So you are thinking to visit Hamburg in Germany with the kids but unsure on the activities or landmarks to do during your trip. Not to worry, the Germany city has lots to offer for families with over 60 museums, 40 theatres and lots of music venues.
In this guide, I will take you through the best things you could do in Hamburg with your kids including top museums and parks.
Hamburg is located in the North of Germany and is the second largest city in Germany after Berlin. It is famously known for its port that sits on the Elbe River where ferries are used as a daily commute for locals going to work.
The city of Hamburg is a top destination for a nice weekend break with lots of museums and cultural events happening all year round. With the close proximity of Denmark, a lot of Danish citizens go down to Hamburg over the weekend.
Also with direct flights from London with low cost airlines like EasyJet, Hamburg is an easy city break to choose for your family during half term or longer holidays.
So without further do, let’s take a look at all the things you can do in Hamburg with children. Los geht’s!
1. Panoptikum Wax Museum
Located in St Pauli district, the Panoptikum Wax Museum is the old and largest wax museum in Germany. In there, you will find lots of wax figures representing famous German people but also International celebrities, politics or sports players.
You can easily explore the museum in less than 1 hour with a focus on Germany history if your children are keen to learn about that section. Audio guides in English are available at the counter to make the visit even more engaging.
Don’t expect this wax museum to be on the same size as Madame Tussauds in London or Musée Grévin in Paris. However, the Panoptikum Wax Museum still makes a great activity to do in Hamburg with the kids, especially on a rainy day.
📍Spielbudenpl. 3, 20359 Hamburg, Germany
2. International Maritime Museum
As you would expect, a port city cannot be complete without a museum dedicated to the sea transportation. The International Maritime Museum is a top private museum that is home to a huge collection of miniature ships, uniform, paintings and more.
The museum is set in a big red brick building where you can explore everything about the maritime life over 9 floors. That’s right, there are lots of floors and rooms that you can easily spend the whole day in this museum. But I doubt your children will last so long. So it is best to focus on the sections that you and your kids are interested in.
You can spot also a gigantic replica of cruise ship made of Lego bricks. This museum must be on your wishlist of things to do in Hamburg with kids whether you are a big fan of marine vessels or not.
📍Koreastraße 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
3. Hamburg Harbor Cruise
Here is a nice and relaxing way to visit the city of Hamburg with kids. The Hamburg Harbor Cruise will take you through different parts of the city where you can discover important landmarks like the Elbphilarmonie (concert hall) or the popular fish market.
The ship is cruising through Elbe River with an outdoor terrace lounge at the top where you can sip your favourite drink available on board to purchase.
You have the choice of different tours depending on how much time you have on your scheduled day in Hamburg. The most popular cruise takes about 90 minutes. You can also opt in for an evening cruise and admire Hamburg by night.
4. Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Bus Tour
Alternatively, you can decide to hop on the sightseeing tour bus that you can leave anytime at one of the 20 stops. The tour bus is an easy way to be introduced to the city of Hamburg without any fuzz.
Some of the things you will see are the harbour, the Reeperbahn district or the largest Warehouse Complex in the world.
At your seat, you will be able to listen audio guides with headphones provided by the operator with up to 11 languages available.
5. Family Port Tour
Please note that this tour is only available in German language
It is not common to find family tours in cities. So when I have spotted this Port Walking Tour of Hamburg designed for children, I thought surely this must be featured in the best things to in Hamburg.
This family friendly tour of Hamburg waterfront involves around 2 hours of walking and stopping to different locations in the area. It is mostly geared for 6 to 12 years old children joined by their parents of course.
Unfortunately the tour guide is only available in German so a good way for your kids to improve their language skills if German is one of their languages thought at school.
6. Heide Park Resort
Located in the South of Hamburg within1 hour drive from the city, Heide Park Resort is among the best themed parks in Germany. The park has lots of attractions suitable for all age groups including toddlers.
For instance, there is a dedicated Peppa Pig area where your little ones will enjoy different rides including the popular Grandpa Pigs train. You can even stay overnight at the Heide Park Adventure Hotel and sleep at one of the Peppa’s decorated rooms.
For older children, they will love thrilling roller coasters, a 5D cinema around Ghostbusters and so much more. The venue also organises different shows during the day like the Pirate show that lasts about 45 minutes.
Overall, Heide Park Resort is a fun place to stay for 1 or 2 days with a great themed hotel to book in advance.
📍Heide Park 1, 29614 Soltau, Germany
7. Discover Dock Experience
This attraction is not suitable for children under 7 years old
If your children are into VR experiences, they will certainly enjoy Discover Dock. Situated not too far from the Elbphilharmonie, this attraction is an opportunity to travel above the city of Hamburg with a VR headset.
You will also learn how a port is operated from checking goods arriving with boats and how containers are moved around the docks. There is a section where you will feel like a reporter during the G20 summit and will also attend a virtual concert with stunning lights.
This experience lasts around 1 hour or so and is a great introduction to Virtual Reality if you have never worn a VR headset before.
📍Am Kaiserkai 60, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
8. Guided Walking Tour for Harry Potter fans
This tour is only available in German so only for families who can understand the language I am afraid!
Now, in my opinion this activity is best for families who like the Harry Potter books and want to know where the inspiration came from. This 2-hour walking tour is a great way to discover Hamburg with the kids with different landmarks to spot such as St Nicholas Church or Domplatz.
So if you want to discover hidden places in Hamburg and follow an engaging and interesting guide, this tour is perfect for families who can understand German.
Hopefully, the operator might well consider organising this tour in English in the near future!
9. Tierpark Hagenbeck Zoo
If you are looking for a morning or afternoon activity on a sunny day in Hamburg with the kids, you can’t go wrong by visiting Tierpark Hagenbeck. This zoo situated in Stellingen district in the North of Hamburg has over 1,400 animals with lots species to be seen within the premises.
What you will spot at the zoo are different areas with flamingos, elephants, lions and plenty more. The Arctic section is a fun part where your kids can observe penguins.
If you have time, you can also extend your journey at the Tierpark Hagenbeck by purchasing ticket entries to the Tropical Aquarium. Inside, your children will be able to be close to lemurs, Nile crocodiles and of course a diverse range of fishes.
📍Lokstedter Grenzstraße 2, 22527 Hamburg, Germany
10. rabatzz!
Enough of museums and walking tours? Your little tribe will scream about this next attraction. Rabatzz! is an indoor soft play centre suitable for young children and their parents.
The venue is home to fun slides and trampolines with lots of other activities to try with your children. Rabatzz! is a top thing to do with young children during your holiday Hamburg, especially if you have rainy day.
Expect the weekend to be busy or during school holidays. However, the place is fairly big so usually families are still happy to experience this attraction with their little ones. Plus there is a café where you can have your favourite hot drink and snacks.
📍Kieler Str. 575a, 22525 Hamburg, Germany
11. Grasbrookpark
As any big cities, Hamburg has lots of parks where you can find a kids playground. But Grasbrookpark takes city parks to another level. This urban green area is very central in Hamburg and has everything a family needs.
At Grasbrookpark, your children can play in the pirate ship area, a splash park which is perfect for hot summer days, sandpits and plenty more.
Yes the park feels artificial because it was made out of nothing but now you can appreciate some trees growing in the area with fake grass for maximum comfort.
Parents can relax by watching their children having a blast with their peers at this park.
Overall, Grasbrookpark is a good example of how an urban park designed for families should look like in cities.
📍Am Grasbrookpark, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
12. SPRUNG RAUM Trampoline Park Hamburg
Now if your kids are used to jump up and down at their local trampoline park, this place is definitely worth the trip. Located at the North East side of central Hamburg, Sprung Raum is a fantastic indoor trampoline park with lots of space for everyone.
Lots of activities are available on site and also some areas reserved for beginners who can practise their jumps on trampolines.
Set over 5,000 m2 of space, this trampoline parks is very modern and full of bright colors that make the space so much fun. You might also see some birthday parties going on when you visit the place with your kids.
Make sure to pre book your entry tickets online during busy times. Have fun!
📍Junkersring 28, 53844 Troisdorf, Germany
13. Chocoversum Chocolate Tour
Afterwards, you can head to a more quieter attraction but still very much suitable for families visiting Hamburg. The Chocoversum is a highly praised chocolate tour available in Germany and English for small groups. Kids and parents will love this 90 minutes experience.
At first, the tour begins with lots of historical facts about how chocolate is made, when it was discovered and so on. Then, you will have opportunities to taste different kinds of chocolate.
Finally, there is small workshop at the end of the tour where you can make your own chocolate bar with different ingredients available to you.
This chocolate tour has been recently highly praised by families so why not taking the time to experience it yourself.
📍Meßberg 1, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
14. Miniature Wonderland
A holiday break in Hamburg with the kids certainly needs to include a trip to Miniatur Wunderland. Why? Because the place hosts the largest model railway set up in the world.
This activity in Hamburg can easily takes up to 5 hours if you want to see every exhibit and admire all the detailed works that went into building these different worlds. You will see an airport with lots of plane, a fun fair, some worldwide landmarks recreated like Rome Coliseum or Venice.
It is just incredible to see how possible it is to replicate stunning scenes of our modern world with so much precision. Apparently this miniature world required 800,000 hours of world with €21 millions investment to build it.
This attraction is among the most popular things to do in Hamburg with kids. Don’t miss it under any circumstances!
📍Kehrwieder 2/Block D, 20457 Hamburg, Germany
15. BallinStadt – Emigrant Museum
Last on my recommended list of the best things to do in Hamburg with children is BallinStadt, a museum that was home for emigrants coming from Europe with the desire to cross the Atlantic for new life.
Today, BallinStadt is a place to learn the history of emigration since the 16h century with different rooms to walk through. Unfortunately lots of explanations are only available in Germany but the venue has English guidebooks available.
This attractive is not essential if you have only 1 or 2 days to spend in Hamburg but is worth checking if you are ready to go to Hamburg Mitte.
📍Veddeler Bogen 2, 20539 Hamburg, Germany
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CONCLUSION
You have reached the end of my article on the top things to do in Hamburg with kids. As you can see, this Northern Germany city has lots to offer for visitors and I am sure there are plenty more museums and activities to add to the list.
I hope you will enjoy your holiday in Hamburg and make it a successful family trip worth telling about to your friends and family. Happy Travels!
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