Climbing on the pirate island
All hands on deck
The brand-new HafenCity district is packed with state-of-the-art buildings that will make the heart of architecture fans skip a beat. Children are however more likely to be impressed by the structures on the Piratenspielplatz. Fully decked out in pirate style, this playground is surrounded by a shallow moat which of course represents a raging sea. Crawl into the crow's nest of a wooden pirate ship and sail to the climbing island, but watch out for sharks!
Wilhelmsburger Inselpark: 5 theme playgrounds
Five-in-one park
Wilhelmsburger Inselpark is an attraction in itself. The 5 playgrounds all have their own theme and each one is worth exploring. 'Mysterious Island', with a swamp, birch forest and a real volcano, is inspired by the homonymous Jules Verne’s novel. The ‘Desert’ is all about sand and ‘Wind’ features a moving dune landscape. Future architects will have a blast in the ‘Huts’ and ‘Palaces’, and take a trip to ‘Atlantis’ to look for hidden treasures.
Stadtpark: the largest in Hamburg
Large, green oasis
With its 37 acres, the Stadtpark (City Park), north of Alster Lake, is Hamburg's largest and perhaps most popular park. On a sunny day the park is packed with children flying kites or sailing their miniature boats on the pond. The playground next to Planschbecken is the largest of the six. Rope nets, wooden structures and even a half sunken ship with a mast provide plenty of playful challenges to children of all ages. Those who want more excitement than the swings, slides and teeter-totters can also slide down various cable cars.