Hotel zur Krone Hameln

Hamelin

Surrounded by gentle hills in the Weserbergland lies the small town of Hameln, which is also home to the legend of the Pied Piper of Hameln. The town has a number of really lovely half-timbered and sandstone houses dating from between the 16th and 17th centuries. In particular, the Rat Catcher's House, the Town Hall, the Wedding House and the Dempter's House are interesting little architectural gems built in the Weser Renaissance style with beautiful gable end decorations adorned with diamond stones and voluettes as well as masks and cornices and beautiful ornate bay windows.

Hameln is best known from the tale of the Pied Piper of Hameln, an old story from the Middle Ages that was mostly meant to scare the disobedient children, but the story has been translated into no less than 30 languages, so maybe there is something to the story after all and the disappearance of all the children as they followed the Pied Piper out of town. It will be revealed at Museum Hameln, which also has stage productions of the Pied Piper and puppet shows.

The city's oldest building is the Münster St. Boniface, the church dates back to the 9th century and is definitely worth a visit. Take a stroll into the old town up Osterstrasse and Pferdemarkt and between the narrow alleys that wind around with small inviting cafés and romantic restaurants and cosy beer gardens. There are plenty of charming little shops and for curious shoppers there is certainly something to be found in this shopping paradise.

Christmas market in Hannover

24th November to 22nd December 2025

Mon-Sun: 11.00-21.00 - Please note that dates and opening hours may vary. You can visit the Christmas market's own website with current information.

Get into the Christmas spirit in the medieval city of Hannover, where the annual Christmas market spreads excitement and joy and creates a wonderful atmosphere throughout the city. Go on a mini break or weekend break this Christmas and experience the traditional Christmas market in Hannover.

Hannover is the state capital of Lower Saxony, and every year lots of visitors flock to the city to experience the cosy Christmas market - or Christmas markets, as the case may be, there are several markets in different parts of the beautiful city.

The most classic and traditional Christmas market in the city is located in the picturesque Altstadt, near the town hall and the old market church. Here, Christmas decorations are brought in from the Erzgebirge and Thüringerwald and the almost 130 stalls, located in front of the illuminated historic buildings, are adorned by cosy Christmas lights. The stalls house everything from glassblowers and potters to candlemakers and other craftspeople, wooden toys, household items and, of course, plenty of delicious Christmas food and drink.

At 'Ballhofplatz' you'll find the Finnish Christmas market, where you can find some very special delicacies such as smoked salmon and the Finnish version of the Christmas onion, 'Glögi', as well as several other Nordic delicacies.

Along the banks of the Leine River you can experience the medieval town life of the historic village around the 'Historisches Museum Hannover'. There are candles, bonfires and torches and seductive Christmas smells from all directions. In the historic village you can see craftsmen such as blacksmiths, brush makers and rope makers working according to traditional methods. Taste the original Thuringian sausage grilled on charcoal and see jesters and jugglers and much more in the beautiful setting around the Leine River.

A short distance from the medieval market at Leinen you will find the 'Holzmarkt', which in the run-up to Christmas is adorned with 50 fragrant fir trees over an area of 400m². In the middle of this forest stands a wishing well (Oskar-Winter-Brunnen), where you might be lucky to have your wish granted. All around you will also find several stalls offering Christmas treats and mulled wine.

Hanover

Hannover city centre, with its extensive network of pedestrian streets, has something for everyone when it comes to shopping. If you want to soak up the atmosphere while you shop, take a trip to the Old Town with its many small, interesting shops.

A must-visit in the city are the gardens of Herrenhausen, offering French-style Baroque garden art, English-style landscape garden and botanical garden. Created by Hanover's electors and kings in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, the gardens uniquely combine the most important styles of gardening. The central part of the garden is the Großer Garten, a historic French Baroque garden with a large fountain, water features and a labyrinth. A quick weekend break or a longer self-drive holiday to Hanover is sure to offer wonderful experiences for everyone.

Westphalia Culinarium

The Westfalen Culinarium, which opened in April 2006, consists of four museums with Westphalian specialities. Spread over an area of 3000 m², you can discover the Cheese Museum, the Westphalian Ham Museum, the Bread Museum and the Beer and Spirits Museum. The museum covers German, European and global "basic foods" and there is also a tasting room where you can sample the region's many exciting specialities.

Teutoburg Forest/Eggegebirge Nature Park

The Eggegebirge Nature Park is a recreational area of more than 2700 km², located in north-eastern North Rhine-Westphalia. The park, which consists of about 60% forest, was founded in 1965 and expanded to its current size in 2008, and is today the area's largest and Germany's sixth-largest nature park. The area is ideal for hikers and nature lovers, with beautiful varied landscapes and numerous sites and monuments to discover. It is recommended to stop by Nieheim Tourismus- und Kulturamt, the town centre, where you will find information and maps about the area's many hiking trails and opportunities.

Externsteine

Take a cheap car holiday in Germany and discover the Externsteine, a distinctive sandstone formation located in the Teutoburger Wald. The curious formation consists of several high sandstone cliffs standing, almost as if carved out, as narrow columns of stone and rising strikingly out of the surrounding forest landscape. Archaeological investigations show that parts of the monument date back as far as 10,700 BC. Over the centuries the site has been used both as a hermitage and a Christian chapel, and around the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries both nationalist scholars and members of the Völkisch movement took an interest in the monument. This interest reached its peak during the Nazi regime, when the Externsteine began to be used in various propaganda campaigns. Today, the site is one of the area's most popular tourist attractions and an ideal place to visit on a self-drive holiday or mini-vacation in Germany.

Christmas market in Hildesheim

24th November to 28th December 2025 - Please note that dates and opening hours may vary. You can visit the Christmas market's own website with current information.

The old town of Hildesheim has proud Christmas market traditions. Amidst old half-timbered houses and UNESCO World Heritage-listed churches, Hildesheim has plenty of Christmas spirit.

The Christmas market offers amusements, Christmas shopping for the gold medal and the finest German delicacies."

From the last week of November until Christmas Eve, the Hildesheim Christmas Market is held. The old town has roots stretching back more than 1000 years, and it is this very part of town that provides the setting for the town's Christmas market. It is decorated with Christmas decorations and lights, and throughout the Christmas month there are concerts and Christmas events for young and old.

In front of the Knochenhaueramtshaus, one of the world's most beautiful half-timbered houses, you will find numerous stalls with handicrafts, Christmas treats and mulled wine. The St Michaelis Church and the Mariendom Cathedral, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites, are also located next to the Christmas market.

With its location just south of Hanover, Hildesheim is centrally located in Germany and can therefore also be experienced in combination with other stays in Germany, such as the Harz Mountains or Hanover.