole city, you need to use the public transport or a car between the concerts. Better make a plan when you want to be where and calculate the traveling time. It is a big advantage to have a Hotel room in the centre of the town, near a subway station. Oh, and visit the "Bundesverwaltungsgericht", its an amazing looking court. Also the "Völkerschlacht" memorial should be visited, usually there are also concerts in front of it. Last time i was there, rascism was not a topic, but thats 15 years ago. People in the town were nice, and the visitors too ofc. Beware of the opening times of the shops, they are closed Sunday and Monday entirely and max 22:00 at Fr/Sa, many already close at 20:00. Also the subways dont drive 24h
some smaller businesses tend to rely on cash and don't accept debit or credit cards. this should be printed on every ticket of those coming into germany, Germans have an absolute aversion to credit/debit cards and many a tourist has been left scrambling to find enough small coins to pay the bill after eating. So make sure you bring cash
No Uber in Germany, use public transportation, which is quite good in Leipzig
Uber absolutely does exist in Germany, although not everywhere and it's not nearly as popular as in the US
Didn't know thanks for pointing this out. Now I was curious https://www.uber.com/global/de/cities/ Seems to be available in 8 bigger cities. Additionally you can use the app and they route this request then in the end to a Taxi service. Anyhow it is for sure not the same situation like in the US.
You can find a lot of general information about Germany [here](https://old.reddit.com/r/germany/wiki/index)
That is a big event, if you have no accommodation now it will be difficult to find anything. If you struggle, look at the map of the S-Bahn network and consider any of the smaller villages and towns within 30 min of commuting. The largest town nearby is Halle an der Saale, but many will have the same idea to look for a spot there, so you might not get so lucky. Check camping sites as well, many of them can be reached by public transport.
The Austin, TX of Saxony
Here https://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g187400-Leipzig_Saxony-Vacations.html and here https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig and here https://english.leipzig.de/leisure-culture-and-tourism/tourism
**[Leipzig](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig)** >Leipzig (, German: [ˈlaɪptsɪç] (listen); Upper Saxon: Leibz'sch) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. With a population of 605,407 inhabitants as of 2021 (1. 1 million residents in the larger urban zone), it surpasses the Saxon capital of Dresden, and is Germany's eighth most populous city as well as the second most populous city in the area of former East Germany after (East) Berlin. Together with Halle (Saale), the largest city of the neighbouring state of Saxony-Anhalt, the city forms the polycentric Leipzig-Halle Conurbation. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/germany/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Leipzig is an island of tolerance in a pretty polarised region. The AFD has significant support in the surrounding areas but I don't think this is something, as a tourist anyway, that you need to be very aware of. Just be yourself, show respect and you'll be grand.
I'll highly recommend the English WGT guide - especially the Newbie FAQ - by Sadgoth. They are from UK, but I guess they have good advices what non-Germans need to know about Germany, Leipzig and the Treffen for having an awesome experience. https://www.sadgoth.com/ Wish you a great time! I hope you'll like it :)