Discover Halle: Five Towers, Culture and the Saale

Halle combines a distinctive historic cityscape with the river that flows through the city. At the Market Square, the Market Church, Red Tower and Händel Monument together form Halle’s characteristic five-tower skyline. Along the banks of the Saale, paths pass promenades, parks and cafés. This gives you a choice of different focuses when planning your trip: local history, significant collections, music or activities by the water. These interests can also give your hotel search a specific focus.

Old Town, Towers and Collections

Halle has an almost entirely intact historic Old Town. Giebichenstein Castle is considered the oldest castle on the Saale. Together with the Market Square, it shows how different places shape the city’s history and appearance. The Francke Foundations form a cultural and scientific complex of European significance and house a unique art and natural history cabinet.

The State Museum of Prehistory in Halle houses archaeological treasures, including the world-famous Nebra Sky Disc. In June 2013, it was included in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register. The Moritzburg Art Museum brings together various collection areas: paintings, prints, sculpture, decorative arts and design, photography, coins and medals, as well as outstanding works of classical modernism. Archaeology and art can therefore be explored as different themes during a stay in Halle.

Music, Science and Events

The Händel House is the birthplace of George Frideric Handel. At the annual Handel Festival, the composer is celebrated with music in churches, squares and concert halls. The Halle (Saale) Planetarium is located in a former gasometer on the green Saline Island; it is the largest and most modern planetarium in Saxony-Anhalt. The Saltworks Museum is a listed ensemble and is considered one of Germany’s most significant saltworks monuments.

On the banks of the Saale below Giebichenstein Castle, the annual Hanseatic Festival brings the history of the Hanseatic League to life with historical pageants, performances and other events on and along the Saale. If you would like to combine your trip with the Handel Festival or Hanseatic Festival, check the specific event dates.

Routes Along the Saale and Getting Here

For outdoor activities, Peißnitz Island offers a circular route of up to 4,800 metres. Conditions on the paths can change with the weather and high water. The island is ideally reached by bicycle or on foot and is intended to remain car-free, with certain exceptions. Another option is the Saale Cycle Route, which runs through Halle and is described as flat and family-friendly. The island circuit and the cycle route offer different ways to enjoy time outdoors.

Halle has IC and ICE train connections. Check current train services for your travel date.

Saxony-Anhalt: Cycle Routes and the Sky Disc

The wider travel destination of Saxony-Anhalt also has regional cycle routes connected to Halle. The Saale Cycle Route runs for around 180 kilometres through the state, between Saaleck and Barby. The Sky Disc Cycle Route connects Halle (Saale) and the Nebra Ark over 71 kilometres. The Nebra Ark Visitor Centre is located at the site where the Sky Disc was found. This means Halle’s State Museum of Prehistory and the findspot in the wider travel destination of Saxony-Anhalt offer different connections to the same subject. Check current route information when planning specific cycling stages.

Discover more destinations: Neustadt, Halle / Saale, Jerichower Land, Altmarkkreis Salzwedel, Salzlandkreis, Magdeburg, Börde, Anhalt-Bitterfeld

Return to the higher-level travel overview: Saxony-Anhalt.