Binnen and Außenalster, Hamburg

3 more images

Binnenalster is my favourite spot in Hamburg, a lake in the centre of Hamburg! It’s so relaxing when I go there and we just walk near the lake, you can walk around the lake. It’s nice in the night too to visit the area and have a drink. It’s perfect to sit there and just watch the calming water, the inhabitants of the lake which are the swans of course and the numerous small boats that do small tours.

There are many hotels (with great view over the lake) and restaurants around. I never visited Hamburg during winter but it must be nice too when the lake is frozen and the people go there for ice skating!
Binnen Alster(inner) is connecter with the Outer lake (which is much larger) through Kennedy and Lombard bridges.

The lake is just some meters away from Rathaus(townhall) if you want to visit both sites

4 more images

The two artificial lakes of Hamburg. This body of water is just within city limits. Binnen Alster(Inner) is smaller as the Outer Alster. You can actually walk around the entire lake without having to cross a single road. Art fans can admire numerous sculptures in and around the water, while nature lovers will be impressed by the enormous variety.

Visitors can hire a wide variety of boats (rowing boats, pedal boats or dinghies), but the lake can get very busy on summer weekends. If you don't fancy working up a sweat, then why not board a steamboat and explore one of the many canals that branch off the Alster.

Hamburg’s Famous hotels, businesses, and restaurants run along the water’s edge. The Kennedy and Lombard bridges separate the Inner from the Outer lake which provides a great view of both.

We enjoyed some beautiful scenes both from the touring double decker bus and through strolling the Binnen area.

Besides the harbour cruise there are more options to do boat tours in Hamburg. Tours of the Fleete (canals), lakes and the river Alster show a completely different side of the city, very green and as romantic as can be.

Bots depart at Jungfernstieg on the Alster.

Footnote: The “Alster Cabrio” in the photo is only open if the weather allows – otherwise the boats have a roof.

Not content with having the lovely Binnenalster on their doorstep, the lucky people of Hamburg also have the Aussenalster, a much bigger lake, separated from the inner lake by two bridges, stretching out into the suburbs. You can barely see the opposite shores of the Aussenalster in my picture, though this is as much to do with the cloudy weather as with the size of the lake, which is over 7km in circumference. We only walked a small part of the Aussenalster. It could be a full half-day trip to walk it all.

4 more images

Hamburg Binnenalster is like a big lake just in the center of the town. Around the "lake" are office buildings, hotels, coffee bars and restaurants. From the south end you have a beautiful view, here the boat tours on the Alster also start. But the best (in my eyes) is to enjoy this place in winter when the lake is frozen and you can do ice skating on it and several sales booths are on the lake. A great ambience, especially in the evening.

4 more images

Aussenalster is the bigger of the 2 artificial lakes and it is certainly the most exclusive area to live. One of the first buildings is the American embassy that is guarded like a fortress day and night. Plenty of rich people and lots of foreign embassies have their palais there, BUT all of the coast-line is for public use only and it became the most popular recreation-area of Hamburg.
Upstream you will find plenty of side-canals with a lot more villas of celebrities.
Motorboats may be used at Binnenalster and Aussenalster only for the public trafic, the police and a few boats accompanying the many rowing-boats during competitions. None of the embassies nor anyone of the really rich people may use their motor-yachts there...

4 more images

Binnen-Alster is the smaller of the 2 artificial lakes in the very centre of Hamburg. The river Alster was dammed already in the 13th century and so the Binnen-Alster and the Aussen-Alster are in fact artificial lakes.
Binnenalster is the small lake next to Jungfernstieg and not far from the Rathaus / townhall of Hamburg and you will also find the most famous luxuryhotel of Hamburg there :
The "Raffles 4 Jahreszeiten". The hotel was built in 1904 by the architects Freytag&Wuerzbach. next to it you will find the Amsinck-Palais housing the "Übersee-Club".

3 more images

As my hotel was very near the two lakes of Hamburg, the Binnen(inner)Alster and the Aussen(outer)Alster, it was a pleasant walk in the springtime, even if it was a bit chilly and grey when I visited. From here it is possible to take a trip with the various boat tour companies.