Must-see attractions in Hanover

  • Herrenhäuser Gärten

    Hanover

    Proof that Hanover is not all buttoned-down business are the grandiose Baroque Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen, about 5km north of the city centre, which…

  • Sprengel Museum

    Hanover

    The Sprengel Museum is held in extremely high esteem, both for the design of the building as well as for the art housed inside. Its huge interior spaces…

  • Neues Rathaus

    Hanover

    An excellent way to get your bearings in Hanover is to visit the Neues Rathaus (built 1901–13) and ascend 98m in the curved elevator (the only one of its…

  • Grosser Garten

    Hanover

    The jewel in the crown of the Herrenhäuser Gärten is grand both in format and history, having been laid out as a Baroque garden in 1714 under the tutelage…

  • Eilenriede Forest

    Hanover

    More than 640 hectares (almost twice the size of NYC's Central Park), Europe's largest city forest, Eilenriede, is also known as Hanover's grüne Lunge …

  • Berggarten

    Hanover

    The oldest botanical garden in Germany is redolent with a mind-boggling assortment of global flora – including glasshouses for orchids, cacti and tropical…

  • Kestner Gesellschaft

    Hanover

    It’s always worth checking listings for the Kestner Gesellschaft. Founded in 1916 to bring innovative artworks from international artists to Hanover, the…

  • Museum Schloss Herrenhäusen

    Hanover

    The Schloss Herrenhäusen, an early-19th-century palace destroyed by bombing in 1943, reopened in 2013 after being spectacularly reconstructed to the…

  • Maschsee

    Hanover

    This artificial lake, built by the unemployed in one of the earliest Nazi-led public-works projects, is now a favourite spot for boating and swimming. It…

  • Marktkirche

    Hanover

    The red-brick Gothic Marktkirche St Georgii et Jacobi (1349–59), located in the Market Sq, is Hanover's largest Lutheran church. Its foundations date back…

  • Strandbad

    Hanover

    This popular swimming beach is situated on the southeast bank of the Maschsee, Hanover’s large lake, where you’ll also find in-line skaters gliding by in…

  • Aegidienkirche

    Hanover

    This former Gothic church (dating from 1347) was never repaired or reconstructed after it was bombed in 1943, and today stands as a reminder of the…

  • Wilhelm Busch Museum

    Hanover

    Contains a wealth of caricature and cartoon art, including works by greats Busch, Honoré Daumier and William Hogarth, as well as British artist Ronald…

  • Wasserspiele

    Hanover

    A highlight in summer, the Wasserspiele are water fountains synchronised to do some spectacular spurting.

  • Die Nanas

    Hanover

    When these three earth-mama sculptures were first installed beside the Leine River in 1974, Hanover’s city fathers and mothers were inundated with nearly…

  • Historische Museum Hannover

    Hanover

    This museum of local history had just one exhibit hall open at research time; it's currently undergoing renovations for its permanent exhibits, due to…

  • Museum August Kestner

    Hanover

    Decorative arts through the ages are the focal point of the medium-sized Kestner Museum, where you’ll see everything from Bauhaus-style cutlery to an…

  • Oskar-Winter-Brunnen

    Hanover

    Make a wish and turn the small brass ring embedded in the ironwork of this ornate 1896 fountain three times and – according to local legend – your wish…

  • Erlebnis Zoo

    Hanover

    More than 175 species of animals roam modern enclosures at this 22-hectare zoo east of the centre, though the experience doesn't feel particularly worth…

  • Ballhof

    Hanover

    Originally built for 17th-century games similar to badminton, the Ballhof (1649–64) was modernised inside in the 1970s and today serves as a venue for…

  • Leibnizhaus

    Hanover

    The Renaissance facade of the Leibnizhaus is a reconstruction but the house was once the home of mathematician and philosopher Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz …

  • Altes Rathaus

    Hanover

    Much of it is a postwar fake, but the Altes Rathaus, begun in 1455, still has some original elements. Today it houses offices and a small restaurant.

  • Waterloo Memorial

    Hanover

    This 46.3m-high column commemorates the victory of German, British and Prussian forces over Napoleon in the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.