The district of Sömmerda, to which the municipality of Elxleben belongs, lies in the middle of the Thuringian Basin. The landscape around the village is flat, to the west of the municipality are the "Fahner Heights", to the east the river "Gera" and the southern boundary of the district also forms the border with the state capital Erfurt. 

Elxleben has always been a community with a strong industry alongside agriculture. Of particular importance were the "lime mining" and its processing, as can still be seen today in the "lime mill" with its chimneys. 

Elxleben owes its development to a large extent to its favorable transport connections and good infrastructure. 

Elxleben has seen a lot of construction work in recent years, with many streets being completely renovated between 2012 and 2019 as part of the village renewal program. The daycare center was expanded and playgrounds were created. 

The municipality of Elxleben is located directly on the 75 km long Geraradweg. 

This connects the Rennsteig cycle path with the Unstrut cycle path. In Erfurt it is possible to join the Thuringian Chain of Towns long-distance cycle route, which ends in Gebesee an der Unstrut, approx. 10 km from Elxleben.