Hamburg

With just under 2 million inhabitants, Germany's second-largest city is shaped by water. It lies about 100 km inland from the mouth of the Elbe into the North Sea and is crossed by the Bille and Alster rivers. The city's canals and canals are spanned by more than 2,000 footbridges and bridges and surrounded by parks that invite you to take a stroll. Particularly worth seeing are the park „Planten un Blomen“ and the fruit-growing areas of the Vier- und Marschlande to the south of the city.

The Port of Hamburg is one of the largest transshipment ports in the world. Sea-going vessels arrive in the city from the North Sea via the Lower Elbe or from the Baltic Sea via the Kiel Canal, where almost 300 berths are available for the 8,000 or so ships that call here every year. The best way to explore this gigantic traffic hub is to take a harbour tour or visit one of the numerous museum ships.