10 Best Things to Do After Dinner in Hannover

Hannover Old Town is arguably the most enchanting part of the city as a whole. It's wedged up to the Leine River, with the bustling new town of Mitte just to its east. It is easily accessible from most of the city centre on foot. You can also walk the whole area once you're there.

Walking around is one of the real joys of an after-dark jaunt to the Old Town. You'll be able to spy out wonders like the stoic Kreuzkirche, a relic of the 14^th century, and the handsome Leineschloss, a one-time monastery and now town hall. More than that, the Old Town buzzes with bars and beer halls, so options are abundant for your post-dinner nightcap.

The State Opera of Hannover is pretty difficult to miss as it occupies an uber-grand building of lavish Classical styles that dates from the 1850s. Look for that dominating the plaza of Opernplatz Hannover just south of the main train station in the very heart of the Mitte area.

Apart from a brief respite in summer, the State Opera of Hannover hosts performances every night of the year. It showcases the crème-de-la-crème of local cultural output, including ballet, orchestral performances, theater and opera. Tickets go very fast for key dates, so book ahead if you're traveling at Christmas, Easter or New Year.

The Kuppelsaal is the central hall of the Stadthalle Hannover, one of the premier concert halls in Lower Saxony. Also known as the HCC Hannover Congress Centrum, it rises above the Zoo Quarter, and is accessible within a 20-minute U-Bahn ride west of Mitte.

With a capacity of over 3,500, the venue reigns as one of the largest stages for classic music in the country. Regular evening shows of philharmonic orchestras take care of the later hours. During the day, the place is often the stomping ground of big conferences and major banquets for VIPs.

Kröpcke is the nerve center of modern Hannover. Many of the major thoroughfares – Georgstrasse, Rathenaustrasse – converge here, while the main railroad station is just a few steps to the north. It's a haven for shopping and dining, but also a top place to head once you've finished that evening meal.

The Kröpcke Clock is a vintage timekeeper that replicates a 19^th-century original. Now a veritable icon of the town, it paves the way to a boulevard that leaves south to hit the State Opera building. The other side of Kröpcke leads westwards toward the Old Town, through a retail district replete with high-street names. Many of these stay open until at least 8 pm in the summer months.

The Sprengel Museum is one of the most impressive modern art museums in Germany. It's located on the south side of the center of Hannover, around a 10-minute walk from the Schlägerstrasse U-Bahn station. Early diners can visit after they've eaten since it closes around 6 pm most evenings.

Inside, the collection hits a zenith with its range of totemic 20^th-century works. There are pieces by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee, and Max Ernst, along with a moving memorial to the victims of Fritz Haarmann, Hannover's most infamous serial killer.

The ASTOR Grand Movie theater showcases the latest in Hollywood and big-name movies to the people of Hannover. It's wedged between a hostel and an American broil house on the north side of town, some 15 minutes on foot from the exit of the Hauptbahnhof and central Mitte.

A whopping 10 screens offer seating capacities of up to 465. They play the latest productions out of Hollywood, along with smaller names by leading lights in German movie theater. Regular niche movie presentations include a program of anime and classic movies, which paves the way for re-runs of Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns and vintage reels like Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Kulturzentrum Faust hosts live music, off-beat cultural events, and good old German beer. It's the occupant of a once-dilapidated industrial factory in the middle of Linden district, which sits over the Ihme River. Take the U-Bahn to Leinaustrasse and walk north for around 5 minutes to reach the venue.

The box office is a real mixed bag – expect folk performers, dance troupes, spoken word, and feminist monologues, along with budding stand-up acts. Kulturzentrum Faust also houses its own beer hall and pizza joint, which tend to stay open well into the late evening.

No trip to this Lower Saxony city could possibly be complete without a sampling of the myriad beer halls that exist throughout Hannover. They're all over the place, both in the historic core but also in less-trodden suburbs to the north and south. You can easily access most by either foot or on the extensive U-Bahn.

A must-visit is the hearty Brauhaus Ernst August, where large copper brewing tanks churn out dark ales and frothy Bavarian-style beers. Then there's the Lister Turm Biergarten, which sits on Walderseestrasse on the edge of a large park. It lays claim to one of the largest beer gardens in the city, which fizzes with clinking steins on a summer's evening.

Jazz-Club Hannover has established itself as one of the go-to spots for that fix of moody late-night music in the city. It's just one of the many venues that make its home in hip and happening Linden-Limmer, a vibrant arts district that sits 20 minutes by bus from Mitte.

This small and intimate space is tailor-made for jazz tunes. It's gotten a history that goes back some 50 years, making it one of the original live-music stages in Hannover. Today, the line-up is an eclectic mix of reggae, soul, big band and avant-garde jazz. It's always a good idea to book ahead for shows.

Hannover nightclubs are spread throughout the town, from the bustling center to the hip boho neighborhoods of Linden across the river. It might not be a booming megacity like Germany’s capital city, but it's certainly gotten some moxie after dark.

Eve Klub Hannover has won awards for its kitschy style and vintage looks. Head there to hear funk and soul until the early hours, and dance beneath twirling mirror balls. Club Weidendamm is great for pulsing EDM and techno nights. Sansibar Hannover has good mixed beverages and chart tunes.