Hannover is not the first name that comes to mind when riders talk about great destinations, and it would probably say that is fine. It is a big, calm, practical city of half a million people on the northern edge of the German hills, where the flat North German Plain begins to roll up toward the Deister and the Weser Uplands.
The city was rebuilt after heavy wartime bombing, so much of the centre is plain postwar architecture, but there are good pockets. The Herrenhausen Gardens, a baroque garden laid out for the electors of Hanover, are lovely, and the royal family of Hanover became the kings of Great Britain in 1714, which is why English monarchs from George I to Victoria share a German city's name. The New Town Hall, with its green dome and an inclined lift that climbs inside it, offers a view across the whole city. Look out for the red thread painted on the pavement that leads you through the sights.
As a ride base, the city is excellent. Within an hour you are in the hills: the Deister, with its wooded ridges and little roads, the Extertal and Lippe uplands to the southwest, and the Oker valley and Harz mountains to the southeast. The terrain is rolling rather than mountainous, with bends through beech and oak woods and open views over farmland. Weekdays are quiet, while summer weekends bring crowds of other bikes. Roads are well surfaced, though speed cameras are common near villages and on straight stretches.
You will find fuel stations everywhere, including on the road to Laatzen and Pattensen, and excellent bakeries for an early start. Food here is straightforward, with Hannoveraner sausage and bread, and in spring there is asparagus on every menu. A stop in the old town near the Marktkirche gives you cobbles, half-timbered houses and a coffee.