The harbour view
Huge container ships passing in front of you and the docks working on the opposite bank.
Swenrauh — CC BY-SA 3.0 · hh oldman — CC BY 3.0 · Pauli-Pirat — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pauli-Pirat — CC BY-SA 4.0
The Altonaer Balkon is a small park on the edge of a bluff above the Elbe in Altona, west of central Hamburg. The name describes it exactly: a balcony over the harbour and the river, from which you watch huge container ships pass and the docks working on the far bank. It is free and always open, with benches, grass and trees. Hamburg residents come here to sit and watch the sunset more than tourists do, which is part of its appeal. Directly below the terrace runs the riverside path, from which you can walk east towards the harbour or west towards the river beaches.
Huge container ships passing in front of you and the docks working on the opposite bank.
The sun sets directly over the river — one of Hamburg's best sunset spots, and free.
A walk along the Elbe beneath the terrace, running east to the harbour and west to the beaches.
Palmaille, 22765 Hamburg
DocklandDockland is an office building on the bank of the Elbe completed in 2005, and it3 minutes walk4.5
Altonaer MuseumThe Altonaer Museum is a regional museum covering the culture of northern German5 minutes walk4.6
The Fish Auction HallThe Fish Auction Hall is an 1896 steel-framed building with a glazed roof standi14 minutes walk4.5
U-434 Submarine MuseumA real ninety-metre submarine moored at the St. Pauli fish market: U-434 is a So16 minutes walk4.6
Oevelgonne Museum HarbourThe Oevelgonne Museum Harbour is not a museum in the institutional sense but a q18 minutes walk4.7By train to Altona station, then a ten-minute walk south towards the river, or by bus to nearby Palmaille. It is easy to reach from central Hamburg — about fifteen minutes in all.
Yes: grass, benches and safety, and children enjoy watching the big ships go by. Just note that the edge is high, so keep an eye on small children near it.
Go down to the riverside path and walk east towards Hamburg harbour and the fish market, or west towards Övelgönne with its Elbe beaches and cafés. Both directions are attractive and the walking along the bank is easy.