Leer Germany (Ostfriesland) was supposed to be a longer stop on our day trip out of the city. We however fell in love with Fort Bourtange, the famed star fort of the Netherlands. Which means that we spent much longer wandering inside its walled village.
Us being us meant that we still headed out to Leer in Germany despite two exhausted children and dusk settling in on us. After all, how many things to do in Leer Germany could there be?
We reached Leer around 5pm and landed up spending around 4 hours in the city. Trust me, this is a great place to stop by if you are on a road trip or if you just need a place to take a break at. There are plenty of things to do in Leer Germany and though we reached later in the day, we still managed to do a couple of them.
Leer is also a great place to spend time during the Christmas season in Germany. This is because it is home to one of the famous markets that open up at this time of the year.
This is one of the main reasons that I know that I am heading back soon!
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Table of Contents
Location Of Leer Germany
Leer is a small town in Lower Saxony. It is located very close to the highway which makes it an excellent place to visit. So aside from a day trip to Leer, when else does visiting the town make sense? Well, it is a great stopover if you are headed to Bremen, Hamburg, Berlin or even Hanover (depending on the route you take).
How To Get To Leer Germany
We found that the easiest way to get to Leer in Germany was to drive. The highways are amazing and it is pretty fast to reach the town from Groningen which is our current base. There is also a train station in Leer. You would have to check and see if there are trains plying from the city you are leaving though.
Things To Do In Leer Germany
Interestingly enough, there are lots of things to do in Leer Germany. If you want to cover all these sights, I highly recommend visiting earlier in the day. We did not get to do a lot of the things on this list because we reached after 5pm. This means that we definitely have to make a stop when we pass through again!
1. Vintage Steamship Prince Henry
One of the fun things to do in Leer Germany is to check out all the boats.
The Vintage Steamship Prince Henry can be seen easily. It is docked in the canal in the city and is pretty gorgeous. There are loads of other different boats and ships that are docked here. It is absolutely fascinating to wander around and see the differences that they have.
The kids have been so interested in boats ever since we shifted to Groningen so they loved this part of the city. The only downside for us was that we couldn’t read all the signs because they were in Dutch.
Google lens translate is always a handy tool to have in your arsenal in situations like this!
2. Altstadt Leer
If you are looking for popular things to do in things to do in Leer Germany (Ostfriesland), Altstadt should top the list!
The Altstadt Leer is one of the historical landmarks in the area. The streets are lined with gorgeous old houses that date back centuries. It is one of the oldest parts of the city. In fact, in German ‘Altstadt’ means ‘Old Town’.
In this part of the town, not only will you see old buildings but you will see the churches that the city is really famous for. We could not enter most of them because we arrived late but they are still very fascinating to look at from the outside.
3. Walk Along The Leda River
You cannot say no to a walk along the river. It is one of the peaceful things to do in Leer Germany.
If you are headed to Leer in Germany, you really can’t miss out on the Leda river of this city. The moment we parked our car and started walking around, we were captivated by their beauty. There are loads of boats docked all over and the kids really loved comparing them.
We on the other hand loved the paved walkway. It was easy to get to even with the stroller and it was a pleasant walk before we headed to the main city square.
In fact, we wanted to have one last walk along the river before heading home but the skies opened up and dumped loads of rain on our heads so we had to hurry indoors.
4. Indulge In The Food
One doesn’t really think about food and Leer but trust me, there are loads of great places to eat in the city. In fact, it is a bit difficult to find a spot to sit down and you may end up moving through a couple of places before you find one.
We were lucky because we caught the last seat in Haus Hamburg. We weren’t really hungry and intended to just ride out the storm here while nibbling on food. Note that I say that we intended to! Instead we landed up having numerous of the bread and fish options on the menu. We just couldn’t help ourselves.
Oh, I also tried their baked potatoes with sour cream. It is heaven on a plate and I highly recommend it!
5. Rathaus
Rathaus is one of the iconic landmarks in the city of Leer in Germany. Rathaus translates into ‘Town Hall’.
The impressive structure towers over the buildings around it and is hard to miss as you head into the city. The German Dutch construction is one of the common themes that you will see across the city.
We arrived late in the day so we could not take a peek into the interiors but it is supposed to be very ornate.
It was still pretty impressive to gaze at the outer façade of the building.
6. Harderwykenburg
Harderwykenburg is one of the oldest stone castles in the area. It has been on my bucket list for awhile but since we reached Leer in Germany a bit late in the day, we couldn’t visit it. Luckily for us, we travel along this route often so I know that we will get to it eventually.
Even though I have not visited it personally, I can tell you why it is one of the popular things to do in Leer, Germany. The Harderwykenburg castle was built way back in the 1400s. The stones used to construct it were taken from a monastery.
One thing that I have noticed about similar constructions in Germany that have stood the test of time is their walls. They are always very thick. I sometimes joke that you could fit a whole Amsterdam apartment complex into them. The external walls of Harderwykenburg are 0.96 m and 1.23 meters thick in places!
Note: The Harderwykenburg castle is privately owned and not available for the public. You can catch a glimpse of it from outside.
7. Schloss Evenburg
Schloss Evenburg is one of the prettiest castles in the area. It is located a distance away from the city but is definitely one of the things to do in Leer in Germany. The castle was built in the 17th century and is well preserved. In the 19th century, the castle was expanded.
Today it houses a permanent exhibition of the life and work of the royal family. You can also walk around the impressive gardens, check out the horticultural endeavors and admire the numerous flowers in spring.
⏰ In a rush but haven’t booked your accommodation in Leer Germany yet? I recommend 24/7 Selfcheckin. It is highly rated, clean with great rooms. 🏨
And there you have it, this is the complete list of all my suggestions for things to do in Leer Germany. The quiet town is really worth visiting and is a great pitstop if you are ever driving through the area.
