Things to do in Oldenburg
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Oldenburg
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months overall. May brings peak Ammerland rhododendron bloom, June is warm and calm, September adds film festival and fair season.
Warmest months for the lake, outdoor pools and island trips, with German school holiday crowds at the coast.
Early spring shoulder season. Gardens wake up in April, Park der Gaerten opens, and the city is quiet and good value.
Kramermarkt runs into early October, then a quiet in between feel sets in after the fair packs up.
Kale season and Christmas market time. Short, cold, wet days, but the city is at its most itself. January and February are worst without a kale mission.
What's on
- Kramermarkt Late September to early October, 10 days
One of Germany oldest and largest funfairs, founded in 1608, with a parade, fireworks and up to 1.5 million visitors.
- Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg Mid September
A respected independent film festival with premieres and director guests across the city cinemas and venues.
- Hallo Grünkohl Early November
The official opening of kale season, a city food festival serving classic kale dishes alongside creative riffs.
- Lambertimarkt Late November to 22 December
The Christmas market between the Rathaus and St Lamberti church on the Markt, with crafts, food stalls and lights.
- Rhododendron weeks Ammerland May to early June
Peak bloom across Ammerland gardens and nurseries, with Park der Gaerten near Bad Zwischenahn as the hub.
Best things to do in Oldenburg
Schloss Oldenburg
The ducal palace holding the state art collection, with the Augusteum and Prinzenpalais completing one combined visit.
Horst-Janssen-Museum
A museum devoted to the drawings, etchings and prints of Oldenburg artist Horst Janssen, with hands on print stations.
Landesmuseum Natur und Mensch Oldenburg
Natural history, archaeology and ethnology of the northwest, organised around moor, coast, marsh and river landscapes.
Lappan
The 1468 bell tower that is the city emblem, at the start of the pedestrian zone and the meeting point for city buses.
Schlossgarten Oldenburg
Sixteen hectares of English style palace garden laid out from 1804, the city green living room for walks and picnics.
Oldenburgisches Staatstheater
A full opera, drama and dance house whose productions draw audiences well beyond this small city.
Edith-Russ-Haus für Medienkunst
A house devoted solely to media art, with rotating international exhibitions and no permanent display to tick off.
Oldenburger Computer-Museum
A volunteer run hands on museum of home computers and consoles where everything is switched on and playable.
Where to stay in Oldenburg
Altstadt
first trip, sights and dining on foot
Inside the pedestrian zone with the Markt, Schloss, museum quarter and most restaurants within a ten minute walk.
Bahnhofsviertel
day trips, value and modern hotels
Five to ten minutes from the old town with the station at your door for Bremen, the lake and the coast, at lower prices.
Eversten and northern outskirts
drivers, families and golfers
Quiet residential streets and motorway access with parking, a short bus or bike ride from the centre rather than inside it.
Think twice about
- Hauptbahnhof forecourt
The least comfortable streets in the city late at night, with loitering and public drinking. Pass through on lit main streets and sleep a street back.
- Wallstrasse
The old town pub strip is loud until late. Fun to visit, but a poor street to sleep on if you are a light sleeper.
- Weser-Ems-Hallen fairground fringe during Kramermarkt
Extremely crowded and noisy for ten days with parking near impossible. Do not base beside it that week if you need sleep or a car.
Best restaurants in Oldenburg
Kleine Burg
The city best table, inventive modern European cooking and tasting menus in a historic house by the Schlossplatz.
Michael Schmitz Brasserie & Vinothek
The Altera hotel brasserie and wine bar, French leaning cooking and the old town smartest casual dinner room.
Glut & Wasser
A lively harbour quarter restaurant and bar on the Stau, known for dry aged beef and late opening hours.
Ratskeller Oldenburg
The vaulted cellar under the Rathaus, the classic address for kale with Pinkel sausage in season.
Caldero
A Spanish tapas restaurant and wine bar in a vaulted cellar off the Markt, built for long group evenings.
Muchos Más
A bright Spanish restaurant near the Markt with the strongest mid range ratings in the central listings.
Steakhaus Bei Franz
A long running steakhouse serving well cooked steaks at fair prices, a reliable choice for groups and meat lovers.
Zum Drögen Hasen
A traditional inn with very generous German cooking and a garden setting, where kale parties end in winter.
Outdoor things to do in Oldenburg
Vosgerau am Damm
A long established central bike shop with day hire, the practical start for cycling the Hunte routes and the lake road.
Stand Up Paddler
Guided stand up paddling and hire on the slow, tree lined Hunte, with beginner introductions from a city base.
OLantis Huntebad
The city leisure pools and sauna world by the Hunte, the reliable paid activity for wet days and long evenings.
Zwischenahner Meer
The region beloved lake at Bad Zwischenahn, with a flat shore loop, spa park, bathing spots and boat hire.
Park der Gärten
More than 40 themed gardens in the Ammerland, at their peak when the rhododendrons bloom in May and early June.
Golf in Hude
A visitor friendly golf facility with a public 9 hole course plus 18 holes, lessons and taster rounds.
Golfclub am Meer
The region championship 18 holes by the Zwischenahner Meer, with guest play, clubhouse and resort infrastructure.
Dangast
A small Jade Bay harbour village with tidal beach, dike paths, a Wadden Sea visitor portal and mudflat walks.
Best hotels in Oldenburg
Altera Hotel
The city best address, a four star boutique hotel in the old town lanes with a sauna and a top in house brasserie.
Hotel Wieting
A family run house from 1893 by the castle gardens, with generous rooms, a regional restaurant and free parking.
HIIVE Oldenburg
The modern design hotel by the station, with gym, sauna, terrace and some apartment style rooms for longer stays.
Hermes Hotel Oldenburg
A privately run station quarter hotel loved for its breakfast, friendly staff, sauna and free lobby drinks.
B&B Hotel Oldenburg
A reliable budget chain bed near the station and centre, clean and compact at well below mid range prices.
Jugendherberge Oldenburg
The youth hostel with dorms and family rooms, the lowest priced social base for groups and solo travellers.
Patentkrug Design Hotel
A design hotel and restaurant on the northern outskirts, best for drivers, events and golfers rather than sightseers.
Is Oldenburg expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €65 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €130 a person |
| Splurge | €240 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Oldenburgisches Staatstheater: a few days ahead
- Stand Up Paddler: a few days ahead
- Golf in Hude: a few days ahead
- Golfclub am Meer: a few days ahead
- Wangerooge: weeks ahead
- Kleine Burg: weeks ahead
- Michael Schmitz Brasserie & Vinothek: a few days ahead
- Glut & Wasser: a few days ahead
- Hotels fill and prices spike for the full ten days of Kramermarkt. Book weeks to months ahead or avoid those dates.
- Staatstheater opera premieres and weekend shows sell ahead by days to weeks. Book online when dates are fixed.
- Reserve Kleine Burg well ahead, and weekend tables at Caldero, Muchos Mas and Steakhaus Bei Franz several days ahead.
- Book the Wangerooge ferry ahead in summer and island rooms weeks ahead in July and August.
- Book guest tee times at Golfclub am Meer and weekend times at Golf in Hude days ahead, with handicap proof ready.
- The state museums close on Mondays, and the Computer Museum opens only on very limited volunteer run days.
Is Oldenburg safe?
- Oldenburg is a safe, orderly city and violent crime is rare. The emergency number in Germany is 112.
- The station forecourt late at night is the one area to pass through with awareness, on lit main streets.
- Bike theft is the signature petty crime. Lock any bicycle properly every time, even for five minutes.
- Never walk the Wadden Sea flats unguided. Book a certified mudflat guide and check tide tables before swimming at Dangast.
Oldenburg travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Kramermarkt is a superb funfair but not the whole city. Pair it with the old town and museums or come another week.
- Oldenburg is a residence city, not a Hanseatic jewel. Grade it as a likeable small city, not against Bremen or Hamburg.
- The Schloss-Hoefe mall is shopping, not sightseeing. The Schlossplatz and Schlossgarten outside it are the sight.
- A car in the pedestrian centre is a cost without a benefit. Park in a garage and leave it there.
- Kale out of season is a souvenir, not the experience. The real season runs November to February after the first frosts.
Getting around Oldenburg: public transport and more
- Walk the centre. The old town, museums, Schlossgarten and station fit inside a 20 minute walking radius.
- Cycle like the city does. The path network is comprehensive and the tourism site publishes leisure routes of every length.
- City buses run from the ZOB by the Lappan, the landmark to navigate by.
- Trains reach Bremen in about 30 minutes, Bad Zwischenahn in about 20 minutes, and the coast via Varel and Sande.
- The Deutschlandticket covers regional trains and city buses and usually pays for itself on a day trip week.
Who Oldenburg suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Oldenburg your trip
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