Hotels in Hamm

Hamm sits in the eastern Ruhr area, a mid-sized Westphalian city better known to Germans as a rail junction than as a destination in its own right, with one of Europe's largest marshalling yards still shaping the town's identity. The Maximilianpark, built on a former colliery for a garden show, is the genuine draw, its glass elephant sculpture the closest thing Hamm has to a landmark.

There's also the Gustav-Lübcke-Museum for Egyptian antiquities, a slightly odd but worthwhile find in a working industrial town. Be honest: this isn't a city you visit for its own sake, but a practical stopover for business tied to the coal, steel and power industries still active nearby, or a base for exploring the wider Ruhr.