Here are one real family’s adventures in and around Hamburg. Whether you follow it exactly or borrow an idea or two, get a leg up on a visit to one of Germany’s great cities with some insight from a family that has actually experienced it with children.

Family Adventure in Hamburg, Germany

Description: Featuring 7 amazing courses: 2 low and 5 high, Kletterwald Hamburg has climbing options for young and old, adventurous and cautious alike. This impressive facility at the edge of Volksdorfer forest strives for the best family experience while simultaneously being respectful of the rich German forest and its inhabitants. Note there is a minimum height of 110 cm to participate (approx 3 ft 7 in). Get ready for tremendous exercise, a unique experience and breathtaking views.

Our Experience: This stop was absolutely loved by all. In the middle of a vacation that had a lot of touring, a lot of educational stops and a lot of information it was a breath of fresh (literally) air to get out of a city and into the woods as well as to just cut loose and have some fun. Our 8 year kid who isn’t so tall managed to do the first 3 courses and loved them. Our 11 year old who is similarly not so tall did 4 courses and loved them as well. All other kids and adults also loved this place, including our 3 year old who could not do any of the courses. We were there 3 hours though many people can do it in under 2. This was a great experience and we highly recommend it.

Description: There are a number of cafes with a great view of the shipping channel. Historically Hamburg has been an important port city for Germany as well as Europe as a whole. Watch the boats come in while you grab a bite. Between the vibrant shipping and fishing industries, a great number of places will have a mind blowingly fresh “catch of the day” for a nice, light lunch.

Our Experience: We had intended to do more but the ropes course took longer than expected and we had a long travel time at the front and back ends of the day. We had to scrap our intended next stop and instead opted to explore this waterfront area of the city and eat. It was nice, but nothing too special. The usual assortment of restaurants and souvenir shops.

We have included the 3rd stop we wanted to take for families that have more time.

Come and be amazed by one of the biggest and most elaborate model train exhibits in the world. As of the time of this writing, the track spans almost 40,000 feet and is divided into 7 main sections: Harz, the fictitious city of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, and Switzerland. Children and adults alike will be in awe of the extensive automation involved in this exhibit, spanning air land and sea and various parts of the world. Watch miniature planes take off and land, boats sail and vehicles move about on computerized paths. The models and landscape are all meticulously hand crafted to astounding degrees of realism. Over 150 team members actively work to create and maintain the ever expanding exhibit which currently hosts 900 trains, 300,000 lights, 215,000 trees, over 3,000 buildings and 200,000 human figurines. This is a feat of both art and engineering and above all showcases the incredible power of imagination.