Halle or Quedlinburg?

Been to both several times and think it depends on what kind of town/city you prefer - Quedlinburg is relatively small, medieval atmosphere with lots of timber-framed houses and the medieval castle/church hill. As for museums, the church treasure museum aside I don't remember anything remarkable (the castle museum is closed for renovation works until 2024.) And the art museums are not overly exciting IMO.

Halle is a big city compared to Quedlinburg and will probably remind you quite a bit of Leipzig. Lots of churches, a very good art museum in the Moritzburg castle, the Händel museum, the archeological museum with the disk of Nebra ... that's well worth seeing. I also found the Franckesche Stiftung complex to be very interesting.

So, cute small town or bigger city is the question.

I haven't been to Halle, but I agree that Quedlinburg is a long drive from Leipzig (we were in Weimar three nights, after Leipzig 3 nights.) However, because of the Quedlinburg Theft, the church treasury was a must-do for me. It depends on your museum experience, but these are things (like classical ivories repurposed into early medieval book bindings ... ) that J.P. Morgan could only dream of getting his hands on. (Morgan Library and Museum , NYC.) The town is more beautiful than the average Fachwerke town, and has a variety of styles and ages to see. But it is a long way. It could be combined with places along the way, like maybe Erfurt, Gotha, Eisnach. We didn't have time for the Zeiss museum in Jena. December might not be ideal, but have you considered the Dessau-Worlitz Gartenreich UNESCO WHS?

You don't need more than a scant half-day in Quedlinburg (check church hours), but we stayed for an early dinner near the church, overlooking the red tile roofs of the town. It was Pifferling Season, so they offered several Pifferling-Menus, including dessert!

Hands down Quedlinburg. To be fair, I visited Halle a while ago--maybe 20 years? But I think Quedlinburg is absolutely lovely.

We love exploring all of the streets in Quedlinburg city center and on the way up to the castle. Bonus if you are there from 29 November or after as the Christmas market opens on this date. Double bonus if you are there on the weekend of December 1 as the Advent in the Courtyard opens on December 1 for 3 consecutive weekends. This smaller satellite market has only handmade items from the region.

I think Quedlinburg deserves more than a half-day. I spent at least one night there. It is stunning. I used the tourist office's audio guide in 2015, and it took hours even though I had already been inside the church and the treasury. But I walked every street in the historic center. It has cobbled sidewalks as I recall, which really affects one's walking pace. I might choose a different option if conditions were really wet or, worse, icy.

Thank you for sharing your experiences. I think we will have to go with Quedlinburg. Knowing us we will spend a long day there-we tend to spend longer than the "recommended" times whenever we visit museums or historic areas. We will be there during the first week of the Christmas market so will enjoy an evening visit there. (Sadly we won't be there over the weekend to experience the Christmas Courtyards-but I can console myself with knowing I'll be in Seiffen instead☺️.)

Thank you for the reminder about snowy/icy conditions. I will have suitable boots, but those cobblestones can certainly be treacherous. It will be good to have Halle as a back-up.

We just returned from Germany, spending a week in Quedlinburg. It is a delightful town, very charming, and I can imagine how fun it would be for Christmas Markets. The Castle is currently closed for renovations (not quite sure what they are doing) but you can still go into the church by the castle; we very much enjoyed that. The young woman at the entrance lent us some information in English, as everything inside is in German. We did not hear any English spoken in Quedlinburg, unless I asked "Sprechen Sie English?" And then it was often very limited -- just something to be aware of. Also, many restaurants and shops only take cash! I know this subject is discussed frequently on this forum, with many people saying "every place takes a credit card." That was not our experience in these smaller towns. I highly recommend visiting Quedlinburg.

Ideally, it would be a pleasant experience if you have the time to visit both places while in Leipzig. I've only been to Halle , very superficially. I know Leipzig better because of a few day trips spent there. In addition, if you come across the Tourist Office in Leipzig, check that out too.

My trip in France this time I checked out several Tourist Offices if I came upon them in the centre-ville....almost a wealth of info and recommendations provided by the friendly and helpful staffs.

Fred, I will definitely stop in at the TI. As I searched Leipzig's tourism website I came upon listings for brochures, maps, etc. available for online ordering. Within two weeks I received a generous packet in my mailbox. Much of it is in German, so a good warm-up for the trip:). They request a contribution to cover postage; I will happily drop off a few Euros when I stop by.

@ Den....Traditionally, Leipzig was a very important city aside from its cultural distinction in Germany. Like Frankfurt the city of Leipzig was a major publishing center and prior to WW2 Germany's version of the Supreme Court was situated in Leipzig. Militarily, one can argue that the Battle of Leipzig, called in English "the battle of the Nations" marked the slow beginning of the end for Napoleon, when the Allies, the armies of 4 nations converged on Napoleon at Leipzig and marking the victorious end of the War of Liberation (Befreiungskrieg) in the German area.

I would suggest you check out #1. the Tourist Office as you said and #2. the Battle of the Nations Monument, (the Völkerschlachtdenkmal) along with its adjacent museum. I found that a bit disappointing. Maybe I was expecting more ? Until WW1 that battle was one of the 2 most massive battles fought in Europe, both of which in Central Europe, and # 3. the Stadtgeschichtlichliches Museum (City History, presumably more than what the name suggests).

In 1945 it was the Americans who got to Leipzig, not the Soviets.