Optimal City / Region

Hannover - Quality of life

Urban vitality and environment friendliness go hand in hand in the capital city of Lower Saxony.

In a cosmopolitan city like Hannover, dining out is fun! Guests will discover a host of international restaurants serving unusual specialities from every corner of the globe. The range of choice on offer is simply staggering, with pretty much every culinary taste catered for: from haute cuisine to simple meals, from exotic flavours to good home cooking. Hannover's cafés and restaurants also vary hugely in terms of style and ambience. The city boasts elegant restaurants with magnificent frescoes and red velvet decor as well as informal eateries with a homely feel – and then there are some places that are worth a visit for their unusual setting alone, such as one popular restaurant in the former royal stables. Several places offer fabulous, almost mediterranean views, for example over Lake Maschsee.

With its charming cafés and bistros, nationally recognised gourmet restaurants and rustic country inns, Hannover has a range of culinary delights to suit every taste and budget. Of course, the many local restaurants also offer regional specialities. Traditional Lower Saxony meals are hearty affairs with Calenberger Pfannenschlag sausage, smoked eel from Lake Steinhude and curly kale with Bregenwurst sausage. To round off the experience, why not try a Lüttje Lage? This traditional Hannover drink is made up of beer and corn schnapps, which must be drunk simultaneously from two separate glasses (a trick best learned at Hannover's annual Schützenfest fair!).

If you fancy a break from dining out, fresh regional produce can be purchased at more than 60 street markets and farmers' markets, as well as in local farm shops. An absolute must for food enthusiasts is a trip to the Market Hall, or 'Stomach of Hannover', where specialities from all around the world are available under one roof, in a glorious fusion of aromas and tastes. It's also a favourite rendezvous for locals, who pop in for a quick cappuccino, lunchtime snack or after-work get-together.

Once the sun goes down, Hannover's party scene gets going and revellers flock to the city's excellent cocktail bars, stylish lounges, discos, nightclubs, hip dance venues and traditional inns. Each night, the city's party district comes alive with the sounds of rock, nu jazz, soul, house and hip-hop as artists take to the stage or hit the DJ decks. And it's not only the city centre that gets painted red – there are great nights out to be had in venues all over the Hannover region.