Oldenburg

Oldenburg is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is a pleasant town with an old centre full of restaurants, cafes, and pedestrian streets, between Bremen and the Netherlands.

Understand

Tourist information

• Oldenburg Tourism website

Get in

By plane

The closest airports are Bremen BRE ^IATA (49 km (30 mi)), Hamburg HAM ^IATA (176 km (109 mi)) and Amsterdam Schiphol AMS ^IATA (323 km (201 mi)).

• Bremen Airport BRE ^IATA : Take tram 6 to Bremen Hauptbahnhof, then change to an Oldenburg Hauptbahnhof train. The trip will take around 1h and cost about €12.
• Hamburg Airport HAM ^IATA: Take train S1 to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, then change to a Bremen Hauptbahnhof train, then change to an Oldenburg Hauptbahnhof train. The trip will take around 2 hr 10 min, and cost about €36. A direct bus to Oldenburg is available from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, see details below.
• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport: The train trip has been complicated by the damaged Friesen bridge that will not be replaced until 2024. It is possible to use a train-bus-train option (around 4 hr 20 min), or to take a train to Sloterdijk (24 minutes) and then a FlixBus to Oldenburg Hauptbahnhof (4 hr 30 min). A direct bus to Oldenburg is available from Amsterdam Sloterdijk, see details below.

By train

Regional services connect 1 Oldenburg (Oldenburg) Hauptbahnhof. (updated Jan 2018) to surrounding towns.

• Bremen: Transport to other German cities will generally require a transfer in Bremen. There are two direct trains an hour between Bremen and Oldenburg, with travel times of 30-40 minutes.
• Hamburg: There are three trains an hour from Hamburg to Bremen, with a transfer required to Oldenburg. Total travel times are 1 hr 40 min-2 hr 15 min.
• Amsterdam: There are four trains an hour from Amsterdam, but the trip has been complicated by the damaged Friesen bridge that will not be replaced until 2024. The train and bus combinations will take 4 hr 16 min-5 hr 30 min, and can be booked through Deutsche Bahn.
• Groningen: Travel to/from Groningen (generally requires a transfer in Leer (D) and from there on to Oldenburg. Be aware of the border crossing after Nieuweschans. You can't use a Dutch ticket to go to Germany.

By car

You can reach Oldenburg from the A1, A7, A27 and E22 highway.

By bus

FlixBus operate direct buses from the north side of the 2 Long Distance Bus Station (ZOB)

• Hamburg: 7 buses per day (2 hr 25 min-2 hr 35 min, €9-20)
• Amsterdam Sloterdijk: 4 buses per day (4 hr 35 min-5 hr 10 min, €17-20).

Advance booking through the FlixBus website is recommended, because it is cheaper and the buses do fill up.

See also: Intercity buses in Germany

Get around

By bicycle

Bergstraße ("Hill Street") in the old town

Oldenburg prides itself on cycling, and has extensive bicycle paths within the town and to adjacent towns. Bicycle rentals are available downtown from Vosgerau Am Damm (€6.50/day), Fahrradzentrum Oldenburg (€10/day), Swapfiets (€17.5/month). The Fahhradselbsthilfewerkstatt (bicycle repair shop) at Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg also rents out bikes at around €20/month.

By bus

Frequent local buses are operated by VWG, with route and timetable information also available in Google Maps Navigation. You can buy tickets on the bus (€2.45), but is slightly cheaper to buy a set of 4 rides (€20), a day pass (€7) or a multi-day pass.

See

Main church St. Lambert's

• 1 Schloss Oldenburg (Oldenburg Palace), Schloßpl. 16, 26122 Oldenburg, Germany. Tu-Su 10:00-18:00. A well-reviewed collection of rooms and art, but the appeal may be limited by the lack of English signage. €6 standard, €1.50 children, €10 family.  
• 2 St. Lambertikirche, Markt 17. Built between 1155 and 1234. 

Do

• Oldenburg Film Festival. Held in September. Also known as the German Sundance.  
• 1 Schlossgarten Oldenburg (Oldenburg Palace Garden). April - September 08:00-20:00. A 16-hectare public park next to downtown, with curving paths, a multitude of lakes/ponds, and some of the oldest rhododendrons in Germany. Free. (updated Jan 2018)
• Bremen is very close, see the "by train" section.

Work

Carl von Ossietzky University (founded 1973) is an important regional university.

Buy

• 1 Schlosshöfe Oldenburg, Schloßpl. 3, 26122 Oldenburg, Germany. M-Sa 09:30-20:00. The largest mall downtown, with a pay-parking lot and a food court. A good option for rainy days downtown. (updated Jan 2018)
• 2 Einkaufsland Wechloy, Posthalterweg 10, 26129. M-Sa 09:00-20:00. The largest mall in the area, and the home of one of Oldenburg's largest supermarkets (Famila XXL Wechloy). The mall has free parking, and there are a range of businesses in the surrounding area. (updated Jan 2018)

Eat

Budget

• There are a host of eateries in the city center, including a variety of doener stands, Chinese Food, a McDonalds and a Burger King.
• On weekdays the Pferdemarkt ("horse market") hosts a market at which you can buy fresh baked breads, vegetables, meats, but no horses.
• The largest supermarkets are Real Stubbenweg, and the Famila XXL Wechloy. Smaller supermarkets include Lidl, Aldi, Penny, Rewe and Aktiv-Irma.
• 1 Müller & Egerer, Nadorster Str. 222, 26123. M-F 05:30-18:00, Sa Su 07:00-17:00. Part of a regional bakery chain, this location has a nice cafe and does a very popular Sunday all-inclusive breakfast buffet. (updated Jan 2018)
• Arabic shops, Ritterstraße (near Poststraße towards the city center). There are 2 Arab shops where they tend to have more kinds of vegetables and things you wouldn't find in any other normal supermarket. Starting with cheese and ending with polenta. 

Mid-range

• 2 Biggie B, Haarenstraße 9, 26122, ☏ +49 441 18000944. Among burger connoisseurs, these are considered the best burgers in town. (updated Jan 2018)
• 3 Mom's Diner, Donnerschweer Str. 121A, 26123, ☏ +49 441 36103590. 16:00 - 22:00. More of a higher end "burgers and fries" place than a diner. Good burgers, authentic American curly fries, decent mainstream/Mexican beers and great service. (updated Jan 2018)
• 4 Restaurant Rondell, Poststraße 8, 26122, ☏ +49 441 2182640. 17:00 - 00:00. It's an inauthentic local rendition of an inauthentic version of Mexican food, but the food is passable and it has decent cocktails and a nice outdoor seating area. (updated Jan 2018)

Splurge

• 5 Klinkerburg, Bahnhofsplatz 12 A, 26122, ☏ +49 441 259 29. M-Sa 11:00-15:00 18:00-23:00. A popular choice for solidly executed regional dishes. 
• 6 Patio, Bahnhofstraße 11, 26122, ☏ +49 441 2174747. 17:30 - 01:00. Widely considered to have the best cocktails in town, with a laid-back ambiance and good food. Not cheap, but good value. (updated Jan 2018)
• 7 Kleine Burg (Small Castle). M-F 12:00-15:00 17:30-00:00, Sa 12:00-16:00 17:30-01:00. Popular with locals for a nice night out, this restaurant serves traditional German/European fare. (updated Jan 2018)
• 8 Antalya Restaurant. M-Sa 17:30-23:00, Su 12:00-14:30 17:30-23:00. High-end Turkish, with great ambiance, food and service. A bit of trek (7 km) South of downtown. (updated Jan 2018)
• 9 Bei Franz (At Franz), Donnerschweer Str. 6, 26123. M-Sa 18:00-00:00, 12:00-14:30, 18:00-00:00. A popular steakhouse (updated Jan 2018)

Drink

• 1 Patio, Bahnhofstraße 11, 26122. M-Th 17:30-01:00, F Sa 17:30-02:00. Widely considered to have the best cocktails in town. (updated Jan 2018)
• 2 Strohhalm Gaststättenbetriebs, Wallstraße 1A, 26122. 10:00-03:00. A popular part of the "Wall Street" bar area. Stronhalm ("drinking straw") shows live sports, has outdoor seating, and allows smoking inside. (updated Jan 2018)
• 3 Havana, Donnerschweer Str. 8, 26123. M-Th 18:00-02:00, F 18:00-02:30, Sa 15:00-02:30, Su 17:30-00:00. A popular bar/restaurant with decent cocktails and a beer garden. (updated Jan 2018)

Sleep

Budget

• 1 DJH Youth Hostel (DJH Jugendherberge Oldenburg), Alexanderstr. 65, ☏ +49 441 87135, fax: +49 441 8852493, oldenburg@jugendherberge.de. €19-25.30. 

Mid-range

• 2 Hermes Hotel, Ankerstr. 19, ☏ +49 441 779390. 

Go next

• Bremen
• Delmenhorst
• Groningen — twin city of Oldenburg, across the border in the Netherlands

Routes through Oldenburg

Groningen ← Leer ←

W  E

→ Delmenhorst → Bremen