Germany - Rahden, Minden, Hannover - pensione

I've never stayed in any of those towns, but I would use the the town website, at least for the smaller towns, to find accommodations. For Rahden, www.rahden.de. Click on Tourismus, then on Unterkunftverzeichnis. I see one very expensive 4* hotel, a Pension, and three places with Ferienwohnungen (vacation apartments), not really suitable for one night. The website for Minden, www.minden.de, displays in English under Tourist Information and shows a variety of accommodations, many with websites. For quaint and inexpensive, look for Privatzimmer (rooms in a private home, most like a "B&B" experience). For these you might have to call a phone number. In these kinds of places English is often not spoken.

Hi, I can't offer you a specific recommendation on a hotel or Pension but would choose staying in Minden an der Weser rather than in Hannover, but that depends on what your destination is after the Hannover/Minden area. Hannover is an ideal junction point any direction on the ICE. I took a day trip r/t to Minden in 2009, very nice quaint town, as usual not enough time. The special sight is the huge historical monument, (a terrific spot for a view), apart from the specialised history museum, both of which are accessible by bus, much easier by car. The town is worth seeing in an afternoon.

I'm with Fred and would recommend Minden. My brother has to go to Rahden for work frequently and there is really not much else to do.