Top 10 Things to do in Hannover
Of all the things to do in Hannover, how do you narrow down your weekend to make it more manageable? Aside from night clubs and eateries, I have assembled the Top 10 Things to do in Hannover that will appeal to everyone in the family.
Erlebnis Zoo
If you ever wanted to tour the world in one afternoon, be sure to visit Erlebnis Zoo. The Discovery Trail is uniquely designed to take you from one country to another without missing a beat; crucial for the spacial-orientation impaired like myself.
There are a dozen events throughout the year, celebrating the holidays and countries exhibited in this great zoo. There is even a jungle cruise and special “Jungle Book Musical” this summer in honor of the zoo’s 150th anniversary.
While they do sell daily tickets, the annual passes have great discounts for families and single parents. I love when family centered businesses take that extra step.
Marienburg Castle
As the most fairytale like castle in Germany, Schloss Marienburg is a must see. While not exactly in Hannover, the castle is a short 20 minutes out-of-town, in the peaceful country side.
Completed in 1866 and only lived in for 1 year, everything about the castle; from the interior, exterior and furnishings are original and it is still owned by the Royal Family.
Official City Tours
There are 11 official city tours hosted by the city of Hannover. 11! That’s insane. While some may overlap and others are seasonal, that is still an incredible amount of information and places to see in Hannover.
I have only had the pleasure of doing the City Tour Bus, a Hop On Hop Off style tour of the city’s highlights, the others include a walking tour, Christmas Market Tour, The Royal Gardens and a Cycle Ride.
Grab a tour, pin point your must-sees and come back after to go inside and explore more in-depth.
New Town Hall
Built in 1913, after being under construction for nearly 12 years, the Neu Rathaus is a castle-like building. It was heavily damaged during the war, by American air raids, but quickly repaired. The old Town Hall is no longer in use, but now contains retail and business space.
The dome and observation deck are an amazing 100 m high and the lift climbs the 50 m shaft at an angle of up to 17° to the gallery of the dome.
There are tours within the Town Hall and 4 scale models of the city in the lobby, depicting the city’s changes and growth after the war.
Red Thread
The Red Thread is a 4.2 km (2.6 miles) long red line painted throughout the city, connecting 36 prime attractions for the perfect self-guided walking (or cycling) tour.
The handy guide-book from the Tourism Office (3 euro) outlines a map and briefly explains each of the attractions in several languages. A map is also available in app form on the Apple platform, just search “Roter Faden”.
Herrenhausen Gardens
One of Europe’s most impressive Baroque gardens.
Inspired by the Sun King Louis XIV, Empress Sophia commissioned the 180 acre gardens in the French style, hence it’s similarities with the Palais de Versailles.
Inside the castle is the Schloss Herrenhausen Museum, two floors of relics, paintings and history of the gardens.
Sea Life
Across the street from the Schloss Herrenhausen Museum and Gardens, is the magnificent Sea Life dome. While all locations have the same underwater dome and variety of fish, each location has a little something special that sets them apart from each other.
The Hannover location has an amazing Amazon-themed section near the end of the exhibit, where you feel like you have been transported to the Amazon – except for the sweltering heat, but I do suggest you leave your coat at the front door anyways. The final stage of the exhibit is a prehistorical sea life section, where they discuss dinosaur fossils.
Maschsee Lake
During the warmer months, be sure to picnic by the Maschsee lake, one of the most famous bodies of water in Lower Saxony.
The lake is also host to make festivals and events throughout the year, along with spectacular views of the Neu Rathaus from behind.
Wisentgehege Springe
Similar to a Wild Park, Wisentgehege Springe is 90-hectare and home to some 100 species of animals. It was created in 1928 to save the Wisent, the European Bison and Europe’s largest mammal, from extinction.
The 6 km long circular walk will take you on an amazing tour of the park with ease.
Museums
Attempting to stick to my Top 10 limit, there are so many wonderful museums in Hannover than I’m just going to say, visit them all. The Hannover Museum of History, Hannover Tramway Museum and the World of Aviation are great for kids and those less interested in art or art history. The German Museum for Caricature and Drawings is one of the worlds first, and Sprengel Museum Hannover is “one of the most important museums of art in the 20th and 21st century, with its focus on German Expressionism and French Modernism” – Town of Hannover
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An excellent resource for planning all of Germany can we found with the Lonely Planet Germany Guide
