Hanover

The Great Garden of Herrenhausen (Herrenhäuser Gärten)

The world-famous baroque gardens of Herrenhausen were created in the 17th century to copy the Versailles Garden in France. A must see! Even in the winter one can still see its beauty, but it reaches its best at the end of spring until end of summer. There is also a glimmering cave decorated by Niki de Saint Phalle. Getting There: By tram, go to stop named "Herrenhauser Garten". By car, "Herrenhauser Str. 4, 30419".

Castle Marienburg

Schloss Marienburg. Marienburg 1, 30982 Pattensen 20km south of Hanover. Considered one of the most important neo-Gothic historical buildings in Germany, the castle will transport you back to a day in the life of a A Hanoverian court. Its many turrets dominates the rolling hills of the valley of the River Leine. You can take a comprehensive tour of the castle allowing you to see its grand halls and historic rooms. Open daily from Easter until the end of October from 10.00AM to 06.00PM. The last castle tour begins at 5:00. Prices: €7.- adult, €6 13-17, €5 7-12, €4 children under 6.

Sea Life

Herrenhäuser Straße 4a Tram 4 or 5, stop: Herrenhäuser GärtenHanover Aquarium, has an array of fish and also a rainforest inside. It is open from 10AM daily. For exact opening times, call +49-511- 123300 , [mailto: [email protected]] (http://www.sealife.de). Tickets: €15.95.

Hanover Zoo (Erlebnis-Zoo Hannover)

(http://www.zoo-hannover.d...) is very modern and supposed to be one of the best in Europe. About 2,000 animals from all over the world live in six impressive zoo worlds. The ticket is pricey but should is worth it for a whole day's fun. Day tickets cost € 23,- for adults. Open year-round. In wintertime, visit the WinterZoo - a charming Christmas market with ice show, ice skating, slides, food & drink, etc.

City Hall

Neues Rathaus. See the models of Hanover at four different points in history: 1689, 1939, 1945, and 2000, and then take a sloped elevator to the dome for a beautiful view of the city.

The Nanas

at the Leibnizufer. Giant sculptures made by Niki de Saint Phalle.

University of Hanover

The main building was the winter palace of the Kings of Hanover. The summer palace was in the Great Garden complex. However, it was destroyed during the World War II. Now only one wall remains.

Leibniz House

in Holzmarkt near the Historical Museum. The house where Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz lived during the later part of his life.

City park

Stadtpark, Theodor-Heuss-Platz 1-3 Tram 11, direction Zoo, stop: Congress Centrum/Stadthalle.. This is worth visiting on a nice sunny day. Good place to relax with a good book and a perfect place to escape the city center.

Tiergarten

Tiergartenstraße 149. A 112 hectares of recreational forest.

List

a residential area not so far from the Central Station. This area is popular among students. It has a nice pedestrian area with some small and interesting shops.

Eilenriede

650 hectares of city forest. Very unique considering its size and location in the middle of the city.

Home of Baron Munchhausen

in Bodenwerder - 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. about 20 km south-east of Hamelin

The Tourism Office nearby Central Station, has self-guiding maps. Follow the red line which starts from the exit of the Tourism Office. The red line will pass all the major attractions of Hanover and can be completed on foot in 1.5 hours. Refer to the map for explanation every time a number on the red line is encountered.

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.

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 10PM. 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.

museums

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

Landesmuseum

a mish mash of exhibitions. There is a prehistorical section focusing on the past of Low Saxony including tools and weapons. You will also find coins of the Kingdom of Hanover, Prussia and the German empire and to top it all off, what every German museum needs, a Japanese tea room.

Historical Museum

The Historical Museum in Hanover traces the history of the city right from the time of its foundation in 1100 to the present day. The museum showcases the history of the town as well as the individual regions. You will also get to know a lot about the folk culture and folk traditions of Hanover. Located towards the west of Balhof in Hanover and is on the Hoshes Ufer where you find the largest flea market held on Saturdays.

Sprengel Museum

Kurt-Schwitters-Platz, any tram to Aegidientorplatz then walk 10 min to the direction of the lake, or Bus 131 from Kröpcke to stop Maschsee/Sprengel Museum +49-511-16843875, fax +49-511-16845093, (http://www.sprengel-museum.de/). Tu 10AM-8PM, W-Su 10AM-6PM. Should not be missed by modern art lovers. Hosts a great number of art objects from the modern era 20th century. Objects include works from Picasso, Paul Klee, Niki de Saint-Phalle. €7 adults, €4 students, seniors, unemployed.

Wilhelm-Busch Museum

in Georgengarten, within the Great Garden Tram 4 or 5 (Direction Garbsen/Stöcken to stop Wilhelm-Busch Museum) (http://www.wilhelm-busch-...). Tu-F 11AM–5PM, Sa/Su/holiday 11AM–6PM. This museum hosts the unique collection of Busch’s work and others satirical and humorous art. It is respected as the German Museum of Caricature and Critical Graphic Arts. €4.50, €10 family, €2.50 reduced.

Blindenmuseum Hannover

Bleekstraße 22, +49-511-52470. The museum hosts objects showing how blind people have been educated between 1843 and today. Free admission, but open only by appointment.

Kestner-Museum

Trammplatz 3, Bus 131/132 stop: Aegidientorplatz, Bus 120 stop: Friedrichswall/Culemannstraße, Bus 250 stop: Bleichenstraße, +49-511-16842120. Tu/Th-Su 11AM-6PM, W 11AM-8PM. Objects include ones from ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek from the Middle Ages to the present times. €3.