Hamburg Eppendorf/Stadtpark Running Route

Click here for route map
Length 10.3 km (6.4 miles), terrain flat: one gentle hill of 24 meters

Hamburg running routes:
Alster lake loop
Altona Elbe River run 
Planten en Blomen downtown park
Elegant Eppendorf and Stadtpark 
Klein Flottbek and eastern Elbe 
For other running routes, see the Route List. 
Hamburg is so full of nice, quiet, green running trails, I could write up dozens. Here is one that combines the 150-hectare green oasis of Stadtpark with the posh elegance of Eppendorf, Hamburg's biggest yuppie neighborhood.

NOTE: see the Destinations Tips page for tips about spending your free time in this great town!
 
We'll start the run at the Eppendorfer Baum U-Bahn station, easy to get to on the yellow U3 line. The U3 actually runs above ground here. The 100-year-old elevated train tracks run right down the middle of Isestraße, with its beautiful Victorian-era apartments on either side. Hamburg's best market takes place under the tracks on Tuesday and Friday mornings.

Isestraße in front of the Eppendorfer Baum station

With your back to the station entrance, turn towards your right and head northwest up the busy shopping street, Eppendorfer Baum.

Run to the first big intersection, at Lehmweg, and turn right. This is another of Eppendorf's big shopping streets, but tree-lined, and more exclusive and elegant. The street name soon changes to Eppendorfer Landstraße.

After you pass Woldsenweg, you'll see a long, red-brick building on the right side, with shops downstairs and apartments upstairs. The shop names change with time, but you'll see an opening in the building to the right, after the Anita Hass shop (or whoever is in there at the moment).

Turn right here to get to Kellinghusens Park

Turn to the right and run through the opening to the park that you can see behind the building. This is Kellinghusens Park. Keep left and run towards the back end of the park, which stops at the U-Bahn tracks.

Kellinghusens Park

Turn left to exit the park at the Kellinghusen Straße U-Bahn station and keep running straight north on Kellinghusenstraße, with the big Holthusenbad swimming hall on the left.

Now turn right on the first cross-street, Kunhardtstraße, before the white apartment building.

Follow Kunhardtstraße as it curves to the left, with the U-Bahn tracks on your right side.

The street ends at Hellwegstraße, where you turn left. There is a park across the street along Hamburg's beautiful Alster River, but if you run into it, you'll have to come back out on Hellwegstraße again quickly. Don't worry: we'll run along the Alster soon!

St. Johannis is used for a lot of Hamburg marriages

Hellweg ends at Kellinghusen Straße again, at the beautiful, half-timbered St. Johannis church. Turn right here and then cross the big intersection straight ahead, at Ludolfstraße, to the little half-timbered house with the Italian restaurant.

Turn left here on Ludolfstraße and just run the few meters past the restaurant to the little side street, Tewesstraße. Turn right here and run the hundred meters to the river.

We finally made it to a nice riverside trail. So turn left here and run with the Alster on your right side.

Angler along the Alster at Haynspark

After a few boat houses, Haynspark opens up on the left side. Run along the water until the little footbridge, where you turn right to cross the bridge and continue running straight across the next waterside park.

You'll come to a car bridge at Meenkwiese, where you turn right to cross the bridge and run straight until you go under the U-Bahn tracks again.

View running along the Alster

Right on the other side of the tracks, turn left to run to the Lattenkamp station a few meters in front of you.

Right at the station entrance, turn right to go up the steps, heading uphill past a couple of apartment buildings.

Keep going straight as the path turns into a real street, Efeuweg. You are now going gently uphill towards Stadtpark.

Efeuweg

Efeuweg ends at Fiefstucken, where you turn right and run to the end of the block and turn left to keep heading towards Stadtpark.

After a block, you'll come to a busy street, Jahnring, bordering the park. Cross the street and head straight into the park. The path will lead towards the left, first parallel to the street, then curve towards the right, into the park itself, between some athletic fields.

When the trail splits, take the right-hand trail, leading you to the planetarium perched impressively atop an old water tower. Circle the tower, and follow the path to the east, past the fountain and rose-garden.

The planetarium in the old water tower

You can see all of Stadtpark spreading out before you, now. But we'll take a more roundabout route instead of running straight.

So, at the first cross-path, turn left and follow it as it heads northeast through the woods on the north side of the park. You'll cross Hindenburgstraße, which bisects the park north/south. The park starts opening up with lawns as you head straight east. On nice summer evenings and weekends, Stadtpark can be filled with 200,000 people, picknicking and playing ball, but most of the year it is fairly quiet.

The wading pool and playground

On your right side, you'll come to the kids' wading pool (Planschbecken), surrounded by a sand playground and a café. Years ago, I used to work at an office nearby in City Nord, and I would come here on winter lunch breaks with my ice skates or cross-country skis. You can enjoy the park in any kind of weather.

The Stadtpark rosegarden

Keep heading east until you get to the formal gardens, where you turn south (to the right) to run through the big rose-gardens to the lake, Stadtparksee.

Hamburg Stadtpark Lake

Turn left to follow the lake, with the water on your right. The east end of the lake is an outdoor pool.

Kids love the boats at the pond

At the east end of the lake, turn south (right) to run past the little pond where people sail their model boats. This is the turnaround spot of the run. Run south, past the swimming pool building and its beer-garden, and then turn right on the main path along the south edge of the park.

Stay on this path for 1.5 kilometers.

The southern path in Stadtpark. Turn left where the paths cross for Maria-Louisen-Straße

You'll run past playgrounds and come to another café at Hindenburgstraße again. Cross the street and keep running as the path runs right next to a street on your left side, Grasweg.

There is a zebra-stripe crossing to the left, just before the street-side parking begins. Turn left here and head down Maria-Louisen-Straße. Follow this street for almost a kilometer, until you come to Sierichstraße.

Turn right on Klärchenstraße and run to the Alster River again. At the river, turn left to run along the riverside, heading south along Leinpfad. There are beautiful villas lining both sides of the river, and the white tour-boats come up this way.

The Alster along Leinpfad

You will run into Maria-Louisen-Straße again, where you turn right, cross the bridge over the river, then head west along Isestraße, another pleasant residential street.

The last stretch along Isestraße

Follow Isestraße as it curves to the left for a half-kilometer back to the place where you started, at Eppendorfer Baum.