Cycling Routes in Hamburg: 9 Tours We Really Recommend
Hamburg is a fantastic city to explore by bike. We are, of course, not entirely unbiased: since 2009 we have been showing visitors around Hamburg by bicycle and renting bikes from our shop in St. Pauli to anyone who prefers to explore the city on their own.
One of the questions we hear most often is: Where should we go cycling in Hamburg? The answer mainly depends on how much time you have. For a two-hour ride, we would recommend something very different from a full summer day on the bike.
So we have sorted our favourite routes by distance and time. They range from an easy 15-kilometre loop around the Außenalster to the roughly 100-kilometre Green Ring around Hamburg. All of the routes described here are suitable for a normal city bike. Hamburg is not exactly famous for alpine descents.
Short bike rides in Hamburg
1. Around the Außenalster
Distance: approx. 15 km
Time: around 1.5 to 2 hours
Difficulty: easy
Character: water, city and parks
The loop around the Außenalster is probably the easiest introduction if you want to discover a little of Hamburg by bike. The route is not particularly long and follows the water for most of the way. At the same time, the scenery changes constantly: parks, sailing clubs, villas, busy neighbourhoods and repeated views across the lake.
Our tip: stop for a few minutes on Krugkoppelbrücke. It is a great place to look across the Außenalster and simply watch what is happening on and around the water.
Our route on Komoot:
Open the Außenalster route on Komoot
2. HafenCity, Old Elbe Tunnel and Elbe Beach
Distance: approx. 20 km
Time: around 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: easy, with one or two very short steeper climbs
Character: harbour, Elbe and modern architecture
If it is your first time in Hamburg and you want to see a lot of the city’s classic sights within a relatively short ride, this is one of our favourite routes. From St. Pauli, you first ride through the harbour towards HafenCity before taking your bike through the historic Old Elbe Tunnel to the southern side of the river.
The tunnel itself is already an experience. Once you reach the other side, you get a completely different view of Hamburg’s harbour. The route then takes you back to the northern side of the Elbe and continues towards Övelgönne and the Elbe beach.
One small highlight comes near the end of the ride: Dockland. If you still have a few steps left in your legs, leave the bike at the bottom and walk up onto the roof. The view over the Elbe, the harbour and the container terminals is excellent. Depending on your route, you can also shorten the ride by using harbour ferry 62.
Our route on Komoot:
Open the HafenCity, Old Elbe Tunnel and Elbe Beach route on Komoot
3. Our Holzhafen loop
Distance: approx. 25 km
Time: around 2.5 to 3.5 hours
Difficulty: moderate
Character: HafenCity, Oberhafen, Elbe, industry and nature
This route takes you to a part of Hamburg that many visitors never see. Starting in St. Pauli, you first head towards HafenCity and Oberhafen. From there, you follow the Elbe eastwards towards Entenwerder and eventually reach the island of Kaltehofe.
Our tip: allow some time for a stop at Wasserkunst Kaltehofe. Just a few kilometres further on lies the Holzhafen. That contrast is exactly what makes the route so interesting: harbour infrastructure and industry on one side, water, greenery and a surprising amount of nature on the other.
If you do not want to cycle the complete route back, you can shorten the return journey by taking the S-Bahn from the Billwerder-Moorfleet area.
Our route on Komoot:
Open the Holzhafen route on Komoot
Half-day bike rides
4. From St. Pauli via Blankenese to Wedel
Distance: approx. 43 km return
Time: around 4 to 6 hours including breaks
Difficulty: moderate
Character: Elbe, beach, villas and ships
Return option: S1 from Wedel
When guests rent a bike from us and ask where they should go, we send many of them west. The ride itself is already beautiful: from St. Pauli you pass the fish market, continue through Övelgönne and then follow the Elbe further west.
After roughly ten kilometres you reach Blankenese. This is a good place to leave the bike for a while and explore the famous Treppenviertel on foot. If you have enough time, continue towards Falkenstein and Wedel. One possible destination is Willkomm Höft, the ship greeting station at Schulauer Hafen. In good weather, you can extend the day with a stop at the beach or beach club.
Only as far as Blankenese?
For many of our guests, that is actually the better option. From St. Pauli to Blankenese and back is roughly 20 kilometres. Add a walk through the Treppenviertel and a break, and it still makes for a very enjoyable half-day trip. On the way back, you could stop at Strandperle on the Elbe beach.
We will soon publish a separate route for this section with detailed navigation, the Treppenviertel and places to stop for food and drinks.
Our tailwind trick
Wedel is directly connected to the S1, which means you do not necessarily have to cycle both directions. Check the wind direction in the morning and simply take the train for one leg of the journey. With Hamburg’s frequent westerly winds, for example, you can take the S1 to Wedel first and then enjoy a tailwind while cycling back along the Elbe towards St. Pauli. That can make a surprisingly big difference.
5. Follow the Alster to Poppenbüttel
Distance: approx. 20 km one way / approx. 40 km return
Time: around 2 to 3 hours one way, 4 to 5 hours return
Difficulty: moderate
Character: water, parks, woodland and the Alster Valley
Return option: S1 from Poppenbüttel
If you would rather see Hamburg’s greener side than its maritime one, follow the Alster north. The route begins in a fairly urban setting, but the further north you ride, the greener it becomes. From Ohlsdorf onwards, the scenery changes noticeably: there is more woodland and the terrain becomes slightly hillier. What begins as a city ride gradually turns into a proper little cycling excursion.
If you have enough time, it is also worth taking a detour through Ohlsdorf Cemetery. Because of its enormous size, old trees and historic graves, it feels more like a huge park landscape than what most people imagine when they think of a cemetery.
The ride conveniently finishes close to the S1 station in Poppenbüttel, so you can easily cycle only one direction and take the train back.
6. To Bunthäuser Spitze
Distance: approx. 32 km
Time: around 3 to 4 hours
Difficulty: moderate
Character: Elbe islands, dykes and nature
Return/shortcut: possible via Wilhelmsburg S-Bahn station
Bunthäuser Spitze is a ride for anyone who wants to see a completely different side of Hamburg, away from Speicherstadt, City Hall and the Landungsbrücken. From St. Pauli you cross the Elbe towards Wilhelmsburg and then continue south. With every kilometre, the city and harbour fade into the background and are replaced by dykes, water and nature.
At Bunthäuser Spitze you will find the small historic Bunthaus lighthouse. Climb the few steps and enjoy the view from the top. The Heuckenlock nature reserve is also close by.
Long bike rides and full-day trips
7. Vier- und Marschlande to Zollenspieker
Distance: approx. 60 km
Time: around 5 to 7 hours including breaks
Difficulty: moderate, mainly because of the distance
Character: dykes, farmland, villages and lots of greenery
Return option: possible via Bergedorf
For a full day on the bike, the Vier- und Marschlande are among our personal favourites. And this really is a personal recommendation. We know the area very well and for a longer bike ride we would often choose it over the better-known Altes Land.
Out here, Hamburg suddenly no longer feels like a big city. You ride along the Dove Elbe and Gose Elbe, passing fields, greenhouses, old farmhouses and small villages. Many roads run along or beside the dykes. A great destination is Zollenspieker in the far south-east of Hamburg.
For the return journey, you can plan the route towards Bergedorf and take the S-Bahn from there. Buses outside the city also take bicycles when there is enough space available.
8. Take the ferry to Altes Land: Finkenwerder to Jork
Distance: approx. 40 km cycling return, plus the ferry ride
Time: around 5 to 7 hours as a relaxed day trip
Difficulty: moderate
Character: orchards, dykes, half-timbered houses and the Elbe
Getting there: harbour ferry 62 to Finkenwerder
Altes Land is probably the best-known cycling destination in the Hamburg region, and with good reason. Orchards, traditional farmhouses, half-timbered buildings and dykes create a very distinctive landscape, particularly during blossom season in spring.
Our version begins with the ferry to Finkenwerder. From there, you cycle roughly 20 kilometres towards Jork before returning the same way. That gives you around 40 kilometres of cycling plus the ferry ride across the Elbe.
Our tip for Altes Land: allow extra time for the ferry at weekends
On Saturdays and Sundays, the ferry can become very busy in good weather, particularly when many people are travelling with bicycles. Allow some extra time and stay flexible.
And if you ask us which of the two big countryside rides we personally prefer: Vier- und Marschlande. Altes Land is better known, but for cycling we like the Vier- und Marschlande at least as much.
9. The Green Ring: around Hamburg
Distance: approx. 100 km
Time: best ridden in sections or over 2 to 3 days
Difficulty: technically mostly easy; physically dependent on the length of each stage
Character: a large circular route through Hamburg’s green belt
Return options: numerous S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations along the route
If you really want to cover some distance, you can cycle around Hamburg on the Second Green Ring. The route is around 100 kilometres long and runs through the green belt surrounding the inner city. Along the way, it connects very different sides of Hamburg: parks, forests, lakes and rivers, marshland and nature reserves.
We would not turn the 100 kilometres into a sporting obligation, though. Of course you can ride the entire route in one day, but you do not have to. For many people it is probably more enjoyable in two or three stages, or simply as inspiration for individual sections. The many S-Bahn and U-Bahn connections make the route easy to adapt.
Combining cycling with public transport in Hamburg
Hamburg makes it fairly easy to combine cycling with public transport. Bicycles can be taken on S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains free of charge. From Monday to Friday, however, bicycles are restricted between 6 am and 9 am and between 4 pm and 6 pm. These restrictions do not apply at weekends, on public holidays or during the Hamburg summer school holidays.
Harbour ferries are also very useful when planning bike rides. Bicycles can be taken on buses as well, provided there is enough space. For longer routes, combining bike and public transport can make a lot of sense.
Wedel and Poppenbüttel are particularly convenient because both are directly connected to the S1. Instead of riding a route in both directions, you can simply use the train for one leg. On the Elbe route to Wedel, you may even be able to use the wind direction to your advantage.
Which Hamburg bike route is right for you?
Only one or two hours? Ride around the Außenalster.
First time in Hamburg and want to see the harbour and Elbe? Choose HafenCity, the Old Elbe Tunnel and Elbe Beach.
Looking for a less obvious short ride? Try our Holzhafen loop.
A relaxed half-day? Ride to Blankenese.
Want more kilometres along the Elbe? Continue to Wedel.
Woodland and nature? Follow the Alster to Poppenbüttel.
A completely different side of Hamburg? Ride to Bunthäuser Spitze.
A full summer day on the bike? We would probably send you to the Vier- und Marschlande.
Don’t have a bike with you?
Easy to solve. At Hamburg City Cycles in St. Pauli, you can rent a city bike or e-bike and start riding straight away. Several of the routes on this page begin practically on our doorstep.
And if you would rather explore Hamburg with someone who can also tell you what you are actually looking at along the way, we also offer guided bike tours through Hamburg.