Hamburg offers a child-friendly environment with many dedicated kid’s attractions to visit. The most obvious of these is the massive port area of Hamburg, where a constant stream of ships passes by. In addition, the city has many comprehensive parks loaded with activities and amenities, while interesting museums and nearby attractions are also in evidence.

Bondenwald Leisure Centre
The Bondenwald Niendorf leisure centre has fantastic facilities and activities for children, the highlight of which is the long water slide and the Babalu shallow water basin. Bondenwald has an array of indoor and outdoor swimming pools and the Olympic-sized outdoor pools are heated and can thus be enjoyed in the wintertime, along with the volleyball and football facilities in the grounds. Meanwhile, parents can enjoy the sauna garden and Turkish baths. Phone: +49 57 149 430.

Eekholt Wildpark
Eekholt Wildpark is a safari park outside Hamburg with dozens of species of indigenous and other European animals to gawk at. The public feedings and falconry shows are particularly enjoyable for the little ones while the pet’s corner and playground are also lots of fun. In addition there is a well set up picnic area that can be reserved. Phone: +49 432 799 230.

Hansa Park Sierksdorf Leisure Park
Hansa Park Sierksdorf is another popular attraction for kids although it is an hour away from the city by car. Attractions here feature many fairground rides, including a roller coaster and a goldmine ride, the lifelike American Indian village, a 3D cinema and cabaret shows. There are plenty of places to buy food and drink at the park to boot. Phone: +49 45 63 474.

Klövensteen Forest
Located to the northwest of Hamburg Klövensteen is part of the stunning Rantzau Forest and it offers lots of leisure activities for the whole family. Popular among these is pony riding and there are some picturesque trails in the area as well as some medium hikes. There are also herds of deer here.

Miniaturwunderland
Miniaturwunderland is one of the most popular attractions for youngsters and model railway enthusiasts in general as it is the world’s largest model railway, featuring incredible detail on various backdrops. Naturally parts of the city of Hamburg feature in the layout as well as the Alps, the American Wild West and a Scandinavian section complete with working model ships. Miniaturwunderland can be found near the Hamburg Dungeon in the city.

Port of Hamburg
Hamburg has one of the world’s largest ports and what better place to take the kids than to the port to watch massive ships steer into berth. Millions of tons of cargo come and go through the Port of Hamburg and, apart from marvelling at these behemoths coming and going, there are also one or two permanent attractions. The late 19^th century Rickmer Rickmers sailing ship is one of these attractions, a floating museum and restaurant. Built in the 1960s the nearby Cap San Diego is also worth exploring.

Puppet Museum
Hamburg’s Puppenmuseum Falkenstein is another popular attraction for the kids with its hundreds of dolls and dozens of dolls' houses, kitchens and shops. Exhibitions run from the 18^th century to the mid 20^th century and feature every little detail of the respective period. The museum was years in the making and is good to combine with a stroll of the Falkenstein area. Phone: +49 40 810 582.

Hamburg has lots of history and attractive buildings to look at as well as many interesting galleries and museums to discern. The city’s maritime past is well represented by the 19^th century Rickmer Rickmers galleon, while several of Hamburg’s original quarters were luckily spared WWII destruction.

Alsterarkaden
Located along Innenstadt, the Alsterarkaden is a popular Hamburg arcade best known for its pretty Venetian architecture. After much of Hamburg city centre was destroyed by fire in 1842, Alexis de Chateauneuf was commissioned to redesign it and he paid special attention to the Alsterarkaden. Wrought iron lamps light up the arcades and a row of arches line the waterfront, while the shopping here is also pretty good.

Backerbreitergang
This narrow alley near Dragonerstall in the Neustadt is one of the original remnants of Hamburg’s Alleyway quarter (Gangeviertel). It survived the bombs of WWII and luckily has been put under national trust protection to prevent any further attempts at modernisation of an important part of the city’s early days.

Esplanade
Located within the Neustadt the Esplanade is an elegant street to wander about for those particularly interested in Hamburg’s history. Built to mimic Berlin’s Unter den Linden (Under the Lime Trees), Hamburg’s version has only the one original house remaining - number 37. Lots of other homes along this street are also worth a look, however, many of which still have their original furnishings.

Kunstmeile
Hamburg’s ‘Art Mile’ features a fine collection of museums and galleries in one convenient area. Everything from 20^th century minimalism to medieval portraiture is on display here and it is made all the more interesting having escaped the Nazis' pilfering of German artworks before the war. The main highlights of the Kunstmeile are the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, with its sculpture, jewellery, and Japanese teahouse; the Galerie der Gegenwart, known for its fine exhibitions of modern art; the Kunsthaus, where Hamburg’s local artists are featured; and the visiting exhibits of the Deichtorhallen.

Museum für Völkerkunde
The Museum of Ethnology traces developments of the outside world with some weird and wonderful exhibits with interesting artefacts from Asia, Africa, and the South Pacific. Be sure to check out the domed room near the entrance with its carved sculptures from Papua New Guinea and huge wooden canoes, and the carved Maori meeting hall. Jewellery, sculptures, traditional costumes and musical instruments are all in abundance. Phone: +40 1805 308 888.

Rieck-Haus
This fine open-air museum features many old buildings and associated outhouses from early village life in Hamburg. The old peasant house from the 1500s is the main attraction while an ancient well, historic agricultural machinery and old furniture from the 18^th and 19^th centuries are also here. Be sure to also check out the haystack. Phone: +49 40 723 1223.

Rickmer Rickmers
Originally built in nearby Bremerhaven in the late 19^th century, this impressive 2,000-ton galleon is named after pirate Rickmer Rickmers and is now a maritime museum. The tri-mast galleon saw history under the Portuguese and has had many monikers, yet today rests in Hamburg harbour fully restored near the Landungsbrücken with its original name intact. Many festivals and events are held here while the excellent onboard restaurant is as authentic as they come. Phone: +49 40 319 5959.

St Jacobi Kirche
One of Hamburg’s oldest buildings is the Gothic 14^th century St Jacobi Kirche which, although was badly damaged during WWII, has been fully restored. One of the main features of the church is its baroque organ, one of the largest of its type in the world, while medieval altars and sculptures also feature. The church can be toured from Monday to Saturday and guides are available in English.

Hamburg has some of the best dining in Germany, particularly for seafood, and is also well known for its French bistros and Portuguese bakeries. The Altstadt has the best supply of eateries in the town and prices tend to be friendlier than other prominent German cities to boot.

Restaurants can be found all over the city with the Elbmeile having the pick of the upper-crust eateries while the Schanzenviertel is one for the backpacker fraternity with its cheap, ethnic cafés.

The Hauptbahnhof is also one for snacking and is loaded with snack bars, many of which serve up vegetarian food. Also on the snack front, the cafés and bars in front of the Rathaus have bags of atmosphere although are perhaps a tad on the pricey side.

Typical Hamburg cuisine includes lots of seafood, with lobster, oyster and prawns featuring prominently as well as North Sea plaice. Late spring time is best for the latter where spring plaice (maischolle) can be found in eateries all over the city. Popular meat dishes include hamburger steak (stubenküchen), eel soup (aalsuppe), and labskaus - a type of cured meat stew with potatoes, herring and pickles infused with beer.

Those under 30 years old would do well to pick up a 'Power Pass Card', which not only includes unlimited public transport and savings on popular attractions, it also offers savings on food and drink.

Hamburg also has some good shopping and there are many large shopping malls and department stores where everything from high fashion to natty souvenirs can be picked up.

The biggest and best stores are east of the main Hauptbahnhof station including Fuhlentwiete, Jungfernstieg and Nuer Wall in the city centre, and the Mönckebergstraße. The latter is especially good for jewellery shopping and has a Cartier.

The glitzy Europa Passage shopping complex near Alster Lake is one of the newest places in town to shop with a good supply of eateries to boot. For souvenirs try the shop with the glass roof in the nearby town hall square.

Nearby Spitalerstraße (side street) is also well known while west of the Rathaus are some particularly classy places near the Gaensemarkt. Other trendy boutiques can be found in the Schanzenviertel.

Those into their markets should seek out the flea markets, food markets and special theme markets of the city centre which are held regularly throughout the year and feature all sorts of miscellaneous items.

Outdoor leisure opportunities in Hamburg are pretty good and mainly revolve around the theme of water owing to the many lakes and canals in the city. Sailing on Alster Lake is very popular in the summertime for both residents and tourists and some very good walking trails surround it. There are also one or two good golf courses in town as well as nearby river beaches.

Beaches
Believe it or not, Hamburg has some nice little beaches which reside on the northern bank of the Elbe and to the west of town between Övelgönne and Blankenese. The swimming in the river is fine but being aware of container ships is a must. There are also several beach clubs with bars and restaurants in between Fischmarkt and Övelgönne.

Golf
Hamburg has several comprehensive private golf courses as well as some municipal nine and 18-hole courses where visitors are welcome. Noted courses include the Hamburger Falkenstein Golf Club, which predates WWII and is well known in golfing circles throughout Europe. Another expensive option is the Hamburg Treudelberg Country Club, a championship course that also comes with a driving range and pitch ‘n putt.

Sailing
Hamburg is a city of waterways and lakes, meaning lots of opportunity to go sailing and canoeing. The large Alster Lake is situated just to the north of the city centre and is a hive of sailing and rowing activity in the summer. Boats are available for hire but be aware of strong and sudden winds when in the middle of the lake. Canoeists should head for upper Alster, where many tributaries hit the lake and furnish lots of chances to go exploring. One can also frolic on the River Elbe but being aware of the constant stream of cargo ship traffic is a must.

Walking
The most obvious of these is the pedestrian walkway that goes around the Alster lakes, the largest of which is about four miles around. The more popular Binnenalster Lake is shorter at just over a mile around, while several public parks to the northwest of the city centre offer lots of opportunity to go walking or jogging.