Showing posts with label Hagenbeck Tierpark. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hagenbeck Tierpark. Show all posts

Tuesday 5 September 2017

Family Travel - 48 Hours in Hamburg

As a family we love to explore and visit new towns, cities and countries. We are therefore always on the look out for new places to visit and regularly visit Skyscanner to try and find some bargain flights. Back in July, I visited the website one evening and entered Manchester as the departure airport and then selected "everywhere" as the destination and August for the month. To be honest, I wasn't expecting to find anything super cheap due to it being the school holiday period, but couldn't believe my eyes when flights came up for Hamburg for only £8! I double checked that I had entered the information correctly, thinking that I must have made a mistake somewhere, but after clicking through to the Ryanair website, I was astonished to see that the price was indeed correct! I added seat selection and the total price for 2 adults and 3 children from Manchester Airport to Hamburg from the 15th August to the 17th of August, came to a grand total of £89.72. That is cheaper than a return ticket to London for just one of us on the train!

I immediately began to do my research, in order to find out what there was for families in the area and whether there would be enough to keep my children entertained. Whilst searching, I came across the Come to Hamburg scheme who help bloggers & journalists arrange their visit to Hamburg and also help them to find accommodation. This sounded an absolutely brilliant idea, so I submitted my application and within a couple of days I received an email back stating that they would love to welcome us to Hamburg and help us with our trip!

We were allocated some lovely accommodation at the Appartello Smarttime Living hotel and received some suggestions on places to visit. The Miniatur Wunderland came highly recommended on Tripadvisor, as did Hagenbeck Tierpark, so we decided that we would have to visit both of these places whilst staying. I also continued my research for other events that were on in the area and found out that the Hamburger Dom would also be taking place, so gradually began to put our itinerary together and got our flights booked! The Hamburg Tourist Board also kindly offered to provide us with a Hamburg Travel Card which would allow us to make use of the public transport in the area to get us around the city without the need for a car. Everything began to come together and we all started to look forward to our trip.


We had an early morning flight on the 15th August, so we arrived at Manchester Airport a little tired, but in plenty of time for our journey. The flight only took 1 hour and 30 minutes, so it was a really comfortable short flight time for us all. We travelled hand luggage only, with it being a short trip, which meant that we were soon out of the arrivals area in Hamburg and ready to find our bus stop for the short journey to the Appartello Smarttime Living Hotel.

The bus trip was only 10 minutes long and we exited the bus at the Alsterdorfer Damm bus stop, which was located just down the road from the hotel. I had arranged in advance to drop off our bags prior to exploring, but we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived, to be told that our room was already available and that we could check in straight away.

Our apartment was lovely, tastefully decorated and with a modern decor. There was ample space and it was immaculately clean and tidy. It was a great place to have a quick rest and freshen up before heading to our first attraction of the day. The staff on reception were wonderful and even printed off a bus timetable for me, to help make sure we had all the directions we needed for the day. The whole hotel was just fantastic and we would definitely recommend it to others. You can read more about the Appartello Smarttime Living Hotel in our blog post here: Our Stay at the Appartello Smarttime Living Hotel


Our first attraction was the Miniatur Wunderland and so we caught the train to Baumwall before having a nice walk around the area. We saw the magnificent Elbphilharmonie building on the waterfront which was absolutely stunning and the kids enjoyed watching some of the street performers. We had a nice drink and snack from one of the local cafes before making our way to the attraction, which was located just next to the Hamburg Dungeons.



The Miniatur Wunderland is situated alongside the River Elbe and is easily accessible by public transport. It is home to the worlds largest model railway and features an extensive collection of miniaturised countries, all displayed in an amazing and unique way. It first opened in the year 2000 and is not expected to be completed until 2028.

Riley loved watching the trains journey around the exhibits and we were shocked to find that as of Autumn last year, there are a staggering 1040 trains in total, in addition to more than 10,000 wagons. The longest train measures in at 14.51 metres and the total track length is an astonishing 15,400 metres. You can read more about the Miniatur Wunderland in our blog post here: Our Family Visit to Miniatur Wunderland


Once we had finished our visit to Miniatur Wunderland, we made our way back to the U-Bahn station. We then caught the train again to the Hamburger Dom which is a huge fair packed full of stalls, rides and delicious food. The train journey was literally only a couple of stops away in Heiligengeistfeld and the Dom was right next to the station, in the event area by St Pauli stadium.


My children loved the wide range of rides that were available and each of them chose a few to go on. We bought some delicious sausages from one of the food stalls that tasted incredible and enjoyed a refreshing drink whilst walking through the fair in the sunshine. Some of the rides looked spectacular, although a bit scary! After a very early start and a long day on our feet, the children were beginning to get tired and so we made our way back to the hotel for a good nights sleep, ready for the following day.


We all had a lovely sleep that evening and woke up bright and early the following day feeling refreshed and re-energised. We made our way to the Appartello Living Room for breakfast, before catching a bus to the Hagenbeck Tierpark which was a 30 minute bus ride away. We had read on Tripadvisor that you could feed the elephants there, so we were all very excited at being able to get up close to such beautiful animals.

Shortly after entering, we saw a small crowd gathering to the right hand side, so we made our way over to see what was happening. As we approached, we saw the most beautiful elephants, who were all reaching out with their trunks, to collect fresh fruit and vegetables from the visitors. They looked well cared for and the size of their enclosure was very impressive, along with a large pool for them to cool off or play in. It was amazing for the children to be able to get so close to such a large and stunning animal and they just couldn't believe that they were actually feeding them by hand. You can read more about our visit to Hagenbeck Tierpark in our blog post here: Our Trip to Hagenbeck Tierpark


We spent the whole day at Hagenbeck Tierpark, before returning to the hotel and popping out for an evening meal. We couldn't believe how much we had managed to fit into just 48 hours, but were a little sad that our visit had almost come to an end and there was still so much we wanted to see and do.

We enjoyed a final visit to the Appartello Living Room where Riley had a play with the train sets, before heading back to the room to pack for our journey home. We had such a wonderful time in Hamburg and I have already been looking at returning in November for the Christmas markets and to experience Winter in the city. We would also love to watch the fountain shows that take place late in the evening, so we will definitely be visiting again soon.


I would like to thank Come to Hamburg, Appartello Smarttime Living Hotel, Hamburg Tourist Information & Miniatur Wunderland for helping to provide us with such a fantastic experience. We look forward to visiting you again in the future!


Disclaimer: We received complimentary accommodation from Appartello Smarttime Living through the Come to Hamburg Scheme, along with a complimentary Hamburg Travel Card & Miniatur Wunderland tickets from the tourist board for the purpose of providing a full and honest review of our visit. Our review is based on our own experience & we have received no additional payment for the blog posts. Opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated. This post contains affiliate links.



Friday 25 August 2017

Our Trip to Hagenbeck Tierpark - A Review

Whilst visiting Hamburg last week, we were very surprised at just how much there was to do in the area. We were only staying for a couple of days, but managed to fit so much into the space of 48 hours. One of the places we visited was Hagenbeck Tierpark, which is one of Germany's most popular zoos.

The zoo was approximately half an hour on the bus from the Appartello Smarttime Living hotel, that we were staying in. It was a direct bus service on the number 39, so there was no need for us to make any changes during the journey. It was then a very short walk from the bus stop, to the entrance of the zoo, where you paid at a kiosk for entry. We had Hamburg Travel Cards which give a discount on admission, however the family ticket worked out a much better deal than using the travel card discount, so we opted for this instead.

Hagenbeck Tierpark first opened in 1907 and drew attention, due to the fact that the animals enclosures are surrounded by moats, as opposed to fences. We noticed that this was still the case for many of the animals, only spotting a couple of fenced enclosures during our visit.


At the ticket office we were provided with our map and a list of feeding times. It is important to keep hold of this, as all the signposts throughout the park are numbered as opposed to named, so you will need to keep referring to the map to see which number corresponds to which animal. As we made our way into the attraction, we noticed a small queue of people, who were buying bags of fruit and vegetables. We had read beforehand that you could purchase these bags to feed the elephants and baboons, so the children quickly joined the queue to buy some food. There is no set purchase price, but instead they ask for a donation. I never really know what to give in these kind of situations, so I did feel a bit awkward and worried as to whether I had donated enough, but we gave around 3 euros in change per bag.

Shortly after entering, we saw a small crowd gathering to the right hand side, so we made our way over to see what was happening. As we approached, we saw the most beautiful elephants, who were all reaching out with their trunks to collect food from the visitors. They looked well cared for and the size of their enclosure was very impressive, along with a large pool for them to cool off or play in. It was amazing for the children to be able to get so close to such a large and stunning animal and they just couldn't believe that they were actually feeding them by hand.


We could have spent ages here just watching the elephants, but after half an hour, we decided to go and explore the rest of the zoo. As they were situated close to the entrance and exit, we told the kids that we would come back and see them again before we left. We continued our walk around the zoo and came across some pelicans wandering across the grass. They weren't bothered by the passing crowds and simply carried on about their business by the side of the lake.


In addition to all the wonderful animals, the Hagenbeck Tierpark is also home to some stunning gardens. This was one of our favourite places that we came across whilst walking around and it was so peaceful just sitting by the lake and enjoying some lunch.


There were lots of opportunities to feed animals as you made your way around the zoo. Even though the elephants were definitely the children's favourite, we also enjoyed feeding the baboons, alpacas and goats. It was a great chance for Emma, Ben and Riley to get close to some lovely creatures.


Emma really enjoyed the goat pen, which is where you could walk into the enclosure and feed and stroke the goats. Some were a little on the cheeky side and would try and take the whole bag from your hands, but others were quite happy to simply stand and pose for a photo!


Another popular part of Hagenbeck Tierpark was the children's play park. This was a really large area that provided plenty of room for kids to run around and have some fun. There was plenty for all ages to enjoy and Emma & Ben particularly liked the swinging rope, as they hadn't seen one of these before.


After a short play on the park, we continued our walk towards the Hagenbeck Eismeer, which is spread over 8000 square metres. The clever design allows you to view the animals from both above and below the water, which was very impressive.


Whilst underground we noticed that there were lots of information boards (in German) providing plenty of facts and figures. There were also a few photo opportunities, like this one on the ski mobile.


Overall we had a lovely day out and feeding the elephants is certainly a memory that my children will hold on to. The Hagenbeck Eismeer is spectacular and we spent a couple of hours in this area alone. The whole park is well maintained, with beautiful gardens and scenery, along with plenty of seating to have a rest when you needed to. The majority of the enclosures were very large for the animals, though I was a little disappointed with the lions enclosure as felt that this looked quite small in comparison to the others. Hagenbeck Tierpark was easily accessible by public transport and I felt that the entry price for families was reasonable. We would definitely visit again.

Important Information

Address: Hagenbeck Tierpark, Lokstedter Grenzstraße 2, 22527 Hamburg

Opening times: Hagenbeck Tierpark is open all year from 9am. Closing times vary throughout the year, so I would always recommend visiting their own website, for the most up to date information which can be found here - Opening Hours

Entry prices: The following entry prices are for the zoo only, however you can also purchase combined tickets which allow entry to both the zoo & the aquarium. For the most up to date prices you can visit their website here - Entry Prices

Adult single ticket - 20 euros
Child single ticket (4 to 16 years) - 15 euros
Family Card 1 (2 adults & 2 children) - 60 euros
Family Card 2 (2 adults & 3 children) - 70 euros



Disclaimer: All opinions and photographs are my own unless otherwise stated. Our trip to Hamburg was arranged with the assistance of the Come to Hamburg scheme. Information provided was correct at the time of writing, but is subject to change, so would also recommend visiting the attractions own website before visiting.