Train stations in Hannover

Hannover Hbf is where ICE and IC trains, FlixTrain, Nightjets and every regional line stop, and the city centre starts at its doorstep. The city's other four stations are S-Bahn stops.

Arriving at Hannover Hbf

The station stands on Ernst-August-Platz. For the centre, go underground: the Niki-de-Saint-Phalle-Promenade runs 650 metres from the station to Kröpcke, the main crossing of the Stadtbahn network, and Stadtbahn lines 1, 2 and 8 reach Kröpcke in one stop. From Kröpcke it is a short way on to the old town around the Marktkirche and the Altes Rathaus.

A Kurzstreckenkarte costs €1.80 and covers up to three Stadtbahn stops, so it is enough for Kröpcke. A single ticket for one zone costs €3.70 and is good for two hours in one direction; it cannot be used for the return. Hannover city is zone A. Buy at the ÜSTRA machines, in the ÜSTRA app or in the GVH online shop.

Trains from Hannover Hbf

The fastest train to Hamburg Hbf takes 1 hour 16 minutes, with up to 42 direct trains a day, regional services included. Frankfurt (Main) Hbf takes 2 hours 15 minutes at best with up to 22 direct trains, Cologne Hbf 2 hours 34 minutes with up to 12, and Munich Hbf 4 hours 21 minutes with up to 18. Amsterdam Centraal takes 4 hours 16 minutes on the fastest ICE, with up to three direct trains a day.

Berlin Hbf has ICE trains at least every hour. From 2 October to 12 December 2026, track works add 60 to 80 minutes to those journeys, with the ICEs stopping alternately in Braunschweig and Magdeburg; the works continue until December 2027.

FlixTrain's FLX30 stops at Hannover Hbf on its way between Cologne and Berlin, continuing to Leipzig or Dresden on some trains. In the timetable valid to 12 December 2026 there are up to three trains a day each way, fewer on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Nightjets leave Hannover for Vienna, Innsbruck and Zürich.

Regional trains fill in the rest. The RE 1 and RE 8 run to Bremen, the RE 30 to Wolfsburg and the RB 38 to Soltau. metronom runs the RE 2 to Göttingen and the RE 3 to Celle and Uelzen. erixx runs the RE 10 to Hildesheim and Bad Harzburg. WestfalenBahn runs the RE 60 and RE 70 to Braunschweig, and the RE 60 continues to Rheine; the half-hourly service between Hannover and Braunschweig is cut until December 2027 because of the works. Transdev runs the S-Bahn lines.

The other four stations

Hannover-Nordstadt is a local S-Bahn stop on the S1, S2, S4 and S5, and Hannover-Linden/Fischerhof is one on the S1, S2 and S5. Most visitors can skip both and use Hbf; they matter if you are staying near either.

Hannover Messe/Laatzen is the station at the West 1 entrance of the trade fair grounds, on the S4 from Hbf; during major fairs extra S8 trains run there from the airport and Hbf. For the Nord entrance, Stadtbahn line 8 (line 18 on fair days) from Hbf takes about 18 minutes.

Hannover Flughafen is on the S5, which runs every 30 minutes and takes about 18 minutes from Hbf. The platform sits directly below Terminal C, with lifts and escalators up to the terminal. The airport is in zone B, so a one-zone ticket is not enough; a two-zone ticket costs €4.70.

Tickets and the Deutschlandticket

The Deutschlandticket costs €63 a month in October 2026. It covers regional trains, the S-Bahn, Stadtbahn, trams and buses, so it works on metronom, erixx, WestfalenBahn and Transdev services and on the ride to the airport. It does not cover ICE, IC, EC or FlixTrain. It is a subscription, cancellable by the 10th of the month.

Rail passes and reservations

As of October 2026, an Interrail Pass covers ICE and IC trains in Germany, where a seat reservation is optional and costs €5.50 in second class or €6.90 in first. Regional trains need no reservation. Nightjets need a paid reservation, because reservations on night trains are always compulsory. FlixTrain is not included in the pass.