Of course, there are many, many more recreational facilities in Lower Saxony. An overview:
Go on safari in the Lüneburg Heath, enjoy clown shows at Lake Alfsee, go skiing in summer in Bispingen or admire the birth of a cruise liner on the Ems - these parks, exhibitions and event venues in Lower Saxony are definitely worth a visit.
Table of contents
1. Heide Park Resort Soltau
2. Serengeti Park Resort Hodenhagen
3. Alfsee Holiday & Recreation Park
4. Mountain & Valley Adventure Resort Bispingen
5. Model making worlds Bispingen
6. PS storage in Einbeck
7. Leer miniature land
8. Autostadt in Wolfsburg
9. German Naval Museum Wilhelmshaven
10. Meyer Shipyard Papenburg
Do you fancy a speedy ride on the bobsled run, or a trip through the dragon grotto to the forbidden cave? Goes all in the Heide Park Resort Soltau in the Lüneburg Heath, Germany's second largest amusement and theme park with 850,000 m². Over 40 attractions await young and old adventurers here, starting with the Big Loop with brave loops and a double corkscrew and not ending with the children's driving school Wüstenflitzer. The park also has several superlatives to offer: For example, Colossos, the largest wooden roller coaster in the world, or Desert Race, the first catapult launch roller coaster in Germany. Many culinary delights await you on the grounds, and of course you can also spend the night, for example in the Holiday Camp with wooden huts or in a VW van. The next morning, something new awaits - currently, for example, a balloon ride with the quaint pig Peppa Pig.
This is how you get to Heide Park Soltau by train: Plan arrival.
More than 1,500 animals from all over the world in a near-natural environment - only this leisure facility in the heart of Lower Saxony on the edge of the Lüneburg Heath. The special feature: Because Europe's largest Safari Park dedicated to the breeding and conservation of many endangered species, it is recognized as a zoological garden. On an area of 220 hectares you can experience a lot, on foot in walk-in enclosures, with your own car or on guided safari tours. A ten-kilometer journey takes you to lions, tigers, cheetahs, zebras, giraffes, rhinos, bison and antelopes. In addition, there are over 40 shows and rides, from a speedboat ride to a wild quad safari - it's best to stay overnight, there's so much to do.
This is how you get to the Safari Park by train: Plan arrival.
Where do you start, where do you stop? In the children's world "Kuddel-Muddel-Land" for example, with Ati's clown show, the musical week, pirate days, children's disco, feeding monsters and more. Or with the water ski cableway and beach arena directly at the bathing lake, the Bullermeck indoor fun center, the go-cart track or the children's autoland. At the 2.2 km² large Alfsee in the north of the County of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, guests of all ages get their money's worth. There are great events like the 24-hour mountain bike race, the Alfen Sauna Land with fitness room, yoga, walking and and and. Sleeping is in beautiful apartments or on the 5-star campsite, and before still enjoyed an ice cream in the Café Seeterrasse - simply wonderful.
This is how you get to Alfsee by train and bus: Plan arrival.
Close to the Bispingen exit from the A7 between Hamburg and Hanover lies this Mega plant. Its center is the huge Snow Dome: Under the motto "Skiing outside? Snow of yesterday" you can have fun here 365 days a year on skis, snowboards and tobogganing. Equipment ranging from first-class boards to helmets is available for rent, and of course there is also a ski school. The highlight: You can even buy snow to take home, small amounts for the ice bar at home or tons for large ski jumps (price from 40 €/m³). If you've spent the night in one of the resort's cozy cabins, you can spend the next day playing adventure golf, visiting the classic car collection or letting off steam in the outdoor adventure park - there's no chance of boredom here.
How to get to the Snow Dome by train and bus: Plan arrival.
The latest highlight at the Berg & Tal Adventure Resort Bispingen are the new Model making worlds. An area of 12,000 m², 20 kilometers of track, 50 themed worlds - these are the key data for the largest layout of its kind ever. The track is a good half kilometer longer than in the famous Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg - if that's not a word. 500 different model trains on a scale of 1:22.5 make their rounds there, all of them digitally controlled, of course. Fifty creative minds came up with the 50 themed worlds of the brand-new layout, from Africa's steppes to the green forests of the Harz Mountains. Another highlight: VR goggles for the visitors - to give them the feeling of riding on board the trains, which can be up to 30 meters long.
How to get to Bispingen by train and bus: Plan arrival.
Tiny road fleas in the department of small and very small cars from all over the world (motto: small but mine), historic trucks, large and small buses as well as construction machinery and engines from almost 100 years of commercial vehicle history in the depot, these are just some of the highlights in the PS memory in Lower Saxony. The former granary in Einbeck, which has been renovated in a manner befitting a listed building, along with its annexes, is a dream destination for all friends of individual mobility. Not far from the A7 autobahn, more than 400 two-, three- and four-wheeled vehicles are on display here in an exhibition area of around 5,000 m² plus depots, covering all eras and development phases. A special exhibition is dedicated to Opel products, ranging from the Model 10/25 from 1912 to the stately Admiral Cabriolet. Worth seeing!
This is how you get to the PS store by train: Plan arrival.
Want to see Berlin's new airport in action before it even opens? Then let's go to the Miniature country of the East Frisian city of Leer. Here, 130 moving scenes can be seen on an area of more than 1500 m². Beautiful cities such as Emden, Aurich, Bad Zwischenahn and Oldenburg are reproduced. Since 2017, a large model layout from Berlin has also been moved to the upper floor of the Leer halls, where you can now marvel at the government district and other buildings, as well as the new airport. And anyone who wants to take a breath of fresh air after all the marveling can relax in the surrounding 15,000 m² park with its rose, hydrangea and cottage garden.
This is how you get to Leer by train: Plan arrival.
Drive there, pick up the car and go - this is how VW customers can take delivery of their new vehicle in style. In two 48-meter-high, fully glazed towers that are illuminated at night, the Autostadt in Wolfsburg up to 800 new cars in fully automated high racks waiting for new owners - the car towers can be seen for miles and are thus the landmark of the facility. But you can also spend exciting hours here without buying a car right away. Models of corporate brands such as Audi, Bugatti and Porsche can be admired in separate pavilions. In the fragrance tunnel, the scent of special plants is presented in combination with art and technology. And those who like can prove their driving skills on site - in safety training sessions or on the off-road course.
This is how you get to Wolfsburg by train: Plan arrival.
Technology from the First World War to the present - under this motto the Naval Museum on the south beach in Wilhelmshaven the development of German military seafaring since 1848. The flagship is a 134-meter-long guided missile destroyer - video installations show much of the ship's life on board and its missions during its 34 years in service, and the curious can learn more about the nearly 70,000-horsepower steam turbine propulsion system. A tour of the ship also provides a close-up look at the atmosphere in which the more than 300 crew members once worked. Other exhibits on the 3,000 m² open-air site include a minehunting boat, a U 10 submarine and the S71 Gepard speedboat, which was decommissioned in 2014.
How to get to Wilhelmshaven by train: Plan arrival.
If a cruise ship already looks very imposing from the outside, the impression is reinforced when looking at the inner values. On the Meyer shipyard in the emsland Papenburg you can marvel at the creation of a giant of the seas up close. The visit to the 3500 m² exhibition is an experience in itself, where cabins of modern cruise ships, a huge propeller and ship models are presented. Under competent guidance, the tour then continues to the panorama gallery in the world's largest covered shipbuilding hall, where a new cruise giant is currently under construction. If you're lucky, you might even be able to witness a new ship leaving the shipyard and heading out across the narrow Ems River toward the open North Sea - that's millimeter work with goose bumps guaranteed.
How to get to Papenburg by train: Plan arrival.
Cover photo: The Heide Park Resort in Soltau is Germany's second-largest amusement and theme park, with 850,000 m² of space © Heide Park