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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Erfurt
Give Erfurt 2 nights: the medieval centre, Krämerbrücke and the UNESCO Jewish sites fit one full day, with a second for the citadel and Egapark.
Erfurt is the capital of Thuringia and its old town survived WWII largely intact, so the medieval core is real rather than rebuilt. It is a compact walking city of about 215,000 people, an ICE hub on the Frankfurt–Berlin and Leipzig–Nuremberg corridors, and the base most travellers use for Weimar and Buchenwald. Two nights covers it; one night is enough if you only want the bridge and cathedral square.
- Country
- Germany
- Best months
- May–Sep; Dec for the Christmas market
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, grey, few events)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–90 excl. bed · Mid €90–150 excl. bed · High €150+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | €2.50–4 |
| Thüringer Bratwurst from a stall | €3–5 |
| Döner or lunch special | €6–10 |
| Mid-range dinner main | €12–20 |
| Beer, 0.5 l in a pub / at a shop | €4–5.50 / €1–2 |
| Museum entry (Old Synagogue, Kunsthalle) | €4–8 |
| 5 km taxi3.1 mi taxi | €15–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ERF · Erfurt–Weimar Airport
- About 6.5 km west of the centre; tram 4 to the centre and Hauptbahnhof in about 25 min. 2026 schedules are thin: check before booking.About 4 mi west of the centre; tram 4 to the centre and Hauptbahnhof in about 25 min. 2026 schedules are thin: check before booking.
- FRA · Frankfurt Airport
- The practical long-haul option: ICE to Erfurt in about 2.5–3 h.
- LEJ · Leipzig/Halle Airport
- Just over an hour by train.
- BER · Berlin Brandenburg Airport
- About 2.5 h by train.
Typical fares
- Tram single ticket
- €2.90, valid one trip with transfers (2026)
- Tram day ticket
- €7.40 per person, valid until 03:00 next day; stamp it first€7.40 per person, valid until 3:00 AM next day; stamp it first
- Group day ticket
- €14.50 for up to 5 people
- ERF airport to centre, tram 4
- about 25 min, 20-min interval (check)
Get around
Walk: the old town is compact and pedestrianised, and most sights sit within 15 minutes of each other. Trams and buses fill the gaps (Egapark, Thüringen-Park); daytime trams run at least every 10 min on main sections, thinning in the evening, with night services once or twice an hour meeting at Anger or the Hauptbahnhof. Buy tickets from machines at major stops, on board, or in the EVAG app, and stamp day tickets before the first ride.
See and do
Known for
- Krämerbrücke, the inhabited bridge
- Erfurt Cathedral and St Severus
- Medieval Jewish heritage: Old Synagogue, Mikveh and Stone House
- Thüringer Bratwurst
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Weimar | Regional or ICE train from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof | About 30–40 min |
| Jena | Train from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof | About 45–60 min |
| Gotha | Train from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof | About 30 min |
| Eisenach | Train from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof | About 1 h |
| Gera | Train from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof | About 1 h |
| Nordhausen | Train from Erfurt Hauptbahnhof | About 1 h 30 min |
Sleep
- Altstadt (around Domplatz, Fischmarkt, Krämerbrücke)
- Walk to every sight; quietest at night; book early for the Christmas market.
- Hauptbahnhof and Anger
- Best for one-night rail stops and late arrivals; 10–15 min walk into the old town.
- Andreasviertel / Michaelisstraße
- Student quarter north of the centre; cheaper rooms and food, still walkable.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Entschuldigungent-SHOOL-dee-goong |
| Thank you | DankeDAN-keh |
| Please | BitteBIT-teh |
| How much is it? | Wie viel kostet das?vee feel KOS-tet das |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kan ikh mit KAR-teh TSAH-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?voh ist dee toy-LET-teh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- Shops close around 20:00 and are shut on Sundays, with a few open-Sunday exceptions each year.
- Day tickets must be validated before your first journey or they are not valid.
- The long-distance bus stop at Stauffenbergallee is moved to Willy-Brandt-Platz until October 2026: check before you travel.
- ERF has few routes and seasonal gaps: confirm your flight exists before planning around it.
Erfurt is a calm, walkable city and street crime is low. The real annoyances are tram ticket checks, cobblestones after rain, and pickpockets around the Christmas market and Anger: keep bags zipped and buy a ticket before you board.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Erfurt yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Krämerbrücke, the inhabited bridge
- Erfurt Cathedral and St Severus
- Medieval Jewish heritage: Old Synagogue, Mikveh and Stone House
- Thüringer Bratwurst
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Erfurt Tourism (official): www.erfurt-tourismus.de/en/
- City of Erfurt (official): www.erfurt.de/
- EVAG Erfurt transport (official): evag.app/
- Erfurt Hauptbahnhof (official): www.bahnhof.de/erfurt-hbf
- Erfurt–Weimar Airport (official): www.flughafen-erfurt.de/
- Jewish life in Erfurt, Old Synagogue (official): juedisches-leben.erfurt.de/jl/en/middle-ages/old_synagogue/index.html
- Wikivoyage: Erfurt, revision 5282383 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5282383
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Erfurt
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Germany has no US, UK or Canadian embassy in Erfurt; those are in Berlin. The US has consulates-general in Frankfurt and Munich, the UK in Düsseldorf and Munich. Check your own country's list before you travel.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10% and say the total as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/erfurt). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.