Three federal states – Lower Saxony and the independent city-states of Hamburg and Bremen – cover an enormous terrain, embracing the whole of northwestern Germany. For the visitor they provide a series of memorable snapshots: the mighty cosmopolitan port of Hamburg, enchanting towns and villages with half-timbered houses and the blooming heather of the Lüneburger Heide.

The second-largest German state after Bavaria, Lower Saxony only ranks fourth in terms of the number of its inhabitants, being less densely populated than other states. It is characterized by lowlands that become hillier in the south, culminating in the Harz Mountains. Nature lovers will enjoy excursions to the Lüneburger Heide or paddling in the endless expanses of mud flats in the North Sea. Tourists are also attracted by the sandy beaches of the East Frisian islands, as well as the solitary rock of the island of Heligoland.

The “free and Hanseatic” towns of Hamburg and Bremen have a different atmosphere – urban and urbane, tolerant and multicultural, based on centuries of trade with the world.