9 cities in Lower Saxony – which one is right for you?

Text and photo: Helena Bergström

Half-timbered houses and medieval alleys, world heritage sites and castles, student life and pubs, beautiful gardens, beer and vintage cars. In Lower Saxony you will find nine cities that offer history, culture and experiences in different ways. But which city is right for you?

Lower Saxony in Germany

We have so far visited seven of the nine cities in the collaboration. 9 Cities +2. Four during a train trip and three during a previous campervan trip through Germany. What struck us was how different the cities actually are. Sure, there are common denominators, not least history, beautiful city centres and a lot of half-timbering, but each place also has its own personality.

Here we guide you to the nine cities and tell you what makes them special. We already know seven. Two are still on our wish list!

9 cities +2 in Lower Saxony

9 Städte +2 is a tourism cooperation between nine cities in the German state of Lower Saxony: Braunschweig, Celle, Einbeck, Göttingen, Goslar, Hameln, Hannover, Hildesheim and Wolfenbüttel. In addition, Autostadt in Wolfsburg and Hannover Airport are two partners.

Together, the cities offer everything from UNESCO World Heritage Sites and medieval history to castles, gardens, museums, shopping and modern city life. For us, it is above all the variety that makes them interesting.

Hamelin – fairy tales and mysteries

Hamelin is of course best known for the story of the Pied Piper. And here they really make the most of the story. Rats appear on the ground, on house facades and as sculptures, and in the middle of the town you can see a mechanical carillon where the famous story is played out.

We visited Hamelin for a couple of days with an almost unbelievable amount of rain. Despite that, we were very impressed with the city. Because even though the Pied Piper is a fun and exciting part of the experience, Hamelin stands well on its own. The old town is filled with beautiful historic buildings and half-timbered houses, and the Weser River flows through the city.

Our feeling: Hamelin was much more than the Pied Piper. A beautiful and cozy town that we liked even though the rain was pouring down.

READ MORE: Things to do in Hamelin – 15 tips for the Pied Piper's city

Celle – half-timbered idyll and royal history

If you love half-timbered houses, Celle is a safe bet. There are more than 500 half-timbered houses here, and in the old town they are densely packed along streets and squares. Many are also richly decorated with carvings, figures and inscriptions.

We fell in love with Celle right away. This is a city where you can easily find yourself standing with your camera in front of yet another beautiful house. The most famous is the Hoppener Haus from the 16th century.

But Celle is not just half-timbered. It also has a beautiful castle with a long history as a princely residence, as well as connections to the British royal family. Add cafes, parks and small shops and you have a town perfect for a quiet weekend.

Our feeling: Celle is one of those cities where just strolling around is enough. Cozy, beautiful and almost ridiculously photogenic.

READ MORE: Things to do in Celle, Germany - 12 tips for the half-timbered village

Göttingen – student life and academic traditions

Göttingen feels different from many other cities. There are historic buildings, half-timbered houses and old churches, but above all there is a young and vibrant atmosphere.

Almost a third of the residents are students and the university has left its mark on the city for several hundred years. A large number of Nobel laureates have studied, taught or researched here.

Student history also offers some odd traditions. Doctoral students kiss the Gänseliesel statue after their dissertation, and in the old student prison you can see graffiti after students who were once locked up for various offenses.

And then of course there are the pubs. We went on a guided pub crawl and discovered a relaxed nightlife that we perhaps hadn't expected in Göttingen.

Our feeling: Göttingen is the city for those who want a little more pulse. Academic tradition meets student life, cafes and pubs in a very pleasant way.

READ MORE: Things to do in Göttingen – 15 tips for pubs, student life and half-timbered houses

Einbeck - beer and motor history

Einbeck is a small town that almost feels like it came straight out of a storybook. It has lots of beautiful half-timbered houses, a charming Marktplatz and a long history. But the town also has two specialties that make it quite unique: bock beer and vintage vehicles.

Einbeck is considered the birthplace of bock beer, and the beer culture is still clearly visible in the town. We tried different types of beer ourselves at the historic Brodhaus, an experience that fit perfectly with the setting.

The other big surprise is PS.SPEICHER, an impressive museum about the history of motor vehicles. Here you can find everything from motorcycles and classic cars to old camping vehicles and much more unusual creations.

Our feeling: We fell in love with Einbeck almost immediately. A genuine and reasonably sized German town, with an unusually fun combination of half-timbered houses, beer and motor history.

READ MORE: Things to do in Einbeck – 15 tips for beer culture, vintage cars and half-timbered houses

Hildesheim – UNESCO, historical treasures and roses

Hildesheim was one of the cities that surprised us the most. It has two UNESCO World Heritage churches, an impressive collection of medieval art treasures, and a history that stretches back more than a thousand years.

The city was badly damaged during World War II and many historic buildings have since been reconstructed. Today, magnificent buildings such as the Knochenhauer-Amtshaus can once again be seen on the Marktplatz.

Another side of Hildesheim can be found in charming Neustadt, which became one of our favorite parts of the city. Here you will find old houses, picturesque streets and plenty of roses. Roses also reappear at the Mariendom, where the famous thousand-year-old rose grows.

Our feeling: Hildesheim is surprisingly rich in history and culture for its size. At the same time, the city is charming, walkable and full of small environments to discover.

READ MORE: Things to do in Hildesheim – 15 tips for UNESCO World Heritage sites, half-timbered houses and roses

Hannover – gardens and city life

Hannover is the capital of Lower Saxony and is clearly different from the smaller cities in the network. Here you get more city life, shopping and culture, but also a surprisingly large amount of greenery.

What impressed us the most were the Herrenhausen Gardens. The large Baroque garden with plantings, statues and fountains is an attraction worth the trip in itself.

In the center there is also the magnificent Neues Rathaus, the old town and the ruins of the Aegidienkirche. On a sunny day it is nice to continue to Maschsee, where Hanoverians walk, have coffee, paddle and socialize by the water.

Our feeling: Hannover wasn't the city that stood out the most to us, but we really liked the green and relaxed atmosphere. And the Herrenhausen Gardens are amazing!

READ MORE: Things to do in Hanover – 14 attractions and experiences

Goslar – emperors and mining history

History feels ever-present in Goslar. The medieval old town, together with the Rammelsberg mine, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and the beautiful houses, alleys and imaginative signs can sometimes give the feeling of stepping straight into a fairy tale world.

But Goslar's history is also about power and wealth. The large ore deposits in Rammelsberg contributed to the city's importance and here is the impressive Kaiserpfalz, the imperial palace.

We also visited Rammelsberg and went on a guided tour of the mine. It gives a completely different understanding of how important mining has been for the city over the centuries.

Our feeling: Goslar is a real historical destination. Here you get both the charming medieval town and the much heavier story of emperors, riches and a thousand years of mining.

READ MORE: Things to do in Goslar - 11 tips for a historic town in Germany

Two cities are still on our wish list

So we have already visited seven of the nine cities. Two remain: Braunschweig and Wolfenbüttel. We can't yet tell you how we experience them ourselves, but there are definitely things that make us curious.

Braunschweig – lions and medieval power

Braunschweig is called the Lion City and the lion has a long history here. Henry the Lion made Braunschweig an important center of power during the Middle Ages and on Burgplatz today you can find both the famous lion statue, Dankwarderode Castle and the cathedral.

At the same time, Braunschweig seems to offer a mix of old and new. The historic Magniviertel is home to half-timbered houses, cafés and small shops, while the colorful Happy Rizzi House represents a much more modern and playful side of the city.

This is what we are curious about: Burgplatz and the lion, Magniviertel, Dankwarderode and the exciting contrast between historic and modern architecture.

Wolfenbüttel – Lessing, half timber and Jägermeister

Wolfenbüttel is an old residential town with many preserved half-timbered houses, castles and a strong cultural history. The town is not least associated with the writer and Enlightenment figure Gotthold Ephraim Lessing, who worked at the famous Herzog August Library.

But there is also a much more relaxed association here. Jägermeister originated in Wolfenbüttel and is still produced here. In addition, the old town and the Klein Venedig area, where historic houses lie on the water, attract visitors.

This is what we are curious about: Wolfenbüttel Castle, the Herzog August Library and Lessinghaus, the half-timbered quarter, Little Venice and of course the story behind Jägermeister.

Combine multiple cities on the same trip

One of the advantages of the nine cities is that several are conveniently located within easy reach of each other, so you don't have to choose just one.

We have combined Einbeck, Göttingen, Hildesheim and Hameln in the same trip by train, and previously visited Hannover, Celle and Goslar by camper. Depending on how you travel, you can choose a couple of cities for a long weekend or do a longer round trip.

The combination perhaps makes the visit most enjoyable. You can mix half-timbered idyll with big city, gardens and vintage cars. Or why not UNESCO World Heritage and fairy tales? Nine cities, but nine quite different experiences.

Which city in Lower Saxony would you choose?

We have now discovered seven of the nine cities and like them for different reasons. That is also why we are not going to choose a favorite.

Sometimes you want to stroll among half-timbered houses and have a coffee. Other times, museums and world heritage sites, a lively pub or a beautiful garden are more appealing.

And we still have two cities left to discover. Braunschweig or Wolfenbüttel? We'll just have to see which one comes in at number eight...