Under $100: Leipzig

The buzzing student town of Leipzig has become a favorite with people looking for the “new Berlin.”

For breakfast, go to Leo’s Brasserie in the center of the city. It’s known for huge portions and quality dishes on a budget, so tuck into cold meats, cheese and fruit ($9). After breakfast, learn about the Communist history of the city with a trip to the Runde Ecke museum. The building used to house a Stasi surveillance center, and you can see the evidence all around the museum.

Head to Alte Nickolaischule for lunch, a restaurant housed in a 16^th-century school building. Chow down on regional delicacies like potato dumplings with asparagus, and wash it down with Radeberger, the local beer.

Walk off your lunch on a stroll around Eisenbahnstrasse in the east of the city, where independent art galleries have popped up in abandoned industrial buildings. Stick around until the evening to have a drink with some of the artsy locals, or head to Brick’s der Cocktail for some fantastic — yes, you guessed it — cocktails ($6 each).

Finish your day at Distillery nightclub, a techno club where you have to knock to be allowed in. If it sounds mysterious that’s because it is, but fear not, the door policy is a little more relaxed than the infamous Berghain in Berlin.