In Hanover, there are three main points of arrival: Airport, main station and bus main station. If you plan to arrive by car, you should purchase a detailed map of Germany / Hanover. In the internet you will find the Citymap Hanover.

Airport

The Hanover Airport has three levels of arrival, where you can get a coffee or a snack 24 hours a day.

There are taxi stands at ground level open day and night, but please note: A taxi ride to the city costs about 20–25 €. The suburban railway is much cheaper; you will find the tram station at the underground level. The line S 5 takes no more than 20 minutes to the city centre, main station. Tickets are available at the platform automaton. Please choose a two-zones ticket for the ride to the main station. The trams commute every half hour, except between 0 and 5 a.m.

If you arrived in the middle of the night, the possibilities of transport are accordingly limited. Hotels at the airport are very expensive. If you want to save money, don’t stay at the hotel or take a taxi drive, just stay over night at the airport and venture into the city the next day.

Main Station

Hanover Main Station is situated directly in the centre of the city. The ServicePoint of the Deutsche Bahn can be found in the main hall at the Ernst-August-Platz. Here you can get information concerning train travel, schedules of regional and long-distance trains as well as further details about the city and its hotels all around the clock. The Bahnhofsmission (traveller's aid) offers information to travellers and strangers as well as needful travellers. It is open 24 hours a day. Here you can spend the night with a cup of coffee and nice people and leave the adventure of exploring Hanover for the next day. You will find the Bahnhofsmission at the main station in the north-west exit (direction of Raschplatz).

Bus Main Station

To be honest: The Bus Main Station (Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof = ZOB) for sure does not look very welcoming. You must just go around the corner, though, and will find yourself at the main station: The ZOB is situated directly at the north-west exit of the main station (direction of Raschplatz).

Where can I Spend the First Nights?

At hotel.de you will find a list of hotels. It is possible to book a hotel online via internet. You can also find cheap hotels at casamundo.co.uk. At the time being, the cheapest hotel rooms in Hanover cost about 35 € per night (excluding breakfast).

A cheap alternative is the Youth Hostel Hanover (you can book an accommodation online, too). It is about 3,5 km away from the main station. You must buy a one-zone ticket, take the tram lines 3 or 7 (direction of Wettbergen / Wallensteinstraße) and get off at the station "Fischerhof". Another 5 minutes by foot take you to the youth hostel at the Ferd.-Wilh.-Fricke-Weg 1 (please refer to Citymap). If you should own a youth hostel card from your home country, you should show it. The youth hostels of the German Youth Hostel Association accept cards from over 60 countries.

Further details about temporary accommodations and tips for the coming room- and apartment-hunting can be found on our homepage at the section "Rooms & Residence", page Tips for the Room-Hunt.