Att göra i Celle, Tyskland - 12 tips till korsvirkesidyllen

What to do in Celle, Germany? This historic little town offers a fantastic half-timbered idyll, with cosy alleys and cafés, but there's also more to see and do. Here are our top tips!

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Celle in Germany

We immediately fell in love with Celle when we arrived here. What a wonderfully charming and cosy little town! The town is located along the German "Korsvirkesvägen", and this is where it really fits in!

Celle has also been home to the ancestors of Britain's royal family, the House of Windsor. This connection has attracted unusual royal interest and the site has been visited by Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen Mother, as well as Prince Charles and Princess Diana. But now it was time for us to check out the town!

Celle is located about 4.5 kilometres northeast of Hannover in Germany, in the federal state of Lower Saxony.

What to do in Celle?

So what can you see and do in Celle? Above all, of course, you want to enjoy the lovely half-timbered idyll, but there is also more to see and do. We've put together a list of our top tips here.

1. Stroll among the half-timbered houses

In Celle, there are more than 500 half-timbered houses, and you can stroll up and down the street and enjoy this idyll. Each house is individual and many are decorated with figures, texts and other embellishments.

It's hard to be satisfied, and it's also hard to stop taking pictures.

One of the most special places is the open space "Stechbahn", which is lined with large, fine half-timbered houses. This place was once used as the city's tournament venue. Today you'll find many cafés here, and it's also the site of the occasional market.

2. Be fascinated by the Hoppener Haus and the oldest half-timbered house.

The most famous of all half-timbered houses in Celle, and one of the most beautiful, is the "Hoppener Haus" on Poststrasse/Rundestrasse. This house was built in 1532 and has six floors. Here you can see plenty of different decorations and figures.

Another half-timbered house worth noting is the very oldest in the city. The fine green house dates back to 1526 and is located at Heiligen Kreuz, number 26. The house is built with a stepped gable and is decorated with Gothic ornamentation. Today you will find a clothes shop on the bottom floor.

Göra i Celle i Tyskland - äldsta korsvirkeshuset

3. Admiring the old town hall in Celle

The Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) in Celle is considered a masterpiece of the Weser Renaissance style, and is truly beautiful. When Duke Otto der Strenge built the town in 1292, the town hall was also built on the square. The building was further decorated in the 14th and 16th centuries.

The Town Hall, one of the oldest buildings in the city, consists of two parts. In the 2000s, the facade was renovated based on findings of Baroque illusion paintings by painter H.J. Suersen from 1697. Today you will find the tourist office in the building, as well as the restaurant Rådhuskällaren (Der Ratskeller Celle).

4. Coffee in a charming environment

The half-timbered town of Celle is the perfect place to relax and cosy up. There are lots and lots of cafés with all kinds of German pastries. Try for example Kiess & Krause, Museums café or Café Müller. We also stopped by Eis Café for an ice cream.

5. Check out Celle Castle and Castle Park

Celle Castle (Celler Schloss) dates back to the 13th century. In the 14th century it was transformed into a princely seat and in the 16th century it was remodelled into a Renaissance palace. During the reign of Duke Georg Wilhelm and his wife Eléonore d'Olbreuses (1665-1705), the castle took on the baroque appearance it has today.

The castle is stunningly beautiful, both from the front and the garden side. The castle garden is also nice to walk in.

6. Visit the Residence Museum in Celle Castle

Inside Celle Castle you can visit the Residence Museum (Rezidensmuseum im Celler Schloss), which tells the story of the centuries when the castle served as the residence of the Dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

You can either visit the museum on your own, or join a guided tour. If you go on your own, you can expect to see beautifully decorated rooms, paintings, artefacts and exhibits, as well as interactive activities for children (and other child-minded people...) The most amazing room - the palace chapel - can only be seen if you join a guided tour, which when we were here was only given in German.

7. Learn about history at the Bomann museum

The Bomann Museum is housed in a beautiful and unusual building right in the centre.

In the museum you can look around in a number of different exhibitions that deal with history in different ways. The exhibitions are nicely arranged, but most of the information is in German.

8. See art at the art museum in Celle

The Bomann musem is linked to the neighbouring art museum (Kunstmuseum Celle mit Sammlung Robert Simon), and can be visited on the same ticket. It hosts various temporary exhibitions.

9. Take a look at St Mary's Church (Marienkirche)

St Mary's Church (St Marienkirche) in Celle is beautifully situated on the Stechbahn, surrounded by historic half-timbered houses. The church was consecrated in 1308 and is the resting place of the Dukes of Celle and Queen Caroline Mathilde of Great Britain (Queen of Denmark and Norway 1766 - 1772), who died in Celle at the age of 23.

10. Walk in the French garden

The French Garden (Französischer Garten) in Celle is a lovely green park, which is nice to walk around in. The garden was created in the 17th century by the French wife of George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg.

Today the park offers water, beautiful avenues, lovely greenery and a memorial to Caroline Mathilde of Great Britain.

Göra i Celle i Tyskland - franska trädgården

When we walked through the park on a Saturday, we also experienced it. stuffed of people with stalls or bargains at flea markets. The Germans seem to love their markets!

11. Check out Otto Haesler's architecture and museum

Otto Haesler is a German architect who lived from 1880 to 1962. In Celle, you can see one of his most famous neighbourhoods (Italian Garden Settlement) and visit the Otto Heasler Museum.

12. Have dinner at Thaers Wirsthaus

One evening we had dinner at Thaers Wirsthaus, which was a pleasant experience.

We ordered a tray of bread, cheese and charcuterie to share, as a start. In retrospect, it was perhaps a little too big as a starter, but it was on the other hand exciting to try different German specialities such as ham, jam, liver sausage and German goat cheese. Very nice quality on everything!

For the main course we chose salmon with mashed potatoes and leeks, asparagus and Riesling sauce. Very good! We couldn't manage a dessert, even though we had originally planned to have an apple strudel.

More things to do in Celle for culture and history lovers

Want to experience even more in this lovely town? Here you will find more suggestions for things to do in Celle and the surrounding area, for those interested in culture and history.

Glockenspiel is a carillon in the city centre, which can be heard playing at certain times (Markt 14-16).
Guided tours is given, but currently the general tour is only given in German.
Christmas market is popular in December.
Ratzeputz is a popular German 'schnapps', originally created at a distillery in Celle.
Synagogue in Celle is considered the oldest half-timbered synagogue in Lower Saxony.

More things to do in Celle for nature lovers

Here are also some more suggestions for things to do in Celle for nature lovers.

Südheide Nature Park is a large natural area of forest and heathland in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath.
Upper Allerniederung near Celle is a natural area on the eastern side of the city.
Boat trips from the harbour can be made and move on to other localities in the neighbourhood.

The harbour is currently undergoing a lot of

More to do in Celle for those travelling with kids or teens

Travelling with children or teenagers? Then you'll find some more tips on things to do in Celle here.

Film animal park is a zoo with animals known from films or training to be in films. (Am Aschenberg 27, Eschede)
Talking lampposts in the city tells fairy tales, in German.

Where can you live or stay with your campervan?

There are of course many different hotels and other accommodation options in Celle to choose from. We visited Celle by camper van and stayed at the car park Womo-Celle Am Badeland on 77 Street.

This site is well located for visiting the city and is very fresh and modern. It has all the services you need, including grey water drainage and a staffed reception. Please note that the site is popular and you may need to arrive in good time, or book in advance, to get a pitch.

Things to do in Celle - on film

More things to see and do around Celle

There is, of course, more to see and do near Celle. For example, you can visit Hanover and the amazing Herrenhausen Gardens. If you travel a little further, you can experience interesting cities like Bremen and Hamburg.

More tips for things to do in Celle?

Have you been to Celle? Tell us about your experience and your relationship with the city! Do you have any other tips for things to see and do in Celle?

Facts about Celle

Country: Germany
Federal Republic of Germany: Lower Saxony
Residents: More than 69 000 (2019)
Read more: You can find more information at the city's website.

Travelling to Celle

Flight: Fly to Hannover and continue from here to Celle by car (about 40 minutes' drive).
Car: You can take the Öresund Bridge and drive to Celle (about 6.5 hours from Malmö). Other options include taking a ferry, for example Finnlines Malmö-Travemünde, Nynäshamn-Rostock, Göteborg-Kiel or Rödby-Puttgarden.

10 Comments

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Annar Aas says:

At the time I drove a bus to the Alps, the cell was an obvious attraction on the journey. It would have been much more pleasant with you two as guides, you are so nice and simple.

19 May 2022 - 9:19

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Glad you have memories from here! And thanks for the nice comment! Gets so happy to hear such things! 😍
  
  19 May 2022 - 11:18
  
Anna in Portugal says:

You certainly seem to have had a much better weather than when we visited Celle 🙂 We were so cold that we could hardly stroll around. But we saw a bit and liked it, even if it is a bit too big a city for us. If you want a tip that no motorhome driver indicates (because there is no parking space there), Goslar is nice (and smaller and quieter). https://www.anna-forsberg.se/nagra-mysiga-orter-i-tyskland/

19 May 2022 - 9:44

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you very much for the tips Anna! We have thought about Goslar, and now the place rose even higher on our list 🙂 .
  
  19 May 2022 - 21:11
  
bmlarstravellingblog says:

Celle is really cosy! We thought that Mutterstag (Mother's Day) was the reason why the parks were full of people with food and stalls, but now we realise that this is not the case. We explored the city properly about ten years ago so this time it was more of a cosy overnight stay and a dose of half-timbered houses.

19 May 2022 - 11:08

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Maybe there was something extra that day too? But flea markets are a big thing in Germany, we have noticed! 🙂
  
  19 May 2022 - 21:12
  
Only British says:

Anyone with the slightest interest in horses should not miss Lower Saxony's famous national stud farm, founded by the new British king in his time. There are links to Swedish breeding as well and much to see. Most famous for its large stallion parade in August, which is currently cancelled due to the corona but will surely return. https://landgestuetcelle.de/

19 May 2022 - 14:43

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Thank you very much for the tip! We read about this somewhere, but then when we tried to find it again we couldn't find it... Thanks for the tip and the link!!!
  
  19 May 2022 - 21:13
  
BP says:

I thought that half-timbered houses were mostly in Bavaria, Austria and Switzerland. How wrong I was. Celle is probably one of the sweetest and most charming towns I have seen. You fall totally in love with the city. And you got an old woman in one of the pictures too. Perfect:-)

19 May 2022 - 19:56

- Comment by post author
  
  Helena says:
  
  Yep, there are lots of half-timbered houses here! 🙂 And can only agree, a fantastically nice and charming city! Nice that you comment on the people, I was so happy when I managed to get it in the picture! 🙂
  
  19 May 2022 - 21:15

Things to do in Celle, Germany - 12 tips for the half-timbered village

Celle in Germany

What to do in Celle?

1. Stroll among the half-timbered houses

2. Be fascinated by the Hoppener Haus and the oldest half-timbered house.

3. Admiring the old town hall in Celle

4. Coffee in a charming environment

5. Check out Celle Castle and Castle Park

6. Visit the Residence Museum in Celle Castle

7. Learn about history at the Bomann museum

8. See art at the art museum in Celle

9. Take a look at St Mary's Church (Marienkirche)

10. Walk in the French garden

11. Check out Otto Haesler's architecture and museum

12. Have dinner at Thaers Wirsthaus

More things to do in Celle for culture and history lovers

More things to do in Celle for nature lovers

More to do in Celle for those travelling with kids or teens

Where can you live or stay with your campervan?

Things to do in Celle - on film

More things to see and do around Celle

More tips for things to do in Celle?

Facts about Celle

Travelling to Celle

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10 Comments

Annar Aas says:

Helena says:

Anna in Portugal says:

Helena says:

bmlarstravellingblog says:

Helena says:

Only British says:

Helena says:

BP says:

Helena says:

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