10 Best Things to Do in Hannover

Marktplatz, set in the middle of Hannover Old Town, is a good starting point for sightseeing in the city. The square contains some of the city’s most impressive Gothic structures, dating back to between the 14th and 15th centuries. Must-visits include the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus), Aegidienkirche Church, and Market Church (Marktkirche). The Marktkirche Lutheran church is known for its 97-metre-tall brick tower, which you can climb to the top of for expansive views of Hannover.

The Red Thread is a 4.5 km route guiding you to 36 notable buildings and monuments in central Hannover. This self-guided tour starts at the tourist information centre opposite Hauptbahnhof Station and continues along walkways that are painted with a red line. Along the way, you can stop at historical sites such as Market Church, the Opera House, Museum August Kestner, and the New Town Hall. You can get a brochure from the information centre for about €3, which includes detailed information about each landmark and an additional 45-minute route along the banks of Lake Maschsee. For a change of scenery, book a night (or two) near Maschsee Lake and out your feet up after a day of walking.

Ernst-August-Galerie is a 3-storey shopping mall that’s within a 10-minute walk of Hannover Hauptbahnhof Station. Featuring a sleek design, its main atrium hosts a wide range of activities, events, and concerts throughout the year, especially on public holidays. There are over 100 retail outlets selling high-street and luxury brands, including H&M, Tommy Hilfiger, and Adidas. You can also find a supermarket, numerous cafés and restaurants, as well as a playground within Ernst-August-Galerie.

Hannover's New Town Hall (Neues Rathaus) is a grand palace-like structure in Trammplatz, about a 5-minute walk of the Old Town. Established in 1913, several halls within the building have been converted into museums, which hosts a variety of exhibits all year long. There are 4 scale models depicting Hannover's cityscape during the Middle Ages, pre-World War II, 1945, and the present day. Enjoy panoramic views of Hannover when you visit the observation deck, which stands at 93.5 metres. New Town Hall is adjacent to Maschpark, a tree-filled park that’s popular for outdoor activities such as jogging, picnicking, and cycling.

The Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen give you plenty of sightseeing opportunities that are surrounded by beautiful flowers, fountains, and unique sculptures. This expansive park is home to 4 baroque and Renaissance gardens, namely Großer Garten, Welfengarten, Berggarten, and Georgengarten. Großer Garten (Great Garden) is where you can enjoy a variety of events, festivals, and concerts at the open-air Gartentheater. There’s also a beautiful grotto filled with modern artworks by artist Niki de Saint Phalle. Entrance to the Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen costs about €8 in the summer, but you can enjoy a reduced rate if you’re in Hannover between October and February.

Hannover's Lower Saxony State Museum, opposite the New Town Hall, has a diverse collection of paintings, artefacts, fossils, and wildlife from all over the world. The State Art Gallery is where you can see contemporary and classical art by artists such as Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, and Rubens, while its natural history department has a massive vivarium filled with over 2,000 types of fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Admission to the Lower Saxony State Museum start from €5, but it’s free of charge if you visit on Friday from 2pm to 5pm.

Staatsoper Hannover is a 19th-century opera house that hosts classical performances such as theatre, ballet, symphony, and opera. Found in the Old Town, the historical building is within a 5-minute walk of Marktplatz. Even if you’re not planning to catch a show, the building’s neo-classical interior is worth exploring. Sculptures of prominent composers, poets, and musicians can be found on the terrace. Behind Staatsoper Hannover is a museum that hosts various lectures, readings, concerts, and exhibits on Germany’s theatre scene.

Hannover’s Erlebnis-Zoo is spacious, clean, well laid-out, and artistically designed. Wear good walking shoes as you can spend a few hours exploring the big enclosures with a variety of animals from all over the world such as elephants, gorillas and pelicans.

The creative designs of the exhibitions are themed following the animal's country of origin. Arctic animals are housed in an enclosure designed to resemble an Alaskan town with seals, penguins, and polar bears. Take a little boat trip on waters mimicking Africa's Zambezi River to see leopards and chimpanzees. Small children will especially love the petting zoo where they can get close up with farm animals.

Oststadt is an eclectic part of Hannover that’s known for its diverse range of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Located near Eilenriede Park, it’s teeming with picturesque Art Deco buildings, giving you plenty of beautiful snapshots during your visit. You can find many quirky bars and pubs along the northern end of Passerelle Street, where you can relax on outdoor terraces while enjoying delicious tapas, cocktails, wines, and beers until late. A popular spot here is Auszeit, a classy cocktail bar with a spacious loft that overlooks the bar area. Avoid long distances, book a hotel in the Oststadt neighbourhood.

Enjoying an ice cold beer during the day is a common activity in Germany, and Hannover is no exception. Beer gardens are plentiful in the city, where you get to relax and socialise with like-minded locals and tourists. Located 1.3 km north of Oststadt, Lister Turm Biergarten is one of Hannover's most popular beer gardens. Here, you can enjoy a variety of draft beers, wines, and spirits, as well as Bavarian and Greek cuisine such as pretzels, bratwurst, and gyro. This open-air venue is fitted with 3 bars, a kitchen, a playground and hundreds of shaded wooden communal seats. Choose this area as your base, book a hotel situated near Eilenriede and enjoy its park.