Hanover, Germany

Hanover is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony, Germany. Known as the “EXPO City”, Hanover hosts several of the biggest exhibitions in the world. Hanover is also of national importance because of its universities and medical school, its international airport, and its large zoo.

One of the main attractions in Hanover is the Great Garden of Herrenhausen, a world-famous baroque garden created in the 17th century. Other sights include Castle Marienburg which is considered to be one of the most important neo-Gothic historical building in Germany. The 36 most important sights of the city centre are connected with a 4.2 kilometres (3 mi) long red line, which is painted on the pavement. This so-called Red Thread marks out a walk that starts at the Tourist Information Office and ends on the Ernst-August-Square in front of the central station.

Another point of interest is the Old Town. At the centre are the huge Marktkirche (Market Church, preaching venue of the bishop of the Lutheran Landeskirche Hannovers) and the Old Town Hall. Nearby are the Leibniz House, the Nolte House, and the Beguine Tower. A very nice quarter of the Old Town is the Kreuz-Church-Quarter around the Kreuz Church with many nice little lanes.

Things to See & Do

* Royal Gardens of Herrenhausen
* New Town Hall
* Old Town
* Hanover Zoo
* Castle Marienburg

General Information

Cruise Season – March to Dec
Currency – Euro (€) (EUR)
Language – German
Land Area – 204.01 km²
Population – 522,700 approx.
Electricity – 2 round pins European style
Time - GMT/UTC plus one hour
International Country Telephone Code – + 49

Port Location – The port at Hanover is located on the Leine River.

Travel Links – Hanover airport handles many European major airlines, including budget airlines Air Berlin and TUI. There is a train that runs twice-an-hour (called the S-Bahn) from the airport to the central station (Hauptbahnhof).

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, France, and Austria several times a day.

Hanover is linked to the rest of Germany and parts of Europe by frequent bus services.