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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Hanover, Pennsylvania
Hanover
Give Hanover one night as a snack-food and Civil War stop between Gettysburg and York; two nights only if you add Codorus State Park.
Hanover is a small Pennsylvania borough of about 16,000 people, 30 minutes by car from Gettysburg and 35 from York. It is known as the snack-food capital of the USA, home to Utz since 1921 and Snyder's of Hanover since 1905, and it was the site of the Battle of Hanover on 30 June 1863, the last cavalry clash before Gettysburg. There is no train and no airport: you come by car, and one night covers the square, the museums and the factory outlet.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Hanover
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (ice and closed attractions)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Poison control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $2–4 |
| Hot dog at a local diner | $3–6 |
| Diner or tavern main | $12–22 |
| Museum entry (fire museum, Nace House) | $5–10 (check) |
| Codorus State Park pool entry | $5–10 (check) |
| 5 km taxi or rideshare3.1 mi taxi or rideshare | $12–18 (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BWI · Baltimore/Washington International
- About 1 h 15 min by car via I-795 and MD-30; the usual arrival airport for Hanover.
- MDT · Harrisburg International
- About 1 h by car via I-83 and PA-94.
- PHL · Philadelphia International
- About 2 h 15 min by car; use only if the fare is much lower.
Typical fares
- BWI → Hanover by car
- about 1 h 15 min, roughly $90–130 by taxi or rideshare (check)
- Rabbit Transit single fare
- about $2 (check)
- Gettysburg → Hanover by car
- about 30 min, 30 kmabout 30 min, 19 mi
Get around
A car is close to essential: sights, the park and the outlet stores sit 5–10 minutes apart by road. Rabbit Transit runs local buses (Routes 21 and 22) and Route 16 to York, roughly 6:00–18:00 Monday–Saturday, with the York line on weekdays only. Taxis are limited; rideshare coverage is thin outside the centre.A car is close to essential: sights, the park and the outlet stores sit 5–10 minutes apart by road. Rabbit Transit runs local buses (Routes 21 and 22) and Route 16 to York, roughly 6:00 AM–6:00 PM Monday–Saturday, with the York line on weekdays only. Taxis are limited; rideshare coverage is thin outside the centre.
See and do
Known for
- Snack food factories (Utz, Snyder's of Hanover)
- Battle of Hanover, 30 June 1863
- Hanover Square and the historic district
- Codorus State Park
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Gettysburg | Car via PA-116 west, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| York, Pennsylvania | Car via PA-116 east or Rabbit Transit Route 16 | 35–60 min |
| Codorus State Park | Car via PA-216 southwest, about 20 min | About 30 min |
| Lancaster and Pennsylvania Dutch Country | Car via US-30 east, about 1 h 15 min | 1.5 h |
Sleep
- Downtown Hanover (around the square)
- Walk to the square, the farmer's market and the museums; few beds, so book early.
- Eisenhower Drive / The Golden Mile
- Chain hotels and the retail strip on the east side; you need a car for everything.
- Codorus State Park area
- Camping and cabins by the lake, 15–20 min southwest; best in summer.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the square? | Where's the square? |
| Can I pay by card? | Do you take card? |
| A table for two, please | Table for two, please |
| How much is it? | How much is that? |
| Where is the restroom? | Where's the restroom? |
| Thanks, have a good one | Thanks, have a good one |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No train station and no commercial airport: plan on a car or an expensive taxi.
- Rabbit Transit buses stop in the early evening and mostly do not run on Sunday.
- Some factory tours and the Utz outlet have changed or closed since 2024: check before you drive out.
- Winter brings ice on PA-94 and PA-194; summer afternoons can bring short, heavy storms.
Hanover is a quiet small town and the main risks are practical: ice on the roads in winter, thin late-night transport, and a car rental desk that has drawn complaints — photograph the car and the fuel gauge before you drive off.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Hanover, Pennsylvania yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Snack food factories (Utz, Snyder's of Hanover)
- Battle of Hanover, 30 June 1863
- Hanover Square and the historic district
- Codorus State Park
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Main Street Hanover — tourism: mainstreethanover.org/tourism-hanover/
- Rabbit Transit: www.rabbittransit.org
- Codorus State Park (Pennsylvania DCNR): www.pa.gov/agencies/dcnr/recreation/where-to-go/state-parks/find-a-park/codorus-state-park.html
- Wikivoyage: Hanover (Pennsylvania), revision 4995394 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4995394
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Hanover, PennsylvaniaHanover
Can you take me to this address?
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Poison control1-800-222-1222
No embassies in Hanover; national governments sit in Washington, DC, about 1 h 45 min by car.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/hanover-pennsylvania). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.