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.

Understand
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.

Hanover has large green areas, with forests and big parks. The landscape is mostly flat, with the river Leine going through the city. The lake Masch (Maschsee) is rather spectacular, considering its size as a man-made object.

The city had a special relationship to the late French artist Niki de Saint-Phalle. She had several of her works in public spots in Hanover (i.e., "the Nanas", "the Cave" in the Great Garden) and also in the Sprengel Museum. To honor her contribution to Hanover, she was granted an honorary citizenship from the city government. Moreover, the renovated "underground" shopping passageway from the central station to Kröpcke was named "The Niki de Saint-Phalle Promenade".

Hanover's public services are excellent, due to major reconstruction for the World Expo 2000. The shopping area under the train station was renovated in 2005-2006 in preparation for the World Cup.

History
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. The trade fair area of Hanover is the largest in the world by most measures.

Kröpcke
Kröpcke is a large pedestrian area in the heart of Hanover. It is Hanover's major shopping spot, home to the Opera house and has lots of places to eat. The main station in the Hanover Stadtbahn network is also located here. All Stadtbahn lines except the 10 and 17, call at the station and it is the main interchange point for the network. It has six platforms in total on three lines that cross each other in independent tunnels. There is a big green clock in Kröpcke - the - which makes an ideal meeting point.

By plane


On 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).

By train
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).

Hanover is also reachable by regional trains, making it possible to use the cheap and popular “weekend tickets” (German: Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket) on weekends, the “travel throughout Germany tickets” for the rest of the week. Both are applicable for the whole republic and cost €40 or €44 (2016) for a single person. It gets even cheaper if you travel in a little group of up to five people. If you are already in lower saxony, you can use the “Lower-Saxony-Ticket” (German: Niedersachsen-Ticket) for €23 (2016).

The high speed Inter City Express trains (ICE trains) can take you all over Germany to places such as: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Cologne, and Berlin. The trip to Hanover from Berlin takes 1 hr 30 min, from Hamburg 1 hr 20 min, from Frankfurt 2 hr 20 min, and from Munich 4 hr 30 min. Prices vary depending on time of travel and the ticket type such as an economy, freedom or comfort ticket, but a freedom ticket from Berlin to Hanover will cost you from €75.

Flixtrain serves the city. DB tickets are not valid here.

By bus


Hanover is linked to the rest of Germany and parts of Europe by frequent bus services. Bus rides tend to be fairly quick avoiding unnecessary hold ups but they are not the most comfortable way to travel especially for long distances. The Central Bus Station (Zentraler Omnibus Bahnhof or "ZOB") is behind (to the north-west of) the Central Station (Hauptbahnhof). The biggest company by far is Flixbus with Berlinbus a clear second and all others accounting for pocket change by comparison.

International buses still serve Hannover, for example:


 * Buses to Bosnia are run by Globtour
 * Buses to Croatia are run by Čazmatrans
 * Buses to Czech Republic: Student Agency

By car
Hanover is served by the excellent German road system, being on both the Hamburg to Kassel (Autobahn A7) running north and south and the Berlin to Düsseldorf (A2) running east and west. The city is easily reached after leaving these two motorways. In Germany they drive on the right, and while the autobahns have no speed limits unless individual speed limits are clearly indicated, they do have a recommended speed limit of 130 km/h. Note that at minimum drivers may be held partially responsible when travelling in excess of that recommended speed limit at the time of any accident. While the limits on the B-roads are quite high (usually 100 km/h, even more on motorway-style B-roads), they can drop to as low as 50 km/h in built up areas. From Hamburg the drive is around an hour and a half. From Berlin and Düsseldorf, the drive is around 3 hours, but heavy (truck-)traffic on the A2 can play havoc to plans.

By public transportation
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.
 * Hannover Card 2013. Hannover Card is issued by the Tourism Office. It includes free use of public transportation and discounts for some local attractions (e.g. museums, opera, the Great Garden), tours, and restaurants. Price: Single ticket: 1 day €9.50, 2 days €14.50, 3 days €17.50; Group ticket (2-5 persons): 1 day €19.50, 3 days €33.50.
 * Ticket and Cards Regions. It may be confusing to understand the zones of Hanover public transportation. The key is to know that there are "tickets" and "cards". The term "tickets" applies to the ones bought at the machine or elsewhere, while "cards" are the ones with (monthly) subscription. Inside the city area, you only need a 1-zone ticket as it already covers a good part of the city. However, for the airport you will need a 2-zone ticket, as it is located outside Zone 1. Tickets are valid on bus, tram, fast tram (S-Bahn), and regional train.
 * Ticket Price (2016)
 * Day ticket: €5.00 (1 zone), €6.60, (2 zones), €8.20 (3 zones)
 * Group day ticket (up to 5 persons): €9.80 (1 zone), €12.60 (2 zones), €15.50 (3 zones)
 * Single-trip ticket: €2.60 (1 zone), €3.40 (2 zones), €4.30 (3 zones)
 * Short-trip ticket (up to 3 stops for tram and 5 stops for bus): €1.50
 * Reduced ticket (children 6-14y, big dogs): €1.30 (all zone)
 * Special price for a carnet of 6 single-trip tickets (SammelTicket): €14.30 (1 zone) and €17.90 (2 zones) resp. 4 single-trip tickets €15.30 (3 zones)

If you are a returning visitor and have any carnets or day tickets left, bring them along! Tickets purchased in euros have unlimited validity.

By bicycle or on foot
Bike paths are provided in almost every street that runs through the city. There is no law on using a helmet, but make sure that the bike has both front and rear lights if you don't want to get stopped by the police (fine: €10). In pedestrian areas in general bicycle riding is not allowed unless otherwise stated.

Pedestrian paths are also provided along every street and there is also a pedestrian area (indicated by this sign) in front of Central Station to Kröpcke (allowed for bikes between 19:00 and 11:00).

It is possible to take your bike on the tram or bus for free on M-F 08:30-15:00 and after 21:00. There are no time restrictions on weekends.

By taxi
Unless you have limited time, lots of heavy baggage, or are travelling after public transport stops at night, you might want to think twice about using taxi, as it is very expensive. However, it could be cheaper if travelling in a big group: You can order a 7- or 9-seat taxi by phone and get more people in at the same price.



See




Museums
Many museums (including the Landesmuseum, the Historical Museum, and the Kestner Museum) can be visited for free on Friday.







Fireworks
Hanover's people enjoy a lot of fireworks during the year. In addition to the world competition held every summer, there are fireworks every night of the Kleines Fest, every weekend during the Spring Festival (Frühlingsfest) and Oktoberfest, and on the weekend of the Lake Masch Festival. For the first two, the best spot to see is inside or outside the Great Garden, while the latter ones can be seen from any point around Lake Masch. Fireworks usually start at 22:00.

Hanover is also place of the annual fireworks world contest (or at least one of the many world contests happening during the year around the world) in the Herrenhäuser Gärten. Six nations participate on six Saturdays, three of them around May - Jun, three in Aug - Sep.

Do

 * N.D.R. Symphoniker, Rudolf Benigsen Ufer 22, +49 511-9880. The venue for poetry readings, jazz and rock&roll concerts, as well as chamber orchestras. €15-35.
 * Theater am Aegi, Aegidientorplatz 2, +49 511-989330.
 * Theater am Aegi, Aegidientorplatz 2, +49 511-989330.

In Spring

 * Masala World-beat Festival. Musicians from around the world play in several spots throughout the city. An annual event in spring/summer.
 * Masala World-beat Festival. Musicians from around the world play in several spots throughout the city. An annual event in spring/summer.
 * Masala World-beat Festival. Musicians from around the world play in several spots throughout the city. An annual event in spring/summer.

In Summer

 * Still in Herrenhäuser Gärten, there is an International Firework Competition every year (between May and September). Tickets are sold to see the firework from inside the garden. However, the fireworks can also be enjoyed from the outside of the garden. Be prepared to have a stiff neck by the end of the show as each session lasts 20–30 minutes and during this time you will have your head continuously tilted upwards.
 * Schützenfest, Schützenplatz. The largest of its kind of festivals.
 * Lake Maschsee Festival, around the lake. Annual event in the summer with food & beverage outlets, and open air cinema.
 * Walk or jog around the Maschsee, especially in the summer. In a (rare) very cold winter, the surface of the lake will be frozen and thick enough for ice skating. If you are lucky enough to encounter this rare opportunity, be sure to join in the fun along with all the other people making the most of it.
 * Rubber Duck Race (Entenrennen). (Tram 10, 17 stop: Clevertor); Tram 3, 7, 9 stop: Markthalle). Date for 2007 was July 7. A fun one day event, especially for the children. Hundreds of rubber duckies "racing" through the river Leine. Numbered rubber duckies can be bought for €3 (incl. €2 start fee) in üstra Service Center City in Kröpcke a few weeks before the event or directly on the spot before the "qualification race". Race starts at the Lower Saxon State Parliament (Landtag Niedersachsen, Leineschloss, Hinrich-Wilhelm-Kopf-Platz 1) and finishes at the bridge Marstallbrücke.
 * Rubber Duck Race (Entenrennen). (Tram 10, 17 stop: Clevertor); Tram 3, 7, 9 stop: Markthalle). Date for 2007 was July 7. A fun one day event, especially for the children. Hundreds of rubber duckies "racing" through the river Leine. Numbered rubber duckies can be bought for €3 (incl. €2 start fee) in üstra Service Center City in Kröpcke a few weeks before the event or directly on the spot before the "qualification race". Race starts at the Lower Saxon State Parliament (Landtag Niedersachsen, Leineschloss, Hinrich-Wilhelm-Kopf-Platz 1) and finishes at the bridge Marstallbrücke.

In Autumn

 * Oktoberfest, Schützenplatz. second biggest oktoberfest in the world.

In Winter

 * Christmas Markets (Weihnachtsmarkt) can be found in front of Central Station, in Kröpcke, in Old City (Altstadt), and in List (street name "Lister Meile"), and it last from end of November until a couple of days before Christmas. The best stalls to visit are the Finnish stands in the Old City. They serve very good smoked salmon, herring, and reindeer meat. The hot wine (Glühwein) is probably the best in the whole Christmas Market. Another alternative is the charming Winter Zoo at Hanover Zoo. From the end of November until the middle of January you can enjoy ice shows, ice skating, slides as well as hearty food and drink to keep you warm.

Work
As Hanover regularly hosts a number of big exhibitions (eg. CeBIT, Biotechnica), temporary jobs are always available. However, these are very popular side jobs for students and recruitment may be restricted to local residents.

Souvenirs

 * Souvenirs of the city Hanover can be easily bought at the Tourism Office.
 * Official merchandise for World Cup 2006 or Hanover 96 soccer team is sold in Karstadt Sport in Kröpcke.

Shopping

 * Left next to the Central Station there is a huge mall called Ernst August Gallerie.
 * There is a supermarket (Lidl) in the Central Station. It is the only one open on Sundays. A larger supermarket open M-Sa 24 hours (Kaufland) is left next to the Central Station - behind the Central Bus Station (at the other side of the Station if you are walking from the city centre).
 * Big department stores such as Galeria Kaufhof and Karstadt can be found in Kröpcke.
 * Check Hugendubel in Kröpcke for popular English books. Another large bookstore is Lehmanns in Georg Straße near Steintor.
 * For sports equipments go to SportScheck or Karstadt Sport.
 * Rossmann and Douglas provide most body care products. Rossmann also offers a good and cheap photo printing service. There is a Rossmann shop right in the Central Station.
 * Horstman & Sander in Kröpcke (Georgstr., direction to Steintor) is a great shop for leather goods and good quality bags ranging from coin purses to backpacks to extra large suitcases.
 * For elegant boutiques, Galerie Luise (Luisenstr.) is the best option.

Flea market
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.

Eat
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.



Budget
At a nearby butcher shop you can get German sausages.

Drink



 * Try the local beer, Herrenhäuser Premium Pilsener
 * Lüttje Lage is a typical alcoholic drink made of beer and korn (Schnapps) drank simultaneously from two separate glasses.

Cocktail bars

 * Bolero Bar, Nikolai Str. 3 (in front of Cinemaxx) – Bolero Bar offers a great variety of cocktails at a reasonable price. The place seems to be always full, including weeknights, so reservations are recommended. The place is rather large and not as smoky as other cocktail bars. Happy hour daily 17:00-19:00: half-price for most cocktails; caipi hour daily 23:00-01:00: all caipi variations €4.50, jumbo caipi €6.90; jumbo hour daily after 19:00: cheaper jumbo cocktails.
 * Loft Georgstraße. 50b (you will have to go through an alley to find it) +49 511-3631376 – Serves original and different Afghani dishes. Opens at 12:00, and has a Happy Hour on Monday and Sunday.
 * Escenario, Nikolaistr. 12. (Close to Cinemaxx Nikolaistr.) Happy hour 16:30-20:00 (Cocktails €3.95). Tuesday is Ladies Night (Prosecco for €1-1.50).
 * Loft Georgstraße. 50b (you will have to go through an alley to find it) +49 511-3631376 – Serves original and different Afghani dishes. Opens at 12:00, and has a Happy Hour on Monday and Sunday.
 * Escenario, Nikolaistr. 12. (Close to Cinemaxx Nikolaistr.) Happy hour 16:30-20:00 (Cocktails €3.95). Tuesday is Ladies Night (Prosecco for €1-1.50).
 * Escenario, Nikolaistr. 12. (Close to Cinemaxx Nikolaistr.) Happy hour 16:30-20:00 (Cocktails €3.95). Tuesday is Ladies Night (Prosecco for €1-1.50).

Hot drinks

 * Tchibo is the best place for a quick sip of coffee. Can be found everywhere. There is usually no chance of getting a seat, but there are tables where you can at least rest your drink. Some shops also offer cakes.
 * Balzac Coffee has a great variety of coffee, including cold ones resembling Starbucks' Frappucino. There are several in Hanover, including in front of central station (next to Saturn electronic shop), Steintor, and in old townhall (Altes Rathaus).
 * World Coffee, inside Central Station. Also has a good coffee variety.

Nightlife

 * Heartbreak Hotel, Reuterstr, 5 – One of the newer and fresher nightclubs on the scene. Stays open until daybreak if you have the stamina.
 * Heartbreak Hotel, Reuterstr, 5 – One of the newer and fresher nightclubs on the scene. Stays open until daybreak if you have the stamina.

Sleep
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.

Budget

 * Krügers Guesthouse, Bantorfer Brink 61, Barsinghausen. Set in the surroundings of the hiking paradise in the Deister Natural Park. This guest house makes a good base for those coming to view the Hannover exhibition centre. They have single, double and triple rooms as well as suits. Rooms are en-suite and breakfast is included.
 * Haus Sparkuhl Hotel Garni Hischestraße 4. All rooms are equipped with shower/lavatory, hairdryer, telephone, modem connection, radio and cable television. Close to the centre of Hanover and good transport links to the airport, the main train station and the exhibition centre. Beds from €24.
 * Haus Sparkuhl Hotel Garni Hischestraße 4. All rooms are equipped with shower/lavatory, hairdryer, telephone, modem connection, radio and cable television. Close to the centre of Hanover and good transport links to the airport, the main train station and the exhibition centre. Beds from €24.

Wi-Fi connections
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.
 * Art Oase, Egerstorffstr. 12
 * Depot Cafe & Bar, Kramerstr. 10
 * Viva Gastronomie, Vahrenwalderstr. 92
 * Cafe Extrablatt, Friesenstr. 14

Internet access
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.

Mobile phone
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.

Stay safe
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.

Important telephone numbers

 * Police: 110
 * Emergency (fire, acute illness): 112
 * Pharmacy for emergency: 01189

Laundromat

 * One laundromat can be found in Oesterleystr. on Sudstadt.
 * There is an unattended laundromat on Engelbosteler Damm 75, near the "Kopernikusstraße" tram stop. One machine is about €3.50 including detergent. Open till 23:00.
 * Another laundromat is at Deisterstraße (best walk from the "Schwarzer Baer" tram stop). Same proprietor as the place on Engelbosteler Damm, so same prices&conditions.

Using English
English translation was introduced to some official tourist portals such as the train ticket machines.

Go next

 * Steinhuder Meer - a lakeside nature park located outside Hanover city, but still within Hanover Region. 30 km west of Hanover. Take a regional train (RE) or S1 (direction Minden (Westf)) to Wunstorf and continue by bus (40–50 minutes in total).
 * Hildesheim, one of the oldest cities in the region, with Romanesque church and cathedral, 35 km south (25–30 minutes by train)
 * Celle, old town on the edge of Luneburg Heath, almost undamaged by war, 45 km northeast (17–25 minutes by train)
 * Hamelin, picturesque old town with Renaissance stone and half-timbered houses, setting of the Pied Piper legend, 45 km southwest (45 minutes by suburban train)
 * Alfeld - Fagus Factory designed by Walter Gropius at the beginning of 20th century. It is one of the most important examples of early modernist architecture, in 2011 inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. 50 km south (thirty minutes by train).
 * Brunswick, 65 km east (30–35 minutes by intercity train)
 * Bodenwerder - home of Baron Munchhausen. A village not far from Hanover. Baron Munchhausen was a Hanoverian storyteller who told extraordinary and often far fetched tales about his life as a soldier, hunter, and sportsman. Some of these tales were the basis for the collection The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, 65 km south (about 20 km south-east of Hamelin)
 * Göttingen, 115 km south (35–40 minutes by intercity or ICE train)
 * Bremen, 125 km northwest (one hour by intercity or ICE train)
 * Hamburg 150 km north (1hr 15min by ICE train)

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).