Visitors information and tips for the Herrenhausen Gardens in Hannover — opening hours, ticket prices, events, and transportation to the Herrenhäuser Gärten.
The extended Herrenhausen Gardens (Herrenhäuser Gärten) area in Hannover in Germany includes four gardens, a small museum (in the palace), and the Sea Life Center Hannover aquarium. Admission is charged for the magnificent baroque Großer Garten (Great Garden) and the Berggarten botanical garden. The Georgengarten and Welfengarten are two English landscape style parks that are unfenced and always open for free.
Admission Tickets for the Herrenhausen Gardens
A variety of tickets are available for the Herrenhausen Gardens. Unfortunately, currently the Baroque Großer Garten, by far the most interesting sight here, may only be seen on a combination ticket, or late afternoon.
The Gesamtkarte (All-in-one Ticket) including the Großer Garten, Berggarten, and Museum in Schloss Herrenhausen is €8, €4 for children 12-17 years old, and free for children under 12 years. Family tickets give small discounts depending on the number of children. The three sites may be seen on different days.
In the winter season (November to March), the Gesamtkarte is €6 from Thursday to Sunday and €3.50 Monday to Wednesday when the museum is closed. The water features are off during the colder months.
The Berggarten may be seen separately year round for €3.50.
The Feierabendticket (After Work Ticket) for the Großer Garten only is €3.50 and valid for admission after 17:30 — a good deal in summer when the park is open until 20:00.
On nights that the Great Garden is lit up (Illumination Großer Garten), admission is €4 with admission after 20:00 (after 19:00 in September).
Combination tickets are available with the Sea Life Hannover aquarium and discounts are given to bearers of a ticket for the Historisches and Wilhelm Busch Museums.
Opening Hours of the Herrenhäuser Gärten
The Großer Garten and Berggarten open year-round at 9:00 but closing times depend on the season: 20:00 in May to August, 19:00 in September and April, 18:00 in October and March, 17:30 in February, and 16:30 in November to January. The grotto and greenhouses close half an hour earlier. The last admission is an hour before closing time.
During the summer season — April to October — the fountains in the Großer Garten play weekdays from 10:00 to noon and 15:00 to 17:00 and weekends from 10:00 to noon and 14:00 to 17:00. It is worth timing a visit to be in the Großer Garten while the Wasserspiele water features are on.
The museums open at 11:00 and close at 18:00 from April to October, and 16:00 from November to March.
Food and Drink at the Herrenhausen Gardens
Food and drink options at the Herrenhausen Gardens are surprisingly limited. The Schlossküche in the palace is the only food option inside the Großer Garten. It is a restaurant-cafe but also sells picnic boxes that may be enjoyed inside the park at the elevated viewing platform, the linden tree rows, and on the banks of the moat. Further restaurants and kiosks are available outside the gardens.
The only toilets in the Great Garden are at the palace and behind the Rehearsal Stage. In the Berggarten, toilets are only at the entrance, and in the Georgengarten at the parking lot or at the Wilhelm Busch Museum.
Illumination Nights and Events in the Herrenhäuser Gärten
The Herrenhausen Gardens are used for open-air events during much of the summer season. The main events include:
- International Fireworks Competition — accompanied by a concert and arts program.
- Kleines Fest im Großen Garten — Kleinkunst, usually translated as cabaret but could include a variety of performance arts by soloists or small groups.
- Gartentheater — drama, theater, and musicals in the outdoor theater.
- Kunstfestspiele Herrenhausen — a variety of performances in parts of the gardens and buildings including music, dance, theater, and installations.
Illumination Nights are usually held from May to October when the gardens are lit on most Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings for an hour. Opening hours depend on sunset but generally either 20:00 to 22:00 or an hour earlier. Separate admission is charged. These illumination nights are usually accompanied by baroque music.
Transportation to the Herrenhäuser Gärten
Getting to the Herrenhausen Gardens is easy by car or on public transportation. The Gardens are around 4 km towards the northwest of the city center with good train and road connections.
When driving, the simplest is usually to use the B6 motorway to the west of Hannover — exit Herrenhäuser Gärten. The closest parking is the Besucherparkplatz am Georgengarten/Großen Garten (€3 per four hours) with further parking available to the west of the complex in the Am Großer Garten street.
The light railway (U-Bahn) lines 4 and 5 in the direction Stöcken or Garbsen stop directly in front of the palace and Berggarten at the stop “Herrenhäuser Gärten” — traveling time from downtown Hannover, e.g. station Kröpcke, is around 10 minutes, around 40 minutes from the Messe, and just less than an hour from Hannover Airport (HAJ). See German Railways for timetables — walking from Hannover station to Kröpcke station is usually a faster option than taking a train to Steintor.
Visit Herrenhausen and Hannover
- See Visit the Herrenhausen Gardens for more on the House of Hanover and the other parts of the Herrenhäuser Gärten
- Visit the Großer Garten at Herrenhausen for more on the magnificent formal Baroque Great Garden.
- Visitor Information for the Herrenhausen Gardens for opening hours, ticket prices, events, and transportation.
- More photos of the Herrenhäuser Gärten on Flickr.
- Herrenhausen official website at Hannover Tourismus.
- Hannover is an important trade show venue. At quiet times, the excess of hotel rooms often means very cheap prices, especially if willing to stay in the then lifeless area near the Messe. See Tripadvisor or good deals and ratings on Hannover hotels.
- Public Transportation — German Railways timetables to stop Herrenhäuser Gärten
