Leipzig / The verdict
Is St Thomas Church in Leipzig worth it?
Johann Sebastian Bach directed music in this church from 1723 to 1750, and his grave lies before the altar: entry is free, the building sits in the old-town core, and the world-famous boys' choir still sings motets on most Fridays and Saturdays. The catch travelers repeat is that the motet is a service, seats fill early and the choir pauses during Saxon school holidays.
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The Leipzig story
Leipzig is Berlin's cheaper, calmer cousin, with a claim on German history that few cities match: Bach's choir at St. Thomas Church, Napoleon at the Battle of Nations Monument, and the 1989 Monday demonstrations that helped end East Germany. The old town wraps arcades and courtyards around the Markt, and the cafes and bookshops are priced for locals rather than visitors.
The verdict in 30 seconds
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Johann Sebastian Bach directed music in this church from 1723 to 1750, and his grave lies before the altar: entry is free, the building sits in the old-town core, and the world-famous boys' choir still sings motets on most Fridays and Saturdays. The catch travelers repeat is that the motet is a service, seats fill early and the choir pauses during Saxon school holidays.
Go if
- Bach and classical-music fans; this is the pilgrimage site
- Travelers who can time a Friday evening or Saturday afternoon motet
- Anyone already in the old town; it sits two minutes off the market square and costs nothing
Skip if
- You are chasing cathedral-scale interiors or museum displays; the nave is a modest Gothic hall
- A trip during Saxon school holidays means no motets; the choir pauses then
What it costs
- Church entry: €0 (free entry outside services, donations welcome). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
- Motet program booklet at the door: €3 (sold from 45 minutes before the Friday 18:00 and Saturday 15:00 motets; children, pupils and Leipzig Pass holders enter free). Official source, checked Oct 2026.
What travelers report
Based on 13 traveler reports (Apr 2025 to Oct 2026) and the official sources linked on this page. 0 were negative.
What people like
- 5 of the logged reports describe hearing the Thomanerchor or a Bach program in the church as the standout experience of a Leipzig visit.
- 3 of the logged reports note the church is free to enter and sits directly in the old-town walking loop.
- 2 of the logged reports call attending a service here the closest thing to hearing the music as Bach's congregation did.
What people complain about
- 3 of the logged reports say the draw is Bach and the choir rather than the building, which reads as a modest Gothic hall next to its fame.
- 2 of the logged reports note the motet is a service with sermon, prayers and hymn, rather than a concert format.
- 2 of the logged reports describe seats filling 30 to 45 minutes before motets, so late arrivals stand or miss the choir.
How to do it right
- Check the day's visiting hours before going: roughly Monday to Thursday 10 to 18, Friday 10 to 16, Saturday mornings and late afternoon, Sunday from 11:30; the church closes to tourists around services.
- For a motet, arrive at least 45 minutes early on Friday at 18:00 or Saturday at 15:00; seats are unreserved and the nave fills.
- Buy the 3 EUR program at the door; children, pupils and Leipzig Pass holders enter free.
- Inside, find Bach's grave slab before the altar, the Bach memorial window and the two organs used in services.
- Between April and October, the church tower opens for climbs on Saturdays at 13:00 and 14:00 on a donation basis, 234 steps per traveler reports.
- Pair it with the Bach Museum across the square, which holds the artifacts the church itself does not.
The trap to avoid
The visitors who leave disappointed are the ones who treat it as a monument you walk through. Sightseeing halts during services, the signature motet is partly a church service with sermon and hymn, and the Thomanerchor pauses in Saxon school holidays, when an organ program or festival events often substitute. Reports also note seats are unreserved and claimed early, so arriving at start time can mean standing or missing the choir.
What to do instead
Johann Sebastian Bach directed music in this church from 1723 until his death in 1750, and that 27-year residency is why the Thomaskirche outdraws prettier churches across Germany. The building itself is a tall late-Gothic hall, elegant rather than grand, with Bach’s grave set in the floor before the altar and a memorial window above. Entry is free, a donation is welcome, and the church sits in the old-town core two minutes off the market square, so the real cost is only time.
The reason to plan the visit rather than drift in is music. The Thomanerchor, the boys’ choir Bach once led, still sings motets on most Fridays at 18:00 and Saturdays at 15:00. Reports describe these as part service, part concert: a short sermon, a congregational hymn and usually a Bach cantata inside a packed nave, with a 3 EUR program sold at the door and regulars claiming seats forty minutes out. Visitors after the music should note the choir pauses in Saxon school holidays, when an organ program or festival events often substitute, and the church closes to tourists around services.
Realistic expectations: travelers chasing cathedral-scale interiors or a museum of Bach artifacts find the room plain next to its reputation; the Bach Museum across the square holds the objects. Yet reports consistently land on the same point: sitting in the room where the St Matthew Passion premiered while an 800-year-old choir fills it converts even Bach-agnostic companions. Allow twenty minutes for a look, or ninety for a motet.
Book or check times
Visiting hours and motet informationCity tourism page for the church
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Questions
Is St Thomas Church free to visit?
Yes. Entry is free with donations welcome. Motet programs at the door cost 3 EUR, and children, pupils and Leipzig Pass holders are free.
When do the St Thomas boys' choir sing?
Motets run most Fridays at 18:00 and Saturdays at 15:00 outside Saxon school holidays; Friday is a Vespers service of about an hour, Saturday usually a Bach cantata of about 75 minutes. No motets run in the Saxon summer holidays or on Holy Saturday.
Do you need tickets for a motet?
No reservations exist; seating is free and unreserved. Reports describe regulars claiming seats 30 to 45 minutes out, so come early, and the 3 EUR program buys your place at the door.
Where is Bach buried?
Inside the church, in a bronze-floored grave slab before the altar. He worked here as Thomaskantor from 1723 to 1750, premiering much of his church music in this room.
Can you climb the tower?
Yes on Saturdays at 13:00 and 14:00 from April to October, 234 steps on a donation basis, per a local family's report.
What else is nearby?
The Bach Museum stands directly across Thomaskirchhof, and the church sits two minutes off the market square inside the old-town walking loop.