Herrenhausen Gardens

The Herrenhausen Gardens (Herrenhäuser Gärten) in Hanover are among the most important historic gardens in Europe. Their centerpiece, the roughly 50-hectare (124-acre) Great Garden, is a perfectly symmetrical Baroque masterpiece of hedges, statues and fountains, crowned by a jet of water reaching up to 80 meters. Together with the botanical Berggarten and two landscape parks, they make Hanover a rewarding stop for garden lovers.

Where it is and how to get there

Herrenhausen lies in the northwest of Hanover, the capital of Lower Saxony. Hanover is about 1 hour 20 minutes from Hamburg and roughly 1 hour 40 minutes from Berlin by ICE train, and the city has its own airport. From the central Kröpcke station, light rail lines 4 and 5 take about ten minutes to the Herrenhäuser Gärten stop; bus 136 also stops there. The visitor parking lot charges €4 per four hours (maximum €15 a day) and accepts cards only.

History: Sophie's garden

The gardens began in 1666 as a kitchen garden. Their Baroque glory is the work of Electress Sophia of Hanover, who had grown up in the Netherlands and reshaped the Great Garden in the Dutch style; by her death in 1714 it had quadrupled in size. Sophia's son became King George I of Great Britain, linking Hanover to the British crown. The palace, destroyed in World War II, was rebuilt and completed in 2013 and now houses a museum.

What to see

• Great Fountain: started in 1700, now shooting water up to 80 meters high
• The Grotto: built in 1677 and redesigned between 2001 and 2003 by the team of artist Niki de Saint Phalle with glittering glass and mirror mosaics
• Great Parterre: formal flowerbeds and statues in strict geometry
• Hedge theater: used for open-air performances in summer
• Berggarten: one of Germany's oldest botanical gardens, with about 11,000 plants and one of Europe's largest orchid collections
• Georgengarten: an English-style landscape park, free to enter at any time

Tickets and opening hours

As of October 2026, the Great Garden and Berggarten open daily at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. in October, earlier in winter (4:30 p.m. from November to January). Last entry is one hour before closing. A combined ticket for the Great Garden, palace museum and Berggarten costs €10 in summer (April–October) and €8 in winter; visitors under 18 enter free. The fountains run from April to October, on weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon and 3 to 5 p.m.

Practical tips

• Save in the evening: an after-work ticket for the Great Garden costs just €4 from 5:30 p.m. in summer.
• Combo deal: a combined ticket with the Sea Life aquarium, housed in the former rainforest house next to the Berggarten, costs €27.
• Fountain timing: on weekends and holidays the fountains run from 10 a.m. to noon and 2 to 5 p.m.
• Free green space: the Georgengarten, with its small Leibniz Temple, is open at all times at no charge.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, particularly between April and October, when the fountains are running and the flowerbeds are at their best. Allow about two hours for the Great Garden and half a day including the Berggarten and museum. In summer, look out for the international fireworks competition held on five evenings between May and September.