Hanover Transportation

Getting There

Air

The Hanover International Airport provides domestic and international service into northwest Germany.

Hanover International Airport (HAJ) +49 511 977 1899 http://www.hannover-airport.de/

Airlines serving the Airport include:

Air Berlin (+49 180 573 7800 / http://www.airberlin.com/) Air Europa (+49 902 401 501 / http://www.air-europa.com/) Air France (+49 511 977 4291 / http://www.airfrance.com/) British Airways (+49 511 977 2165 / http://www.british-airways.com/) Condor (+1 800 524 6975 / http://www7.condor.com/) Hapag-Lloyd Express (+180 509 3 509 / http://www.hlx.com/) KLM (+180 521 4201 / http://www.klm.com/) Lufthansa (+180 380 3803 / http://www.Lufthansa.de/) SAS (+180 323 4023 / http://www.scandinavian.net/) Sun Express (+61 793 9280 / http://www.sunexpress.com.tr/) Swissair (+49 511 977 2915 / http://www.swiss.com/) Turkish Airlines (+49 511 30 48 20 / http://www.turkishairlines.com/)

From the Airport

Public Transport: The S-Bahn's (suburban railway line) S5 runs between the Hannover Airport and Hannover Central Station. Service is every 30 minutes daily 5a-Mid. Bus 471 (http://www.efa.de/) provides service two to three times per hour from the Airport with various stops into Langenhagen.

Shuttle Service: The Flughafen Transfer Hannover GmbH (+49 0511 977 2240) is a 24-hour door-to-door transport service that is quick and convenient.

Taxi: Taxis are located outside of the arrivals terminal. Trips to Hanover city center take about 20 minutes and cost approximately EUR20.

Car Rentals: Avis (+49 511 973 3996 / http://www.avis.de/) Budget (+49 511 977 2137 / http://www.budget.de/) Europcar (+49 511 726 110 / http://www.europcar.de/) Hertz (+49 511 779 041 / http://www.hertz.de/) National Car Rental (+49 0511 977 2463 / http://www.national.de/) Sixt (+49 511 977 2408 / http://www.e-sixt.de/)

Train

Rail passes: If your visit to Hanover is only part of a larger trip, it may be cheaper to buy a rail pass than point-to-point tickets. For non-European citizens, there are a range of passes available, depending on whether you are visiting only Germany or other countries in Europe as well. Information about the different passes and train travel in Europe can be found at http://www.europrail.net/. Europeans can buy an Interrail pass instead - it is cheaper to buy one in your own country, so call your local train station for more information.

Bus

Eurolines (http://www.eurolines.com/) is the popular bus service that runs throughout much of Europe with regular stops in Hanover from numerous international destinations.

Car

Hanover is easily accessible via motorways A2 and A7.

Getting Around

Public Transport

Ustra Hannoverische Verkehrsbetriebe AG (+49 511 16680; http://www.uestra.de) runs Hanover's public transportation, which includes buses and Stadtbahnen (trams). Service is provided 24 hours daily, most frequently 5a-11:30p. There are also five suburban train lines running throughout the metro area. Contact GVH for all public transport enquiries (+49 0511 1668 2020; http://www.gvh.de/). The Hannover Card is a popular option allowing travelers free transportation on GVH buses and trams along with discounts at select major attractions.

Taxi

Taxis are easily visible on the streets, just look for beige Mercedes. Major cab companies in Hanover include:

Flughafen-Taxen GmbH (+49 511 724 9230) Funk-Taxi-Ruf Hannover GmbH (+49 511 2 1410)

Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Hannover is served by Hannover-Langenhagen International Airport, 10km (6 miles) north of the city center. Many international airlines fly here. Flying time between Hannover and Munich is 1 hour, 10 minutes; between Frankfurt and Hannover, 50 minutes. For flight information, call tel. 01803/19449 or visit www.hannover-airport.de. Catch the S-Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof. The cost is 2.70€ ($4.30) each way. Service is 5am to midnight, every 30 minutes.

By Train -- Hannover lies at the junction of an important network of rail lines linking Scandinavia to Italy and Paris to Moscow. Some 500 trains per day pass through, with frequent connections to major German and European cities. Nineteen trains arrive daily from Berlin (trip time: 1 hr., 35 min.), 40 trains from Frankfurt (trip time: 2 hr., 21 min., or 3 hr., depending on the train), and 40 trains from Hamburg (trip time: 1 hr. 11 min., to 1 1/2 hr.). For information call tel. 01805/996633 (11861 in Germany; www.bahn.de).

By Bus -- Long-distance bus service to major German cities is offered by Deutsche Touring GmbH, Hamburger Allee 19, opposite the Hauptbahnhof (tel. 0511/329419).

By Car -- Access is via the A1 Autobahn north or south and from the A2 east and west.

Visitor Information

Contact Hannover Tourist Information, located at Ernst-August-Platz 2 (tel. 0511/12345111; www.hannover.de). Here you can reserve hotel rooms (ask about special weekend packages), book sightseeing tours, obtain general information about the city, and purchase tickets for local events as well as for trains, trams, and buses. The office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm.

Getting Around

The local public-transport system includes commuter trains, an extensive underground network, trams, and buses operated by several companies. Service is frequent and extensive. For information and schedules, contact Grossraum-Verkehr Hannover (tel. 0511/16683000; www.gvh.de).