Talking with some friends, we all said we had wanted to see Miniature Wonderland in Hamburg. Checked train prices and there was a sale with the ICE from Frankfurt to Hamburg for 43€ p.p. in 2 months. So, we bought 4 tickets. Reservations were extra. We also booked single rooms at Motel One (130€ that included breakfast) near the harbor and a back stage tour of Minature Wonderland for 37€ p.p. that included the entrance price
We left Fri. morning at 06:49 and got to Hamburg at 11:00, due to a delay. We took the U-3, buying a Kurzstrecke ticket for 2.10€. The hotel was a 5 min. walk from the U-bahn station. They let us check in right away which was nice and then we walked to the Wonderland.
Loved all of it! Especially as it got dark every 10 min. or so and all of the lights came on. We certainly did not get to see all of it, but we all took a few 100 photos and videos. The back stage tour was well worth the 17€ price. Only 6 people and they use a whisper system. Sitting in a room with all the trains going by was cool, and we got to climb a ladder and pop our heads out of one of the displays. (I think in Switzerland) If you are there and see people wearing a red hard-hat pop up taking photos, that is the tour. Walking behind all of the scenery was fantastic and they have little scenes set up that only people on the tour can see. Some of them were pretty funny.
We did get to see the new displays coming either later this year or next year, of S. America with deserts and rain forests.
The small snack bar was very reasonable considering they have a captive audience. Water and pommes for 5.80€. After being there for 4 hours, we were pretty tired, but if my feet had held out, could have stayed longer. We walked back to the hotel and took a short break, as we had dinner reservations for 18:00.
Dinner was at a Portuguese restaurant in their Portuguese neighborhood. Called Ola Lisboa, it was a very lively place, with servers who all seemed to be in a good mood. Tapa platter shared between the 4 of us and then we all ordered some sort of fish dinners. My salmon was grilled to perfection. I thought the prices were reasonable. Reservations are needed here. www.ola-lisboa.de
Then we walked around the harbor area which was just gorgeous at night, with all of the lights on the ships and on shore. Made our way to the Elbe Tunnel which was very impressive. If we hadn't been so tired, would have walked through it. Headed back to the hotel and fell into bed around 21:30.
Nice breakfast buffet at the hotel, but with no warm food. Still, it had a nice atmosphere and we all had plenty to eat. Checked out and they kept our bags for us while we did more exploring. Headed to the Rat House, which was beautiful inside, then back down to the harbor. The Dutch Marines were there, inviting people to come on board their ship, so we did. A bit scary going up the gang-plank, but made it. Walking along the harbor, we thought a coffee would be good, so saw a Fire Boot that looked open. The boat was so charming, we had lunch, all of us having fish and chips. It is also a hotel, and event venue. Lunch or dinner reservations would be a good idea. I think we just managed to snag a table. They let us see all the rooms, which were the most unique hotel rooms I have seen! A single for 105€ that includes breakfast, seemed very reasonable. www.das-feuerschiff.de
Headed over to the Elbe Philharmonic hall, nicknamed, the Elphie, to go up on the observation platform. Great views even for a cloudy, sprinkly sort of day. Cost is 3€. Then, expensive coffee with a fantastic view, before the 15 min. walk back to the hotel and then to the station to return to Frankfurt.
We felt we had seen a lot, and even though it may seem like a long way for a 1 night trip, we all thought it was worth it and would do it again. The hotel was great with a perfect location to everything we wanted to see.