Experience the Magic of Christmas in Lower Saxony: Hannover and Celle Christmas Markets
December is around the corner and it’s the best time to find some cozy Christmas markets to go to in these cold times. The magical atmosphere of these times make it even better! So why not visiting Hannover and Celle for your Christmas adventure? Let me convince you in this blog post why these two places are the perfect place to spend your winter days!
For your information, all these pictures were taken in December 2023.
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Some information about Lower Saxony and Hannover
Lower Saxony is located in northwestern Germany and is the second-largest state in the country. The capital of Lower Saxony is Hannover, but other big cities are Göttingen, Oldenburg and Lüneburg.
This region is known for being the only German state with both sea and mountains. The most famous national park is Harz National Park with the famous Harz Steam Railway.
How to get to Hannover and Celle in Lower Saxony?
Germany is located in western central Europe and borders Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Switzerland, France and Luxembourg. The United Kingdom is a sea border. As it’s pretty central in Europe and has a heavily visited capital, the country is quite easy to visit.
1 | With the plane
Lower Saxony has its own airport in Hannover, called the Hannover Airport. But there are many more in Germany all around, like in Berlin, Hamburg, and Frankfurt. So, there is always a way to get to Germany by plane.
The airport of Hannover is only 20 minutes by public transportation away from the city center. This makes it ideal for a citytrip or if you want to make it your startpoint of your roadtrip through Lower Saxony.
2 | With public transportation
The train system is good equipped and is the most enjoyable way to travel around Germany! No matter the destination in the country, you will be there in no time!
Other public transportations you can take around Germany are buses and metros, but these are more used in the city center. In Hannover, every few minutes there is a metro you can take. It’s such a pleasant way of traveling!
3 | By car
You can also come Germany by car. It’s a perfect way for traveling around the country and seeing a lot of things, but it can also be a hassle when it comes to finding parking spots in bigger cities.
Where to stay in Hannover
I stayed at Novotel for my 2-night stay in Hannover and it was the perfect hotel for this short trip! The hotel is pretty close to most sights and is closely located to the metro station. The hotel also offered breakfast and it was such a big buffet that it was hard to choose. Lastly, the hotel is close to Lister Meile, which is perfect for the first taste of the Christmas market.
Christmas markets in Hannover
Hannover is the perfect place to go to for the Christmas market. The city has over 190 stalls with different themes. For example, Hannover has Christmas markets in medieval or Finnish style. This is really the perfect Christmas market to wander around.
There are all different kind of markets around the city and it’s just perfect to wander around the city in the day and discover all the stalls at the evening. The Christmas markets are all spread around the city so you will find the Christmas spirit all around the city!
The Christmas market in Hannover is from 4/12 to 22/12 in 2023 and are starting from 11 AM to 9 PM.
1 | Wander around the traditional Christmas village
The traditional Christmas village is around the Marktkirche and is the largest market in Hannover. Here you will find all the traditional Christmas and regional specialities, like handmade gift, delicious hot drinks and treats.
2 | Visit the Finnish village
The Finnish Christmas market is located on Ballhofplatz and here comes the Scandinavian winter to life. Wander around and see all types of tradition, like glögi, which is a traditional Finnish mulled wine or flaming salmon. There is also an authentic tent in the middle of the market to warm up and to experience Finnish Christmas.
3 | Travel back in time at the medieval market
This historic village is near the banks of the Leine and is such a lovely Christmas market as it has a medieval theme. There are numerous activities to participate in like axe throwing and archery. It’s also so lovely to walk through as all the people are in theme with their clothing as well.
4 | Step into the Christmas spirit at Hauptbahnhof
In front of the Hauptbahnhof, you’ll find the Roncalli Christmas Village. This market is in the front of the main station and is hard to miss. It has a lot of cute decorations, like a Ferris wheel and lovingly stalls.
5 | Warm up at the Wishing Well Forest
This is definitely my favourite part of the Christmas market in Hannover as I never seen anything before in other cities! The Wishing Well Forest is an area about 50 fir trees on the Wood Market. It’s such a cozy place where you can warm up and order a lot of different drinks. Don’t forget to go to the Wishing Ring in the middle of the trees, as it can make wishes come true.
6 | Christmas markets close to the hotel at Lister Meile
This is the perfect Christmas market to visit when arriving in Hannover as it’s so close to Novotel hotel, where I spend the night. The Lister Meile is located along a pedestrian zone so you can simple wander around!
7 | Visit the Christmas pyramid
Visit the Christmas pyramid at Kröpcke, which is in the heart of the city center! This is a very beautiful sight and can’t be missed on your tour of the Christmas markets. You can enter the pyramid and buy some hot drinks to catch up with friends and family.
Christmas market in Celle
Celle is a small village, 50-minutes away with the car from Hannover. It’s surely worth a visit around the Christmas period as it’s been called the best Christmas market of Germany. And that’s because of the authentic Christmas experience and the cute houses that are around 700 years old.
It’s a smaller place, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth a visit as it’s well refined. There are around 70 different stalls and a lot of activities like concerts.
The Christmas market takes place between 24/11 to 28/12 in 2023 from 11 AM to 8 PM from Sunday to Thursday. On a Friday and Saturday, the markets are open a bit longer, to 9 PM.
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Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!
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