RunCity

Hamburg with kids

Two family walks through Hamburg's centre. Day 1 goes from the Jungfernstieg on the Binnenalster past the Rathaus and the St. Nikolai Memorial to St. Michael's Church, and ends at the big Wallanlagen playground in Planten un Blomen. Day 2 goes from the St. Nikolai Memorial and the Chilehaus through the Speicherstadt to the pirate playground in the Grasbrookpark in HafenCity, and on to the Elbphilharmonie.

Open Hamburg in RunCity

The family route is coming to the app. Until then RunCity opens the full Hamburg route, a free GPS checkpoint game in your phone's browser.

Hamburg
Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0

Day 1: Alster, Rathaus and Michel

  • 4Sights
  • 1Kid stops
  • about 2.5 kmDistance
  • 1.5 hoursWith play time

This walk is about 2.7 km and links four of Hamburg's sights: the Jungfernstieg on the Binnenalster, the Rathaus, the St. Nikolai Memorial and St. Michael's Church, the Michel. It starts on the Alster waterfront and runs west through the city centre.

There is one kid stop, at the end: the Großer Spielplatz Wallanlagen in the Planten un Blomen parks, with swings, slides, a climbing frame and two water features. The four sights come first, in about 2 km, so the children have the playground to look forward to and can run around when you get there.

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  1. Jungfernstieg and the Binnenalster

    Jungfernstieg and the Binnenalster

    The promenade along the Inner Alster lake.

    Photo: Bruno Kussler Marques from Uberlandia, Brazil · CC BY 2.0

  2. Hamburg City Hall (Rathaus)

    Hamburg City Hall (Rathaus)

    The neo-Renaissance city hall seen across the Rathausmarkt.

    Photo: Arnoldius · CC BY-SA 4.0

  3. St. Nikolai Memorial

    St. Nikolai Memorial

    The bombed-out spire left standing as a memorial.

    Photo: AlterVista · CC BY-SA 3.0

  4. St. Michael's Church (Michel)

    St. Michael's Church (Michel)

    The green copper tower of Hamburg's landmark church.

    Photo: Unknown author · CC BY-SA 3.0

  5. Großer Spielplatz Wallanlagen Playground

    A big playground in the Wallanlagen, part of the Planten un Blomen parks, with swings, slides, a climbing frame and two water features.

    On the map

Tips for parents

  • Hamburg's tourism site suggests a break and refreshments at the Alsterpavillon on the Jungfernstieg, right at the start of the walk.
  • One family guide says swimming in the Alster is not allowed because of the many boats around.
  • A family guide says Planten un Blomen is free to enter and has a ton of playgrounds, water features, a roller skating rink and mini golf.
  • OSM maps two water features at the Wallanlagen playground, next to swings, slides and a climbing frame.

Public toilets

No public toilets are mapped close to this walk.

Day 2: Speicherstadt and HafenCity

  • 4Sights
  • 1Kid stops
  • about 3 kmDistance
  • 1.5 hoursWith play time

This walk is about 3.2 km and links four of Hamburg's sights in the old town, the Kontorhaus District, the Speicherstadt and HafenCity: the St. Nikolai Memorial, the Chilehaus, the Wasserschloss in the Speicherstadt and, at the end, the Elbphilharmonie on the waterfront. It is a little over the usual length because the playground is worth the walk.

The kid stop comes after the first three sights: the pirate playground in the Grasbrookpark, with a boat, slides, swings, climbing frames and water play. The Kindaling listing calls it free and always accessible. After it the walk carries on to the Elbphilharmonie, so the children get their play before the last stretch.

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  1. St. Nikolai Memorial

    St. Nikolai Memorial

    The bombed-out spire left standing as a memorial.

    Photo: AlterVista · CC BY-SA 3.0

  2. Chilehaus

    Chilehaus

    The prow-shaped brick corner of the Chilehaus.

    Photo: Esther Westerveld from Haarlemmermeer, Nederland · CC BY 2.0

  3. Speicherstadt Wasserschloss

    Speicherstadt Wasserschloss

    The red-brick warehouse on its canal corner.

    Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de · CC BY-SA 3.0

  4. Grasbrookpark pirate playground Playground

    A playground in the Grasbrookpark in HafenCity, with a boat, slides, swings, climbing frames and water play.

    On the map

  5. Elbphilharmonie

    Elbphilharmonie

    The glass wave-top on the old warehouse base.

    Photo: Evgenii Salganik · CC BY 4.0

Tips for parents

  • Kindaling lists the pirate playground at the Grasbrookpark as free and always accessible, and says it is also for paddling when it is warmer.
  • A Kindaling reviewer says there is a kiosk at the pirate playground.
  • OSM maps four water features at the Grasbrookpark playground, next to a boat, slides, swings and climbing frames.
  • A family blog counts walking the Speicherstadt and climbing its bridges and stairs as a fun activity in itself.

Public toilets

No public toilets are mapped close to this walk.

Open Hamburg in RunCity

The full Hamburg walking route →

Questions

How long is the family walk in Hamburg?

There is one walk a day: Day 1: Alster, Rathaus and Michel, about 2.5 km; Day 2: Speicherstadt and HafenCity, about 3 km.

Are there public toilets on the way?

None are mapped close to the walk, so plan a stop at a café.

Is the walk free?

Yes. The route, the map and the playgrounds on this page are free. Some sights charge for going inside; the walk passes them outdoors.

Sources

The tips were checked on 16 October 2026 against these pages, and the playgrounds and toilets against OpenStreetMap.