Hamburg - centre based tour

It's worth travelling early. Your 6-day home away from home awaits you in a unique location with sweeping views of the riverbank and Elbe. Look forward to the days ahead.

What a lovely way to set the mood, spending the whole day by the beautiful Elbe! First thing in the morning you cycle along the Marschlanddamm. Enjoy the sweeping views to the right and left of the Elbe from this elevated position. In Geesthacht, marvel at the large Elbe bridge with its barrage and locks, which is well worth seeing. It regulates the entire water level for Hamburg harbour! The Elbe cycle path then takes you through the densely wooded ‘Hohes Elbufer’ nature reserve to the shipping town of Lauenburg. Look forward to the richly decorated, colourful half-timbered houses in the picturesque old town and the interesting Elbe Shipping Museum. The historic paddle steamer ‘Kaiser Wilhelm’, which exudes a little nostalgia, is idyllically moored on the Elbe riverbank promenade. After an extensive tour, enjoy a leisurely ride along the left bank of the Elbe back to the hotel.

In the morning, take the Elbe ferry at the hotel and cross over to the left bank of the Elbe. Here you now follow the well signposted Ilmenau cycle path. The cycle path leads along the tranquil course of the Ilmenau river, the banks of which, with their tributaries and floodplains, have been designated as a European nature reserve. You cycle via Oldershausen with its typical old farmsteads and discover Bardowick with its unusual cathedral. Finally, you cycle along a historic towpath on the banks of the Ilmenau directly to the old salt and Hanseatic city of Lüneburg. Marvel at the undestroyed medieval townscape. Lüneburg proudly presents itself with monumental patrician houses that still bear witness to its rich past. In Lüneburg, don't miss a visit to the exciting German Salt Museum, which vividly documents the 1,000-year history of local salt mining with unique exhibits. On the way back, you should take a well-earned break in Winsen an der Luhe with its castle, which is well worth seeing, before ending the day in a cosy hotel.

Cycle effortlessly along the Elbe Cycle Path to the city centre of the cosmopolitan city of Hamburg. Here you can set off on an extensive sightseeing tour by bike. On your cycle route, you are sure to be amazed by Hamburg's historic town hall and probably also enjoy the cosmopolitan atmosphere on the Jungfernstieg. You will have time to visit the city's landmark, the ‘Michel’ (St Michael's Church), before you cycle along the back roads to the Elbe promenade. Here you can really feel the cosmopolitan city of Hamburg! Cycle through the Speicherstadt warehouse district to the Elbphilharmonie concert hall and then via the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken to the Old Elbe Tunnel, which is sure to be a highlight of your trip. The Elbe Tunnel was opened more than 100 years ago and was considered a technical masterpiece at the time. It passes under the Elbe at a depth of 24 metres over a length of 420 metres. Today, the Elbe Tunnel is used by around 60,000 cyclists and 700,000 pedestrians every year. Cycling through the Elbe tunnel is truly an experience! At the other end, you use the large lift that releases you into the hustle and bustle of the harbour. Cycle safely on a separate cycle path through the ‘free harbour’ to Wilhelmsburg and on to the beautiful old Harburg Elbe bridge. Now it's not far and you cycle on small roads south of the Elbe back to the hotel.

Today also offers plenty of variety. There are no fewer than eight important sights to visit on today's stage. Look forward to the Riepenburg grain windmill in working order, Reinbek Castle, built in the Dutch Renaissance style, and Bergedorf Castle with its beautiful park directly on the River Bille. Those who wish can visit the Neuengamme concentration camp memorial or trace the life and work of Otto von Bismarck in the Bismarck Mausoleum (museum, permanent exhibition and mausoleum). And: in the ‘Garden of Butterflies’ you can be enchanted by the tropical colours of free-flying butterflies from all over the world. Today offers all these possibilities. You cycle through the fertile marshland, through the nature reserve along the meandering Bille and through the extensive Sachsenwald forest. This day combines nature and culture in a perfect way.

With many memories of the beautifully situated and much-loved Hotel Zollenspieker Fährhaus and with many varied experiences of the past few days in your luggage, you will start your journey home today.