Where to Find the Best Cherry Blossom Spots in Hamburg
Cherry blossom season is one of the most magical times of the year, when parks and streets are transformed into a sea of delicate pink blooms. Hamburg is a great European city to see the cherry blossoms in spring. In this blog post, we’re sharing the best spots to see cherry blossoms in this city, ranging from serene parks to lakeshores and more. So, get ready to be enchanted by the beauty of Hamburg’s cherry blossoms!
Binnenalster
One of the most well-known cherry blossoms spots in Hamburg is along the banks of the Binnenalster. There are a few cherry blossom trees along the northeastern bank of the lake. From there, you have a beautiful view of the lake itself, the Rathaus (City Hall) and the Nikolaiturm (Nikolai Tower) in the background. When the cherry blossoms are blooming, you can beautifully frame them around the Rathaus and the Nikolaiturm in the distance.
Photo by Julia Solonina on Unsplash
The cherry blossoms along the Binnenalster approximately bloom between the end of March and the beginning of April. Unfortunately, we missed these cherry blossoms when we visited Hamburg at the end of April. However, we could still frame the green leaves, that were once pink blossoms, around the Rathaus.
Whether there are cherry blossoms along Binnenalster or not, it’s a nice area to go for a walk when the weather allows for it. The walk along the Binnenalster is 1.1 km long and offers pretty views of the city center along the way.
Kanzan cherry blossoms
Luckily for us, we visited Hamburg at the end of April when the Kanzan sakura trees were in full bloom. Kanzan, also referred to as Kwanzan or Sekiyama, is a type of cherry blossom that blooms a little bit later in spring. The Kanzan blossoms are usually bright pink in color and have 20 to 50 petals, making them look like fluffy balls. In our opinion, it’s the most beautiful type of cherry blossom. Depending on the region, the Kanzan sakura blooms between mid-April and the beginning of May. In Hamburg, the Kanzan sakura trees are in full bloom from the end of April until the beginning of May. If you want to see the Kanzan cherry blossoms, that should be the perfect time for you to visit Hamburg.
Fluffy pink Kanzan cherry blossoms
In Europe, the Kanzan sakura trees are one of the most popular sakura trees. You can find Kanzan sakura trees in more popular cherry blossom places in Europe, such as Bonn, Paris and Parc de Sceaux (near Paris).
Cherry blossoms in Parc de Sceaux near Paris
Planten un Blomen
Our favorite cherry blossom spot in Hamburg is near Planten un Blomen. You can find several Kanzan sakura trees just outside the entrance on the eastern side of the park, right across Eiscafé Livotto. There was a small field of white daffodils right in front of the cherry blossoms, making the scene even prettier.
When you’re done admiring the cherry blossoms, we can highly recommend taking a stroll through the Old Botanical Garden and the Japanese Garden in Planten un Blomen. Both gardens are beautiful and perfect for a peaceful walk.
Planten un Blomen
Gustav-Mahler-Platz
Gustav-Mahler-Platz is a square just a 5-minute walk away from Planten un Blomen and is filled with Kanzan sakura trees. There’s an outdoor seating area on the square from the Restaurant Franziskaner. Outside of the opening hours of the restaurant, it’s a great place to take photos of the cherry blossoms. During the opening hours of the restaurant it’s a lovely spot for a drink while watching the pink blossoms wave in the wind. Either way, you can’t miss walking past this lovely cherry blossom spot.
Georg-Elser-Platz
When walking through Hamburg, we noticed bright pink blossoms in the distance and had to check it out. We discovered beautiful Kanzan sakura trees on Georg-Elser-Platz, right in front of the store Secondella. It’s the perfect place to sit down and enjoy the beautiful blossoms in full bloom (and of course take photos).
Hamburg’s cherry blossom festival
Every year in May, there’s a cherry blossom festival in Hamburg. The cherry blossom festival actually isn’t about cherry blossoms, as they won’t be blooming anymore in May. The festival is organized to thank the Japanese community for their hospitality. In the 1960s, the Japanese community and local companies gifted around 5000 cherry blossom trees to Hamburg. During the festival, various Japanese activities are organized in the Japanese Garden in Planten un Blomen.
The highlight of the cherry blossom festival are the fireworks, which traditionally take place on the Friday evening of the festival weekend at 22:30. You can watch the fireworks from the banks of the Alster Lakes or from the water by renting a canoe. In 2023, the fireworks will be lit on May 19th. The cherry blossom festival will take place from the 19th until 21st of May 2023. If you happen to be in Hamburg during the cherry blossom festival, we bet it’s fun to check out the fireworks on the Alster Lakes and the activities in the Japanese Garden.
Fun fact: did you know that Hamburg and Osaka have been friend cities for over 30 years?
We hope this blog post has helped you discover some of the best spots to view the beautiful cherry blossoms in Hamburg. Have you been to Hamburg or is it still on your travel bucket list? Let us know in the comments below!
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