For a Half Day

Steinhuder Meer: Steinhuder Lake (website: www.steinhuder-meer.de), which lies 30km (19 miles) northwest of Hanover, attracts watersports enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Day trippers can visit the 18th-century fort, Festung Wilhelmstein, located on an artificial island, via motorboat from either Mardorf or Steinhude. By car, the Steinhuder can be reached on the B441, or alternatively, by train from the Hauptbahnhof - the Niedersachsenticket is valid from 0900 to 1500 the next day, allowing travel on all transport modes of the GVH within Hanover as well as the German Railway with Niedersachsen. Infozentrum Steinhude, Am Graben 3-4 (tel: (05033) 939 134; website: www.naturpark-steinhuder-meer.de) provides further information.

Goslar: Easily accessible by train, 70km (44 miles) south from Hanover and boasting an enviable location on the edge of the Harz mountains, this 16th-century former mining town features picture-perfect half-timbered houses and winding streets. Highlights include the Kaiserpfalz (Imperial Palace), Kaiserbleek 6 (tel: (05321) 311 9693), and the art collection in the Mönchehaus-Museum of Modern Art (tel: (05321) 29570; website: www.moenchehaus.de). Further information on Goslar can be found online (website: www.goslar.de).

For a Whole Day

Hamburg: Less than a two-hour drive from Hanover, 135km (84 miles) north on the A7, Hamburg is one of Germany's major urban centres, famous for its marine heritage, its progressive character and its trendy media industry. Sightseeing highlights include the harbour area, the infamous Reeperbahn and the Kunsthalle - a major collection of international art through the ages. ICE trains run to Hamburg from Hanover's Hauptbahnhof, taking just over an hour. The Niedersachsenticket is valid from 0900 to 1500 the next day, allowing travel on all transport modes of the GVH within Hanover as well as the German Railway within Niedersachsen and Hamburg, although the city is not within Niedersachsen - it is a city state, one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany in itself. Hamburg Tourismus GmbH (tel: (040) 688 757 600; website: www.hamburg.de) is open daily 0700-1900 in the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) and provides further information.

Harz: The Harz Mountains, some 70km (44 miles) southeast of Hanover, offer an area of rugged, mist-shrouded upland, much of which remains remarkably unspoiled. Bad Harzburg, 95km (59 miles) southeast of Goslar, is the gateway to the Harz National Park (website: www.nationalpark-harz.de). The regional tourist office is located in Goslar, Marktstrasse 45 (tel: (05321) 34040; website: www.harzinfo.de) and provides further information. The area is accessible by train from Hanover (journey time - 1 hour 30 minutes).