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Tierpark Hagenbeck - Hamburg Zoo And Tropical Aquarium Review

A short ride on public transport from the centre of Hamburg is Tierpark Hagenbeck. Hamburg's popular zoo is privately owned by the Hagenbeck family since its opening by Carl Hagenbeck in 1907. Mr Hagenbeck was a pioneer in open enclosures surrounded by moats instead of fences and this is still the same today.

We were shown around by the lovely press relations lady Sabina, and this helped us understand more about the zoo or Tierpark as she preferred it to be called. 

In the 1890s Carl Hagenbeck created his first "panorama" exhibit which he patented a few years later. The tiered display had seals and walruses in a pool, a hidden moat then reindeer and then another hidden moat between polar bears. By hiding the moats, the animals appeared to be together in one landscape and so the 'tier park' was born.



So in 1907 Hagenbeck opened this zoo and decided to design it with his patented panorama system in mind. The open encloses were revolutionary at the time and can still be seen in Tierpark Hagenbeck today.

Today the park has over 1800 animals and you can get to know the animals at close range. 


When you buy a ticket you are given a map and a leaflet with feeding times. This is useful to have but you can also see a map with an up-to-date activity board at the front of the park. You can feed a number of animals including elephants and giraffes and small animals in the petting zoo.

The park is divided into two parts - one part zoo and one part tropical aquarium. The Tropen-Aquarium Hagenbeck was opened in 2007. Covering more than 8000 square meters it is the largest aquarium in Germany and the largest aquarium in the whole of Northern Europe.






The aquarium has a number of free-flying birds and free-roaming lemurs as well as some of the worlds most dangerous animals such as Nile crocodiles and venomous snakes.




We were very impressed by the huge panoramic tank with sharks and rays. It was hypnotic watching these large creatures dart in and out in this impressive tank. You can watch the sharks and rays being fed every afternoon, but we unfortunately missed this.


When we came out we wandered around the gardens. In 19 hectares of ground, the zoo is spacious and attractive.


It was lovely seeing the animals roaming free like the pelicans and capybaras.

Both the Tierpark and the Tropen-Aquarium help to conserve endangered species. At present, there are 46 species of animals that face a severe threat of extinction and that experts monitor and coordinate their numbers on an international level. 




Many animals threatened with extinction produce here including Sumatra orang-utans, Siberian tigers and North Chinese leopards. I know there is some controversy about zoos these days but you cannot fail to notice the work that places like Tierpark Hagenbeck do to conserve endangered species. 


In June 2017, four Siberian tiger cubs were born in the park, which is all the more amazing considering in 2015 there were less than 600 Siberian tigers considered left in the world.

Particular mention should also go to the Asian elephants as Tierpark Hagenbeck is one of the important breeding sites for this species and baby pachyderms regularly come into the world here. The births take place among the herd, just like they do in the wild.


The Eismeer area of the park is where you can watch creatures above and below water. 

The walrus tank is one of the deepest in the world and the only one in Germany. I love this photo that Mr W took of this walrus.

The penguins have a large enclosure that is both inside and outside and a large pool to swim. Watching these amazing creatures waddle together, then jump into the pool was utterly fascinating.

Tierpark Hagenbeck and the Tropen-Aquarium Hagenbeck are both an interesting day out for all the family.  The park is open 365 days a year and prices are reasonable considering you could spend all day here. In the summer there are events on including jungle themed nights and live classical music in the zoological gardens. 

Ticket prices 

per adult  -          14 Euros for the Tropical Aquarium 
                          20 Euros for the Zoo
combined            30 Euros
per child (4-16) - 10 Euros for the Tropical Aquarium
                          15 Euros for the Zoo 
combined            21 Euros

Family tickets are also available.


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The animals appeared well looked after and the work that Tierpark Hagenbeck and the Tropen-Aquarium do to preserve endangered species and educate the public cannot be overlooked. If you do like to visit zoos then this, in my opinion, is a good zoo and tropical aquarium, with well looked after animals. Read more about Tierpark Hagenbeck from a family perspective from Zena's Suitcase here.

*We were guests of Tierpark Hagenbeck and Come To Hamburg * Aquarium photo Allie Caulfield Flickr CC
MummyTravels

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Hotel Baseler Hof Hamburg Review

Right in the middle of Hamburg is the four-star Hotel Baseler Hof. This privately owned, family-run hotel is in the traditional style, a short walk from the beautiful town hall called The Rathaus, and close to the Alster lake.

 I stayed there recently as part of the Come To Hamburg scheme, where bloggers are invited to Hamburg to see what this vibrant city has to offer and to write about it for their readers.
Check-in at Hotel Baseler Hof was super quick and efficient. I've always found this when I have visited Germany and this hotel was no exception. The manager and reception staff were really friendly and we were given free tickets to use on public transport for three days with our booking. This is a great perk of staying here and all guests are given this benefit, which is a fabulous touch.
Our room was on the 6th floor and was a corner room, with a partial view of the Alster lake. We were really pleased with the room, it was clean, bright and well appointed. It was nice not to see a carpet for a change, as I think it is always difficult to make it super clean in a hotel. 

The bed was two singles put together, which is often the way in some parts of Europe. This never bothers me, as Mr W usually stays on his side, something he rarely does when we have a double bed!


The bathroom was exceptionally clean and consisted of a sink, shower and toilet. Body wash was provided, a magnifying mirror and small hairdryer.  If you want conditioner I would bring your own. 

Black and white wall and floor tiles kept the design simple and chic.


 Back in the lounge area, tea and coffee making facilities were provided and a basket of fruit was a welcomed touch courtesy of the hotel. The tea had an interesting selection from Asaam to Darjeeling and even Rooibos vanilla tea. 
A small flat screen TV, a CD player, minibar, in-room safe and chair and desk were also in the room. 

The only English channel we could find was BBC News, however, so if you have kids consider bringing something to entertain them like a tablet with movies or games downloaded.


A selection of fiction books was available in the room and is a nice surprise (if you can read German).

That night we slept well in the comfy beds, and liked the fact that the beds were not too hard or too soft so Goldilocks would have been really pleased! So down to breakfast...





Breakfast was great. A selection of meats and cheeses, smoked salmon, fresh fruit salad, yoghurts, homemade Bircher muesli and other cereals were included.  Hot items such as hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages were also available.  It's always interesting to see the items at breakfast we don't have in a UK hotel and herring salad and potato salad were featured here. 

A variety of juices, coffee and an impressive selection of tea was also available as well as cows milk and soya milk. My only comment would be that it would have been nice to have fresh juice instead of longlife juice.

Fruit tea and herbal tea, loose and in tea bags were available, as well as Assam tea, the nearest to English Breakfast tea. 

Croissants and a mouthwatering selection of cakes were also available and looked really fresh.

A selection of cereals included cornflakes, chocolate pops and three types of muesli as well as freshly made Bircher muesli that I had every day. Delicious!


 If you are a meat fiend like my son, you will appreciate the sausages and super crispy streaky bacon, similar to the style they have in the US, deep fried and crunchy. 

 So you can see there is a wide choice of options for most people for breakfast, both healthy and not so healthy.

 So after breakfast, I went on a wander of the other facilities in the hotel. There is a small gym with a few different exercise machines, towels and changing facilities. The hotel also has a sauna which you can use to relax in.

Next, to the reception, there was a large lounge and bar area, where you can order wine, beers, spirits, cocktails and tea, coffee and soft drinks. 


 I can recommend the hot chocolate which was delicious and came with scrumptious little biscuits. 

 Little touches in the lounge were lovely, like a chess set to play with, a bowl full of fruit and nuts and a selection of local magazines.

In the hotel, there is the main restaurant as well as a bistro and wine bar. The main restaurant serves classic German dishes such as Hamburg fish with mustard sauce and fried potatoes and homemade bratwurst with apple sour cabbage and mash. 

 Main courses were priced roughly from 15 to 30 Euros. We didn't have the chance to try the food as the restaurant was closed on our first night (Sunday) and we had reservations for the other nights, but the menu online looked enticing. 


The Hotel Baseler Hof is a well-situated hotel in the centre of Hamburg a short 10-minute walk from the Rathaus area. The hotel staff were friendly, efficient, and very helpful. Room prices were from 81 euros for a single room to 146 euros for the superior room we had. Suites are also available from 200 euros per night.

We enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Baseler Hof and were particularly impressed with how super clean the rooms were and the lovely buffet breakfast. The lounge area was also cosy and a nice respite from the December cold weather at the end of the night. We had a few cocktails and hot chocolates in the lounge and it was a lovely place to chill.

The Rathaus Hamburg


 A big plus point was the excellent location, and with two of the best Christmas markets, around the Alster Lake and the Rathaus, a short walk away as well as many shops and restaurants on your doorstep it was perfectly located. 

One of the many 15 Christmas markets in Hamburg. This one is a five-minute walk

If you want to see more, check out the video below from the travel blog and YouTube channel Fly Drive Explore that I create with my husband. 
We both said we would be very happy to stay here again. The Hotel Baseler Hof in Hamburg is a traditional four-star hotel, in a great location, with efficient pleasant staff and a decent breakfast.  Recommended.

 Hotel Baseler Hof  
Esplanade 11
20354 
Hamburg 
Tel. 040 - 35 90 60 

*We were guests of Come To Hamburg
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8 Reasons Why You Should Visit Hamburg

Hamburg is a city that may not be at the top of most people's places to see but it's a city that really deserves a visit and here I will tell you why. When we visited recently we were pleasantly surprised at what a vibrant and intriguing city Hamburg is, and we would love to go back. 

 Here are my 8 reasons why you should visit Hamburg. 


1. It's a short flight from the UK

 Having only a short flight time from the UK you can get to Hamburg in little over an hour flight, making it a perfect destination for a weekend break.

 2. Most people speak English

 Although German is the main language widely spoken, most people speak English too so if you don't know German you shouldn't have a problem making yourself understood.

 3. It has amazing architecture

The Rathaus town hall

Being a big fan of architecture I was smitten with this city. The Rathaus is beautiful, the warehouse district, Speicherstadt has lovely red brick buildings and there are some gorgeous churches.

4. It has a large but fabulous port area

A boat in the port

Join a boat trip to get a real flavour of Hamburg, the second busiest port in Europe. A real working port you can see everything from large cargo being transported to luxury yachts being refurbished.

5. It has an eclectic mix of museums

Hamburg has an eclectic mix of museums. The Maritime Museum is really worth a visit if you want to find out about the history of boats, whilst the Chocoversum guided tour lets you discover the history of chocolate, and you can make your own chocolate bar. The real stand out museum though is the Minatur Wunderland, the largest model railway in the world having over 6 miles of track!

6. Music is at its heart

The Elbphilharmonie concert hall

With over 100 music venues and clubs and the newly built Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Hamburg is a city with music at its heart. In the Summer there are many live concerts in the beautiful parks.

7. The shopping is fabulous

From high street shops to independent quirky stores Hamburg will satisfy even the ardent shopaholic. The Neuer Wall Boulevard has designer stores like Gucci whilst the Sunday morning Fishmarket is interesting to browse and has great bargains to be had with flowers, fruit and locally caught fish - but get up early! On Saturday night St Pauli has a flea market so pop along for a vintage bargain. 

8. It has interesting nightlife

View of the city from Clouds cocktail bar and restaurant

From the dubious delights of the Reeperbahn, Hamburg's answer to the Red Light District in Amsterdam, to great cocktail bars at 20 Up and Clouds, to a wide mix of nightclubs and pubs, Hamburg has something for everyone.

My husband and I were guests of the Come To Hamburg scheme, read more about our long weekend in Hamburg and what we thought of the Heikhotel Hamburg here. We also covered Hamburg on our travel blog Fly Drive Explore where we wrote about 48 hours in Hamburg Germany and a tour of Hamburg harbour  #ComeToHamburg.
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A Long Weekend In Hamburg

Hamburg is one of those German cities that may not be on your radar but it really should be. We spent three days there recently, seeing the sites and soaking up the atmosphere and it was a city that really surprised and delighted us. Being guests of the Come To Hamburg scheme, we didn't have any expectations when we arrived, which probably made it more enjoyable.

Day one

Our base for the stay the Heikotel Am Stadtpark

 We got to Hamburg in the afternoon after a short plane journey from the UK. In little over an hour we were landing down in Hamburg airport and whizzing over to the Heikotel Am Stadtpark Hamburg, a short 20 min drive away.


The Heikotel Am Stadtpark is a three-star superior hotel near the Stadtpark area. Check in was efficient and the room was spacious, clean and modern, with a small lounge area. You can read more about my review of the hotel here. 



So after a quick freshen up, we were off, out into the centre of the city. Rather than catch a taxi we took a five-minute walk to the nearest U-Bahn. The U-Bahn is a rapid transit system, and although technically an underground, most of the trains are above ground. This makes it feel less claustrophobic than the London underground. It is also incredibly easy to get around.  

 We used our Hamburg card from Hamburg Tourism to get around. For one price this card allows you to explore the city by train, ferry and bus as well as giving you discounts to many of the local attractions. It was worth getting for the convenience. By the way, the U-Bahn is so easy to use, no tap in and tap out like the London Underground and we never saw any guards checking tickets which we thought was odd, but with the Hamburg card which you can buy online you are all set, just print it out.

It's a green city


The beautiful Rathaus

Travelling into the city we realised how green it is, it really is quite leafy especially on the outskirts.

First stop - photo opportunity at the Rathaus. The Rathaus which is the town hall is such a beautiful building. It is where the Hamburg Parliment and Senate assemble. It was constructed between 1886 and 1897, and although damaged during WW11 it was restored to its former beauty after the war. If you are a lover of architecture like me you really have to see it.

Now when in Hamburg you have to do one thing - yes have a Hamburger! So our next stop was to the Better Burger Company. The burgers were incredibly tasty and with lots of fresh salad toppings to choose from we could almost convince ourselves the burgers were healthy.... yeah right!

Was the Hamburger invented in Hamburg? Well, what is known is that when sailing on the Hamburg-America Line, German immigrants ate a salted minced beef patty, a recipe from the Russians, and later this version took America by storm. So did they invent it... the jury is out.

After our meal, we decided to take the U-Bahn to the Reeperbahn area. The Reeperbahn is a bit like the red light area of Amsterdam interspersed with restaurants and bars. If you are walking around in the evening we felt totally safe so don't worry about that if you want to see this infamous area. I had read about a great bar here called Clouds and we decided to visit for a cocktail.

Clouds is a cool cocktail bar and restaurant, over 100 metres above the Elba river. It's worth coming here for a drink and seeing the amazing views.


The cocktail and drinks list was large and although on the pricey side the cocktails were inventive and well made. I had a mojito, one of my favourite cocktails and it was really excellent.


By this time it was getting late so we headed back to our hotel and to our beds, which were, incidentally, exceptionally comfy.


Day Two

The Heikotel must be one of the quietest hotels we have ever stayed in, so consequently, we woke up on day two rested and ready for the new day ahead. After getting showered and dressed we made it down to breakfast.

The breakfast was a continental breakfast with a wide selection of cereals, yoghurts, cooked meats, cheese, bread, pastries and fresh fruit salad as well as boiled and scrambled eggs. It had everything you needed really and it was all tasty, and well prepared.

It's always interesting to see how breakfast differs in various countries and I was surprised to see about 4 different types of potato salad. The Germans obviously like their potato salad, that's for sure!
Our plan for today was to go on a boat tour, then head over to the Minatur Wunderland in the afternoon, the huge model railway museum. So we headed down to the port area on the U-Bahn.


The port area was really interesting and before long we were boarding our boat for the classic harbour tour.  The hour tour took in the sites such as the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district, and the Hafencity area. The company Barkassen Meyer gave us an English audio guide which was very useful as otherwise, the tour would have been just in German.

What stunning architecture at the Elphiliharmonie concert hall

We floated past the Elphiliharmonie, the multi-million euro concert hall recently opened. I must admit it really was breathtaking and shone proudly in the sun. I can imagine the acoustics would be amazing if you saw a concert here.

What was interesting was seeing the mix of boats, from touring boats to old fashion yachts, large cargo ships to luxury yachts. It's a real working harbour, the largest port in Germany and it shows.

 After the tour we stopped for a spot of lunch on the harbour, I scoffed down the fish in batter and potato salad in no time, which seems to be one of the local dishes.

 Now it was time to do something we had wanted to do for ages - go to Minatur Wunderland! Minatur Wunderland is the largest model railway in the world.and was started by twin brothers in 2000. Now it has over 6 miles of track including an airport with planes taking off and landing, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas as well as an extensive German area.





As you can see the attention to detail is amazing. We both thought it was a great day out for old and young alike and I would allow 2 hours to see everything.

 So back to our hotel to freshen up before going out. 

 That evening we ate at a restaurant we looked up on TripAdvisor called Pittarello. This modern Italian restaurant was smart, upmarket and served excellent food, highly recommended.

Tired but after a great day sightseeing we walked back to the hotel looking forward to what Hamburg had to offer on our last day tomorrow.

 Day three

Today after breakfast we decided to visit the International Maritime Museum and then the Chocoversum, Hamburg's own chocolate museum.

Onto the U-Bhan again we took the nearest stop to the Warehouse District or Speicherstadt the largest warehouse area in the world. After the obligatory photo of Mr W with an anchor, we entered the International Maritime Museum. 



Who remembers the film The Fog?

Spot the dummy, no not that one

The museum houses Peter Tamm's collection of model ships, construction plans, uniforms, and maritime art, amounting to over 40,000 items and more than one million photographs. It really is a comprehensive collection and one that will delight lovers of ships and maritime memorabilia. 


We all need a good harpoon in our cupboard

I must admit Mr W did enjoy it more than me but they did have some incredibly cool items such as old submarines, a small pirate exhibition and a bunch of harpoons. We were unlucky that we didn't manage to book a guided tour but to get the most of it this is probably the way to go. Allow an hour or two to explore but if you are a real maritime junky you could probably spend all day here.

We stopped in the lovely coffee shop attached for coffee and dessert, the peach pie was outstanding, then decided to walk over to the Chocoversum.


If I could describe the Chocoversum in one word it would be choctastic! The Chocoverseum is a 90 minute guided tour through the history of chocolate. You follow the journey from the raw cocoa beans from the pods to the finished bar of chocolate ready for the shops. 



 We both really enjoyed this museum, seeing the cocoa bean and trying it raw then being shown how it is made into chocolate and tasting the samples as you go around really made it memorable. My favourite part was making your own bar of chocolate and of course eating it later!
pin for later

 So with tums full of chocolate, we stumbled back to the U-Bahn and our hotel. We could have gone to a traditional German restaurant that night but I must admit, we did the touristy thing and went to the Hard Rock Cafe, in the harbour area.

 What did we think of Hamburg? In our short time here we only scratched the surface of this fabulous city but can conclude, it's a city full of history, amazing museums and stunning architecture. If it wasn't on your radar before, I hope it is now.

 Read more about Hamburg including 8 reasons why you should visit Hamburg, and where to stay in Hamburg - the Heikhotel Am Stadtpark. Also, check out the travel blog Fly Drive Explore that I write with my husband and where we covered 48 hours in Hamburg Germany and our Hamburg harbour tour. 

 If you want to find out what to do in 3 days in Hamburg with a three-year-old, check out this post by Zena's Suitcase. Kacie, over at The Rare Welshbit also has a great post on the best places to eat in Hamburg. If you are exploring Hamburg at Christmas, you may enjoy our post Getting Festive At The Hamburg Christmas Markets. 

 Let me know, would you consider Hamburg as a city tourist destination?

* We were guests of Come To Hamburg and the Heikhotel Am Stadtpark. Follow the #ComeToHamburg bloggers on social media.

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