Hanover
Discover Hanover
Hanover (German: Hannover, Low Saxon: Hannober) is the capital of Lower Saxony in Germany. Hanover built a huge exhibition complex for the World Expo in 2000 and has been host to several of the biggest exhibitions in the world. Consequently, it calls itself the "Expo City" or "Exhibition City" (Expo Stadt/Messestadt). Hanover also played host to the 2006 Association Football World Cup. The major language spoken is German. English is not common, except during major international events. Nevertheless most people understand English and will be able to help you find your way around. Hanover was one of the hardest-hit cities during World War II, leaving it with only a few historical landmarks. Don't expect to see beautiful centuries-old buildings; even the Old City (Altstadt) area is "new", as all the old houses left standing after the war (around 40) were taken from throughout the city and collected in one place. This area is surrounded by some 1950s and 1960s buildings that give a somewhat heavy atmosphere to the streets. However, there are still several residential neighborhoods consisting of late-19th-century housing stock with often elaborate historicist (Victorian) and Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) decorations just outside the downtown area, such as Oststadt, List and Linden.
What to Experience in Hanover
Taste of Hanover...
In most cafés and small restaurants, paying individually is accepted, as Germans like this system. Tips are not compulsory but most people do. In smaller cafés, if paying separately, rounding up to the next full euro is common; in bigger restaurants, 10% is best. At a nearby butcher shop you can get German sausages. As Hanover frequently hosts big exhibitions, booking your room well in advance is highly recommended as hotels can easily get full and/or raise their rates during these times. For those of you with portable computers, WLAN connection is available inside the Central Station. There are also several cafes providing WLAN connection free of charge: When you supply a German mobile number, each McDonald's restaurant in Hanover provides one hour of free Wifi. The phone number is not used for advertising. Café Mezzo provides a public computer with internet access. Internet cafés are easy to find in Steintor area, especially along the Goethe Straße, Lange Laube and Am Marstall. The price varies, but normally is from €1 to €2 per hour. It is possible to buy prepaid SIM cards from several operators. However, it is compulsory to register your identity, so make sure to bring your passport with you. And since it is registered, take necessary care of the SIM card when you stop using it. Hanover is normally very safe. Before and after a soccer match there might be quite a few drunken people around, especially in the central station, but there always are police patrolling.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Hanover into what it is today.
Hanover was founded in medieval times on the bank of the river Leine and became a comparatively large town in the 13th century. Its original name Honovere may mean "high (river)bank". There was a time of personal union of the crowns of the United Kingdom and Hanover (1714–1837). Soldiers from Hanover emigrated to Great Britain, leading to the formation of the King's German Legion, which was the only German army to fight throughout the entire Napoleonic Wars against the French. They later played an important role in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. After World War II, Hanover became the capital of Lower Saxony, a state created from several disparate elements and the most sparsely populated of the old Federal Republic but also the second biggest by area of all 16 states of reunited Germany. Hanover profited from its new status as capital and is the northern endpoint of Germany's first (opened 1991) – and still longest – high speed rail line, linking Würzburg and Hanover along a North-South spine that was totally overwhelmed with traffic during the era of German partition and still carries significant amounts of traffic to this day. Hanover has arguably become Germany's trade fair capital in a highly competitive market, hosting Germany's only world exhibition after the war in Expo 2000 (with some buildings from the event still extant) and also CeBit, considered the premier computer-related event in the world....
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsOn line S5, S-Bahn (stations are indicated by this sign) trains run twice-an-hour from the airport to central station (Hauptbahnhof) (and on to Hamelin or Paderborn). A 2-Zone ticket is needed from the airport to city centre. The fare is €3.40 (2016) for a single ticket (see chapter public transportation for other ticket options) and will take around 17 minutes. The last train departs around midnight. A taxi ride to the city centre costs about €20 and will take about 15 minutes. The airport offers the option to check in the day before your departure (18:00-21:00) for some airlines (Condor, Croatia Airlines, Sky Airlines, and TUI). Due to its location, Hanover has good connections from all major cities in Germany through Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German rail service. There are also direct trains to the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria several times a day, including a few sleeper trains operated by (Nightjet)....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Hanover has a fantastic network of public transportation, so it's best to park your car and ride. If you plan to make more than two trips by tram, bus, or subway, a day ticket is your best bet, buying you unlimited travel on the public transport system. Day tickets are valid until the last connection of the day (which normally ends sometime after midnight). The public transportation adopts an honor system for tickets, but they do have ticket inspections once in a while (also late at nights and early mornings). The fine is quite high, so make sure you have a ticket all the time. Be aware that some tickets will need to be validated (stamped on the 'blue box'), and some not, depending on the machine. If you are a returning visitor and have any carnets or day tickets left, bring them along! Tickets purchased in euros have unlimited validity. Bike paths are provided in almost every street that runs through the city.
Where to Stay
As Hanover frequently hosts big exhibitions, booking your room well in advance is highly recommended as hotels can easily get full and/or raise their rates during these times. For those of you with portable computers, WLAN connection is available inside the Central Station. There are also several cafes providing WLAN connection free of charge: When you supply a German mobile number, each McDonald's restaurant in Hanover provides one hour of free Wifi. The phone number is not used for advertising. Café Mezzo provides a public computer with internet access. Internet cafés are easy to find in Steintor area, especially along the Goethe Straße, Lange Laube and Am Marstall. The price varies, but normally is from €1 to €2 per hour. It is possible to buy prepaid SIM cards from several operators. However, it is compulsory to register your identity, so make sure to bring your passport with you. And since it is registered, take necessary care of the SIM card when you stop using it.
Money & Budget
A flea market located along the Leine river takes place every Saturday, 07:00-16:00. However, it's dominated by electronic goods and overpriced "antiques". Watch out for pickpockets. In most cafés and small restaurants, paying individually is accepted, as Germans like this system. Tips are not compulsory but most people do. In smaller cafés, if paying separately, rounding up to the next full euro is common; in bigger restaurants, 10% is best. At a nearby butcher shop you can get German sausages. As Hanover frequently hosts big exhibitions, booking your room well in advance is highly recommended as hotels can easily get full and/or raise their rates during these times. For those of you with portable computers, WLAN connection is available inside the Central Station.
Safety Information
Safety Overview
Hanover is normally very safe. Before and after a soccer match there might be quite a few drunken people around, especially in the central station, but there always are police patrolling. In Kröpcke you may get asked for money by the homeless. Pickpockets may act in crowded areas such as inside the trams during a big exhibition. English translation was introduced to some official tourist portals such as the train ticket machines. There is a special ticket called the "Niedersachsen Ticket" (one to five people, €22/€26/€30/€34/€38) which offers unlimited travel by regional trains within Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg in one day. This ticket is not valid for intercity and high-speed trains (D, EC, IC, ICE) so make sure you board the right trains (RE, RB, S-Bahn, Metronom) when using this ticket. This ticket is also valid on the public transport network in some of the cities (Hanover, Hamburg, Bremen, Brunswick).
Nearby Destinations
Glimpses of Hanover
Hannover Rathhaus
Exploring black & white Flowers
Champagne I
Sunset at the See....
Mercedes Benz 1900-1930 Classic Cars
Mercedes Benz 1900-1930 Classic Cars
A chandelier hanging from a ceiling covered in vines
a path in a park with a clock tower in the background
a group of people holding wine glasses
a group of tacos on a table
Hannover Rathhaus
Exploring black & white Flowers
Champagne I