Why you should make Hanover your next city break holiday

This laid-back German gem is a fantastic mix of history, contemporary culture and lush green spaces
HMTG Lars Gerhardts
2 minutes ago

Little jewel rather than big beast, enchanting Hanover – the capital and largest city of Lower Saxony, located south of Hamburg and west of Berlin – is a German treasure that’s well worth discovering.

You can explore it for yourself via British Airways, which flies to Hanover every day from London Heathrow – the flight takes about an hour and a half. What's more, with British Airways Holidays, you can book your flights and hotel all in one place.

Glorious gardens with a royal history

This, of course, is only the latest connection between London and Hanover. The two cities have been firmly linked since August 1714, when George Louis, the Prince of Brunswick-Lüneburg, became Britain’s new King George I.

BA City Breaks: Hanover

1/4

In doing so, he heralded the arrival of the Georgian era, and with it, the Hanoverian dynasty. The personal union lasted 123 years, and ended in 1837 with Victoria’s accession to the throne.

It is an era which still sings sweetly in the city where this regal line began – up on the north-west side of the centre in Herrenhausen Palace and its surrounding royal gardens. Here is the former summer residence of the Royal House of Hanover, a place where kings would catch their breath amid flower-framed pathways and ornamental fountains.

Benefits of booking with British Airways Holidays

  • Book now, pay later with deposits from £60 per person*, and pay off the balance in as many instalments as you like. Balance is due four weeks before travel for short-haul trips
  • A dedicated 24-hour, seven-days-a-week helpline for any issues while you’re away. And if your plans change or the unexpected happens, British Airways Holidays will prioritise getting you home as soon as possible
  • ATOL protection for all holidays – meaning your money is safe and you can rest assured you won’t be stranded abroad

The palace – now a museum – may be a 21st-century reconstruction (the original was destroyed in the Second World War), but the gardens are as glorious as they were in the 1700s. Stroll here, amid the avenues of trees and the Baroque flourishes, and you would believe you have time-travelled to the same century.

Intriguing architecture with spectacular views

Ride a curious curved lift to the top of Hanover’s New Town Hall
HMTG Axel Heise

You might think you are still there when you head back into the centre and visit the similarly gorgeous, castle-like New Town Hall on Trammplatz.

However, this vaguely Gothic feast of arches, spires and turrets is much younger than it appears: it was completed little more than a century ago, in 1913.

It also has a curious quirk. Visitors can go into its main, central dome, via a lift which takes a curving route as it rises – its 50-metre shaft arcing upwards at an angle of 17 degrees.

If this is unusual, the view from the observation platform (98m) is classically beautiful, gazing south to the Maschsee. Technically, this long lake is artificial – a conversion of former swampland into something far lovelier. The plan, carried out in the 1930s, worked: the Maschsee is one of Hanover’s favourite leisure spots; a place for swimming and boating.

In summer, it hosts the Maschseefest, a three-week festival (taking place 31 July to 18 August in 2024) where fireworks explode over the water in the evening sky, and the shore is alive with food and music. The popular event draws in two million people every year.

Follow the Red Thread for culture and shopping

Unwind with food and drink on the banks of the river Leine
HMTG Axel-Heise

The rest of Hanover unfurls via the Red Thread, a 4.2km trail painted onto the pavement, which winds through the city, connecting 36 key sights.

These include the medieval echoes of the Altstadt (old town), which was also heavily rebuilt after the Second World War, but also still home to the marvel that is the Kreuzkirche, Hanover’s oldest church, which was completed in 1333.

More reasons to choose a holiday from British Airways Holidays

There are all kinds of advantages to booking

  • Frequent flights to key destinations throughout British Airways’ vast network of short-haul destinations from three London Airports: London Gatwick, Heathrow and London City. These are daily, and even multiple times a day, so you’ll be able to find a flight that suits your schedule
  • A generous baggage allowance of 23kg per person is included, free of charge – there are no extra costs to add on
  • Plenty of choice and peace of mind: British Airways has partnered with numerous hotels – rated 3* and upwards – and brands, all of which are required to pass an extensive health, fire and safety checklist

There are also shops galore in the Altstadt, and a flea market takes place regularly on the edge of the river Leine.

Alternatively, take an extra day to visit one of the towns elsewhere in Lower Saxony – pretty Goslar, 60 miles to the south-east, in the shadow of the Harz Mountains, or Hamelin, the home of the tale of the Pied Piper, 30 miles to the south-west.

To book your city break to Hanover, please visit ba.com/hanover

*T&Cs apply. Deposit balance due 28 days in advance for short-haul holidays. Travel restrictions may apply