Getting there
Excellent accessibility from all directions
When conference participants travel from all over the world, a central location is essential. Leipzig’s location in the middle of Germany speaks for itself – as do the city centre’s great connections with all means of transport. Leipzig/Halle Airport, for example, isjust under 18 kilometres from the city centre. From there, it takes just twelve minutes by S-Bahn to get to the city centre or six minutes to Leipziger Messe. Leipzig’s main railway station, which is adjacent to the city centre and covers more space than any other station in Europe, has excellent connections to the rail network and is very easy to reach from many other major cities – whether by Intercity Express, Intercity, Eurocity or InterRegio. The best part: the Deutsche Bahn event ticket enables relaxed, but above all climate-neutral travel to Leipzig, with 100 % green electricity on long-distance and local transport. The Leipzig-Berlin line, which is served almost exclusively by high-speed trains, is one best-practice example of fast accessibility. The trains run hourly, with a journey time of just 75 minutes. If you plan to arrive by car, Leipzig also has great autobahn road links thanks to the A9 (Berlin-Munich), A14 (Dresden-Halle) and A38 (Göttingen-Leipzig). Having said that, travelling by rail or coach is kindest on the climate. Our tip: Leipzig Tourismus und Marketing GmbH and Deutsche Bahn have teamed up to offer you the option of travelling to your event in Leipzig safely and comfortably with 100 % green electricity.
Conveniently compact
Leipzig is the 5th most pedestrian-friendly major city in Europe
A relaxed morning stroll from the hotel to the conference venue or congress, breathing in the fresh air and enjoying some sunshine – starting the day like this puts you in a good mood and is also very environmentally friendly. And it Leipzig, it’s so easy. The city is known for its compactness. Now Leipzig has even achieved 5th place in a ranking of the most pedestrian-friendly major cities in Europe, based on an evaluation by the Motel One hotel chain. One key criterion was that at least five important sights should be comfortably reached on foot within 30 to 90 minutes and can be easily linked together on a tour.
A sightseeing tour on foot could, for example, lead you from the Botanical Garden to the New Town Hall, then via the Bach Museum to the historic market and Museum of City History, and on to Zoo Leipzig. The fact is: everything in Leipzig’s city centre is within easy walking distance – whether it’s hotels, conference venues, restaurants or cultural hotspots. The main railway station is directly adjacent to the city centre. That’s why the locals like to say that you literally fall from the station into the city centre. So if you like the idea of strolling from your accommodation to the venue for an event and seeing something of the city, then Leipzig is the place to be.
Environmentally friendly and sustainable mobility
Electric buses and green electricity with Leipzig’s public transport system
And if the walk happens to be a little longer – no problem: Leipzig has the second largest and one of the densest tram networks in Germany. This dense network operated by Leipzig Verkehrsbetriebe (LVB), with its frequent trams and buses, makes the city the perfect conference location where people can get around quickly and conveniently. The City Tunnel runs under Leipzig’s city centre and connects the stops Bayerischer Bahnhof, Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz, Markt and Hauptbahnhof. From the main railway station, the route continues above ground via Leipzig Messe to Leipzig/Halle Airport. In addition, there are customised products such as the LVB congress ticket. With it, the participant’s pass becomes a ticket – a convenient and climate-friendly way to reach the venue. Leipzig is also continuously expanding its fleet of electric buses. By the end of 2021, there were already 21 e-buses on routes 89, 74 and 76, with ten more on their way in 2022. The electric buses run on 100 % certified green electricity. Together with trams and S-Bahn trains, more than 80 % of public transport trips taken by guests are powered by electricity. Another LVB highlight is its involvement in the ABSOLUT project for self-driving public transport vehicles. The project, which is currently still in the test phase, uses automated minibuses as shuttles in urban areas. These should one day complement local transport services and offer flexible 24/7 availability.
Our tip: Leipzig can also be explored and discovered very well by bicycle. There are plenty of bicycle rental stations offering bikes for short periods. As it happens, there are also free e-bike charging stations at the crowd-pullers Zoo Leipzig and Leipziger Messe.
Attractive for sustainable conferences
Leipzig is ideal for exploring on foot, has perfect long-distance transport connections, and offers electrified local transport with a high proportion of green electricity. This makes the city attractive for sustainable conferences and meetings. Leipzig can also make a big impression in terms of sustainability for big stages and international congresses. For example, Leipziger Messe is certified according to Green Globe standards, having received this certification for the twelfth time in 2022. This is one of the reasons why transport ministers from 63 member states met in Leipzig for the International Transport Forum (ITF) in May 2022. Alongside the ministerial meeting, organised in cooperation with the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), there was an international conference with more than a thousand delegates from around 80 countries around the world.
The ITF has been a guest at Leipzig’s trade fair grounds since 2008 and, in addition to transport ministers, welcomes numerous business leaders, heads of international organisations, parliamentarians and policy-makers, representatives of business associations and leading academics to discuss the future of transport. For next year, the “ITF 2023 Summit: Transport Enabling Sustainable Economies” is again scheduled to be held in Leipzig, where it will take place from 24 until 26 May at the Congress Center Leipzig.
Tips
Tips for event planners to make events more sustainable:
- Encourage your participants and guests to use public transport. The LVB congress ticket, for example, is a great way to do this.
- Access to rental bikes and shuttle buses also improves your carbon footprint.
- In Leipzig, it is an advantage if everything you plan is within walking distance. Take this into consideration when planning the supporting programme.
- Partnerships with local mobility service providers are also helpful: Deutsche Bahn, Leipziger Verkehrsbetriebe, car sharing, bicycle rental
- Offers to compensate for harmful greenhouse gases are also possible
- As for getting there: travelling by rail or coach is kindest on the climate, with cars and air travel much less favourable.
- Our tip: Leipzig’s trams, for example, run on 100 % green electricity.
