Hannover holidays

How to reach Hannover

• Flight time: Flights to Hannover from London take approximately 1 hour 30 minutes.

• Transfer time: Hannover International Airport is 9km northwest of the centre and linked by S-Bahn S5 to the Hauptbahnhof, a journey of about 20 minutes.

• Price: A single S-Bahn ticket from the airport to Hannover city centre costs around €3.90, with a taxi costing approximately €25–30.

Best time to visit Hannover

This will depend on what you want to do during your trip; some events are seasonal, and the weather may also play a part in your decision.

• April to June: Spring - the season for the city’s wonderful Spring Festival - brings milder temperatures of around 10°C to 18°C, though expect plenty of rain, so bring a jacket. You’ll enjoy around 6–7 hours of sunshine a day.

• July to August: High season, so expect larger crowds - which mostly head towards the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen and the Maschsee Lake - and slightly higher accommodation prices. It’s warm and sunny, with temperatures around 22°C to 25°C. You can expect 7–9 hours of sunshine daily and limited rainfall (40–60mm).

• September to November: Cooler but still very pleasant weather, with temperatures ranging from 10°C to 20°C. This is the best time to explore Hannover’s many cultural assets, but you can expect the city's museums to be quite busy.

• December to March: Winter in Hannover can be cold, with temperatures ranging from -2°C to 6°C. However, the Christmas markets are a real highlight, lending a lovely festive feel to the city. Snowfall is likely, especially in January and February, so pack well.

Practical information

• Spoken languages: German is the official language, but English is widely spoken throughout the city.

• Local habits and customs: When tipping in a café, round your bill up to the next €0.50 or €1 and give the total directly to the waiter; at restaurants, you should leave around 10 percent of the bill. When you are in a group, you should wait until everybody has their drink and only start drinking after clinking glasses.

• Health and safety: Hannover presents no more danger than any other city, but do keep an eye on your belongings, especially on public transport. In the event of an emergency, phone T112 for an ambulance (Krankenwagen).

• Currency: Germany uses the Euro (€), with credit and debit cards accepted in most places.

• Getting around: Hannover has an efficient public transport system that includes buses, trams and trains. Tickets within Zone 1 – all you’ll ever need – cost €3.40 for a two-hour single, €1.80 for a Kurzstrecke short-distance ticket valid for three stops on the U-Bahn (or five on a bus) and €6.80 for a TagesTicket day ticket.

• Electricity and plug types: Germany uses 220 volts, and UK travellers will need an adaptor for continental-style two-pin round plugs.

• Time zone: Hannover is in the Central European Time zone (CET), which is 1 hour ahead of GMT.

• Required travel documentation: UK travellers can visit Germany visa-free for up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

Best things to do in Hannover

One of the finest Baroque gardens in Europe, good art galleries and a couple of drinking districts that let rip at weekends – the state capital proves culture comes in bars as well as museums.

Viewpoints and panoramas

• New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus): An inclined lift curves around the cupola to the top of the dome, with spectacular views of the city and countryside beyond, which stretch as far as the Harz on clear days.

Best districts

• Linden: The multicultural hipsters’ quarter, Linden is packed with quirky shops, street art and a laid-back atmosphere.

Museums

• Sprengel-Museum: Blockbuster exhibitions bolster a veritable Who’s Who; expect all the big guns of the Blaue Reiter group – August Macke, Kandinsky and especially Klee, who gets a room to himself – plus savagely bitter canvases from Max Beckmann and displays of Munch and Oskar Kokoschka that are a tutorial in Expressionism.

• Museum Schloss Herrenhausen: Partially underground, the museum has a worthwhile exhibition on life in the Baroque era, with exhibits including the ornate sleighs that used to whizz the gentry around the gardens in winter, plus period art collections and an automatic pedometer designed by Leibniz in 1700.

Parks and gardens

• Grosser Garten: The first garden in Hannover and still the best. Fired with inspiration after a visit to Versailles and aided by French master gardener Martin Charbonnier, Electress Sophia transformed the kitchen garden of the royal summer palace into a horticultural masterpiece.

Historical monuments

• Marktkirche: The southernmost example of northern Germany’s love affair with Gothic brick is the heart of what’s left of the Altstadt. The church’s mighty tower powers up 98m as a launch pad for a spire – and ends instead in a pinprick.

• Neues Rathaus: What a town hall this is! Crowned by a dome of preposterous dimensions, its revivalist hulk so impressed Kaiser Wilhelm II that he officiated at the opening in 1913.

• Altes Rathaus: Bristling with finials and layers of glazed and red brick, two styles favoured by the Baltic cities Hannover aped after it signed up to the Hanseatic League in 1386, this is a feast for the eyes.

Day trips in the area

• Bremen: A relaxed small-scale city with a famously easy-going attitude, a medieval village, fantastical Art Nouveau street, fabulous town square and boisterous bar district all within 15 minutes walk of each other – what’s not to like about Bremen?

• Celle: Carved timbers by the tonne in a picture-book-pretty courtly town within easy reach of Hannover.

• Hameln: The fairy-tale Road Hameln of Pied Piper fame and Baron Münchhausen’s Bodenwerder are two stops on a route that swoops south beside the Weser River – a chance for slow travel by bike or canoe.

Activities for families in Hannover

Families certainly won’t be short-changed when it comes to things to do on Hannover holidays, whether that’s messing about in (or on) the water, or admiring marine life.

• Maschsee Lake: The 2.4km-long Maschsee Lake offers much for families, whether on a cruise from quays on all banks, messing about in a sailing or rowing boat rented from a quay opposite the Sprengel-Museum, or spending lazy days on the Strandbad beach at the southeast corner.

• Interactive museums: Definitely one for kids, the ace Niedersächsisches Landesmuseum has an aquarium and reptile house on the ground floor, while there are dinosaur skeletons and stuffed mammals in the natural history department.

• Aquariums and zoos: The ever-popular Sea Life Centre is home to a wide variety of marine life, including sharks, sea turtles and tropical fish; kids will especially love exploring the underwater tunnels.

Free things to do in Hannover

Hannover offers no shortage of ways that you can save money, from strolling the city’s famous gardens to seeking out the local street art.

• Herrenhausen Gardens: While the Great Garden and museum require a ticket, the Georgengarten and Berggarten are free to explore, so go on, dive in - and take a picnic too.

• Festivals: The highlight of the festival year is the largest Schützenfest (Marksmen’s Festival) in Germany, held over 10 days over the end of June and into July. Similar but more restrained is the Maschsee Festival over 19 days from the last Wednesday in July.

• Street art: In many ways, Hannover has managed to reinvent itself through street art, from the Nanas at Hohen Ufer to its wacky bus- and tramstops.

Nature and outdoor activities in Hannover

Whilst the city is famed for its gardens, there are opportunities for outdoor pursuits beyond the city limits.

• Cycling: Hannover is a very bike-friendly city, with a network of dedicated cycle paths that make it easy to explore on two wheels; there’s a Radstation on each side of the Hauptbahnhof. If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can head into the Deister Forest, located just outside the city, for a longer ride through the countryside.

• Hiking: One of the largest urban forests in Europe, Eilenriede Forest covers 640 hectares right on the city’s doorstep - a small but lovely escape from the urban jungle. There’s also the Deister Hills, a nexus of hiking and cycling trails - and in winter, you can even go cross-country skiing here.

• Climbing: Looking to scale a few walls? Look no further than Magic Mountain, the city’s indoor climbing centre. With walls for all skill levels, it’s a fun and challenging way to spend a few hours, whether you’re a seasoned climber or a complete beginner.

Local dishes in Hannover

Whether you’re enjoying a hearty meal of Heidschnuckenbraten, or trying the city’s iconic Herrenhäuser Pilsener, there’s something to delight every palate during your holidays to Hannover.

Some typical dishes

• Heidschnuckenbraten: Made from the meat of the Heidschnucke, a type of moorland sheep found in Lower Saxony, this dish is slow-cooked and served with a rich gravy, potatoes and vegetables.

• Sauerbraten: A marinated pot roast slow-cooked in a vinegar-based marinade and served with red cabbage and dumplings.

• Kartoffelsuppe: A creamy potato soup made with vegetables, bacon and sausage, this is a comforting winter dish.

Meat dishes

• Saxon bratwurst: The Saxon version of this famous sausage is made with finely ground pork and grilled to perfection.

• Schweinshaxe: A huge crispy knuckle which could have graced a medieval banqueting table, usually served with potato dumplings or sauerkraut.

Street food

• Frikadellen: Patties made from a mix of minced meat, onions and spices, served in a sandwich or on their own but always with a dollop of mustard.

• Brezen (Pretzels): A staple of the streets, these pretzels - covered in salt crystals - are far superior to their American counterparts.

Sweets and desserts

• Bienenstich: A thick-set cake (incidentally “Bienenstich” translates to “bee sting”), filled with a sweet vanilla custard and topped with caramelised almonds and honey.

• Eierschecke: A layered cake made with a yeast base, a quark (curd cheese) filling and a custard topping.

Local drinks

• Lüttje Lage: A combination of beer and schnapps, traditionally consumed in a fun if rather tricky way, whereby the beer and schnapps are drunk simultaneously from two separate glasses.

• Saxon wine: Hannover is located in one of Germany’s smaller wine regions, with vineyards along the Elbe River producing excellent Riesling and Müller-Thurgau wines.