Returning from our trip to Hanover, my son and I had packed so much into our three days away, we were ready for another holiday - or at the very least a nice cup of tea and a bit of a sit down.

Using my rusty German, dredged up from my A-Level days (a long, long time ago) and Alex's Year 8 lessons, we spent a thoroughly enjoyable weekend popping on and off trains, trams and the underground to visit attractions in and around the city.

Having never been to Germany before, we didn't expect the wall of heat as we stepped off the plane. It was so meltingly hot the only thing for it was to take a cold shower at the hotel.

Our first impressions of the city were coloured by an anti-war protest march assembling outside the main station as we arrived, accompanied by hoardes of khaki-clad policemen.

But despite having to fight our way through the crowds dragging our luggage behind us, the atmosphere didn't feel at all menacing.

We were then approached by a very scary-looking, pierced punk, who took us (pleasantly) by surprise by asking in polite English if we knew where she could buy a loaf of bread.

Known as the Crossroads of the North, Hanover has many claims to fame. It is the capital of the State of Lower Saxony and is known as a city of trade fairs and sports events, as well as being a Mecca for jazz and rock musicians.

But for the tourist, Hanover's wealth of beautiful old buildings, some dating back to the Middle Ages, make the trip worthwhile.

Our hotel, the Concorde Hotel am Leineschloss, nestles in a quiet square near the main shopping district, next to a 14th century church and the Gothic splendour of the Old Town Hall.

Still, none of this was particularly interesting to Alex, who was far more interested in sniggering at a men's fashion shop called Wormland.

After I'd managed to drag him away, our first port of call took us on the underground to the district of Anderton on the outskirts of the city where, after a short but hot and dusty walk, we found the Campo Aktiv Arena, a huge brightly coloured converted warehouse.

Inside and out, there is everything a child could ever wish to do - quad-biking, skateboarding, trampolining, go-karting, crazy golf, paddle boats, games machines and bouncy castles, to name but a few.

For us big kids, there were impressive climbing walls and an assault course which started outside and led high into the rafters of the building.

Alex didn't know what to do first, but once he was off I was glad of the hammocks and easy chairs dotted around the centre.

There's also a beauty suite on the top floor to give worn-out parents a spot of pampering.

After a meal at the arena's restaurant, we headed back into Hanover and strolled through the main shopping district to our hotel, stopping off for hot chocolate in the old town which, after dark, has a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Next day, after a filling breakfast, we were off to see what the Germans know best - technology.

After a 20-minute journey by train to Wolfsburg, we arrived at the Autostadt, a futuristic visitor centre next to the massive Volkswagen factory.

And futuristic was the word - after being whisked across a bridge on moving walkways, we found ourselves in a land of robots and gleaming metal - a temple dedicated to the German love of machines.

Built in 1996 as a car city', the Autostadt has Lamborginis that appear on walls and disappear in a puff of smoke, robots that create a precision model in front of you, towers full of every kind of car imaginable, activities including a mini race track, and all bristling with the latest technology. We spent about three hours there, our jaws dropping in amazement every five minutes or so.

Next stop was Phaeno, which is next to the Autostadt and is described as an "experimental landscape of natural sciences".

Inside there were 250 hands-on experiments with light, sound, fire, water, computers, robots...I could go on but I think you get the picture.

The experiments are housed in a building designed by top London-based architect Zaha Hadid, which looked like a giant concrete sea creature but was no less impressive for that.

That evening we polished off a meaty but tasty meal outside a restaurant in a quiet corner of the city, followed by the most delicious Apple Strudel I've ever had. Many restaurants also offered a good range of vegetarian choices.

On our final day we headed off to Hanover Zoo, marvelling at the amount of graffiti along the way - I'm sure if if we had stood still for long enough we'd have been spraypainted too.

The zoo was impressive, to say the least. No expense has been spared to make the habitats as authentic as possible - you could be forgiven for thinking you're actually on safari in Africa or elephant-spotting in India.

By Monday night we were fairly exhausted but, at the same time, sad to leave.

As a short-break destination with plenty to keep young hands and minds occupied, Hanover is to be heartily recommended.