Height profile

Distance
24.7km
Walking time
-
Total climb
368m
Total descent
380m

Stage description

Wherever possible, this stage follows narrow green passages towards Hamburg city centre. The route passes the district of St. Georg which has undergone a great deal of change in recent years. As in many other areas of Hamburg, a ‘gentrification’ has taken place here as well: the former ‘problem area’ is now a ‘des res’, which is also reflected in significantly higher rents and a change in the character of the residents.

Shortly after the famous street Lange Reihe, we reach one of the city's landmarks, the Außenalster, the bigger of the two downtown lakes. The E1 now leads along the south bank for a while, along the Lombardsbrücke with a view of the smaller Binnenalster and a beautiful panorama across Hamburg.

Via the ramparts of the Wallanlagen, an elongated part of the Planten und Blomen park, we finally reach the world-famous St. Pauli district and the River Elbe. We now follow the Elbe downstream to the west, passing the Landungsbrücken, Hafenstraße and the Fischmarkt until we finally reach Altona. Until 1938, Altona was still an independent city and not part of Hamburg.

The 'Altonaer balcony' offers a great view of the Elbe and the southern harbour area with the Köhlbrand bridge. Benches and a café provide an ideal place to rest. As the path continues, there are always great views up and down the Elbe. In Övelgönne, the E1 runs just above the Elbe beach, a popular spot for city dwellers. In summer, there is a constant bustle and the smell of barbecues, and you can watch the big container ships entering and leaving the port.

Until the end of the stage, we are never too far away from the Elbe, hiking on chrming riverside paths. Passing the Teufelsbrück pier, we finally reach the exclusive district of Blankenese. The ferry brings us to the south bank of the river and to Cranz, the start of the next stage.

Anyone who is up to a few extra kilometres and has a tent can spend the night a little further down the Elbe at the Elbecamp - probably one of the most beautiful camping sites along the E1 in Germany.

Blankenese is the meeting point of the main route and the western variant of the E1. The E9, which accompanied the E1 from Lübeck to Blankenese, leaves the E1 here on its way to the North Sea coast.

Last text update: 28.02.2018

Author(s) of this stage description: Sven Lewerentz

Translation by: Michael Alger

Maps

  • Kompass Karte 725: Hamburg und Umgebung (1:50000)

    Map Available at mapfox.de (Ad) and amazon.de (Ad)

Marking

  • Andreaskreuz / E1 St. Andrew's cross / E1

Accomodation

Name of accomodation Place Price group*
5-15 € 16-30 € 31-45 € >45 €
DJH Jugendherberge Hamburg "Horner Rennbahn" Book at booking.com (Ad) Hamburg Kreuz-Icon
DJH Jugendherberge Hamburg "Auf dem Stintfang" Hamburg Kreuz-Icon
Backpackers St. Pauli Book at booking.com (Ad) Hamburg Kreuz-Icon
Elbecamp Hamburg Kreuz-Icon

Show more accomodation in Hamburg (booking.com / Ad)

NB: This list ist not necessarily complete. Especially in areas where there is a large selection of accommodation, we have focussed on simple and affordable accommodation, suitable for hikers.
If you want to recommend any accomodation, please post a comment on this page, send us an email or leave a post in our forum.

*Real prices can differ. Prices are based on a single person in the lowest available category (a small tent on a camping site).

Sights

Altonaer Balkon

The Altonaer Balkon - a square located on the Elbe slope - offers a good view of the Elbe, the Köhlbrand Bridge and the harbour area. 

Literature

  • Fernwanderweg E1 Deutschland Nord

    Fernwanderweg E1 Deutschland Nord

    by

Sources and copyright

GPX track coordinates: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Published under Open Database License (ODbL).

Legally we have to tell you that we cannot be held responsible for the information supplied.

Hits: 30034

GPS-Download

Download: All tracks in Germany

Info: How can I use GPX files? (german language)

Legally we have to tell you that we cannot be held responsible for the information supplied in the track.


This download and many services I provide are free. Nevertheless I would appreciate a small donation to honor my work. You can use Paypal to do so. Thank you!

You are not authorised to post comments.

E1 stages by country

NB: This website has been originally written in German. The English translation is still being done and will be added and improved step-by-step.

Please help us to improve the quality of the translations by adding corrections and suggestion in our Forum.