Sat in Northern Germany, Hannover is in an ideal spot for so many amazing daytrips. Whether you want to head up to the North Sea in Bremerhaven, follow the fairy tale trail in Hamelin or head underground in the mines in Goslar, there’s an incredible range of places to visit. Here’s my list of all the best day trips from Hannover!
Table of contents
- 10 UNMISSABLE day trips from Hannover: Where you NEED to go!
- Hamelin – For following the trail of the Pied Piper
- Bremen – For history and Hanseatic life
- Celle – For half-timbered buildings
- Hildesheim – For historic churches
- Wolfsburg – For automobiles and modernity
- Goslar – For a former imperial town and mining
- Lüneburg – For heathland and salt
- Göttingen – For culture and academia
- Hamburg – For Maritime Spirit
- Bremerhaven – For Germany’s North Sea port
- Summary
- Related posts
An important factor for me when looking at day trip destinations is whether they are easy to travel to by public transport. Luckily, Hannover has fantastic public transportation links, meaning all of these places have direct trains to them, with the furthest one being around an hour and 45 minutes away.
10 UNMISSABLE day trips from Hannover: Where you NEED to go!
What you need to know
- Are there many day trips from Hannover accessible by public transport? Yes! You can easily get to all the places on my list by public transport
- What’s the best day trip from Hannover? That entirely depends on personal preference. My favourites would be Bremen and Hamburg.
- Are there many good day trips from Hannover? Absolutely! There are so many great places to visit around Northern Germany and Lower Saxony.
Hamelin – For following the trail of the Pied Piper
Home to the fabled Pied Piper, Hamelin (Hameln) kicks off my list of the best day trips from Hannover. The town fully embraces its fairytale past, and it’s a lot of fun to spot the details. You’ll find embossed rats on the pavements and painted ones decorating buildings. Even some of the traffic lights feature rats as symbols! It’s a town full of charm and definitely ticks the box of your typical pretty little German fairytale town!
- Museum Hameln: Learn all about the city’s history and how it became so intertwined with the legend of the Pied Piper.
- Hameln Old Town: You can follow the golden rats in the pavement through the Old Town! Packed full of cobbled streets and beautiful old buildings, it’s everything you expect from an Old Town.
- Schloss Hämelschenburg: A beautiful, moated, Renaissance castle with a great collection of historic items.
Bremen – For history and Hanseatic life
Bremen was easily one of my favourite day trips from Hannover, so I will be absolutely gushing about it here! This is absolutely the definition of a historic German gem. The town square is beautiful, surrounded by gorgeous old buildings, giving it so much character. Exploring Böttcherstraße and the Schnoor Viertel was definitely my highlight, with their winding cobbled lanes and beautiful old buildings at every turn. It’s hard to sum up just how lovely Bremen is in a single paragraph; basically, I can’t recommend it enough!
- Schnoor Viertel: The picturesque heart of the medieval city centre, the Schnoor Viertel is made up of narrow, winding cobbled streets packed with beautiful buildings on either side, housing cafes, restaurants, craft stores and more.
- Bremen Old Town: The area around Bremen Market Square is really impressive. Packed with incredible architecture from the town hall to St Peter’s Cathedral, it’s well worth exploring.
Celle – For half-timbered buildings
If you’ve ever been somewhere and thought, ‘Wow, there are a lot of half-timbered buildings here,’ Celle is about to blow that out of the water. There are quite literally hundreds of them here. The most famous has to be the Hoppener Haus, built in the 1500s, it’s 6 storeys high and decorated with carvings and pictures. If you want to feel like you’re walking through a storybook, Celle is absolutely the place for you.
- Celle Castle: Dating back to the 13th century, this is a really pretty castle right by the city centre. You’re able to go inside, and there are a few exhibitions about the royals who once called this castle home.
- Bomann-Museum: This museum depicts a complete history of Celle as well as Lower Saxony.
Hildesheim – For historic churches
Surprise, surprise, another pretty little historic German town! Hildesheim is particularly known for its churches, two of which (St Mary’s Cathedral & St. Michael’s Church) are actually UNESCO World Heritage Sites! In addition to this, it, of course, has the classic town square surrounded by gorgeous old buildings. There’s plenty to see in Hildesheim, historic buildings, no shortage of churches, a thousand-year-old rose bush and much more. With so much packed into one small city, Hildesheim is easily one of the best day trips from Hannover.
- Hildesheim market square: There’s a really interesting blend of buildings surrounding the market square here. It’s actually regarded as one of the most beautiful market squares in the world!
- St. Michael’s Church: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this church is particularly known for its wooden ceiling. It’s nearly 30m long and has been painted to depict the ancestral line of Jesus!
Wolfsburg – For automobiles and modernity
Wolfsburg is pretty unique as it was only founded as a city in 1938! It was created to house workers in the local Volkswagen factories and was renamed after the nearby Wolfsburg Castle after being captured by the American troops during the war. It’s evolved into a sleek, modern city with plenty of green spaces. It’s not all new and shiny, though. Wolfsburg does have a historic town centre with some pretty churches and half-timbered buildings! It’s definitely one of the more unusual day trips from Hannover, and that’s exactly what makes it so worth checking out.
- Wolfsburg Castle: A slice of history amongst the modernity, Wolfsburg Castle dates back to 1302! It’s a beautiful example of the Northern German Renaissance style and is well worth a visit.
- Autostadt (Automobile City): Some towns have an Altstadt (Old Town), Wolfsburg has an Autostadt. This is basically a car lover’s paradise. There’s a museum, driving course, showcase of cars and much more to see.
Goslar – For a former imperial town and mining
From the ultra-modern Wolfsburg to the medieval Goslar, this is a city overflowing with history. Set within the Harz Mountains, Goslar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with cobbled streets and gorgeous old buildings. It has a rich mining history with the Rammelsberg Silver mine just outside the city centre. Additionally, Goslar also played residence to the Holy Roman Emperors, talk about a chaptered history! If you’re someone who loves digging into history over modern cityscapes, Goslar is an absolute must.
- Imperial Palace of Goslar: Used as a residence by the Salian emperors, the Palace hosted numerous imperial assemblies throughout its time. It’s even the resting place of the heart of Emperor Henry III in its chapel!
- Mines of Rammelsberg: Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, you can actually head underground and explore the mines of Rammelsberg!
Lüneburg – For heathland and salt
It feels weird to say that a city is famous for, of all things, salt, but Lüneburg is quite literally built on its salt trade. It was the sole supplier of salt to Northern Germany for some time to help preserve the fish caught there, helping it to become one of the most prosperous towns in the Hanseatic region at the time. Today, Lüneburg is another city known for its medieval flair, as it managed to evade the bombings from World War II, meaning much of the town has retained its original architecture.
- Alter Kran (Old Crane): A landmark of Lüneburg, this wooden crane played a pivotal role in the city’s salt trade. It dates back to 1346 and was used to manoeuvre heavy loads off and on ships.
- Lüneburg Heath: The Lüneburg Heath is a huge area of heathland which is especially popular in August and September when it’s in bloom. It’s an ideal spot for a hike or bike ride and is popular with both tourists and locals.
Göttingen – For culture and academia
Göttingen is best known for its university and festivals, but there’s so much more to uncover. It has a beautiful historic city centre with the classic timbered houses, old buildings, medieval churches, and its old town hall, which almost looks like a castle with its ramparts and turrets. It makes for a great little day trip from Hannover if you’re looking for somewhere a bit quieter and laid back.
- Alter Botanischer Garten (Old Botanical Garden) – Owned by the university and home to over 19000 plants, the Old Botanical Gardens are a plant lover’s dream! You’ll find plenty of themed greenhouses and gardens, allowing you to explore the whole world through greenery!
- Gänseliesel (Goose Girl Statue) – The Goose Girl Statue has become synonymous with University life in Göttingen. It’s become customary for those receiving a doctorate to kiss the girl on the cheek as a rite of passage for good luck!
Hamburg – For Maritime Spirit
I will always be such a huge cheerleader for Hamburg, it’s full of personality and one of my favourite cities in Germany. It’s a city that has everything: UNESCO World Heritage Sites, an incredible town hall, historic churches, beautiful architecture, a bustling harbour, winding canals, beautiful parks, some of Germany’s most famous nightlife and more! It’s hard to summarise Hamburg in a paragraph, but it’s absolutely one of the best day trips from Hannover.
- Speicherstadt (Warehouse City): This is actually the largest warehouse district in the world, as well as being a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This might not sound too exciting on its own, but it’s located by Hamburg’s port, meaning all of the warehouses have canals interweaving their way through them, almost creating a maze. It’s a great place to explore!
- Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: The Elbphilharmonie is actually a famous concert hall, but it’s a big draw for tourists. Grab a free ticket to head up to its viewing platform for great views out over the port!
Bremerhaven – For Germany’s North Sea port
Carrying on the maritime theme is Bremerhaven, a brilliant seaside city. Combining maritime charm, a historic harbour and, of course, that fresh North Sea air, Bremerhaven makes for another one of the best day trips from Hannover. Grab a boat tour around the harbour, experience different climates in the Klimahaus and check out the animals at the Zoo by the Sea!
- German Emigration Centre: As one of the largest ports in Germany, millions of people once emigrated from Bremerhaven. This museum tells the story of what emigration has looked like from here over time and the role the city played in it.
- Fischereihafen (Fishing Harbour): Full of restaurants serving fresh seafood delicacies, beautiful old buildings and no shortage of ships and boats, the Fishing Harbour is at the heart of Bremerhaven’s maritime charm.
Summary
There are so many fantastic day trips from Hannover to suit any interest. Whether you’re a maritime enthusiast, a fan of medieval cities or looking to explore the history of fairytales, there’s something to please everyone!
