Leine River/Ihme River/Maschpark

Hannover is situated around the banks of the Leine and Ihme Rivers, which are in close proximity from almost anywhere in the city. Long stretches of each river are lined by runnable paths (mostly surfaced with asphalt and crushed stone). There lots of options to mix and match the river paths with loops around the lakes.

Leine River Path: Maschpark to Maschsee. A popular starting point is Maschpark, located at the south end of Hanover-Mitte near the opulent New Town Hall. It’s 4.2 km one-way along the Leine River to Maschsee.
Options: Maschpark Loop: 1.5 km loop around the Maschteich Lake and Town Hall. Run separately or combine with the Maschpark to Maschsee run. Maschsee Loop. See our loop around Maschesee.

Ihme & Leine River Path. The best longer option staying along a river path the whole time is the 5.6 km path along the Ihme and Leine rivers. The south end is at Sportpark, where the two rivers meet, and the north end is at Conti Turm.  Starting at the Sportpark it’s 1 km to Schützenplatz, and 3 km to the intersection with the Leine River at Glocksee, where the path picks up on the south side of the Leine River.

5K loop Option: Start at Town Hall. Circle south past the Landesmuseum Hannover, follows the Panner-Garbe-Weg to the footbridge, then crosses to Schutzenhausweg. Take a LEFT on Bella Vista to Hannah Arendt Weg. At Schlobstraub, cross LEFT and follow the path along the roadside, past the Nanas sculptures. Cross RIGHT on the next footbridge and head back south along the river, past Marstalltor. Cross back to Hannah Arendt Weg, then cross again to Clara Zetkin Weg. At Hiroshimaweg, follow the path back north along the lake to return to the start. 

8k Loop Option: We’ve also mapped an 8 km version that incorporates a loop around Sportpark and the Ihme River for a longer route. 

For more mileage or a more varied route, see also our post on Maschesee.