A First Time in Germany: Where I Went and What I Loved
I found myself in Germany for the first time on a recent work trip. Being my first visit, I was keen to explore as much as possible. I spent time wandering around the city of Hannover, where I was staying, and also ventured over to Berlin for a day trip.
A Day Trip To Berlin
Berlin is about a two-hour train ride from Hannover, so I only had a few hours to make the most of the city once I arrived. Berlin Central Station is a great place to start—upon exiting, you’re greeted by the River Spree and Spreebogenpark. Walking through this park leads you into Tiergarten, Berlin’s largest and oldest state park.
As much as I would’ve liked to stay and enjoy the green space, I decided to head through the Brandenburg Gate and onto one of the city’s main streets, Unter den Linden. Along this street, you’ll find loads of souvenir shops, including one dedicated to Ampelmann—Berlin’s iconic traffic light man. There’s also a stunning university building and the impressive Berlin Cathedral to marvel at as you pass by. Heading in this direction also gives you some brilliant views of the Berlin TV Tower, which looked amazing shining in the sun when I visited.
From here, I decided to walk along the River Spree down to the East Side Gallery—a stretch of the Berlin Wall that’s been transformed with murals from over 100 artists. It’s a really cool and meaningful spot that’s well worth the walk. I was thrilled to also find an old analogue photobooth on this walk. I had seen people using them online but hadn’t expected to run into one myself. Of course, I stopped to give it a go.
Exploring Hannover
Back in Hannover, things were a bit more low-key. It’s obviously a much smaller and less well-known city in Germany, but I still really enjoyed my time there. The main attraction you’ll hear about is the Red Thread walk.
The Hannover Red Thread is 4.2 km long and connects 36 historical attractions and points of interest. You can grab a pamphlet for the walk from the tourist information centre opposite Hannover HBF Station. Unfortunately, the info centre was closed when I visited, and I didn’t quite have time to complete the whole walk, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the part I managed to do.
Some of my favourite spots on the route were the New Town Hall—a beautiful building that’s free to enter and offers a bit of Hannover’s history—and Leinewelle, where they’ve created a permanent wave in the river for people to surf on. Such a fun and unexpected thing to see!
Final Thoughts
Although my time in Germany was short, it was packed with great moments, from the buzz of Berlin to the more relaxed charm of Hannover. It’s always exciting discovering new cities, especially when you’ve only got a small window to explore. I’ll definitely be back to see more in the future!
