N36-Lüneburg Heath -Cyclist, © Lüneburger Heide GmbH/ Dominik Ketz
© Lüneburger Heide GmbH/ Dominik Ketz

Go­ing green on the spot


If you do travel to your holiday destination by car, you could take a break from driving once you’re there. Use public transport – all you have to do is relax and watch the world from your window. It’s a great way to familiarise yourself with your surroundings – without constantly scrutinising maps or being glued to your navigation device. In some places, public transport is included in the visitor tax, so is free of charge for holidaymakers.

Would you prefer the flexibility of having a car at your holiday destination? In that case, you can participate in carsharing. Numerous towns and cities in Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), such as Hanover, Brunswick, Oldenburg, Wilhelmshaven or Lüneburg have hire cars ready for you. These car sharing schemes relieve the strain on traffic and are environmentally friendly to boot. Practical apps such as Cambio CarSharing offer spontaneity and convenience.

Cycling is even more environmentally friendly, and also good for body and soul. Hire a conventional bike – or enjoy the boost offered by an electrically-powered bike – from a local shop for individual days or for the entire holiday. Hire bikes for public use are also highly convenient. You can borrow and return bikes for a small fee at various stations within a town or city. These bike hire systems are slowly becoming established in the towns and cities of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony), and are popular thanks to their flexibility and user-friendliness. Explore Brunswick, Göttingen, Lüneburg, Oldenburg and Hanover using bikes from ‘Call a Bike’, a scheme offered by Deutsche Bahn. In addition, the bike stations and bike parking garages at the railway stations in Osnabrück, Oldenburg, Lüneburg, Göttingen and Hanover offer bikes for hire.