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Hanoi

Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội), the capital of Vietnam and its second largest city, is a fascinating blend of East and West, with Chinese influence from centuries of dominance, and French je ne sais quoi from its colonial past. It was largely unspoiled by the modern architecture of the 1970s and 80s, and is now undergoing a rapid transformation that makes it a rising star in Southeast Asia.

Understand
Invading forces from every direction agree: Hanoi makes a fine capital. It has held that title for more than a thousand years, through several invasions, occupations, restorations, and name changes. The Chinese conquered the imperial city of Đại La in 1408 and renamed it Tống Bình. Le Loi repelled the invaders in 1428 and applied the name of Lê Thái Tổ (黎太祖). For his efforts, he received the crown and a slew of legends about his heroic exploits, many centred around the Hoan Kiem Lake in the Old Quarter. The Nguyen Dynasty gave the city its modern name of Ha Noi in 1831, but they had transferred power to Hue by then. Hue remained the capital until 1887, when the French made Hanoi the capital of all Indochina. It changed hands again in 1954, when it was ceded to Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh after almost a decade of fighting, and it became the capital of North Vietnam. Upon reunification in 1975, it assumed that title for the entire country.

The first Western-style universities in Vietnam were founded in Hanoi, and today, it is the leading centre of scientific study and research in the country. Hanoi retains much of its older colonial charm, despite the battles that have raged over it. Conflict had the effect of making it largely oblivious to modern architecture, and as a result, few buildings in the city centre area are higher than five stories. The Old Quarter is second only to Hoi An for uninterrupted stretches of colonial and pre-colonial architecture, well-preserved on dense warrens of narrow, wonderfully atmospheric streets. It trades the commercial boom and sprawl of Ho Chi Minh City in the south for a more understated charm, worth enjoying for an extra day or two, and with countless transport options and travel agents, it makes a perfect base for exploration of the North. See also Indochina Wars.

As you walk along the street, you may find that people start talking to you. It is a cultural norm there to make conversation with strangers. They might ask you where you are from and other general questions. But if you are a man, be cautious if a comely young lady approaches you and initiates a conversation - she is likely after something. It may take a while to get used to such overt friendliness, but it is worth enjoying it for the cultural experience that travel permits.

There are self-help information booths around the Old Quarter, but their purpose mostly is give the impression that Vietnam "has arrived" technologically.

Climate
The Tet holiday (Lunar New Year) is in the spring. Flowers are most beautiful during this time of the year. The weather warms up, with occasional light rain during the week. Locals believe that these light rains bring prosperity and luck in the new year.

Summer, on the other hand, borders on intolerable. The heat alone would be alright, but it's coupled with oppressive humidity and frequent rainstorms. At this time, visitors should be wary of mosquitoes as they abound. Hanoi has a perfect climate for the proliferation of insects.

There is something unique about Hanoi’s autumn. The weather is perfect, with less humidity in the air. The temperature drops, allowing people a chance to flaunt their sweaters and jackets. There is a species of tree, "cay hoa sua", which only flowers in autumn. The flower has a very distinct odour. If you visit Hanoi during the fall, ask locals about this tree and where you might sniff its distinct aroma.

Winter can be uncomfortable because it is not only cold, but also humid. Winter in Hanoi feels even colder than it is because Vietnamese houses lack central heating. Many houses have no heating at all. However, the winter months of December and January are also the driest months of the year with comparatively less rainfall, with the rains gradually picking up from the middle of February onwards.

By plane

There are direct international flights to all the major South East Asian cities, also to Doha, London, Frankfurt, Istanbul, Paris and Moscow. Nothing direct to North America — Seoul or Tokyo will usually be the most convenient interchange. Domestic flights, by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air, serve Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho, Da Nang, Hue, Nha Trang, Vinh, and Phu Quoc island.

Getting there and away:

Public and express buses depart from the arrivals level at the International Terminal, second road, at pillar 2 (turn left after exiting the terminal). From the Domestic Terminal they leave from between the Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air terminals.

 * By public bus – Bus 07 (8,000 dong) runs 05:00–22:00 every 15 min and takes 60-90 min. It crosses the Thang Long Bridge and goes to the Daewoo Hotel in the west of Hanoi, from where it is 1 hr on foot to the Old Quarter of Hanoi. You might have to walk about 1 km west of the airport to catch bus 07 if it does not leave in front of the terminal.
 * By express bus — Bus 86 (45,000 dong) runs 06:20–22:00 every 25 min and takes 45 min. It takes the expressway non-stop to the Tay Ho area, continuing limited stop to the Long Bien bus station, near the Old Quarter, the Opera House, Melía Hotel and the railway station. Towards the airport, buses run 05:05-21:40 from a booth at the south end of the main railway station.

 * By shuttle bus – (It is not clear if these are still running as of June 2022.) Hourly between the airport and the Tickets at the airport are sold in the building in front of which the minibuses park, or you can give the fare directly to the  driver. The cost is more for foreigners than for Vietnamese (which includes ethnic Vietnamese from overseas) for insurance reasons. The prices are indicated on the sticker fixed to the bus's body. The driver may give you trouble if you have additional bags, but if you push, you will get the same rate.

 * By taxi – There are taxi stands just outside arrivals; turn right from the Domestic Terminal (T1), or left from International (T2). Avoid the touts in the arrival and just head straight for the taxi stand; the taxis they will try to get you in are most likely illegal, and you are likely to get ripped off. Official taxis are provided by various taxi companies, and all should run on the meter; Mai Linh and Taxi Group are generally the safest taxi companies to use. Have the address you want to go to ready and written down in Vietnamese — the chances of you speaking it in a way the driver will understand are slim. Maybe print out a map beforehand, since every street in Hanoi has clearly visible street signs at both ends, you should be able to discern which street you are in.
 * A ride into the Old Quarter should cost 300,000—350,000 dong (Mai Linh taxi, July 2015) and come up somewhere around 27-28 km in distance on the meter. The French Quarter or south side of Hoan Kiem lake might be a little more, but still under 400,000 dong. Many taxis, including Taxigroup and ABC accept credit cards — ask first and show them the credit card. You might also get offered a fixed price of US$20 by the driver, which works out as about a 25% premium.
 * Some drivers will ask something like 800,000 dong, especially if they see 3-4 foreigners — just ignore them. Make sure that the meter starts shortly after the taxi moves off, and if you want to be sure the meter's not running fast, then from the International Terminal it should have reached about 0.7 km by the time you reach the airport toll booths (taxis don't pay the toll), and around 2 km by the time you pass the Domestic Terminal (the distance will be displayed in km, often along with the speed). A ride into the city should take about 30-40 minutes on the new highway depending on traffic.
 * Downloading Grab app (local Uber) helps a lot. Fares around VND300,000 to the city center, depending on demand, or about half of that by motorcycle, if you feel adventurous and only have a backpack.

 * By pre-arranged transfer – If you already have a hotel booked, you might ask the hotel to dispatch a driver. The nicer hotels will do this and put the steep fare on your room bill.

Stay safe:

Taxi or shuttle bus drivers might try the 'typhoon in Ha Long Bay' scam whereby they take you to a street where you cannot see the hotel name and tell you that the Ha Long Bay guests are still in the hotel and they will take you to their other hotel for the same price. This place is a complete dive facing the highway.

You should also beware taxi drivers trying to offer you a ride to your hotel for an inflated price, claiming the Old Quarter is 5 km from the office — it is much cheaper to go to the Vietnam Airlines office and switch to a taxi (or walk, it's a maximum of 2 km to anywhere in the Old Quarter). The taxi will not cost more than the price difference and if it does, you should refuse to pay as the driver has somehow cheated you.

By train

Most trains use the main Hanoi train station for daily services from cities in the south including Hue and Nha Trang. The Reunification Express goes all the way to Ho Chi Minh City ("Saigon"), although there is very little 'express' about it. There are ten trains a day to HCMC taking 31-38 hours, but five of them are slow and are overtaken by faster trains — only use them for destinations north of Da Nang.

There are also train services to the northwest (including Lao Cai, from which you reach Sapa. To board trains bound for these destinations, you have to enter the railway station compound through the "backdoor" at Tran Quy Cap station.

Tickets for all destinations are sold online (see Vietnam article) or in the main station.

In high season, buy your tickets as early as possible, especially since sleeper tickets can be sold out several days in advance. If you can't get a ticket anymore, try a travel agent who still might have stock. You may also try your luck in the station just before boarding time — agents still holding tickets will be eager to sell as the departure draws near. Nevertheless, travel agencies in Hanoi are known for their bad business practices. Some of them will try to overcharge you up to 300%, so it is better go to the train station by yourself and find out about the prices before you agree on any deal.

Stay safe
As of 2023, it seems like the ladies in the ticket hall are running a scam against tourists who are willing to buy their train tickets directly at the train station and not online. First there are two suspiciously friendly and helpful English speaking ladies to the left after the entrance into the railway building. Actually, you are already flagged down by some other ladies outside the entrance, who will guide you to the English speaking ladies. These ladies will ask your destination and day of travel. First they will head to the official Vietnamese Railways website, checking for the connections. After that they will do the same procedure again but with the Baolau website — note that Baolau will always display some weird overly expensive prices of other "companies" at the bottom of their search result list. The friendly ladies might use these "extra" prices and your slow reaction to what is happening to convince you that these are the prices while indeed the prices of the Vietnamese Railway Company at the top of the result page are the actual and much cheaper prices. In case you do not take the bait, because you know the real price for your connection since you checked online beforehand, they are very quick in handing you to the actual ticket sellers to the right after the entrance, where you will have to state all the required details of your intended journey again.

So, to avoid being ripped off, book online or know the exact details of your journey, the price and availability, maybe even the exact seat or bed you would like to reserve. It is a very bad idea to turn up at the railway station asking for advice without knowing the exact details and price of your intended journey. If your first questions heading into the railway station are "When can we go?", "Which seats are available?", and "What does it cost?", you are likely to be scammed.

From China
As of 2024, there is no international train service between Vietnam and China. It was cancelled on the pretext of Covid-19 and there seem to be no plans for its reinstatement. The following information is for reference.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, trains from Nanning in China ran to Gia Lâm Station.

The train accommodation was basic, with no catering, and the only stops along the way are the two border stations. Twice a week, a direct sleeper carriage ran from Beijing, taking 24 hours via Guilin to Nanning Main Station.

By bus
For buses within Hanoi there is BusMap and BusMap Ha Noi; long distance buses there is VeXeRe.com and its app version. Long distance buses depart at My Dinh bus station (Bến Xe Mỹ Đình) and many other places depending on the bus company.

Public buses serving southern destinations (e.g., Ninh Binh, 2 hr, 70,000 dong) leave from Giap Bat bus station. To get from the Giap Bat bus station to the old quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, leave aside all the hassle of taxi and motorbike drivers and take public Bus 8 towards Đông Mỹ (7,000 dong, pay on the bus). To find it head towards the main road inside Giap Bat station, you will see signs with numbers indicating the stops of different bus lines.

Most of the "open-tour" bus itineraries either begin or end in Hanoi, with Hue the next (or previous) stop (12-14 hr), and from there to Hoi An, Nha Trang, Dalat, Mui Ne, Ho Chi Minh City, and other cities in Vietnam, depending on the bus company. Most seem to stop at their office which could be right next to the old district and most backpacker hotels. Check when booking ticket.

Many of the same companies also sell tickets to Vientiane and Savannakhet in Laos. Do some research before you buy a ticket as rattle-trap scam buses abound on this route.

See Ho Chi Minh City to Shanghai overland if you're interested in crossing over to China by bus or train.

From China
Apec Travel runs several daily buses to Nanning in China from its office at 55 Trần Khát Chân on the south side of Hanoi center. Journey time is around 8 hours including a change of bus and the usual formalities at the border.

On foot
This is the best way to traverse the maze of little streets in the old quarter and Hoan Kiem lakeside (which is traffic-free at weekends). From there it's a 1.5-km stroll to the Ho Chi Minh complex, 2 km to West Lake; follow usual local rules on traffic safety.

Of the two bridges across the Red River, the southern (Chuong Duong) is for vehicles only and has no sidewalk. The northern (Long Bien) is for trains, bikes & motorbikes and pedestrians. It's an impressive old structure, almost 2 km long, also serving a river island of small plantations.

By taxi
Taxis (i.e., cars) are small 4-seaters or larger 7-seaters. (Motorbike & cyclo taxis, described below, are notorious for scams.) Within the city, three companies are generally reliable: CP Taxi and Hanoi Taxi are two brands of Taxi Group, in white cars, and Mai Linh are in green cars. Taxi NoiBai specialise in airport transfers. Your hotel will call a reliable firm, and leave them in no doubt where they are supposed to be taking you.

If you prefer a flat fare, use the app GrabTaxi, which will display the agreed price and taxi details, you pay the driver cash. Otherwise, use the meter, flag-fall will be 20,000 dong for the first 2 km. Tips are not expected but naturally appreciated.

Good-spirited haggling, and a bit of language confusion, are all part of the experience. Common scams are more serious: these include crooked meters, roundabout routes, and outright robbery. And even the nicest driver somehow never has change for your big bill: always hoard small bills.

By motorbike taxi
Motorbike taxis can be found on virtually every corner, especially in the Old Quarter: don't look for them, they'll accost you, so show only faint interest at first. The driver has a second helmet for you. You must haggle and firmly fix a fare in advance: the app GrabTaxi will always be cheaper than haggling. Always write down the fare (with all the zeroes) and get an unequivocal "okay" from the driver. A 10-min ride (say from Hoan Kiem lake to Ho Chi Minh's tomb) should not exceed 20,000 dong; US dollars are often accepted.

Common scams here include (when you re-emerge from the tomb in reverent thought) claiming that you'd asked him to wait, that'll be two million dong please.

By cyclo
Negotiate first or avoid using the cyclos services. At the end of the journey, a few men will come over to translate, and they will pretend to help and later insist that you pay the demanded amount.

By motorbike
Motorcycles can be rented for around US$6–7 a day, and can be arranged by most hotels. This is good for making lots of trips around the city for individuals or duos, but be careful: Hanoi traffic is very difficult place to sharpen motorbike skills. Park on the pavement with other bikes, and be sure to lock the front wheel. Locals will help arrange the bikes near their stores. Many shops that have bike attendants will give you a ticket in exchange for parking your bike. This may or may not come with a fee. The ticket will either have your license plate number written on it, or the ticket itself will be numbered, with that number subsequently chalked somewhere on your bike. In such cases, where you've been given a ticket, the attendants may ask that you not lock the steering column or front wheel of your bike so that they can rearrange the bikes as customers come and go. Keep your ticket—it is not heard of that people try to charge tourists twice.

If you intend to go further out of the city, you may want to conceal this fact when renting the motorbike. Out-of-city rentals can be up to twice as expensive as the in-city charge, even if you rent longer since it takes you longer.

By e-vehicle tour
'Green' electric vehicles now operate 3 fixed routes around the Old Quarter taking tourists past the main market, a couple of 'heritage houses', St. Joseph's Cathedral and the opera house. The tours start and finish at the northern end of Hoàn Kiếm Lake and cost 200,000 dong for 35 minutes or 300,000 for an hour.

By bus
Scam-free, cheap but a bit difficult to comprehend at first, the buses in Hanoi are relatively fast, air-conditioned and surprisingly comfortable.

Find you way:

 * Download the BusMap Hà Nội mobile app (Google Play, Apple Store) for directions and live time estimates (not very accurate).
 * Pick up a physical map with printed bus lines at the Trang Tien street (the book street by the Opera house).

Find your bus stop (there are usually blue signs) and wait for the bus to arrive. Go and sit in the bus, the bus assistant will come to you. The fare varies between 7,000 dong and 9,000 dong (price is fixed and depends on the line) (as of June 2024). If necessary, they should have enough cash for change (but it might be better to avoid paying with larger bills). Locals with Vietnamese banks can also pay with their phones. If you are unfamiliar with the city, make sure to inform the mostly helpful conductor where you want to get off. Or, use your phone's GPS and Google Maps - it works well with most bus lines, just keep in mind that traffic jams make schedules unreliable.

Here is also some information about airport bus route 86; in Old Quarter, the bus stops at other stops along the route in addition to those marked. Find a bus stop on Hàng Tre, Hàng Vôi, or Đinh Tiên Hoàng (marked with standard bus signs), wait for a 86 bus, and flag it down to board.

By car
Hanoi's traffic is extremely chaotic, with seemingly perpetual traffic jams, and a large number of almost suicidal motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. Vietnamese drivers are among the most aggressive in the world, and lanes are effectively non-existent. As such, driving yourself around is not recommended, and you should leave your transportation needs in the hands of professionals.

By metro
Decades in the making, the Hanoi Metro began operations on 6 November 2021, with Line 2A connecting Cát Linh just west of the Old Quarter to Yên Nghĩa in the southwestern suburbs. The line is unlikely to prove useful to most visitors, but the future Line 3 from Hanoi Station across the city centre may prove more handy once it opens around 2027. That said, if your hotel is near the Metro line, it is useful for getting to Vincom Mega Mall Royal City, one of Hanoi's most impressive shopping malls, which is within walking distance of Thượng Đình station.

Museums

Temples

Four Sacred Temples
The Four Sacred Temples (Thăng Long Tứ Trấn) were built at the four cardinal points of the Imperial City of Thăng Long to guard it from evil spirits. Although most of the city wall is long gone, all four temples survive to this day.

Chinese assembly halls
While Hanoi no longer has a Chinatown today, as most of the ethnic Chinese community was expelled to China in the wake of the 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War, two Chinese assembly halls remain in the former Chinatown area as a reminder of that lost community. They had been converted into schools for local children and long been hidden behind unsightly walls and fences, but were painstaking restored to their former glory in the 2010s.

Wartime sites

Do

 * Flavors of Hanoi, 25 Hang Be, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, ☏ +84 967 25 8586, ✉ hello@flavorsofhanoi.com. 09:00-21:00. A local foodie experiences provider, they offer personal street food tours to help visitors explore Hanoi’s Old Quarter and French Quarter through their taste buds.

Money
Money exchange can be done at jewellery shops, which usually offer better rates than banks. The most popular ones are located along Ha Trung Rd (5-min walk from Hoan Kiem Lake) and Hang Bac. Just walk into the shop and ask them if they change money. Ask 5 or more shops to see which one gives the best rate. Hotels also often provide currency exchange service, but at terrible rates. Don't exchange money with people in the street, as the risk of getting counterfeit notes from them is high.

Books stores

 * Small Vietnamese bookstores (nhà sách) line Phố Đinh Lễ St, just south of the large post office east of Hoan Kiem Lake. Most of them stock a variety of bilingual dictionaries, but hardly any books in English. Among them, as of 2016, Nhà Sách Lam seemed to have the best selection of maps (both Hanoi City and Vietnam regional).
 * Most of the numerous souvenir shops inside the Temple of Literature (see under Museums; admission fee needs to be paid to get in) also carry a selection of books about Vietnam in English and other foreign languages (French, Spanish, Japanese), as well as culture- and history-oriented books in Vietnamese. Not a good place to shop for dictionaries or maps, though.
 * Most of the numerous souvenir shops inside the Temple of Literature (see under Museums; admission fee needs to be paid to get in) also carry a selection of books about Vietnam in English and other foreign languages (French, Spanish, Japanese), as well as culture- and history-oriented books in Vietnamese. Not a good place to shop for dictionaries or maps, though.

Supermarkets
Although most grocery shopping still happens in street markets (see above), supermarkets and convenience stores are becoming more common. As well as local mid-level and luxury brands, many supermarkets stock imported products such as California pistachios and almonds, European cheese, chocolates and wine, Korean kim chi, or Japanese seaweed snacks. Consumer staples, such as fresh produce or tofu may be considerably more expensive than in traditional markets.

 * Vinmart is a fast growing chain of convenience stores and by far the most common brand in Hanoi, offering a selection of fresh products (including the "clean" Vineco range with less pesticides) as well as the staples you'd expect at similar stores worldwide. L's Place has a few branches, including one just south of the Hoa Lo prison on Ly Thuong Kiet and focuses on the expat market.

 * Aeon Fivimart is a large supermarket with a central branch east of Hoan Kiem Lake (27A Ly Thai To, at Tran Nguyen Han). The similarly named but separately owned Aeon Citimart is in Hanoi Towers on the site of the former Hoa Lo prison. Meanwhile, the huge but further afield Lotte Mart, located in the basement of the Lotte Center (Hanoi's second-tallest building; at the corner of Đào Tấn and Liễu Giai, a few blocks south of West Lake - the word "Lotte" on the tower makes it easy to find), may be one of the best of the breed, with a good bakery and cafeteria section. Open 08:00-22:00.

 * If you've a particular desire to spend two or three times the usual price on a selection of boutique imported Western goods (French Comte cheese, Iberico ham, British ale), Annam Gourmet have a store in the Syrena Centre on Xuân Diệu St. in Tây Hồ.

Discriminatory pricing
Most shops quote much higher prices for tourists (including Vietnamese people from other regions) than for locals, and the belief that tourists are rich and hence should pay more than locals is firmly entrenched in the local culture. As such, most vendors will insist that as a tourist, you pay the tourist price and will refuse to let you bargain the price down to the local price even if you know what it is. If you have a trusted local friend, you can save a fair bit of money by getting your friend to buy the item you want in your absence.

Eat
Since the mid 1990s, Vietnamese cuisine has grown in quality and variation. Most famous remains "phở gà" (chicken noodle soup), "phở bò"(beef noodle soup), or "phở chay" (tofu noodle soup). There are various dishes including chicken, beef, fish and seafood, and there are hundreds, if not thousands, of restaurants nowadays in Hanoi catering to everyone's taste.

In Hanoi, there are hundreds of street restaurants in small kiosks on the sidewalk, with plastic tables and chairs on the pavement. Eating at these restaurants is a great way to experience the local food and culture. It is worth mentioning that food quality, freshness, and hygiene can vary greatly. On average, a bowl of noodle soup goes for 40-60,000 dong (June 2024) and market food stalls offer fruit portions, sausages, doughnuts and other foods. Check your change as a few vendors seem to forget to give it, and learn a little Vietnamese because vendors often will not speak any or much English (e.g. "bao nhiêu ?", meaning "how much?").

Exotic treats
Next to Beijing, Hanoi is probably the second in the running to the world's exotic food paradise.

A local delicacy in the Hanoi area is dog meat (thịt chó), which is especially popular in the winter. There are a number of dog restaurants in the Tay Ho district. Another exotic regional taste is ca cuong, an extract from the belostomatid or giant water bug. Just a few drops are added to noodles for the unique aroma.

Boiled duck foetus eggs (trứng vịt lộn) are sold by pedlars almost everywhere. The experience consists of the vendor cracking the egg in front of you, and peeling the shell and dropping the contents in a plastic bowl, then garnished with julienned ginger, Vietnamese coriander (rau răm) and sprinkled with chili sauce. You can see the severed head and beak of your chick that fell off if you are lucky enough to have your first bite from a different spot.

Drink
Bia hơi is abundant in the streets of the Old Quarter. At the crossing of Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen five separate venues fill up with travellers in the evenings, but you can get more local atmosphere on some of the side streets.

Hanoi is a lively city on the weekends, but the Old Quarter closes relatively early (at midnight) on weekdays, so you might want to start your night early. Other places outside the Old Quarter stay open later and vary in closing times. Local young people gather around the cathedral located in Ly Quoc Su to have lemon ice tea (tra chanh) and sunflower seeds in street bars. After dark it gets quite crowded.

Sit on a plastic chair in front of one of the bia hoi (fresh beer) establishments which are invariably on the corners of many of Hanoi's Old Quarter streets. This preservative-free light beer is the perfect drink to sip as you watch the city's frenetic bustle. The beer costs less than 5,000 dong and gives you an excuse to relax and take photos of the passing local characters: should not be missed. In the Old Quarter, you will find that almost every corner is filled with stalls selling pho (Vietnamese noodle) and cafe (the name is not limited only to coffee, but also tea, sweets and grocery items, and even to pho).

On Tô Tich, a small street connecting Hang Quat and Hang Gai, you can help yourself to a refreshing fruit milkshake (sinh tố) at one of the stalls.

Breweries
If you are looking for something less watery than Bia Hoi, excellent freshly brewed Czech or German-style beer is available at several breweries, including: Hoa Vien (Czech), Goldmalt (Czech), Legend beer (German), with several branches around the city; prices are around 45,000-60,000 dong for 0.5 L. The craft beer revolution that's been simmering in Ho Chi Minh City since 2014 has been slow to reach Hanoi, but a few breweries are now coming online, although prices are higher still and 100,000 dong might not even get you 0.5 L.

Coffee
Although the usual Vietnamese coffee is widely available in Hanoi, make sure you also try the local speciality Cà Phê Trứng (egg coffee) while you are here.

Budget
See common scams; they're more prevalent at the budget end of the market, but no more in Hanoi than in other cities.

Old Quarter North of Hoan Kiem Lake
The heart of the Old Quarter - potentially noisy and busy - but closest to the bars on Ma May and Ta Hien. Ta Hien is Hanoi's unofficial backpacker street, and there are numerous backpackers' hostels nearby to cater to that market.

Around the Cathedral
The narrow streets around St. Joseph's Cathedral offer a (relatively!) quieter and less hectic option than the main part of the Old Quarter, which is still only a five- to ten-minute walk.

Mid-range

 * Hanoi Legacy Hotel 108 Hang Bac St: good comfy place in the midst of old town. From 40 US$.
 * Hanoi Legacy Hotel 108 Hang Bac St: good comfy place in the midst of old town. From 40 US$.
 * Hanoi Legacy Hotel 108 Hang Bac St: good comfy place in the midst of old town. From 40 US$.
 * Hanoi Legacy Hotel 108 Hang Bac St: good comfy place in the midst of old town. From 40 US$.
 * Hanoi Legacy Hotel 108 Hang Bac St: good comfy place in the midst of old town. From 40 US$.
 * Hanoi Legacy Hotel 108 Hang Bac St: good comfy place in the midst of old town. From 40 US$.
 * Hanoi Legacy Hotel 108 Hang Bac St: good comfy place in the midst of old town. From 40 US$.

Stay safe

Walking the streets of Hanoi is not for the faint of heart. As is the case everywhere in Vietnam, traffic in Hanoi is dominated by an incredible number of motorbikes, all of which seem to be making a mad, desperate dash for something just out of reach, all of the time. The simple act of walking can be intimidating for visitors, especially in the narrow streets around the Old Quarter.

There is no such thing as one-directional traffic in Vietnam. When you leave the curb, look not only left and right, but to the front and back. Even up and down would not be amiss. Take each step deliberately but resolutely. Patiently allow the motorbikes to pass. Don't rush. Do not make any erratic movements. This way the drivers are aware of you, and can anticipate your vector (along with all of the other motorbikes). It may look chaotic, but be patient and pay attention when you're crossing any street, large or small, and you will be fine. As a rule of thumb, motorbikes will avoid you, but cars and trucks will run you over.

Be vigilant when taking a taxi. Drivers have been known to jump out at the destination and remove most of the bags from the trunk. While the passenger is busy putting on a rucksack the driver takes off with the remaining bags. Ask your hotel which taxi companies are reliable.

Be careful of hustler hawkers. In Vietnam, there is a two-tier pricing system, for locals and for foreigners. No other place in Vietnam is this practised more emphatically than in Hanoi (and in Ho Chi Minh City's Ben Thanh Market) where vendors charge differently according to how they gauge your net worth.

Pickpockets
You've read warnings about pick pockets a hundred times, but in all of Asia, it's rarely as true as for Hanoi's busy and narrow Old Quarter or the Dong Xuan Night Market. The crowd, the loads of tourists, the distraction of heavy traffic and the narrow confines guarantee opportunities for thieves. And the general belief that tourists have too much money creates a moral climate in which thieves abound. Even if you're attentive, you'll get some pockets of your backpack opened, maybe even twice a day. Expect female pickpockets. Don't let them surround you. Approaching you with "Hello, I'm a student" seems to be a quite popular pick-up line for them.

Stay healthy
Public hospitals are generally poorly equipped and overcrowded, and staff tend to speak little to no English. As such, foreigners are highly advised to rely on private hospitals instead.

Telephone

 * Hanoi code: 24. Note the "3" that has been added in front of all local numbers. Examples:

 * Old dialling style: 1234567 (from within the city) or 04 1234567 (inter-provincial) or +84 4 123456 (from overseas)
 * New dialling style: 3 1234567 (from within the city) or 024 3 1234567 (inter-provincial) or +84 24 3 123456 (from overseas)

Internet
Most regular restaurants and cafés have free Wi-Fi. It is culturally accepted to go to a coffee shop, order a drink and study/work there for a few hours.

There are also many places in the city where free public Wi-Fi is available.

Embassies

 * 🇦🇷 Argentina
 * 🇦🇲 Armenia
 * 🇦🇺 Australia
 * 🇨🇦 Canada
 * 🇨🇳 China
 * 🇨🇿 Czech Republic
 * 🇩🇰 Denmark
 * 🇪🇬 Egypt
 * 🇫🇮 Finland
 * 🇫🇷 France
 * 🇩🇪 Germany
 * 🇬🇷 Greece
 * 🇮🇳 India
 * 🇮🇩 Indonesia
 * 🇮🇹 Italy
 * 🇯🇵 Japan
 * Laos
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands
 * 🇳🇴 Norway
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan
 * 🇵🇱 Poland
 * 🇷🇴 Romania
 * 🇷🇺 Russia
 * 🇸🇬 Singapore
 * 🇪🇸 Spain
 * 🇸🇪 Sweden
 * 🇨🇭 Switzerland
 * 🇹🇼 Taiwan
 * 🇹🇭 Thailand
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine
 * 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
 * 🇺🇸 United States

Go next
If you are the adventurous type or simply bored temporarily of the city atmosphere, then consider a circuit through the northern countryside. A round trip will take you to a lot of charming villages and through hills and valleys with charming views. Main roads are generally in good condition and you can easily do a couple of hundred kilometers a day. The villages and provinces are generally safe at night, and you get to see a lot of Vietnamese culture such as various tribespeople. While bus services are available (albeit not always reliable), a recommended alternative is to rent a bike or car and make the trip on your own. Motorbikes in decent quality can be rented and many places have suggestions for routes.

 * Ha Long Bay's spectacular ocean karst topography is the most popular side-trip from Hanoi.
 * The Sapa mountain region, home to ethnic minorities, gorgeous mountain scenery, and trekking paths connecting many tiny mountain villages is the second most popular trip. It is accessible by bus or train to Lao Cai, then onward by minibus or hired motorbike.

 * Bat Trang, a village famous for its pottery, 9 km southeast of Hanoi. It is accessible by taking Bus 47, which originates at Long Bien. Just hop on (the bus will be clearly labelled with the number 47 and the text "Long Bien - Bat Trang". Take it to the last stop, which is directly opposite the pottery market (haggle for lower prices, and insist on paying in dong). Head back up the street to the factories to the products being made.
 * Cao Bang, featuring the beautiful Ban Gioc Waterfall, is five hours away by bus, near the Chinese border.
 * Cuc Phuong National Park, is the largest national park in Vietnam and an easy day-trip from Hanoi.
 * Co Loa is the oldest ancient capital in the region; a little-visited site slightly northeast of Hanoi.
 * Tam Coc/Hoa Lu in Ninh Binh Province, is a day trip is combining heritage tourism and natural landscape tourism. Hoa Lu is the site of the first capital of Vietnam in the 10th century, and was home to two kings, Dinh Bo Linh (Dinh Tien Hoang) and Le Hoan. There are now two shrines dedicated to these two kings. About 30 min away from Hoa Lu is Tam Coc [three grottoes], also known as Halong Bay on land. It features karst landforms surrounded by paddy fields, and is accessed by little wooden boats. Boats take about one hour. This is an excellent alternative to Halong Bay for those who have short attention spans, as the boat trip takes a mere hour versus Halong Bay tourist boats which take 5 hours. One minor annoyance involves peddlers on boats hawking their wares, and your boat rower trying to sell you embroidery.
 * Dong Hoi, the first major beach city before Hue going south, sleepy but with all the necessary infrastructure; laid back, authentic and genuinely friendly, with at least half a dozen hostels, and convenient for accessing Phong Nha Ke Bang national park.
 * Dong Hoi, the first major beach city before Hue going south, sleepy but with all the necessary infrastructure; laid back, authentic and genuinely friendly, with at least half a dozen hostels, and convenient for accessing Phong Nha Ke Bang national park.

 * Laos, long haul buses to Laos leave from Hanoi daily and can be booked at any travel agent or even online. Buses to Vientiane, 24 hours; Luang Prabang, 27-30 hours; Vang Vieng, 27-30 hours. You will be on the same bus as Luang Prabang, but changes buses at a small town in Lao. Going directly to Vang Vieng is a good choice for travellers looking to skip Vientiane, and just go to Luang Prabang and then onto Thailand. Buses to Southern Laos are available as well.

title: Hanoi


text:
Hanover

Hanover (German: Hannover, Low Saxon: Hannober) is the capital of Lower Saxony in Germany. Hanover built a huge exhibition complex for the World Expo in 2000 and has been host to several of the biggest exhibitions in the world. Consequently, it calls itself the "Expo City" or "Exhibition City" (Expo Stadt/Messestadt). Hanover also played host to the 2006 Association Football World Cup. The major language spoken is German. English is not common, except during major international events. Nevertheless most people understand English and will be able to help you find your way around.

Understand
Hanover was one of the hardest-hit cities during World War II, leaving it with only a few historical landmarks. Don't expect to see beautiful centuries-old buildings; even the Old City (Altstadt) area is "new", as all the old houses left standing after the war (around 40) were taken from throughout the city and collected in one place. This area is surrounded by some 1950s and 1960s buildings that give a somewhat heavy atmosphere to the streets. However, there are still several residential neighborhoods consisting of late-19th-century housing stock with often elaborate historicist (Victorian) and Jugendstil (Art Nouveau) decorations just outside the downtown area, such as Oststadt, List and Linden.

Hanover has large green areas, with forests and big parks. The landscape is mostly flat, with the river Leine going through the city. The lake Masch (Maschsee) is rather spectacular, considering its size as a man-made object.

The city had a special relationship to the late French artist Niki de Saint-Phalle. She had several of her works in public spots in Hanover (i.e., "the Nanas", "the Cave" in the Great Garden) and also in the Sprengel Museum. To honor her contribution to Hanover, she was granted an honorary citizenship from the city government. Moreover, the renovated "underground" shopping passageway from the central station to Kröpcke was named "The Niki de Saint-Phalle Promenade".

Hanover's public services are excellent, due to major reconstruction for the World Expo 2000. The shopping area under the train station was renovated in 2005-2006 in preparation for the World Cup.

History
Hanover was founded in medieval times on the bank of the river Leine and became a comparatively large town in the 13th century. Its original name Honovere may mean "high (river)bank". There was a time of personal union of the crowns of the United Kingdom and Hanover (1714–1837). Soldiers from Hanover emigrated to Great Britain, leading to the formation of the King's German Legion, which was the only German army to fight throughout the entire Napoleonic Wars against the French. They later played an important role in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. After World War II, Hanover became the capital of Lower Saxony, a state created from several disparate elements and the most sparsely populated of the old Federal Republic but also the second biggest by area of all 16 states of reunited Germany. Hanover profited from its new status as capital and is the northern endpoint of Germany's first (opened 1991) – and still longest – high speed rail line, linking Würzburg and Hanover along a North-South spine that was totally overwhelmed with traffic during the era of German partition and still carries significant amounts of traffic to this day.

Hanover has arguably become Germany's trade fair capital in a highly competitive market, hosting Germany's only world exhibition after the war in Expo 2000 (with some buildings from the event still extant) and also CeBit, considered the premier computer-related event in the world. The trade fair area of Hanover is the largest in the world by most measures.

Kröpcke
Kröpcke is a large pedestrian area in the heart of Hanover. It is Hanover's major shopping spot, home to the Opera house and has lots of places to eat. The main station in the Hanover Stadtbahn network is also located here. All Stadtbahn lines except the 10 and 17, call at the station and it is the main interchange point for the network. It has six platforms in total on three lines that cross each other in independent tunnels. There is a big green clock in Kröpcke - the - which makes an ideal meeting point.

By plane

On line S5, S-Bahn (stations are indicated by this sign) trains run twice-an-hour from the airport to central station (Hauptbahnhof) (and on to Hamelin or Paderborn). A 2-Zone ticket is needed from the airport to city centre. The fare is €3.40 (2016) for a single ticket (see chapter public transportation for other ticket options) and will take around 17 minutes. The last train departs around midnight. A taxi ride to the city centre costs about €20 and will take about 15 minutes.

The airport offers the option to check in the day before your departure (18:00-21:00) for some airlines (Condor, Croatia Airlines, Sky Airlines, and TUI).

By train
Due to its location, Hanover has good connections from all major cities in Germany through Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German rail service. There are also direct trains to the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Austria several times a day, including a few sleeper trains operated by (Nightjet).

Hanover is also reachable by regional trains, making it possible to use the cheap and popular “weekend tickets” (German: Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket) on weekends, the “travel throughout Germany tickets” for the rest of the week. Both are applicable for the whole republic and cost €40 or €44 (2016) for a single person. It gets even cheaper if you travel in a little group of up to five people. If you are already in lower saxony, you can use the “Lower-Saxony-Ticket” (German: Niedersachsen-Ticket) for €23 (2016).

The high speed Inter City Express trains (ICE trains) can take you all over Germany to places such as: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Cologne, and Berlin. The trip to Hanover from Berlin takes 1 hr 30 min, from Hamburg 1 hr 20 min, from Frankfurt 2 hr 20 min, and from Munich 4 hr 30 min. Prices vary depending on time of travel and the ticket type such as an economy, freedom or comfort ticket, but a freedom ticket from Berlin to Hanover will cost you from €75.

Flixtrain serves the city. DB tickets are not valid here.

By bus

Hanover is linked to the rest of Germany and parts of Europe by frequent bus services. Bus rides tend to be fairly quick avoiding unnecessary hold ups but they are not the most comfortable way to travel especially for long distances. The Central Bus Station (Zentraler Omnibus Bahnhof or "ZOB") is behind (to the north-west of) the Central Station (Hauptbahnhof). The biggest company by far is Flixbus with Berlinbus a clear second and all others accounting for pocket change by comparison.

International buses still serve Hannover, for example:

 * Buses to Bosnia are run by Globtour
 * Buses to Croatia are run by Čazmatrans
 * Buses to Czech Republic: Student Agency

By car
Hanover is served by the excellent German road system, being on both the Hamburg to Kassel (Autobahn A7) running north and south and the Berlin to Düsseldorf (A2) running east and west. The city is easily reached after leaving these two motorways. In Germany they drive on the right, and while the autobahns have no speed limits unless individual speed limits are clearly indicated, they do have a recommended speed limit of 130 km/h. Note that at minimum drivers may be held partially responsible when travelling in excess of that recommended speed limit at the time of any accident. While the limits on the B-roads are quite high (usually 100 km/h, even more on motorway-style B-roads), they can drop to as low as 50 km/h in built up areas. From Hamburg the drive is around an hour and a half. From Berlin and Düsseldorf, the drive is around 3 hours, but heavy (truck-)traffic on the A2 can play havoc to plans.

By public transportation
Hanover has a fantastic network of public transportation, so it's best to park your car and ride. If you plan to make more than two trips by tram, bus, or subway, a day ticket is your best bet, buying you unlimited travel on the public transport system. Day tickets are valid until the last connection of the day (which normally ends sometime after midnight). The public transportation adopts an honor system for tickets, but they do have ticket inspections once in a while (also late at nights and early mornings). The fine is quite high, so make sure you have a ticket all the time. Be aware that some tickets will need to be validated (stamped on the 'blue box'), and some not, depending on the machine.
 * Hannover Card 2013. Hannover Card is issued by the Tourism Office. It includes free use of public transportation and discounts for some local attractions (e.g. museums, opera, the Great Garden), tours, and restaurants. Price: Single ticket: 1 day €9.50, 2 days €14.50, 3 days €17.50; Group ticket (2-5 persons): 1 day €19.50, 3 days €33.50.
 * Ticket and Cards Regions. It may be confusing to understand the zones of Hanover public transportation. The key is to know that there are "tickets" and "cards". The term "tickets" applies to the ones bought at the machine or elsewhere, while "cards" are the ones with (monthly) subscription. Inside the city area, you only need a 1-zone ticket as it already covers a good part of the city. However, for the airport you will need a 2-zone ticket, as it is located outside Zone 1. Tickets are valid on bus, tram, fast tram (S-Bahn), and regional train.
 * Ticket Price (2016)
 * Day ticket: €5.00 (1 zone), €6.60, (2 zones), €8.20 (3 zones)
 * Group day ticket (up to 5 persons): €9.80 (1 zone), €12.60 (2 zones), €15.50 (3 zones)
 * Single-trip ticket: €2.60 (1 zone), €3.40 (2 zones), €4.30 (3 zones)
 * Short-trip ticket (up to 3 stops for tram and 5 stops for bus): €1.50
 * Reduced ticket (children 6-14y, big dogs): €1.30 (all zone)
 * Special price for a carnet of 6 single-trip tickets (SammelTicket): €14.30 (1 zone) and €17.90 (2 zones) resp. 4 single-trip tickets €15.30 (3 zones)

If you are a returning visitor and have any carnets or day tickets left, bring them along! Tickets purchased in euros have unlimited validity.

By bicycle or on foot
Bike paths are provided in almost every street that runs through the city. There is no law on using a helmet, but make sure that the bike has both front and rear lights if you don't want to get stopped by the police (fine: €10). In pedestrian areas in general bicycle riding is not allowed unless otherwise stated.

Pedestrian paths are also provided along every street and there is also a pedestrian area (indicated by this sign) in front of Central Station to Kröpcke (allowed for bikes between 19:00 and 11:00).

It is possible to take your bike on the tram or bus for free on M-F 08:30-15:00 and after 21:00. There are no time restrictions on weekends.

By taxi
Unless you have limited time, lots of heavy baggage, or are travelling after public transport stops at night, you might want to think twice about using taxi, as it is very expensive. However, it could be cheaper if travelling in a big group: You can order a 7- or 9-seat taxi by phone and get more people in at the same price.

See

Museums
Many museums (including the Landesmuseum, the Historical Museum, and the Kestner Museum) can be visited for free on Friday.

Fireworks
Hanover's people enjoy a lot of fireworks during the year. In addition to the world competition held every summer, there are fireworks every night of the Kleines Fest, every weekend during the Spring Festival (Frühlingsfest) and Oktoberfest, and on the weekend of the Lake Masch Festival. For the first two, the best spot to see is inside or outside the Great Garden, while the latter ones can be seen from any point around Lake Masch. Fireworks usually start at 22:00.

Hanover is also place of the annual fireworks world contest (or at least one of the many world contests happening during the year around the world) in the Herrenhäuser Gärten. Six nations participate on six Saturdays, three of them around May - Jun, three in Aug - Sep.

Do

 * N.D.R. Symphoniker, Rudolf Benigsen Ufer 22, +49 511-9880. The venue for poetry readings, jazz and rock&roll concerts, as well as chamber orchestras. €15-35.
 * Theater am Aegi, Aegidientorplatz 2, +49 511-989330.
 * Theater am Aegi, Aegidientorplatz 2, +49 511-989330.

In Spring

 * Masala World-beat Festival. Musicians from around the world play in several spots throughout the city. An annual event in spring/summer.
 * Masala World-beat Festival. Musicians from around the world play in several spots throughout the city. An annual event in spring/summer.
 * Masala World-beat Festival. Musicians from around the world play in several spots throughout the city. An annual event in spring/summer.

In Summer

 * Still in Herrenhäuser Gärten, there is an International Firework Competition every year (between May and September). Tickets are sold to see the firework from inside the garden. However, the fireworks can also be enjoyed from the outside of the garden. Be prepared to have a stiff neck by the end of the show as each session lasts 20–30 minutes and during this time you will have your head continuously tilted upwards.
 * Schützenfest, Schützenplatz. The largest of its kind of festivals.
 * Lake Maschsee Festival, around the lake. Annual event in the summer with food & beverage outlets, and open air cinema.
 * Walk or jog around the Maschsee, especially in the summer. In a (rare) very cold winter, the surface of the lake will be frozen and thick enough for ice skating. If you are lucky enough to encounter this rare opportunity, be sure to join in the fun along with all the other people making the most of it.
 * Rubber Duck Race (Entenrennen). (Tram 10, 17 stop: Clevertor); Tram 3, 7, 9 stop: Markthalle). Date for 2007 was July 7. A fun one day event, especially for the children. Hundreds of rubber duckies "racing" through the river Leine. Numbered rubber duckies can be bought for €3 (incl. €2 start fee) in üstra Service Center City in Kröpcke a few weeks before the event or directly on the spot before the "qualification race". Race starts at the Lower Saxon State Parliament (Landtag Niedersachsen, Leineschloss, Hinrich-Wilhelm-Kopf-Platz 1) and finishes at the bridge Marstallbrücke.
 * Rubber Duck Race (Entenrennen). (Tram 10, 17 stop: Clevertor); Tram 3, 7, 9 stop: Markthalle). Date for 2007 was July 7. A fun one day event, especially for the children. Hundreds of rubber duckies "racing" through the river Leine. Numbered rubber duckies can be bought for €3 (incl. €2 start fee) in üstra Service Center City in Kröpcke a few weeks before the event or directly on the spot before the "qualification race". Race starts at the Lower Saxon State Parliament (Landtag Niedersachsen, Leineschloss, Hinrich-Wilhelm-Kopf-Platz 1) and finishes at the bridge Marstallbrücke.

In Autumn

 * Oktoberfest, Schützenplatz. second biggest oktoberfest in the world.

In Winter

 * Christmas Markets (Weihnachtsmarkt) can be found in front of Central Station, in Kröpcke, in Old City (Altstadt), and in List (street name "Lister Meile"), and it last from end of November until a couple of days before Christmas. The best stalls to visit are the Finnish stands in the Old City. They serve very good smoked salmon, herring, and reindeer meat. The hot wine (Glühwein) is probably the best in the whole Christmas Market. Another alternative is the charming Winter Zoo at Hanover Zoo. From the end of November until the middle of January you can enjoy ice shows, ice skating, slides as well as hearty food and drink to keep you warm.

Work
As Hanover regularly hosts a number of big exhibitions (eg. CeBIT, Biotechnica), temporary jobs are always available. However, these are very popular side jobs for students and recruitment may be restricted to local residents.

Souvenirs

 * Souvenirs of the city Hanover can be easily bought at the Tourism Office.
 * Official merchandise for World Cup 2006 or Hanover 96 soccer team is sold in Karstadt Sport in Kröpcke.

Shopping

 * Left next to the Central Station there is a huge mall called Ernst August Gallerie.
 * There is a supermarket (Lidl) in the Central Station. It is the only one open on Sundays. A larger supermarket open M-Sa 24 hours (Kaufland) is left next to the Central Station - behind the Central Bus Station (at the other side of the Station if you are walking from the city centre).
 * Big department stores such as Galeria Kaufhof and Karstadt can be found in Kröpcke.
 * Check Hugendubel in Kröpcke for popular English books. Another large bookstore is Lehmanns in Georg Straße near Steintor.
 * For sports equipments go to SportScheck or Karstadt Sport.
 * Rossmann and Douglas provide most body care products. Rossmann also offers a good and cheap photo printing service. There is a Rossmann shop right in the Central Station.
 * Horstman & Sander in Kröpcke (Georgstr., direction to Steintor) is a great shop for leather goods and good quality bags ranging from coin purses to backpacks to extra large suitcases.
 * For elegant boutiques, Galerie Luise (Luisenstr.) is the best option.

Flea market
A flea market located along the Leine river takes place every Saturday, 07:00-16:00. However, it's dominated by electronic goods and overpriced "antiques". Watch out for pickpockets.

Eat
In most cafés and small restaurants, paying individually is accepted, as Germans like this system. Tips are not compulsory but most people do. In smaller cafés, if paying separately, rounding up to the next full euro is common; in bigger restaurants, 10% is best.

Budget
At a nearby butcher shop you can get German sausages.

Drink

 * Try the local beer, Herrenhäuser Premium Pilsener
 * Lüttje Lage is a typical alcoholic drink made of beer and korn (Schnapps) drank simultaneously from two separate glasses.

Cocktail bars

 * Bolero Bar, Nikolai Str. 3 (in front of Cinemaxx) – Bolero Bar offers a great variety of cocktails at a reasonable price. The place seems to be always full, including weeknights, so reservations are recommended. The place is rather large and not as smoky as other cocktail bars. Happy hour daily 17:00-19:00: half-price for most cocktails; caipi hour daily 23:00-01:00: all caipi variations €4.50, jumbo caipi €6.90; jumbo hour daily after 19:00: cheaper jumbo cocktails.
 * Loft Georgstraße. 50b (you will have to go through an alley to find it) +49 511-3631376 – Serves original and different Afghani dishes. Opens at 12:00, and has a Happy Hour on Monday and Sunday.
 * Escenario, Nikolaistr. 12. (Close to Cinemaxx Nikolaistr.) Happy hour 16:30-20:00 (Cocktails €3.95). Tuesday is Ladies Night (Prosecco for €1-1.50).
 * Loft Georgstraße. 50b (you will have to go through an alley to find it) +49 511-3631376 – Serves original and different Afghani dishes. Opens at 12:00, and has a Happy Hour on Monday and Sunday.
 * Escenario, Nikolaistr. 12. (Close to Cinemaxx Nikolaistr.) Happy hour 16:30-20:00 (Cocktails €3.95). Tuesday is Ladies Night (Prosecco for €1-1.50).
 * Escenario, Nikolaistr. 12. (Close to Cinemaxx Nikolaistr.) Happy hour 16:30-20:00 (Cocktails €3.95). Tuesday is Ladies Night (Prosecco for €1-1.50).

Hot drinks

 * Tchibo is the best place for a quick sip of coffee. Can be found everywhere. There is usually no chance of getting a seat, but there are tables where you can at least rest your drink. Some shops also offer cakes.
 * Balzac Coffee has a great variety of coffee, including cold ones resembling Starbucks' Frappucino. There are several in Hanover, including in front of central station (next to Saturn electronic shop), Steintor, and in old townhall (Altes Rathaus).
 * World Coffee, inside Central Station. Also has a good coffee variety.

Nightlife

 * Heartbreak Hotel, Reuterstr, 5 – One of the newer and fresher nightclubs on the scene. Stays open until daybreak if you have the stamina.
 * Heartbreak Hotel, Reuterstr, 5 – One of the newer and fresher nightclubs on the scene. Stays open until daybreak if you have the stamina.

Sleep
As Hanover frequently hosts big exhibitions, booking your room well in advance is highly recommended as hotels can easily get full and/or raise their rates during these times.

Budget

 * Krügers Guesthouse, Bantorfer Brink 61, Barsinghausen. Set in the surroundings of the hiking paradise in the Deister Natural Park. This guest house makes a good base for those coming to view the Hannover exhibition centre. They have single, double and triple rooms as well as suits. Rooms are en-suite and breakfast is included.
 * Haus Sparkuhl Hotel Garni Hischestraße 4. All rooms are equipped with shower/lavatory, hairdryer, telephone, modem connection, radio and cable television. Close to the centre of Hanover and good transport links to the airport, the main train station and the exhibition centre. Beds from €24.
 * Haus Sparkuhl Hotel Garni Hischestraße 4. All rooms are equipped with shower/lavatory, hairdryer, telephone, modem connection, radio and cable television. Close to the centre of Hanover and good transport links to the airport, the main train station and the exhibition centre. Beds from €24.

Wi-Fi connections
For those of you with portable computers, WLAN connection is available inside the Central Station. There are also several cafes providing WLAN connection free of charge: When you supply a German mobile number, each McDonald's restaurant in Hanover provides one hour of free Wifi. The phone number is not used for advertising.
 * Art Oase, Egerstorffstr. 12
 * Depot Cafe & Bar, Kramerstr. 10
 * Viva Gastronomie, Vahrenwalderstr. 92
 * Cafe Extrablatt, Friesenstr. 14

Internet access
Café Mezzo provides a public computer with internet access. Internet cafés are easy to find in Steintor area, especially along the Goethe Straße, Lange Laube and Am Marstall. The price varies, but normally is from €1 to €2 per hour.

Mobile phone
It is possible to buy prepaid SIM cards from several operators. However, it is compulsory to register your identity, so make sure to bring your passport with you. And since it is registered, take necessary care of the SIM card when you stop using it.

Stay safe
Hanover is normally very safe. Before and after a soccer match there might be quite a few drunken people around, especially in the central station, but there always are police patrolling.

In Kröpcke you may get asked for money by the homeless. Pickpockets may act in crowded areas such as inside the trams during a big exhibition.

Important telephone numbers

 * Police: 110
 * Emergency (fire, acute illness): 112
 * Pharmacy for emergency: 01189

Laundromat

 * One laundromat can be found in Oesterleystr. on Sudstadt.
 * There is an unattended laundromat on Engelbosteler Damm 75, near the "Kopernikusstraße" tram stop. One machine is about €3.50 including detergent. Open till 23:00.
 * Another laundromat is at Deisterstraße (best walk from the "Schwarzer Baer" tram stop). Same proprietor as the place on Engelbosteler Damm, so same prices&conditions.

Using English
English translation was introduced to some official tourist portals such as the train ticket machines.

Go next

 * Steinhuder Meer - a lakeside nature park located outside Hanover city, but still within Hanover Region. 30 km west of Hanover. Take a regional train (RE) or S1 (direction Minden (Westf)) to Wunstorf and continue by bus (40–50 minutes in total).
 * Hildesheim, one of the oldest cities in the region, with Romanesque church and cathedral, 35 km south (25–30 minutes by train)
 * Celle, old town on the edge of Luneburg Heath, almost undamaged by war, 45 km northeast (17–25 minutes by train)
 * Hamelin, picturesque old town with Renaissance stone and half-timbered houses, setting of the Pied Piper legend, 45 km southwest (45 minutes by suburban train)
 * Alfeld - Fagus Factory designed by Walter Gropius at the beginning of 20th century. It is one of the most important examples of early modernist architecture, in 2011 inscribed on UNESCO World Heritage List. 50 km south (thirty minutes by train).
 * Brunswick, 65 km east (30–35 minutes by intercity train)
 * Bodenwerder - home of Baron Munchhausen. A village not far from Hanover. Baron Munchhausen was a Hanoverian storyteller who told extraordinary and often far fetched tales about his life as a soldier, hunter, and sportsman. Some of these tales were the basis for the collection The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, 65 km south (about 20 km south-east of Hamelin)
 * Göttingen, 115 km south (35–40 minutes by intercity or ICE train)
 * Bremen, 125 km northwest (one hour by intercity or ICE train)
 * Hamburg 150 km north (1hr 15min by ICE train)

There is a special ticket called the "Niedersachsen Ticket" (one to five people, €22/€26/€30/€34/€38) which offers unlimited travel by regional trains within Lower Saxony, Bremen and Hamburg in one day. This ticket is not valid for intercity and high-speed trains (D, EC, IC, ICE) so make sure you board the right trains (RE, RB, S-Bahn, Metronom) when using this ticket. This ticket is also valid on the public transport network in some of the cities (Hanover, Hamburg, Bremen, Brunswick).

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Hanover


text:
Hanover (disambiguation)

There's more than one place called Hanover:

Canada

 * Hanover (Manitoba)
 * Hanover (Ontario)

Germany

 * Hanover - the capital of Lower Saxony

Jamaica

 * Hanover Parish (Jamaica)

South Africa

 * Hanover (South Africa)

United Kingdom

 * Hanover - an area within the city of Brighton (England), in East Sussex

United States of America

 * Hanover (Illinois)
 * Hanover (Indiana)
 * Hanover (Maine)
 * Hanover (Maryland)
 * Hanover (Massachusetts)
 * Hanover (Michigan)
 * Hanover (Minnesota)
 * Hanover (New Hampshire)
 * Hanover (New York)
 * Hanover (Ohio)
 * Hanover (Pennsylvania)
 * Hanover (Virginia)

title: Hanover (disambiguation)


text:
Hanover (Maryland)

Hanover  is a city in Maryland.

title: Hanover (Maryland)


text:
Hanover (New Hampshire)

Hanover is a college town in west central New Hampshire across the Connecticut River from Norwich, Vermont. It is home to Dartmouth College, founded in 1769, whose historic campus dominates the center of the town. Hanover is also a stop on the Appalachian Trail, with through-hikers are a common sight during the summer and fall.

By car
Interstate 93 north to Interstate 89 north at Concord, NH. Exit I-89 at Exit 18 in Lebanon, NH, bear right onto Route 120 north and follow to Hanover. Take I-89 south to I-91 north in White River Junction, VT. Continue as below. Take Interstate 91 north to exit 13 at Norwich, Vermont. Bear right off the exit, across the Ledyard Bridge spanning the Connecticut River. Continue up the hill on West Wheelock St. in Hanover.
 * From Boston (about 2.5 hours)
 * From Burlington, Vermont (about 1.5 hours)
 * From New York (about 5 hours), southern New England and points south

By plane
Cape Air flies to Lebanon Regional Airport from Boston.

Other alternatives are Manchester and Burlington, both about 1.5 hours away by car; or Logan International in Boston or Bradley International in Windsor Locks, both about 2.5 hours away.

By train
Amtrak "Vermonter" service from Washington and New York arrives daily in nearby White River Junction, Vermont.

By bus

 * Vermont Transit, In-state: +1-800-642-3133, Out-of-state: +1-800-451-3292.
 * Greyhound serves White River Junction, Vermont
 * Greyhound serves White River Junction, Vermont

Get around
The downtown/campus area is easily covered on foot.
 * Advance Transit, +1 802 295-1824. Bus line has a campus route and also serves most neighboring towns to which one is likely to go. All routes are free. Runs Monday through Saturday.

Do
The Appalachian Trail runs right through town, from the bridge to Norwich in the west to Velvet Rocks in the east.

Sleep
Accommodations are extremely difficult to find in the area on special Dartmouth weekends such as Graduation, home football games and Winter Carnival.

Go next
Hanover is in the middle of many charming small towns. For a scenic drive take Route 10 north along the Connecticut River and then Routes 116 and 112 to the Lincoln in the White Mountain National Forest.

title: Hanover (New Hampshire)


text:
Hanover (Ontario)

Hanover is a town of about 7,700 people (2016) in Southwestern Ontario, many of them descendents of German settlers. The one-time "Furniture Capital of Canada" continues to be a manufacturing centre.

Understand
Hanover is southern Grey County, west of Durham and east of Walkerton on Grey/Bruce Road 4. Hanover marks the border between Grey County and Bruce County.

History
In 1849, pioneer Abraham Buck and his family established a farm and tavern on the Saugeen River in the region of modern-day Hanover. Many settlers, most German, arrived to the area; a townsite was laid out by 1855. It was earlier called Buck's Crossing and then Adamstown, but was renamed Hanover. Records from 1867 indicate a gristmill, sawmill and carding mill, a foundry and a cabinet factory. Knechtel Furniture Company and other furniture companies opened in the 1800s, including Sklar-Peppler.

The railway arrived in about 1880 a benefit to factories who now had a way to ship their goods across Canada. By the 1920s, Hanover was known as the Furniture Capital of the country. The town survived the Depression and flourished after the Second World War manufacturing furniture, textiles, flour, processed food and kitchen cabinets. Manufacturing declined seriously between 1970 and 2000.

By car
Highway 4 runs through town. It enters Hanover's east end from Durham, and enters Hanover's west end from Walkerton.

By plane

 * Toronto Pearson International Airport is 163 km (about 2 hr) away.
 * Toronto Pearson International Airport is 163 km (about 2 hr) away.

Get around

 * Hanover Shuttle and Taxi, open 24 hours, +1 519-364-1113
 * D C Cab Company, +1 519-364-4646
 * Hanover Taxi, +1 519-364-4342

See

 * Learn more about the town's history through self-guided walking tours, community trails and displays at the P&H Centre Archive and the library.

Buy

 * Eat Well Farmers’ Market on Saturday mornings in Heritage Square: buy fresh, quality local food directly from the farmer that grew it.

title: Hanover (Ontario)


text:
Hanover (Pennsylvania)

Hanover is a borough in Pennsylvania with a population of about 16,000 in 2018. It was the site of the final encounter between the Union and Confederate States armies before they fought against each other in the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. It has become known as the "Snack Food Capital of the World" because of establishment of several food manufacturing businesses there during the 20th century.

Understand
Hanover has been home to Utz Quality Foods since 1921 which still produces its products there, and to Snyder's of Hanover since 1905. There is an Utz outlet store. In nearby areas there are other snack food makers including Hanover Foods, Wolfgang Candy, Martin's Potato Chips, Hershey Foods, Herr's Snacks and Gibbles Potato Chips.

History
In 1727, John Digges, an Irish nobleman of Prince George's County, Maryland, obtained a grant of 10,000 acres (40 km2) of land where Hanover is now located from Charles Calvert, the fourth Lord Baltimore. The area was called Digges Choice, and in 1730, a group of Catholics started the settlement that became known as the Conewego Settlement. Settlers from Maryland and Pennsylvania began moving into the area in the 1730s.

In 1745, a Scot-Irishman named Richard McAllister purchased the tract of land upon which the town of Hanover was built. Hanover at that time was covered with a dense forest of hickory, walnut, and oak trees. McAllister erected a log house at what is now the corner of Baltimore and Middle streets, and opened a store and tavern. In 1763, McAllister divided his farm into lots and founded the town of Hanover. The name Hanover was suggested by Michael Tanner, who was one of the commissioners who laid out York County in 1749 and owned large tracts of land southeast of the town. Tanner was a native of Hannover, Germany.

Thomas Jefferson spent the night of April 12, 1776 at the Sign of the Horse, an inn, owned by Caspar Reinecker on Frederick Street. He was on his way from Monticello to Philadelphia to attend the first meeting of the Continental Congress, where on June 10 he would begin the draft the Declaration of Independence. At the time, Hanover was located at the crossing of two well-traveled roads, one from the port of Baltimore to points north and west and the other between Philadelphia and the Valley of Virginia. When Jefferson returned from Philadelphia to Monticello, he again dined and spent the night of September 5 at Reinecker's inn.

The town experienced only minor growth until 1852, when construction of the Hanover Branch Railroad to Hanover Junction was completed. In 1858 the Gettysburg Railroad opened a railroad link westward to Gettysburg. The Hanover and York Railroad completed a rail line to York in 1876.

During the American Civil War, the Battle of Hanover was fought on June 30, 1863. Union cavalry encountered Confederate cavalry and a sharp fight ensued in the town and in farm fields to the south, particularly along Frederick Street. The final encounter between Union and Confederate forces prior to the Battle of Gettysburg, this inconclusive engagement delayed the Confederate cavalry on their way to the Battle of Gettysburg. Three days before the battle, another detachment of Virginia cavalry had briefly occupied Hanover, taking supplies and horses from local citizens.

By car
The Hanover area is served by Pennsylvania Routes 94, 194, 116, and 216. Route 94 (Carlisle Street/Pike and Baltimore Street/Pike) intersects with Route 194 at the square and extends north to Carlisle and south to Baltimore.

Route 194 (Broadway/Abbottstown Pike and Frederick Street/Hanover Pike) intersects with Route 94 and Route 116 at the square and extends north to Dillsburg, PA and south to Frederick.

Route 116 (York Street/Road and High Street/Hanover Road) overlaps Route 194 and runs through the square for three blocks. It extends west to Gettysburg and east to Spring Grove.

Route 216 (Blooming Grove Road) branches southwest off of Route 116 and runs through Codorus State Park.

By bus
Hanover is served by 4 routes of the Rabbit Transit bus system. Route #16 connects Downtown Hanover to Downtown York. An unnumbered route transports employees from York to Hanover. Route #21 connects Downtown Hanover with North Hanover and the Homewood Retirement Village. Route #22 connects Downtown Hanover with North Hanover and South Hanover.

Get around

 * A car is extremely useful to get around.
 * Taxi service is provided by American Taxi, a company based in York,.
 * Local bus service is provided by Rabbit Transit, with two local lines (Routes 21 and 22) and one line (Route 16) that connects to York. The local lines run from 6AM-6PM Monday through Saturday. The line to/from York runs from 7:45AM-6:30PM Monday through Friday.
 * Be careful of the only car rental in town, Enterprise on Carlisle Street. They have dubious practices. For example, they give you a car with empty gas, and upon return they charge you full gas. Also, their cars are pre-scratched under the front headlights, so if you decline insurance, they are ready to charge you for alleged "damage" to their cars.

See

 * Hanover is best known as the snackfood capital of the USA. There are great factory tours available at Utz Quality Foods, and Snyders of Hanover .
 * The Hanover Square is an interesting area of town and offers some insight to years past.
 * The Basilica of The Sacred Heart is an old stone basilica on the edge of town, built in 1787.
 * The Hanover Fire Museum  is a collection of fire memorabilia and apparatus. 44 Frederick Street, open 10AM-8PM daily.

 * Neas House - Local history museum of the Hanover Area Historical Society
 * Hanover Shoe Company – A large shoe factory from 1910, now converted into apartments.
 * R H Sheppard Museum - Diesel engine museum with wide array of exhibits. Audio tour available in English and Spanish.
 * Eichelberger Performing Arts Center - A school built in 1896, now in the former auditorium. It hosts many shows and events throughout the year.

The Hanover Historic District, Eichelberger High School, George Nace (Neas) House, and US Post Office-Hanover are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Do

 * Codorus State Park has a large artificial lake, pontoon boat rentals, motor boat rentals, canoe rentals, row boat rentals, paddle boats, disc golf courses, and one of the largest pools in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 * Go to the gym at Club 2000 on Baltimore Street ($5 entrance).
 * There is a lake 3 miles outside town.
 * The local library/ is open M-Th 10AM-9PM and F-Sa 10AM-5PM.

Buy
A major retail area is along Eisenhower Drive, known as "The Golden Mile," stretching east to the intersection at Eisenhower Drive and Broadway (Route 194) and west to the intersection at Eisenhower Drive and Carlisle Street (Route 94). Some of the retail businesses include Wal-Mart Supercenter, the Home Depot, Kohls, Staples, the Bon Ton, and Lowe's. There is also an outlet type store called Value City, it's across the street from Pizza Hut on Carlisle Street. This store isn't fancy, but they have a big selection and you can find great values on some name brand clothes.

Don't forget the Farmer's Market  held on Saturday mornings 6AM-noon at 210 East Chestnut Street off of Railroad Street in Downtown Hanover. Fresh produce, home-baked pies, crafts, great deli/meat counters and more.

Eat
On Eisenhower Road you can find Texas Roadhouse, Ruby Tuesdays, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Red Lobster, Damon's Grill House, Wasabi Japanese Bar and Grill, and Bay City Restaurant, as well as the usual chain fast-food places found everywhere in America.

A lot of the locals like to frequent the Famous Hot Weiner. They have two locations. One on Dart Drive and one in downtown Hanover off on York Street. Secret chili recipe, good dogs, diner atmosphere.

Drink
They are a few great local taverns in town, one in particular is KClingers Tavern, which features the East Coast's largest beer selection. Lots of locals prefer some of the smaller, quaint taverns and bars. The Rendezvous Lounge on Elm Street is very clean, and the prices are probably the best around. On the south side of town you will find an import from Maryland in Bill Bateman's Bistro. Bateman's offers the area's best sports coverage. If dancing is more of your flavor, Fridays are always busy at Bay City Lounge, on Eisenhower Drive.

title: Hanover (Pennsylvania)


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Hanoverton

Hanoverton is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio.

By car
Hanoverton is at the intersection of US30 and SR9.

title: Hanoverton


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Hanstholm

Hanstholm is an important fishing harbour in North Jutland, Denmark

Get in

Hanstholm is the ending point of national routes 26 & 29. Bus lines 96 and 322 connects Hanstholm to Thisted several times per day, in Thisted there is connections to other regional bus lines, the national rail system. Flights to Thisted Airport has been suspended, nearest airports are now in Aalborg and Karup.

Hanstholm used to be in important ferry harbour for the North Atlantic, but services has moved to harbours better connected to the national highway system. Though there is local initiatives to reopen a ferry route to Norway, so far the hard work has been fruitless, mostly because a suitable ferry has not been found.

Get around

 * Bus line 96 connects the harbor with the town centre and continues to Ræhr, Nors and Thisted.
 * Falke Taxi, Tel. +45 9796 2111

See

Do
Most activities in Hanstholm is centered around the city's maritime heritage, especially the lively fisheries industry. You could try getting up early and attend the daily fish auctions taking place at 6.30 at Auktionsvej 11, or take a fishing trip to the rich fishing grounds of the Yellow reef about 2 hours sailing off shore. The town is also home of a lively windsurfing and kite surfing scene, locally branded as "Cold Hawaii". Yet another option is diving one of the many wrecks in the area - the nearest diveshop is Thy-Dyk  in Thisted, which can be contacted at +45 20 11 21 49.

Go next
Bus 96 to Thisted via Ræhr and Nors Bus 322 to Thisted via Klitmøller

title: Hanstholm


text:
Hansville (Washington)

Hansville is a town on the Kitsap Peninsula in the Puget Sound region of Washington state.

Hansville is on the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula affording sweeping views of Admiralty Inlet, Whidbey Island, and Puget Sound.

This picturesque rural community enjoys some of the areas lowest rainfall totals, making it an ideal outdoor recreation site.

Understand
Construction of the Point no Point lighthouse began in April 1879 making it the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound. The first light used was a common kerosene lamp. As 1879 drew to a close, the lens and a glass for the lantern had not arrived, but authorities were determined to have the lighthouse open that year so the first lighthouse keeper, J.S. Maggs, a Seattle dentist, hung a canvas over the south window openings to break the wind and keep the kerosene lamp from blowing out.

By car
There are many ways to get to the Hansville highway but only two ways to get to Hansville. Come down the Hansville Highway from Highway 104 or come by boat to one of the many communities that makes up the Greater Hansville area.

Come to Eglon, Cliffside, Shorewood, Driftwood Key, Skunk Bay, Norweigan Point,or to a private dock on the Twin Spits side of the canal.

Do
There is an abundance of wildlife viewing and bird watching. Fishermen enjoy catching salmon from the beach while taking in the views and watching the parade of marine traffic.

Birdwatching
The Kitsap Audubon Society has been meeting since 1972 and has a broad coalition of birders tracking and sharing sightings since then. They also maintain an active website with updates of the latest sightings, suggestions on areas for birders and even a regular newsletter. They also developed a checklist of birds likely to be seen birds in the area.

The state Audubon society developed 'The Great Audubon Birding Trail' which includes key migration flyways. Flyways are major north-south routes of travel for migratory birds and likely areas to see birds along the route extending from Alaska to Patagonia. Point No Point County Park near Hansville at Kitsap County's northern tip is particularly important for birds migrating the Pacific Flyway. The Audubon Society designated it an Important Bird Area (IBA), and it is considered one of the most important migratory areas in the state.

Sea kayaking
Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the Kitsap Peninsulas nearly 400 miles (640 km) of coastline allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings Hansville is a great launching place being between the Hood Canal and the main channels of Puget Sound. Thick forests of majestic pine and deciduous trees and hundreds of creeks and estuaries dot the coastline. Or just explore Kitsaps many harbor towns like Hansville that cater to kayakers with shops and restaurants accessible from the water. Harbor Seals, Otters, Bald Eagles and Blue Herons are common sites while the occasional viewing of an Orca or Grey Whale is not out of the question.

Kayak trails
Organized trails offer overnight camping options and maps of appropriate lengths and scenic travel destinations.

Beach combing
Unlike many rocky areas around Puget Sound, Hansville does offer sandy beaches at the park surrounding the lighthouse. Oysters, clams and moon snails are common sites and this is an excellent area just to watch boat traffic on Puget Sound.

Sea shells and driftwood are considered part of the natural environment and should not be removed. Decomposing shells provide nutrients to other sea animals and driftwood helps control beach erosion. However the often rocky and wild shores are havens for creating and revealing beach glass and anything artificial found is fair game for removal. Be respectful of private property and gentle with sea creatures. Keep a wide distance away from nesting birds, seals and other shore animals and always put back anything removed from the shoreline.

Shellfishing
Shellfish are prized resources of the Puget Sound, the cool, clean waters provide some of the finest shellfish habitat in the world. Hansville's wild coastline is a popular place for individuals to find these elusive and sought after shellfish. Maps of public shellfishing areas and health warnings and updates can be found online at the States Fish and Wildlife website, as with all fishing in Puget Sound permits are required and can be purchased online or in some sporting goods stores.

By car
Hansville is at the northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula so there is nowhere to go but south to Kingston which has a large ferry terminal connecting to the mainland The historic town of Port Gamble is also near and worth a stop to see their historic buildings if your on your way to the Olympic Peninsula via Hood Canal Bridge.

By boat
Hansville is a last stop on the Kitsap Peninsula before heading on to the San Juan Islands via the Admiralty Inlet or also offers good access to the Hood Canal. If you are following the Kitsap Peninsula Water Trails Hansville is also close to the Port Gamble to Foulweather Bluff leg of the trip.

title: Hansville (Washington)


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Hanzhong

Hanzhong (汉中; Hànzhōng) is a city in Shaanxi Province.

Eat
Hanzhong is famous throughout China for its "Liang Pi," cold rice noodles served with a spicy and sour sauce and usually served with vegetables such as cucumbers, carrots or sprouts.

There is a hot version of Liang Pi, which although not as good is also readily available.

Worth trying are "Rou Jia Muo" which are essentially Chinese hamburgers and "Niu Rou Mian," wheat noodles with beef. Both items are readily available from street vendors.

Culinarily, Hanzhong is part of Sichuan and sa such the food in the city is generally spicy.

title: Hanzhong


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Haor Basin

The Haor Basin is in Sylhet division in north-eastern Bangladesh. The haor basin is amongst some of the most fascinating rural areas of Bangladesh.

Understand
Haors are unique wetlands in Bangladesh. The best time to visit the haors is at the end of the monsoons, say around August–September, when they are full with water. Thereafter, the water in the haors starts receding but still provides an awe-inspiring sight. In winter, the haors and beels receive thousands of migratory birds. It is the ideal season for bird-watchers, but then the haors are reduced in size and lose much of their watery grandeur. As summer sets in the haors are no more there, but one can still see numerous beels.

Landscape
The landscape is water, water, everywhere. During the rainy season, when there is a strong wind, there are waves as in a sea. Villages float around as small islands. One can have glimpses of life of the people - boats plying, cattle grazing on small islands, ducks enjoying in the water, maybe a bamboo market somewhere or a brickfield by the water side. On a day with a fair and clear weather one can see the faint outline of Garo Hills in Meghalaya, north-eastern India, on the horizon.

Get in
The haors in the Sunamganj-Mohnaganj area are more easily approachable than others. The starting point could be either Sunamganj or Mohanganj. Sunamganj is connected by road to Sylhet, which in turn is connected by train with Dhaka. Mohanganj is connected by train and road with Dhaka. While the rail link between Dhaka and Mymensingh is comparatively better, it is unreliable between Mymensingh and Mohanganj. There are plenty of buses. They do sometimes get crowded but within tolerable limits.

Fees and permits
None

Get around
When haors are full of water, the only transport available is the launch (a type of motorised river boat). Country boats are slow and can become unsafe with overloading. There is a regular launch service (several launches are there at different times) between Mohanganj and Sunamganj Sadar Upazila offering majestic views of the Kangsa and Surma rivers in addition to the haors. It has a comfortable seating arrangement for the 12-hour journey (one way) but one has to carry food and water. Tea and biscuits are available on board. The steamer service is there when it is haor season, but in the dry season the service depends on how much water remains in the river. Travel costs are reasonable by South Asia standards and cheap by Western standards.

Some launch contact numbers:
 * Prince of Lakhipur - 01718600176
 * Tamiz Talukdar - 01717349553
 * Lal Saheb - 01719231671
 * Mahfouz - 01717349551

Those who want to go deep inside the haors, need to hire a launch or boat. They can check at Mohanganj, Sunamganj and Sachna.

Eat
This is in a remote area not yet developed for tourists of any description. Bring your own food for any long trips. Only tea and biscuits are available in the launch canteens. Foreign visitors should also carry bottled water.

Drink
Alcohol is not available here. If you bring alcohol, do not drink it in public.

Lodging
Mohanganj has a dakbunglow (government lodging arrangement) and some small hotels with elementary facilities. Sunamganj has a number of hotels - Hotel Palace, Hotel Noor, Hotel Noorani, Hotel Naadia, Madhumita, Shamimabad, Seven Star, Hotel Rizia etc. The hotels have basic amenities only.

Camping
With water all around there is little or no place to camp. Snakes could be a danger for camping.

Launch
The first class of the launches has seats as good as deluxe buses in South Asia. It is comfortable seating but may not be ideal for sleeping during a night journey. Launches travel throughout the day and night. You can see by day and return to your place of origin by night.

title: Haor Basin


text:
Haparanda

Haparanda (Finnish:Haaparanta) is a city in Norrbotten, at Sweden's easternmost point. The Finnish town of Tornio is just across (part of) the Torne River. It is a great gateway to the wild north of Scandinavia.

Understand
Haparanda has been the easternmost outpost of Sweden since 1809 when Finland was lost to Russia. Haparanda has always been an important trading post; this continues with the world's northernmost IKEA store, bringing customers from all across the Barents region. Most people here speak Swedish, Finnish and English.

The two towns of Haparanda and Tornio are a showcase of cooperation across the border. Not only is the border more or less invisible, with people living, shopping and working on either side, regardless of their nationality, but there are also shared police patrols, with one in a pair taking command and responsibility depending on what side of the border they happen to be.

Get in
If arriving from Finland, check Tornio and notice the time zone change.

By plane
Haparanda has no airport of its own, the nearest one being Kemi-Tornio airport on the Finnish side (24 km from Haparanda), where Finnair runs scheduled flights from Helsinki. From there you'll have to continue with the bus service (see Matkahuolto), the nearest bus stop of Kemi airport is named Kemi lentoasema th. Oulu airport is farther away, but the fares are usually cheaper and flights more frequent. From elsewhere in Sweden, fly to Luleå and take the bus or train to Haparanda.

By train
Haparanda has a train station, which has three return connections per day of Norrtåg from Luleå and Boden. Two daily night trains operated by SJ, one from Stockholm and one from Gothenburg, terminate in Luleå with a connecting express bus to Haparanda waiting. For arriving from Finland, there are seasonal overnight trains by VR from Helsinki that call in Tornio, just across the river. Otherwise your best bet is Kemi, with quite frequent connections from all parts of Finland – from there you can take the bus to Tornio and walk across to Haparanda; some of these buses also go further to Haparanda travel centre.

By car
Arriving by car is easy since Haparanda is on the E4 with roads in good shape (and close to the E8). It is a border town so there is a fair share of heavy duty traffic coming through.

By bus
Express coaches from Sweden are handled by Länstrafiken Norrbotten. There are daily connections from cities like Kiruna, Luleå and Umeå, while some buses come all the way from Stockholm. Resrobot finds the best public transport routes.

From Finland there are frequent bus connections to Haparanda from Tornio and Kemi, but some lines extend even to the bus stations in Oulu and Rovaniemi. Beware that all buses going to Finland depart according to Finnish time, which is one hour ahead of the time in Haparanda. The central organisation for intercity bus traffic in Finland, Matkahuolto, provides schedules and ticket information on their website.

Linje 100 has 6 buses a day on the Sundsvall - Örnsköldsvik - Umeå - Skellefteå - Luleå - Haparanda route departing Sundsvall at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00, 16:00, 18:00 and 20:00.

Tapanis Buss has a route going from Stockholm to Tornio, Finland stopping at Haparanda. Ticket from Stockholm 870 kr.

Orajärven Bussit seems to be the only operator which serves the Tornio - Kemi - Oulu route, as of July 2023. Departure times: Tornio - Kemi - Oulu: M-Th 15:00, F 16:00, Sa 15:00, Su 15:30; Tornio - Kemi M-Th Sa 12:45 and M-F 16:45.

Get around
Ringlinjen connects most parts of Haparanda and Tornio. Fares are 12 kr for a single trip.

By taxi
Finnish taxis:

See

 * - One of the points on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. It's in the middle of the woods, near the village of Karunki and the only point in Sweden with the original markings preserved. There are many paths in the forest, but the regional administration of Norrbotten suggests to drive along Highway 99 about 10 km south from Karunki, then along local road 730 (such roads are all too often not numbered in Sweden) towards Björkfors for 1 km, then head north along a forest road for 1 km to a designated parking lot and walk along a forest road from there for 5 km to a path leading up to the summit.
 * - One of the points on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. It's in the middle of the woods, near the village of Karunki and the only point in Sweden with the original markings preserved. There are many paths in the forest, but the regional administration of Norrbotten suggests to drive along Highway 99 about 10 km south from Karunki, then along local road 730 (such roads are all too often not numbered in Sweden) towards Björkfors for 1 km, then head north along a forest road for 1 km to a designated parking lot and walk along a forest road from there for 5 km to a path leading up to the summit.
 * - One of the points on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. It's in the middle of the woods, near the village of Karunki and the only point in Sweden with the original markings preserved. There are many paths in the forest, but the regional administration of Norrbotten suggests to drive along Highway 99 about 10 km south from Karunki, then along local road 730 (such roads are all too often not numbered in Sweden) towards Björkfors for 1 km, then head north along a forest road for 1 km to a designated parking lot and walk along a forest road from there for 5 km to a path leading up to the summit.
 * - One of the points on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. It's in the middle of the woods, near the village of Karunki and the only point in Sweden with the original markings preserved. There are many paths in the forest, but the regional administration of Norrbotten suggests to drive along Highway 99 about 10 km south from Karunki, then along local road 730 (such roads are all too often not numbered in Sweden) towards Björkfors for 1 km, then head north along a forest road for 1 km to a designated parking lot and walk along a forest road from there for 5 km to a path leading up to the summit.
 * - One of the points on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. It's in the middle of the woods, near the village of Karunki and the only point in Sweden with the original markings preserved. There are many paths in the forest, but the regional administration of Norrbotten suggests to drive along Highway 99 about 10 km south from Karunki, then along local road 730 (such roads are all too often not numbered in Sweden) towards Björkfors for 1 km, then head north along a forest road for 1 km to a designated parking lot and walk along a forest road from there for 5 km to a path leading up to the summit.
 * - One of the points on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. It's in the middle of the woods, near the village of Karunki and the only point in Sweden with the original markings preserved. There are many paths in the forest, but the regional administration of Norrbotten suggests to drive along Highway 99 about 10 km south from Karunki, then along local road 730 (such roads are all too often not numbered in Sweden) towards Björkfors for 1 km, then head north along a forest road for 1 km to a designated parking lot and walk along a forest road from there for 5 km to a path leading up to the summit.
 * - One of the points on the world heritage listed Struve Geodetic Arc. It's in the middle of the woods, near the village of Karunki and the only point in Sweden with the original markings preserved. There are many paths in the forest, but the regional administration of Norrbotten suggests to drive along Highway 99 about 10 km south from Karunki, then along local road 730 (such roads are all too often not numbered in Sweden) towards Björkfors for 1 km, then head north along a forest road for 1 km to a designated parking lot and walk along a forest road from there for 5 km to a path leading up to the summit.

Do

Buy
Swedish kronor and euros are accepted in most stores.

Budget
There are several cheap restaurants scattered in the city centre, some serve only lunch. For cheap grub, head out the in-store IKEA restaurant.

Connect
As with most places in the western world, Wi-Fi is readily available at hotels, as well as a variety of other places.

Go next
Set your clock forward one hour, change your kronor to euros, get your Finnish phrasebook ready, and cross the Torne river into Tornio.

See also E4 through Sweden.

title: Haparanda


text:
Hapeville

Hapeville is a city in Metro Atlanta. It is the location for the future "Aerotropolis", a mixed-use project to be built at the site of the former Ford Assembly Plant, inspired by the success of Atlantic Station. The Aerotropolis will be built next to the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and is intended to be a shopping, dining, and entertainment area for long layovers, and include hotels, condominiums, and office space for business travelers.

By plane

 * Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport is the world's busiest airport, and is the largest hub for Delta, which has over 1,000 daily departures to points around the country and the world. The airport property is partly in Hapeville, and partly within the city limits of College Park and Atlanta, as well as unincorporated areas of Fulton and Clayton County.

title: Hapeville