"Green Metropolis at Waterside" Hamburg Things to Do Tip by chris.hh

Hamburg is the Northern metropolis of Germany and well-known as a green city. It is said that half of its city area is park, water and forest. The biggest river is the Elbe river crossing the harbor, also there are the rivers Alster with the huge Alster lade and the smaller river Bille. You have huge parks like around the Alster lake, the Stadtpark in the North and the Park Planten un Blomen.

Planten un Blomen is the most central and oldest park in Hamburg. It connects the Elbe and the Alster where in former times the city wall was. It starts in the harbor directly behind the underground station Landungsbrücken next to the youthhostel Stintfang. From up here you have a great view on the harbor. Then it runs west side of the city. On its way there is a botanic garden, a small water fall, tropic houses from 1963, a japanese garden from 1988 by Yoshikuni Araki, a rose garden from 1993 and a garden with medicinal herb.

The Alsterlake is pretty big so in summertime you have many small sailing boats crossing each direction. Around the lake is a beautiful park - and many great villas. You can enjoy this park by walking, many do it by jogging or you can do it by waterside by entering a boat at Jungfernstieg for the tour "Alstershippern".

The Stadtpark was opened in 1914, and it was developed by Fritz Schumacher and Otto Linne. In WWII it was used for cutting wood and having vegetable gardens. You have a long axis form the planetarium to the lake - where you also can swim in a natural "pool". There are huge lawn for sunbathing and sports, as well as small garden areas. For a drink or cake you can go to the small pavillon "Lesecafe" or a good tip for warm summer days: bring some stuff for having barbecue - you will see many Hamburgers have the same idea. If you just want a sausage without bringing along all the equipement go to the open beer garden next to the lake and swimming pool. By the way the planetarium is worth a visit, too. They have good shows.