The university town of Göttingen in the south of Lower Saxony offers a lot of flair with the historic inner city and numerous medieval buildings. It is best known for being the home of the Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, as well as the site where the prestigious Max Planck Society (a German organization for scientific research) was founded in 1948. The Max Planck Institutes for Dynamics and Self-Organization, for Experimental Medicine, for Biophysical Chemistry, for Solar System Research, and for History are all located in Göttingen. 44 Nobel Prize winners have studied or taught in the city, and these and other notable former Göttingen residents are commemorated by white plaques on many buildings throughout the town. Its nickname is therefore the Stadt der Wissenschaft (City of Science). Today, Göttingen is a charming university town, off the radar screen for most English-speaking tourists but well worth a visit.

The theater scenery is especially extensive in Göttingen . Among the leading cultural institutions is the German Theater Göttingen, the Junge Theater Göttingen and the Göttingen Symphony Orchestra. The former Lutheran city offers a large number of beautiful church buildings, such as the St. John's Church or the St. Michael’s Church. The university town conveys a cosmopolitan charm and attracts many visitors from the surrounding metropolises in the summer. The city offers a variety of restaurants, cafes and bars in the center.

Near the city are cities such as Kassel, Hildesheim or Braunschweig. South-east lies Erfurt about one hundred kilometers away as a Thuringian state capital. The region around Göttingen is among other things characterized by the Middle mountain range of the Göttingen forests. At Göttingen there are two national protected areas: the Municipal forest Göttingen and the Kerstlingeröder field. The cityscape of Göttingen is characterized by many historic buildings in the city center, around the Old Town Hall. The Old Town Hall is the cultural center of the city and it is popular with locals and visitors alike.

The former Hanseatic city has a lot of historic buildings as a medieval commercial metropolis. The city center has been converted into a pedestrian zone in the 1970s. The Old Town Hall, built in the 13th century, is one of the city's main attractions. The Old Town Hall is the seat of the Tourist information and is used for concerts.

The special churches in Göttingen include the St. John's Church built in the Gothic style. At the Corner Market a metal plate on the street shows the "Vierkirchenblick" (The view at four churches). From here you can admire the magnificent churches of the city center. To the beautiful streets of Göttingen belongs the Pauliner Street with the historical half-timbered houses dating from the 15th -18th century. The landmark of the city is the Market Fountain with the Goose Girl, which was erected in 1901.

The Göttingen  Jazzfestival takes place in September. The cultural life of the university town includes several museums such as the Municipal Museum of Göttingen or the Art Collection of the University of Göttingen, the oldest university art collection in Germany. The city's attractions include the Botanical Gardens of Georg-August-University. The Old Botanical Garden is the oldest botanical garden in Lower Saxony.