We included two days in the city of Hannover in our travel through northern Germany and it was really worth it.
Although the main tourist attractions are concentrated in the Altstadt, the historic city of Hanover, we decided to stay there for two nights, mainly to include the park with the Herrenhausen Gardens in one of the periods. It is well worth exploring and taking a leisurely stroll through all its gardens and sculptures, especially if you go on a sunny day.
Another tourist facility in the city is the so-called “red line”, or in German “Roter Faden”. A red strip painted in the center of the city that passes through 36 tourist points in a circuit of 4.2 kilometers.
We write about 8 of the best attractions on the Romantic Road in Germany with up-to-date tips, be sure to check it out.
How to go to Hannover in Germany
Hanover is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony and is located in northern Germany. It is 151 km from Hamburg, 286 km from Berlin, 292 km from Cologne and 354 km from Frankfurt. Citing only the largest and best known cities.
As a curiosity, it is in Hannover that CeBIT takes place, the largest commercial exhibition world in the field of digital telecommunications and IT services. It takes place at the Deutsche Messe AG Hannover.
To get to the city of Hannover you can go by car, the German roads known as the Autobahn are quite easy to drive. But it is also possible to go by train, a very interesting way to get to know Germany.
You can take a day trip to Hannover from Hamburg, but we chose to visit the city in 2 days and stay at least one night in Hannover.
Where to stay in Hannover in Germany – Hotel and hostel tips
The best place to stay in Hannover is close to the city center, its historic center. Either close to the Hauptbanhof or at any point on the “Red Line”, so you can do the whole tour on foot.
We stayed at the hotel Aspria Hannover, a hotel a little further from the historic tourist center because we wanted to stay on a beach, enjoy the summer more. It is 4 km from the tourist information office next to the Hauptbanhof, Hannover’s central train station. As the public transport system is easy to use, this isn’t exactly a problem.
About the hotel, it was a great choice. Its facilities are very nice, the pool and sauna are very good and the beach is really nice to enjoy. The only problem is that it’s a lake beach, so the ground is very muddy and with roots and leaves. Oh! It is worth mentioning that the hotel’s sauna is FKK, Freikörperkultur, with nudism allowed.
Be sure to look for other options on the Booking.com.
Top sights of Hannover in Germany
As mentioned at the beginning, the main sights of Hannover have been highlighted around a Red Line painted in the historic center of the city.
O Hannover’s official website has a map detailing this path:
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1OlfyhrXjvInmy0r3DfzdjYkOB1Q&hl=de&ll=52.37180673865214%2C9.735828500000032&z=16The start of the path was defined as the Tourist Office near Hauptbanhof, but you can start the tour at any point. Our tour was from Aegidienkirche in>, the ruins of the church that was bombed during World War II in 1943 and is now a memorial.
And in addition to this tourist circuit in the center of Hannover, another point that you cannot miss on your travel itinerary are the Gardens of Herrenhausen, a park that is a little further from the Red Line, but not much.
The gardens are just 4 km from the Hauptbanhof and can be reached either on foot (50 minutes), by car (17 minutes) or the city’s commuter train service (only 18 minutes). . On the official website you can see the updated price of fares, stations and plan itineraries .
To eat and drink in Hannover, you will find several options with different types of cuisine. We separate three places, the Lindenblatt Grill-Garten, for those who want to eat meats and grilled; the Bavarium for traditional German food and the bona’me, Turkish oriental food.
What to do in Hannover in Germany – Itinerary tip for 2 days trip
As I mentioned, we stayed in a hotel whose main attraction is a small beach on the lake, as well as swimming pools and a sauna. So we reserve for the first afternoon some time to enjoy and burn ourselves a little in the German summer sun.
And it wasn’t until the next morning that we left to follow all the sights along the Red Line path. Among them, I can highlight their main ones.
1st day in Hannover – Red-line tour
We start our tour at the Aegidienkirche, the ruins of the church that was bombed during World War II. Something that caught our attention was its connection with the nuclear bombs that the US dropped on Japan (important to say, the only use of a nuclear bomb in history, resulting in the death of thousands of civilian and innocent people).
We then walked, following the Red Line, to the Neues Rathaus, the new Hannover city hall building. The building, square and fountain in front are beautiful. Inside the city hall, in addition to the beauty of the architecture itself, there are 4 models showing important moments in the city’s history.
Following the banks of the River Leine to the famous Nanas, we had the opportunity to take several pictures of the town hall and the old city wall.
The Nanas are sculptures made in 1974 by the artist Niki de Saint Phalle that use images from the Pop Art school to portray voluminous, colorful and sensual female bodies. One more curiosity: “Nana” is an ambiguous French term for a modern, self-confident, erotic and perverse woman.
In addition to their historical importance (they were pioneers in the discussion about art in public space and representing everyday culture), the “Nanas” are really beautiful and Olivia really enjoyed meeting them.
We left the river bank, crossed the Marstalltor, gate of the old wall and headed towards Marktkirche, passing through several points of the Line Red that were worth the stop, such as Ballhofplatz and the view from Kreuzstraße to Kreuzkirche.
A Marktkirche St. Georgii et Jacobi is Hannover’s main Lutheran church, built in the 14th century and represents the brick Gothic architecture of northern Germany. Also destroyed in World War II and later rebuilt, it has the largest bell in the state of Lower Saxony.
From there, towards the end, we will visit the Altes Rathaus, the old town hall, the Markthalle , a municipal market with fairs and places to eat, and we went to the Altstadt, the old city center. With houses built in the half-timbered style, today it is an important commercial center in Hannover.
We also pass by the Kröpcke clock, a replica built in 1977 of the 1885 clock, dismantled after the Second World War.
And we end our tour in front of the Hauptbahnhof of Hannover, where the Ernst-August-Denkmal is located, a statue from 1861 in honor of the sovereign of the former Kingdom of Hanover, King Ernst August.
2nd day in Hannover – Herrenhausen castle and gardens
For the second day trip in Hanover, we plan to visit the Herrenhäuser Gärten, the Gardens of Herrenhausen, located approximately 4 km from the historic city center. It can be visited either by car, parking is ample and easily accessible, or by public transport, there is a train stop in front of the entrance.
We visited the castle only from the outside, as we concentrated our visit on the Großer Garten, the Great Garden, a large park divided into several open areas and also enclosed by walls of bushes. The first thing that really catches the eye are the Greco-Roman statues spread around the corners of the gardens and centralized in closed areas. You will spend a lot of time on your visit going from garden to garden, getting to know their differences, characteristics and beauties. Including flowers, plants and statues.
The first highlight is the Grotto, the Grotto by French artist Nik de Saint Phale. It was part of a larger aquatic exhibit in one of the oldest buildings in the park, decorated with shells, bronze pieces and crystal, which were removed more than 250 years ago. Based on that, the artist modernized the grotto in her own style, her great work before her death in 2002. The three rooms that can be visited represent human life, divided into “Spirituality”, “Day and Life” and “Night and Cosmos”.
Another highlight of the park is its Great Fountain built at the end of the 17th century. It is located in the center, between different gardens, with a jet of water that can reach a height of 70 meters and that can be seen from a long distance. Be sure to walk around it, reading the plaques hung on the gates around it that explain its history, how it worked and how its mechanism to reach such heights of water worked and works now.
Another tip is to check the opening hours, when we went, the fountain was taking a 2-hour break, precisely during our visit. We had to wait a long time to see it work.
Due to its size and beauty, the place is often used by newly married couples for their wedding photos. It’s not hard to come across grooms and brides in character with photographers chasing them and guiding them to the best photos.
Lastly, the Herrenhausen Gardens are close to the SEA LIFE Center Hannover, the Hockey Club Hannover and also from other parks, such as the Berggarten and Georgengarten. It is possible for you to plan all these visits for your second day of travel in the city.
Hannover is a city with a lot of history to discover and an important tourist destination for your trip through northern Germany.
Excursions and city tours in Hannover Germany
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