Discover Zittau and find a hotel

Zittau combines remarkable Lenten veils and a striking church building with a historic steam railway journey and regional transport options. When choosing a hotel, you can consider whether cultural sites, an excursion on the narrow-gauge railway or travel around the region will be the main focus of your stay.

Lenten veils and architecture in Zittau

The Large Zittau Lenten Veil dates from 1472. It depicts the biblical story in 90 scenes and measures 8.20 by 6.80 metres. It can be seen at the Museum Church of the Holy Cross. You can see the Small Zittau Lenten Veil at the Franciscan Monastery Museum of Cultural History. The two veils are therefore housed in different museums; if you are interested in both, take this into account when planning your visits.

St. John’s Church offers a different perspective on Zittau’s architectural history. The Neoclassical church, designed by Schinkel, was completed in 1837. Its 60-metre-high south tower offers sweeping views across Zittau. While the Lenten veils unfold a biblical story across many individual scenes, St. John’s Church draws attention to architecture and the cityscape. This allows you to focus on different aspects of Zittau’s cultural attractions.

Steam railway journeys and regional mobility

The Zittau narrow-gauge railway offers a nostalgic steam train journey through Upper Lusatia and is considered a family-friendly regional excursion. Here, the journey itself takes centre stage, setting it apart from a visit where a work of art or a building is the destination. Which option suits your stay depends on whether you would rather spend your time visiting cultural sites or taking a train journey.

Regional journeys around Zittau are served by the ZVON network, with TRILEX and ODEG trains as well as urban and regional bus operators. A joint network fare applies to journeys by train, tram or bus. This provides a basis for including different forms of transport in your plans for getting around the region. Network and fare rules may change, so check the information before travelling.

Cultural attractions and excursions in Görlitz

If you include both Zittau and Görlitz in your travel plans, you can consider the RB65 as a rail connection: it runs from Görlitz via Görlitz/Weinhübel and Hagenwerder to Ostritz and Zittau. Check the timetable before travelling to make sure your plans match the current service.

In Görlitz, Schönhof is the main building of the Silesian Museum in Görlitz. After a city fire, it was rebuilt in the Renaissance style from 1526 onwards and is one of the oldest Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. It thus adds another example of historic architecture to Zittau’s attractions, one that is also associated with a museum.

The Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz offers a different kind of visit: a live animal feeding demonstration takes place in the live animal area on the first Thursday of every month at 4 p.m.; admission is included in the museum ticket. As this is a recurring programme, check the current calendar before your visit. For a self-guided discovery tour of Görlitz, the “Walk of Görliwood®” takes you from one film location to another throughout the city using the free SmartGuide app. Also check the app’s availability before your trip.

Discover more destinations: Waldhufen, Neusalza-Spremberg, Seifhennersdorf, Mücka, Herrnhut, Groß Düben, Niesky, Vierkirchen.

Back to the main travel overview: Görlitz.