Hameln Old Town
Hameln Old Town
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience Hameln Old Town and nearby attractions
The area
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
127 within 5 kms
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
511 reviews
Excellent
301
Very good
183
Average
26
Poor
0
Terrible
1
albertv1527
Utrecht, The Netherlands674 contributions
Oct 2021 • Solo
A small city with a nice centre full of halftimbered houses, including some very colourful ones. Which could be quite scenic and atmospheric, but...as this town is of Pied Piper fame, you will not be the only tourist. It's not that overtourism has reached Hameln, but too many of us tourists in one place does bring down the charm a bit. Hence 4 and not 5 stars. I liked the quiet backstreets such as Alte Marktstraße the best. In about two hours you will have seen all that there is to see.
Written 22 October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
debsywalker
Slough, UK2,889 contributions
Oct 2020 • Solo
I made a day trip by train from Hannover at a cost €23 return. The old town is a 15 minute walk from the station.
It is a very pretty town but lacked atmosphere which I'm sure you would get in tourist season. The museums were shut but was nice to walk round and the buildings are very pretty.
It is a very pretty town but lacked atmosphere which I'm sure you would get in tourist season. The museums were shut but was nice to walk round and the buildings are very pretty.
Written 5 October 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vadim
Murmansk, Russia34,642 contributions
Jan 2019
Of course, no pied Piper ever existed. The famous legend reflects the process of migration of the Germans from the Weser and the Elbe further East to Bohemia, Silesia and Prussia in the so-called stamps, which the Germans called the border principalities. The migrant recruiters were the rat-catchers who lured naive Michaels with their pipes to leave their homes and go to conquer the East in the hope of new lands. Drang nach Osten, as the Germans themselves said since the XIII century. Hameln exploits the legend of the pied Piper to its advantage. You can find images of rats on the pavement, on the houses, and figures of the pied Piper on the streets and bridges.The old town of Hameln is located on the banks of the Weser. Although Hameln has not preserved any original sections of the fortress wall, the boundaries of Altstadt are clear. The main street of the Old town is Osterstrasse. The Rattenfängerhaus (pied Piper's House) is the most prominent house on the street. It traces its history back to 1603, but the name was only in 1900. As you know, this is just tourism marketing. Stiftsherrenhaus and Leisthaus are other ornaments of the street. The Stiftsherrenhaus was built in 1558 by the merchant and burgomaster Friedrich Poppendieck.Leisthaus built in 1585/89 year. The rich grain merchant Gerd Leist ordered a rich facade. Eight allegories of Virtue are located on the facade. The Hameln Museum has been located in the house since 1912. This section of the street is also known for the fact that the French Huguenots settled here after the abolition of the edict of Nantes by Louis XIV in 1685. Osterstrasse ends with the Horse market, known since 1402. Jousting tournaments were held here in the middle ages, and in the XVIII century the market was used as a place for executions. Dempterhaus is the most beautiful house on the square. The compositional center of the market square is the Church of St. Nicholas, named after the patron Saint of navigation and Santa Claus in combination. The neighbouring Hochzeitshaus dates from 1610-1617. It is called the Wedding house, although literally it means the House of high time, i.e. the holiday season. Citizens of Hameln celebrate the holidays here. Sculpture "Opening of the iron curtain" sculptor Wolfgang Dreiss 1992 stands on the square. The sculpture is piled in the spirit of postmodernism. There are allusions to Delacroix's famous painting "Freedom on the barricades" and a boy with a banana-a symbolic fetish for East Germans. Whether irony, whether direct mockery of the former citizens of the German Democratic Republic. The rest of the Old town is less full of attractions, but still interesting. The most attractive are Bäckerstraße, Wendenstraße (from XV century), Alte Marktstraße. The Church of St. Boniface is located near the banks of the Weser. It is the oldest Church of the city (crypt from the IX century). The city cemetery used to be here. Interesting fountain Boy with salmon (sculptor Clemens Werminghausen) is nearby.
Written 19 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
littoo70
Pune, India262 contributions
June 2015 • Business
I have visited this place more than a dozen times, but every time, I love the old world charm of this place. The best place to go around is to walk by buildings, most of which are a few centuries old. I like the tower, the old walking streets, with their cobbled pathways, with quite a few roadside eateries, to refresh yourself, when you're tired. One advantage is that most people in Hameln can speak English. I like going around especially on Sundays & watching the pied piper play in the city square (On Sundays it is in English, I believe on other days it is in German). People are friendly & gladly help you with directions, in case you need them.
Written 8 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lynda A
Orange, California, United States439 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
The town of Hameln is known for the Pied Piper tale but what many don't know is that it has a basis in fact - there is a 'street where music is not allowed' in the Old Town section and an inscription reads "AD 1284 - on the 26th of June - the day of St. John and St. Paul - 130 children - born in Hamelin - were led out o the town by a piper wearing multicoloured clothes. After passing the Calvary near the Koppenberg they disappeared for ever."
This refers to a relocation program where young people, probably teenagers and older children, were invited or encouraged to move to an area that was underpopulated as a way of redistributing people from this area, which was overpopulated at the time. The relocation was apparently voluntary but the grief of the families left behind is apparent to this day and the story was elevated to mythic proportions as the Pied Piper tale. To this day, music is not allowed to be played on the road [alleyway] where the children walked as they left town and there is an annual recognition of the event with a parade. In this parade the bands play until they reach this street, then they stop playing in commemoration of the children's leaving the town.
Learning the 'truth' behind the 'fairytale' gave additional meaning to our visit to this town and as much as I enjoyed the buildings and atmosphere by themselves, the emotional residue of the event so long ago made the experience that much richer.
As for the town itself, there are many shops, restaurants and cafes, interesting buildings and other points of interest throughout the area so I recommend stopping here. We were not there during the Pied Piper re-enactment but I hope to be there again to see that as I have heard it is well worth the effort.
This refers to a relocation program where young people, probably teenagers and older children, were invited or encouraged to move to an area that was underpopulated as a way of redistributing people from this area, which was overpopulated at the time. The relocation was apparently voluntary but the grief of the families left behind is apparent to this day and the story was elevated to mythic proportions as the Pied Piper tale. To this day, music is not allowed to be played on the road [alleyway] where the children walked as they left town and there is an annual recognition of the event with a parade. In this parade the bands play until they reach this street, then they stop playing in commemoration of the children's leaving the town.
Learning the 'truth' behind the 'fairytale' gave additional meaning to our visit to this town and as much as I enjoyed the buildings and atmosphere by themselves, the emotional residue of the event so long ago made the experience that much richer.
As for the town itself, there are many shops, restaurants and cafes, interesting buildings and other points of interest throughout the area so I recommend stopping here. We were not there during the Pied Piper re-enactment but I hope to be there again to see that as I have heard it is well worth the effort.
Written 9 October 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel19721972
Leuven, Belgium781 contributions
July 2020
Nice little town where you can find some statues related to the famous kids story of the Pied Piper
the inner city is free from car traffic, so ideal for a short walk
the inner city is free from car traffic, so ideal for a short walk
Written 7 August 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbara W
Hitchin, UK111 contributions
June 2019
We had such a wonderful day in Hamelin. First we went to the museum which was very informative, then we were lucky enough (on a Wednesday) to see the play the local theatre put on. This is in the main square and is free. There are lots of seating and ice cream and drinks are sold nearby.
The play was excellent. The singers were really good and the musicians very talented.
There are lots of places to buy food and drink and you can follow the trail of the rats around the town which was fun.
The play was excellent. The singers were really good and the musicians very talented.
There are lots of places to buy food and drink and you can follow the trail of the rats around the town which was fun.
Written 5 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MelinOa
Hayle, UK30 contributions
Sept 2018 • Couples
Lovely town to wander around, plenty of old Medieval buildings to see and rats on the pavement to follow( brass plates). A must is the 13.05 bells in the centre ( on the side of the police station) when the bells ring and the Piper and Rats come out of the doors half way up the building.
The statue of the Piper is outside the Museum, life size and worth looking for. Previous people said it was small and insignificant, but it is life size , do not that small!
The statue of the Piper is outside the Museum, life size and worth looking for. Previous people said it was small and insignificant, but it is life size , do not that small!
Written 25 September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
244griffin
Poole, UK28 contributions
Aug 2016 • Family
Visited this place for the first time and would love to go back again.The buildings are gorgeous and you could spend a whole day just walking round all the back streets admiring the quaint houses.The children didn't get bored either as there are rats engraved into the cobbles and the found it exciting counting them all.
Written 5 September 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vulcan_7
Scunthorpe11 contributions
Mar 2016
The last time I was in Hameln the old Town needed quite a bit of restoration,its now a all been done and it really is a pleasure to walk around the town,some good restaurants and bars,well worth a visit.
Written 19 March 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are shops open in Hameln on Sundays ?
Written 7 May 2019
Yes some of them. There are plenty of places to eat and drink that are open on Sundays (though some places do close) and a number of shops and the museum. I would expect more shops to be open in the high season so I guess it depends when you are thinking of visiting.
They have a tourist information centre right next to the main path leading from the train station into the old town.
Written 8 May 2019
When is the representation of the story? where? What time? I´m going to Hamelin on Friday10 July.
Thanks
Written 2 July 2015
When is the representation of the story? where? What time? I´m going to Hamelin on Friday10 July.
Thanks
Written 2 July 2015
Showing results 1-5 of 5
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing