Gottingen, the university city on the Leine river steeped in tradition, is situated in Lower Saxony, right in the middle of Germany. This city, with an area of 117 sq km and approximately 129,000 inhabitants, of which more than 25,000 are students, is characterised by a creative flair and a youthful face. In 2003, 45% of the inner city population was only between 18 and 30 years of age. The village 'Gutingi',to which the city goes back, was first mentioned in 953 CE.
How to Get There:
The nearest airport is Hannover: The airport bus to Hannover main station takes approx. 20 - 30 min. ICE trains from the main station to Göttingen take 33 min. The second nearest airport is Frankfurt, for overseas flights. A direct ICE train ride from Frankfurt airport to Göttingen lasts 2 hours. Boarding in Frankfurt for a flight to Hannover and then going by airport bus and train to Göttingen will take much longer. Göttingen has a direct access to the federal highway A7 and is easily accessable from federal roads B3 and B27. Almost every InterCity Express train (ICE) stops there. There are direct lines to Hamburg, Hannover, Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich.
What to See:
Göttingen, a 'University town', is known specifically for its University. Göttingen has two professional theatres, Deutsches Theater in Göttingen and Junges Theater.The city has a number of significant museums and collections, including The Göttingen City Museum, The Old City Hall and the Paulinerkirche. Göttingen is home to four intercultural gardens.
Where to Eat:
Göttingen has a number of restaurants and meeting places for students. Among the restaurants, the following are recommended: Blaue Orange, Capone , DT Keller , el-punto , Esprit , Harzer Hof , havana-goettingen, Lotusblume , Neo Greco , nikolai-cafe.de , Melange , rossini-sudheim and the Schnitzelparadies am Hohen Hagen.
Excursions:
A half-day trip to the nearby Harz Mountains, Solling or the Eichsfeld. Take a detour to the quaint old world towns Duderstadt or Hann. Münden, with their numerous, well-preserved half-timbered houses or visit the Plesse fortress or the Sleeping Beauty castle in Sababurg.
Hotels:
Göttingen has 54 hotels and inns, and The Best Western Hotel Am Papenberg, Clarion Parkhotel, Eden-Hotel and Hotel Freigeist are recommended. Prices are in the middle range. 64 holiday apartments are available, with prices fairly low. There are 2 youth hostels, where the prices are best for backpackers.
