Famous for Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation, tiny Wittenberg is a handsome, cobblestone town with a huge history. VisitWittenberg will help you to get the very best from your trip to this momentous destination.
Wittenberg Market Place and Town Hall – image © M_H.DE / CC BY 3.0
Not many towns can claim to have changed the course of history, but Martin Luther’s 95 Theses of 1517 are widely taken as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation, with seismic repercussions for Europe and Christianity. The town’s full name is Lutherstadt Wittenberg, in honour of the theologian’s influence.
Today Wittenberg has four UNESCO world heritage sites, mainly connected to Luther, and the town is an attractive mix of medieval and Renaissance buildings, cobbled pavements, and pretty little streams running alongside the streets. In 2017, the town celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Reformation and there was a large renovation of the key attractions over the preceding decade, so it is currently in peak condition.
Wittenberg is small and you can see most of the highlights in a day. It makes a great day trip from Berlin or Leipzig. But you may also decide to stay overnight, so you can take advantage of a local restaurant and get to see everything properly.
Schloßkirche Wittenberg – image © SKOMP46866 / CC BY-SA 3.0
What Should I See In Wittenberg? What Are Wittenberg’s Must-See Attractions?
Most of Wittenberg’s star attractions are based around Martin Luther and his fellow reformers, but there are a few surprises. And, really, the town is just a nice place for a cold beer on a sunny afternoon. It has a laid-back feeling. There’s an outdoor market.
It’s possible to see the highlights within a day but we recommend two if you want to give the Lutherhaus museum its due, and to explore the little courtyards and hidden gardens off the main road.
Here are some of the key central attractions for a first-time visit to Wittenberg:
- One of the doors to the Schlosskirche (All Saints’ Church) is where Martin Luther is reputed to have nailed his 95 Theses on 31 October 1517. The original door was destroyed in the 18th century and replaced with the massive bronze version you can see today, and the entire church itself was recently restored to its current splendour. Luther himself is buried here.
- The twin towers of St Mary’s (Stadtkirche Wittenberg), the oldest building the Wittenberg, mark out this landmark building where Luther himself used to preach. For many, this is the mother-church of the Reformation, and it is now a UNESCO world heritage site.
- The Renaissance Melanchthon House is a beautiful UNESCO-status museum dedicated to Luther’s fellow reformer Philipp Melanchthon. This offers an insight into Reformation-era life in Wittenberg. There is also a pretty herb garden behind the building.
- The final of four UNESCO sites in Wittenberg is The Luther House, where Martin Luther and his wife Katharina von Bora lived. This is now the world’s largest museum of the history of the Reformation.
- Luther 1517 – Wittenberg 360° is Yadegar Asisi’s huge 50×250-ft panoramic cinematic recreation of 16th-century Wittenberg, and an entertaining introduction on the subject.
- Tucked off the main drag is the courtyard and house where painter Lucas Cranach the Elder lived and worked. There’s a charmingly wobbly façade and exhibition, and a friendly restaurant opposite with outside tables, where you can get a good look at the buildings while you have a beer.
- Perhaps the most surprising building in Wittenberg is the Hundertwasserschule. All the trademarks of the infamous Austrian artist and architect are present, with the bright colours and free-flowing forms. A big smile of a building.
- Another surprising exhibition is the House of Everyday History which brings a big dose of GDR-era nostalgia. The museum recreates 20th century interiors and includes guest appearances from the East German children’s favourite Unser Sandmännchen.
- Wittenberg is a 30-minute train journey from Leipzig. Home of Bach and other German musical giants, and home to Auerbachs Keller, where Mephistopheles takes Faust. Get Your Guide offers a big rang of Leipzig tours and activities.
- Wittenberg is also a speedy 45 minute’s away from Berlin on the train, where you can take part in practically endless tours and activities. See Get Your Guide for recommendations.
Best Western Soibelmanns Lutherstadt Wittenberg – image © Booking.com
Where Should I Stay In Wittenberg?
As always, the cost of hotels always depends on location, budget, and time of year. Expect to pay 100€ as a baseline for a 3-star hotel. You can expect to pay around 140€ for the upper bracket and around 80€ for somewhere cheaper.
Use Booking.com to get a detailed breakdown of each property and genuine guest reviews. You can reserve online with no upfront fee and pay when you check out. Free cancellations are also available.
Here is our selection to get your started:
- Best Wittenberg Luxury Hotel: Best Western Soibelmanns Lutherstadt Wittenberg
- Best Wittenberg Rental Apartment: Designapartment
- Best Wittenberg Family Accommodation: Design & Chill #Altstadt #Beamer
- Best Wittenberg Mid-Range Hotel: Altstadt Gästehaus
- Best Wittenberg Business Hotel: Martas Hotel Lutherstadt Wittenberg
- Best Wittenberg Budget Hotel: Hotel Luther Birke Wittenberg
Inside of the Mall of the Leipzig/Halle Airport at night – image © Daniel-obst / CC BY-SA 3.0
How To Get To Wittenberg
Wittenberg does not have an airport, so you would most likely catch the 40-minute high-speed ICE train from Berlin. Unfortunately, you will need to travel into central Berlin first if you fly into Berlin Brandenburg Airport, adding an extra 35 minutes to the journey. This international airport is well served by budget airlines, with daily flights from all over Europe.
There is also Leipzig-Halle Airport, which is about 105 minute’s away from Wittenberg by train (in total). Again, this requires you to travel into Leipzig itself and change. Leipzig-Halle offers a ragbag of routes, including London Stansted with Ryanair. You can see arrivals and departures on the airport’s website.
Once you arrive at Lutherstadt Wittenberg train station, there is a short walk to the town itself. It is well signposted.
You can find cheap flights to Wittenberg with 12go. A single search will show you all available prices and times for your dates. Change the search options as required.
How To Get A SIM Card In Wittenberg
You should automatically be able to use your existing phone plan in Germany, if you have a contract registered in any EU country, at no extra charge – but check with your provider before you travel.
If your contract is UK-based, you should still be able to use your existing plan in Germany, but there will most likely be an extra usage fee. Again, check with your provider for the latest prices before you travel.
If you are travelling from outside of the EU, you have a number of possible options. If you have already bought a SIM in another EU country, this should also work in Germany. Otherwise, you could buy an eSIM online or a pre-paid SIM via Amazon before you arrive. But, as you cannot test these in advance, you may end up wasting your money.
Instead, we recommend you get a German SIM card directly from a branch of Constar, O2, Telekom, or Vodafone. They can talk you through the best deals and make sure everything is working properly. Many young Germans speak excellent English, so you should be able to find someone who can help you.
It means you will have to travel town centre without a connection, but you are bound to save money if you do.
You’ll need your passport to buy a SIM. Also, make sure your phone is unlocked before you travel.
There is a Vodafone shop at Collegienstraße 82 in Wittenberg, and the Arsenal shopping centre includes a Telekom store and a generic mobile vendor selling Congstar, O2, and Vodafone contracts, so you can compare deals. See the map below.
Travel Insurance For Wittenberg
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Old city hall of Leipzig – image © Krzysztof Golik / CC BY-SA 4.0
Other German Cities You Can Visit From Wittenberg
Wittenberg lies almost equidistant between Berlin and Leipzig, which themselves make a great base for day trips to Potsdam and Dresden respectively. This makes it handy to chain these different destinations and spend a couple of days in each.
Check prices and timetables for buses and planes with 12go and book instantly online. Trains can be booked via the Deutsche Bahn website.
- Berlin: If you’re staying in Germany’s vibrant capital, Wittenberg makes an excellent day trip, especially as it is less than an hour away by high-speed train. But the opposite is also true – Wittenberg can be a relaxing hub from which to visit Berlin and Leipzig.
- Dresden: You can also reach stately Dresden within a couple of hours from Wittenberg, via Leipzig. A miracle of reconstruction, the city oozes grandeur.
- Dessau: A mere 30 minutes from Wittenberg, Dessau is a small cultural town, perhaps most famous for the handful of Bauhaus buildings that remain there.
- Leipzig: A mere 30 minutes from Wittenberg, Leipzig has been hyped as “the new Berlin” for well over a decade. Once you get to know the city, it is easy to see why. Post-industrial and creative, it retains a thrilling sense of possibility.
- Potsdam: It is necessary to travel via Berlin to reach Potsdam, but the entire trip can be done in less than 90 minutes and the rewards are considerable. The town itself is very pretty but the major attraction is the palace of Sanssouci, the summer palace of Frederick the Great.
Wittenberg Map
Plan your Wittenberg visit with Wittenberg map of Wittenberg’s attractions, restaurants, sightseeing and hotels.
Each type of landmark has a different colour marker on the map:
- YELLOW: Wittenberg Sightseeing
- GREEN: Wittenberg Transportation
- BLUE: Wittenberg Hotels
- PURPLE: Shopping In Wittenberg
Click on a marker and it will give you the name of the landmark, with a brief description and links for more information and directions. You can pan, scroll, and zoom around the map, or use the + or – buttons in the bottom left of the map to zoom in and out.
Click on the icon in the top left corner for an index of every location, sorted by category. Scroll down or use the map search (the magnifying glass icon) to find the place you want. Click the name of the place in the list. Its location pin will be highlighted on the map.
Each category is on a different layer, which can be switched on and off. So you can just see the Hotel or Restaurant pins, for example.
If you are using the map on your phone, open the Visit Wittenberg map and then search for the name of the place. The map will then zoom in on its location.
Start Planning Your Wittenberg Trip Now!
:: Find available Wittenberg hotels on Booking.com – you can usually reserve with no upfront payment. Pay when you check out and, if necessary, cancel for free.
:: Find flights to Berlin Brandenburg Airport with 12go – a single search shows times and prices from all available airlines for your trip, saving you time and money.
:: World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.