Going to Weimar for a day to visit Buchenwald...anyone else been there? What should I see in one day? I like to people watch..

Most of the parts of interest are within the town centre. The problem with Weimar is that, while quite attractive, it isn't picture-postcard beautiful. It is, however, one of the most important towns in German history - it was the centre of the German Enlightenment and, later, gave its name to the period of history known as the Weimar Republic, as the German parliament met there after World War One. Important former residents include Schiller, Goethe, Wagner, Strauss, Bach, Lucas Cranach and Nietzsche. In order to get a good understanding of Weimar's importance (as opposed to just looking at some old buildings), I would recommend a guided tour, or at least get a good guide book. Contact the tourist office for information on guided tours.

Buchenwald, incidentally, is an excellent choice. It's much more impressive than KZ Dachau, thanks to its location hidden away among the forest above Weimar. It also much less busy than Dachau, which I think is important.

If you have time, the town of Erfurt is also well worth a visit (particularly the impressive cathedral), as is Schloss Wartburg, where Martin Luther was imprisoned and translated the Bible into German - the foundation stone of the modern German language.

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Buchenwald

I was there last fall. I walked to the cemetary in the center of town. WELL worth it. I was amazed at the upkeep and number of locals at the cemetary. Each family is responcible for the upkeep of the graves, and they do a damn good job! many of the graves had freshly lit candles and flowers. I was amazed to see the interest in their past. Schiller and Goethe are both burried there as well. The memorial to the WWI vets is kinda cool too. There is also a Nitschze museum too. The city prides itself as a literary mecca. So many cafes to see and be seen in. The small town atmosphere is great. You can walk darn near anywhere. It was closed when I was there, super bummed on that. My suggestion is to walk and get 'lost' in the small streets. If I recall correct, I bought a little cheap map of the city for a euro or less at the gift shop at the HBF. Enjoy Weimar!

Buchenwald will take at least 3-4 hours if you wish to see it all. It is an enlightening experience and best to do it on your own in silence. Get one of the headphones and you will learn a lot more.

The rest of the time wander around the town. go to the cemetary and we did the castle (forget the name) in the town center.

All in all Weimar is a lovely quaint cultural place.

Took 6 hours to see Buchenwald and I didn't even see everything I wanted to. I took about 250 pictures..haha, it was a good place to test my skills. Thanks everyone for your suggestions. Weimar is a lovely town, you get such a small town atmosphere there. The train ride is also very beautiful, as I'm sure it is to Erfurt and on to Frankfurt a.M.

For me, Buchenwald was very different from any other memorial of any kind I've been to. INcluding Gettysburg and places such as that...it is so vast, and many times you are alone. You can explore so many places, even though most of it is destroyed.