Hanover Zoo

You can find the Hanover Zoo in the Zoo quarter of the city Hanover.

It is one of the oldest zoos in Germany and was founded in 1865. From 1990 onwards the zoo was converted into a more animal friendly place. 

You can find seven theme worlds in the zoo with different animals in each of them. There are Zambezi, which shows the African Savannah, the Gorilla Mountain, Yukon Bay, which leads you into a Canadian gold town, the Jungle Palace, the Australian Outback, Mullewap and Meyer's Farm. During the winter time there is also the Winter Zoo and some parts of the zoo are decorated around Christmas.

The entry fees are not that cheap but you can easily stay the whole day and take your time to see every corner of the zoo. When you're visiting with children it's maybe better when you take something to eat and to drink with you because food can be expansive as well.

One thing you have to do is to take the boat in Zambezi and see the African animals from the boat which gives you a different perspective. There are also feedings of different animals which you can watch.

In Hanover Zoo everyone can find a favourite animal.

You can find more info here:

Wikipedia

Erlebnis Zoo Hannover

Monopol

The Monopol is a restaurant and bar in the city Hamelin.

It has a nice atmosphere and very good food. You can order small dishes, salads, burger or steaks for reasonable prices. If you don't want to eat anything you can also go there for cocktails.

In summer you can sit outside on the roof terrace but you have a great view over Hamelin from inside as well. The interior is stylish and everywhere are nice details like the gold and black candle holders on the tables.

The restaurant has a culinary calendar with different events during the year. In summer they have regular BBQ buffets or culinary world tour buffets which can be quite spectacular. It's better to reserve a table on one of these event days.

There's the possibility to rent the historic hall for weddings, birthday parties or other events.

You can find more information on their site:

Monopol (German)

Hamelin (Hameln)

Hamelin (or Hameln in German) is a town in Lower Saxony, which is famous for the tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.

Picture: Hochzeitshaus (foreground) and Marktkirche St. Nicolai

Hamelin is situated at the banks of the river Weser. From here you can start boat tours to Bodenwerder or other cities along the Weser during the summer months.

The city started with a monastery and became a fortified town later on. You can still see some parts of the city wall but it's not a lot left of it. When you are walking in the pedestrian area of Hamelin you can see many half-timbered and stone houses, which are in the stile of the Weser Renaissance.

In and around Hamelin are many places to go for a walk. Along the Weser you can also find hiking or cycling trails, which give you a beautiful view of the landscape around you.

When you are in the city, it can happen that you meet the Pied Piper on the street. He can be hired for guided tours of the city through the tourist information. During the summer months, you can watch a performance of the story of the Pied Piper every Sunday on the stage you can see on the picture above.

You can visit different churches, the museum and other parts if you want to get to know Hamelin better. It's also a nice place for shopping with a big shopping mall and different shops in the pedestrian zone. If your feet are tired from walking, you can find many cafés or restaurants to have a rest. Some nice places in summer are the beer garden and restaurant on the Werder, the island in the river Weser. If you ask someone for it, they can sure point you into the right direction.

Hamelin is a nice town with a lot of history and great architecture, which is really worth a visit.

You can find more information here:

Stadt Hameln (German and English)

Wikipedia 

Boltenhagen

Boltenhagen is a small seaside resort on the Baltic Sea in Germany. It is close to Lübeck and Wismar.

Boltenhagen is a holiday town and there are many tourists there, especially in the summer months. You can choose if you want to stay in a hotel or a holiday flat. That's up to you.
As everywhere in Germany you have to pay visitor's tax when you want to be at the beach but there is a pier as well and it's free to go onto it.

You can either be at the beach the whole day when you are in Boltenhagen or you can hire a bike and take a tour along the coast or into the country. There are many scenic streets that are great for cycling. When you don't want to cycle you can step into the small train "Carolinchen" and go onto a trip to the steep coast or other destinations.
If you have enough of the beach and nature you can visit one of the castles or churches which you can find around Boltenhagen. A great place to go to on rainy days is the butterfly park in Klütz. There you can watch different butterflies and it's nice and warm in the rainforest-like glass dome.
It is no problem to find a nice restaurant or café after a day on the beach and you have supermarkets and bakeries at hand, too. Close to the town centre you can find a shop called "My Choc" where you can decide what you want to have in your chocolate (i.e. cranberries, walnuts or coffee) and you can pick up your special chocolate the next day. Very good.
In the town are also many little shops where you can buy clothes, different products made out of sallow thorn or the typical tourist stuff. If you want some bigger shops, you have to visit Wismar, which is not so far away.

You can find more information here:

http://www.boltenhagen.de/ (German)

Wikipedia

Wisentgehege

The Wisentgehege is a deer park in northern Germany where you can watch European animals. It's open all year round.

Picture:
Wolves in the Wisentgehege

First, the Wisentgehege was only for breeding European bisons and that's where it got it's name from. Now you can find around 100 different animal species there including Przewalski’s horses, wolverines, elks and different deer species.
One of the main purposes of the deer park is the conservation breeding of endangered animals but it's also a shelter for injured birds of prey.

The deer park is situated in a woody area with old trees and nice paths to walk on. Some of the animals are in enclosures but some, like the deer, have a wide space almost like in the wild. During the day there are different "shows" the visitors can watch. You can see feedings of different animals or an air show with the birds of prey. There is a lot to learn in the Wisentgehege, not only about the animals but about nature in general, too.
They are always building new enclosures for the animals and try to keep them in a natural way. You can spend a day in the Wisentgehge and take a picnic along with you if you want. There are many nice places where you can sit and eat but there is also a restaurant when you don't want to take food along.
The Wisentgehege is a great place to watch European animals in a nature like environment and to spend a nice day with your family.

If you want to read more, you can have a look here:
http://www.wisentgehege-springe.de/ (German)
Wikipedia (German)

Roemer- and Pelizaeus Museum

The Roemer- and Pelizaeus Museum in Hildesheim is a great museum, which arose from a private collection of Egyptian artefacts.

Pictures:
Permanent and Special Egypt exhibition

They have several permanent exhibitions, including ones about Egypt, America or Asia. Every year they have several special exhibitions, which are definitely worth a visit. I can still remember the ones about dinosaurs or the ice age. You can take pictures in some parts of the museum but not everywhere. You can take a guided tour through the museum or there are audio guides as well but I'm not sure if they have them in different languages. When you like museums or when you are facing a rainy day and want to do something, this is a good place to go.


If you want to read more, you can have a look here:
Roemer-Pelizaeus Museum (English and German)
Wikipedia

Ulmer Münster (Ulm Minster)

The Minster in Ulm, Germany is a Lutheran church, which was completed in 1890.


Picture:
Inside the Münster

You can visit the Minster for free and it is allowed to take pictures inside. I'm not an expert in architecture but the inside of the Minster is really beautiful with high ceilings and beautiful details everywhere. The wooden choir is definitely worth a look and there are several small chambers you can visit as well. Another beautiful sight are the colourful windows, especially when the sun is shining through them. If you want to light a candle for someone you can purchase them in the church for a small amount of money. On the inside and outside you can find different sculptures and the altar is beautiful too.

The steeple is 161.5 meters high and you can climb nearly to the top. You have to pay a couple of Euros when you want to go up but the view you get is definitely worth it. It is 768 steps to the top but you don't have to go all the way because there are three platforms from where you can look at your surroundings. The spiral staircase for the last part is quite narrow and you can only hope that no one comes down while you climb up. The view from the tower is amazing and you can get a good look at Ulm, the Danube or even the Alps when it is a clear day.


When you want to read more, you can have a look here:
Wikipedia
Das Ulmer Münster (German)