Duration: approx. 4 hours

Despite being Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg is still extremely green with numerous parks and can easily be explored on foot. Your tour of this Free and Hanseatic city begins with a scenic coach drive to the so-called “Planten un Blomen”, a low German name for a 47-hectare stretch of parkland occupying the centre of Hamburg that simply means “plants and flowers”. Opened in 1821, the Planten un Blomen still remains one of Europe’s finest city parks. Its many attractions include a charming Japanese tea house, a lovingly tended and fragrant pharmaceutical garden, water cascades plus koi goldfish and one of the city’s most extensive open-air children’s playgrounds, which is sure to appeal to any younger guests. To cap your visit to the Planten un Blomen, you will also visit the tropical greenhouse, an amazing place of heat- and humidity-loving plant life. Then, after passing through the main shopping area, it’s on to the two artificial lakes that grace the centre of Hamburg. Created by ponding the River Alster, the so-called Binnenalster (inner Alster) and Außenalster (outer Alster) were originally named to reflect their position in relation to Hamburg’s old city walls. These two bodies of water are still an important and extremely pretty urban recreational area. Before returning to the port, a modern coach will then take you on a whistle-stop tour see the main sights of the city, including St. Michaelis Church (which the locals simply call the “Michel”), the gorgeous old Speicherstadt warehouse district and the St. Pauli Landing Stages.

While this tour could safely be called “The Dutch Connection”, you do not have to be Dutch to enjoy discovering the many ways in which Hamburg is linked to Holland. The city’s close historical ties to wealthy Dutch merchants are still visible today, from the fine architecture to the unique regional dialect. An expert in local history will remain on hand to provide information on the rich legacy left by Dutch architects, agricultural experts, political immigrants and religious pioneers. An orientational tour of the city’s main Dutch-themed highlights will be followed by a visit to the Hamburg Museum to see artefacts that illustrate the many abiding cultural links enjoyed by towns of the Hanseatic League, a former north European network of merchant towns. Next up are the windmills at “Elbmarschen”, which stand on ground once reclaimed by Dutch engineers. The last stop will be at the beautiful Speicherstadt warehouse complex in the city centre, whose 19^th-century construction was designed and overseen by Dutch architects. Your guide will explain the architectural principles of the buildings, which include a system of temperature control that still works today. Your return to the ship marks the end of the tour.