Cities are not always popular amongst motorhome travellers, but you don’t want to miss the chance to visit Hamburg. Hamburg is a vibrant city with a rich history and culture, but also a lot of space and nature, making it an ideal city destination for travellers. In this article, we will talk about what you should visit in Hamburg as a nature lover.
Planten un Blomen
Let’s start with the biggest park we’ve ever seen in the middle of a city: Planten un Blomen. The name comes from the Low German words “Plants and Flowers”, referring to the different plants and flowers in the park. The park is 47 hectares and has several differently-themed gardens filled with paths and trails to stroll through for as long as you want.
Some of the different gardens are the botanical garden, the apothecary garden and the Japanese garden. There is also a musical fountain in the middle of a lake, where in summer, you can find choreographed water displays.
The Japanese Garden is the biggest Japanese garden in Europe, with a traditional tea house in the middle. In summer, there are several activities in this tea house, including tea ceremonies. There are also concerts here.
Lakes
Hamburg has two lakes that are a central part of the city and city life: Inner and Outer Alster Lakes. The Kennedy and Lombard bridges separate these two lakes, whose water flows into the Elbe.
The city of Hamburg is built around these lakes, and when it’s nice weather, a lot of the city life is on these lakes. We saw a lot of sailboats as well as kayaks and other water sports on the lakes as we were there around mid-October (it was sunny).
You can also walk around the lakes and enjoy the greenery around the lakes while seeing more of the city.
Elbe
The Elbe is the river that flows through the city. It is the waterway that connects the city to the North Sea, and it has a lively harbour to show for it.
From the harbour, there are several boat tours going along the river to show you the city or more of the Elbe river. Or you can walk or cycle along the Elbewanderweg, a path alongside the Elbe to enjoy this magnificent river.
Another way to enjoy the Elbe river and have a magnificent view of the city is by going through the ‘Alter Elbtunnel’. This old tunnel, built in 1911, is considered a historic masterpiece of civil engineering as the first river tunnel in Europe. You can walk or bike to the tunnel and come out on the other side with an amazing view of the city. If you do so in the evening, all the city lights will show the city in an even prettier light.
Loads of parks
The city of Hamburg is filled with loads of parks. In every part of the city, you will have a park somewhere close to you. The biggest park is, of course, the aforementioned Planten un Blomen but you also have Stadtpark, Altonaer Volkspark, Botanischer Garten der Universität Hamburg and many others.
And just outside the city there are many forests and other nature reserves if you need even more space and quiet.
Speicherstadt – Port of Hamburg
Speicherstadt Hamburg is a historic district in the city of Hamburg, Germany, known for its unique and beautiful red-brick warehouses that were built between 1883 and 1927. The district is located in the heart of Hamburg’s port and was designed to be a storage area for goods such as spices, coffee, and tea, which were transported along the city’s waterways.
This part of the city is open and filled with canals, giving nature lovers enough space while being a cultural hotspot: In 2015, the district was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, acknowledging its historical and cultural significance to the city of Hamburg and the world.
Where do you leave the motorhome in Hamburg?
Of course, if you want to visit the city with your motorhome, you have to leave the camper somewhere. There are spots on Park4Night that mention parking in the city, but personally, we didn’t want to do that. There are some camping grounds around the city, but we also found a great spot near a restaurant where you can park for the night if you eat there.
We parked our motorhome there and stayed in a hotel in the city centre for the night. That was lovely because it allowed us to quickly explore the city without having to get to the centre each time. But the public transportation is really good, so you could also park somewhere on the outskirts and go in by tram or bus.
So if you are a nature lover but want to visit a city, Hamburg is a really good option! The city is open and green and has several options to soak up nature.
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