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What to do in Quedlinburg - 12 tips for a cute half-timbered town

What to do in Quedlinburg, Germany? This city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its abbey church, castle and old town. An amazingly beautiful and charming city! Here are our top tips for things to see and do!

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Quedlinburg in Germany

Quedlinburg is on the UNESCO list because of an 'unusual example of a medieval European town'. The town has around 1300 half-timbered houses, and is therefore also located along the German holiday route "Korsvirkesvägen”.

Göra i Quedlinburg

Quedlinburg is located in the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt in Germany, about 20 miles south-west of Magdeburg.

What to do in Quedlinburg?

So what can you see and do in Quedlinburg? First and foremost, you can stroll through the charming half-timbered houses, but there is much more to see and discover. We've put together a list of our top tips here.

1. Stroll among half-timbered houses

What comes naturally in Quedlinburg, and is impossible to miss, is strolling through the half-timbered idyll. Just about everywhere in the city you will find charming, beautiful and imaginative half-timbered houses. Almost like a fairy tale!

Every house is different, and it's a joy to look up at every facade.

Göra i Quedlinburg - korsvirkeshus

Don't miss out on the beautiful signage. Above shops, hotels and restaurants, you'll see signs with text explaining the business, but also with all kinds of creative figures to make things clearer.

2. Visit the Corsica Museum in Ständerbau

The Ständerbau is the very oldest half-timbered building, dating from the first half of the 14th century. It is now home to a half-timbered museum that tells the story of half-timbered architecture from the 14th to the 19th century.

Göra i Quedlinburg - korsvirkeshus

3. Climb the Castle Hill in Quedlinburg.

The castle hill is an important part of Quedlinburg and even if you have to walk a bit uphill, it is well worth the walk up here. The castle is currently being renovated (2022) and therefore unfortunately cannot be visited right now, but probably in a year or so. Until then, you will have to make do with the beautiful castle garden, views, restaurant and the possibility to visit the church.

The view of the city from here is very nice. You can look out over the low half-timbered houses and the church tops that stand out here and there.

4. Take a look inside the St Servatius Collegiate Church.

At the top of the Castle Hill sits the Collegiate Church of St Servatius, one of the most important German buildings from the Romanesque period. The church was consecrated in 1129 and is currently (2022) undergoing restoration.

Göra i Quedlinburg - stiftskyrkan

The interior of the church can be visited for a fee. It displays a collection of Quedlinburg's church treasures, and Henry I of Saxony and his wife Mathilde are buried in the crypt.

Göra i Quedlinburg - stiftskyrkan

5. Admire the town hall in Quedlinburg

One of the places you don't want to miss in Quedlinburg is the Market Square, which is a lively square surrounded by beautiful houses and cafés. Here you will also find tourist information.

Göra i Quedlinburg

Perhaps the most beautiful building on the square is the Town Hall. Don't miss the Roland statue that stands in front of the building, symbolising freedom and rights.

Göra i Quedlinburg - rådhuset

6. Coffee in cosy cafés

Quedlinsburg is the city of cosy cafes. Whether you want to sit outside or inside, on the bustling square or on a quieter street, you'll find a place that suits you.

Göra i Quedlinburg - fika
Göra i Quedlinburg - fika

7. Shopping for crafts and delicacies

If you like shopping for crafts and delicacies in cosy shops, you've found heaven. There are lots of small shops selling honey, mustard, whiskey, venison sausages and all kinds of crafts. Each shop is more cosy than the next.

8. See the view from the Münzenberg

Just outside the centre of Quedlinburg is the built-up Münzenberg hill. Here, among other things, are the remains of the Marienkloster (Mary's Monastery) where Benedictine nuns lived until the unrest of the Peasants' War in 1525. Later, the hill was settled by the poor, musicians, multitaskers and sax grinders ...

Münzenberg

Today, Münzenberg is a charming place where the fine residential buildings are densely packed and the alleys wind back and forth.

The hill overlooks the centre of Quedlinburg, with the Castle Hill, and in the evenings you can get great photos from here, although there is currently scaffolding around the castle.

Göra i Quedlinburg

9. Step down into the St Wiperti crypt

Just outside the very centre of Quedlinburg is St Wipertikirche, famous for its crypt. The crypt was built around the year 1000, into the structure that already existed, a church built in the 10th century. The church and crypt were unfortunately not open when we were here, but it was also nice to stroll around the historic cemetery.

10. See art at Lyonel-Feininger-Galerie

The Lyonel-Feininger-Galeri is a museum of graphic art, located at Schlossberg 11 in the centre of Quedlinburg. Lyonel Feininger was a German-American painter, printmaker and cartoonist who was born in New York and later moved to Germany.

11. Visit the Klopstockhaus

Klopstockhaus is the birthplace of poet Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock. The house, built around 1560, is beautiful and located on a nice square surrounded by several other beautiful houses. Today the house serves as a biographical and literary history museum.

12. Have dinner at Word-Haus

We had dinner at the restaurant Word-Haus, and we can highly recommend a visit here. Here we sat cosily in the garden, and everything we ate was very good and well prepared. Helena ordered white asparagus with hollandaise sauce, salmon and truffle gnocchi, and Peter went for lamb fillet with rosemary potatoes and green beans.

Here we also decided to try a German dessert each. For Peter it was apfelstrudel with ice cream and cream, while Helena ordered a "windbeutel" (large petit-chou filled with cream and jam). Delicious!

More things to do in Quedlinburg for culture and history lovers?

Want to experience even more in this lovely city? Here you will find more suggestions for things to do in Quedlinburg, for those interested in culture and history.

  • Cultural Church of St Blasii is a church offering concerts and exhibitions. (Blasiistrasse 6)
  • St Benedict's Market Church is a church with Gothic architecture (Marktkirchhof 1).
  • castle museum tells the history of the city and the development of the castle (Schlossberg 1).
  • Sternkicker tower is a tower with a view (Weingarten 1).
  • St Nicholas Church has 72 metre high towers (Neustädter Kirchhof 23).

More things to do in Quedlinburg for nature lovers

Here are also some more suggestions for things to do in Quedlinburg for nature lovers.

  • The cliffs of the castle hill are protected as a geopark.
  • Parks Brühl is a green park near the city (Brühlstrasse).

More to do in Quedlinburg for those travelling with kids or teens

Travelling with children or teenagers? Then you'll find some more tips for things to do in Quedlinburg here.

  • Glass are available in many 'ice cream parlours'.
  • Harz narrow gauge railway has a stop in Quedlinburg.
  • Little train drive through Quedlinburg.

Where can you live or stay with your campervan?

There are of course many different hotels and other accommodation options in Quedlinburg to choose from. We visited the city by motorhome and stayed at the car park Castle car park on Schenkgasse. This place has very great location for visiting the city and most of the services you need are available here.

The site looks more or less like a normal car park, and normal cars are also parked here, but there are also toilets, rubbish collection, the possibility of emptying the toilet cassette and the possibility of filling fresh water and connecting electricity. If you want electricity, you have to go across the street to the bowling alley and buy tokens. Please note that you will need to purchase the "kurtaxe" (currently €3/person) to stay in the town, which you can pay at the tourist office.

What to do in Quedlinburg - on film

More things to see and do around Quedlinburg

There is of course more to see and do in the neighbourhood of Quedlinburg. We can recommend nice places like Wernigerode, Blankenburg and Goslar. You also have the opportunity to experience fantastic nature in the Harz region, for example in Thale or at Germany's longest suspension bridge. The interesting city of Magdeburg is not too far away either.

All our top tips about Germany. Click on the image!

More tips for things to do in Quedlinburg?

Have you been to Quedlinburg? Tell us about your experiences and your relationship with the city! Do you have any other tips for things to see and do in Quedlinburg?

Facts about Quedlinburg

  • Country: Germany
  • Federal Republic of Germany: Saxony-Anhalt
  • Circle: Landkreis Harz
  • Residents: Around 24 000 (2019)
  • Read more: You can find more information at the city's website.

Travelling to Quedlinburg

  • Flight: Fly to Leipzig, Hannover or Berlin and continue by train or car hire.
  • Car: You can take the Öresund Bridge and drive to Quedlinburg (less than 8 hours from Malmö). Other options are to take a ferry, such as Finnlines Malmö-Travemünde, Nynäshamn-Rostock, Göteborg-Kiel or Rödby-Puttgarden.

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