Tulip Inn Hannover Messe, Hannover

Advantages: Lots to see and do, great public art, good value
Disadvantages: I didn't stay long enough

...Although I am enthusiastic recycler and cyclist, I will be the first to admit that I contribute to more than my fare share of airplane emissions. I know I should unsubscribe to all the airline mailing lists that land in my inbox but I just can't find the willpower to do that. Every time a new one arrives I have to click through to find out what bargains I might be missing and this is how we found ourselves booking flights to the city of Hannover with the German airline TUI fly. Digging out the Lonely Planet guide to Germany I wasn't much enlightened - lots of concrete, some fine museums, beautiful and historic gardens. Hannover was heavily bombed during World War Two and, although the centre is dominated by a post-war concrete shopping centre, a section of the Old Town as well as some of the most interesting and attractive public... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: A not-to-be-missed event.
Disadvantages: Too massive to see it all

...Hannover is hosting Expo 2000 from June until October, and has made this small, attractive city a 'must visit' for anyone visiting Germany this year. The Expo is being held in the existing Messe (fairgrounds) on the outskirts of the city, easily reached by train, tram, bus, bike, or car. We chose to take the train to Hannover, and stayed at Hotel Atlanta, a great hotel in a quiet side-street near the train station. Admission to the Expo is not cheap at 69DM a day, but includes all public transportation, so arriving is simple. The grounds are open from 9am until midnight, with the pavilions open until 9:30. It would be impossible to go into any real detail of what to expect, as the Expo is incredibly huge. Anyone who has not visited a world's fair before will be shocked at the sheer size and scope. Nearly all of the world... Read review

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Advantages: Good value, lots of tasty fish meals and snacks, lots of branches
Disadvantages: No branches (that I know of) in the UK

...A couple of years ago while in Bonn, I noticed a mouthwatering display of seafood sandwiches laid out in the hatched window of a shop. They looked delicious but we had just arrived in Bonn and weren't ready for lunch. The following year I noticed another branch in the Austrian city of Graz but it wasn't until a few months later that I finally got to sample some of the piscatorial delights of "Nordsee" while in Hannover. Not surprisingly, "Nordsee" translates as "North Sea" and is a chain of fishmongers and adjoining cafes/restaurants selling and serving fish and seafood with branches throughout Germany and Austria; some cities have several branches, often quite close together which is an indication of how popular the chain is. I can't imagine such a thing being popular in the UK as most people I know won't eat fish unless it... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful