Leisure route “2. Grüner Ring” (2nd green ring) FR11

Apart from the ferry connection between Rüschpark and Teufelsbrück you can cycle through or around all of Hamburg and Harburg.

Clockwise starting from Teufelsbrück (→ connects to leisure route FR8) you cycle through Wesselhoeftpark, Westerpark, pass by Loki-Schmidt-Garten, to reach Lise-Meitner-Park through various green areas and, after a road crossing, Altonaer Volkspark (→ FR 9).

From Volkspark you pass under the motorway and rails, then through garden plots into the Niendorfer Gehege (→ FR 10). Via garden plots next to the airport (→ FR 12) you reach the Alster (→ FR 1) and cross it to arrive at Ohlsdorf cemetary.

Passing by Steilshoop through green areas you get to the Osterbek (→ FR 2) and in Tonndorf the Wandse (→ FR 3). After weaving through Jenfeld, you'll find spacious green in Öjendorfer Park. Alongside the Schleemer Bach you'll reach the Bille (→ FR 4). The next target is the Boberger Niederung, and from there almost in a straight line towards the Dove Elbe (→ FR 5).

The tour now makes a turn, following the Elbe downriver to cross it near the city center. It takes you across Veddel and Wilhelmsburg (→ FR 6), passing the Neuländer See towards Harburger Stadtpark.

Passing through Eißendorf and the Heimfelder Holz (→ FR 7) you'll reach Dritte Meile in the area of Altes Land (→ FR 14). Near the end you'll pass through Finkenwerder (→ FR 13) and finally to ferry dock Rüschpark.

Following the route

The route has continuous signage and easy to follow. On signposts the route is shown as “white 11 on red background”. More commonly you'll see the logo shown here. It's placed on street lamps, backsides of other signs, barriers and even trash cans. Sometimes just as a smaller variant with a white arrow on green background.

Unfortunately, there are still some places where the route isn't obvious. A map can help. Rule of thumb: if there were junctions and you haven't seen the logo in a while, you probably took a wrong turn.

There are multiple versions of this tour, so the signposts and GPS routes from the internet don't always match. The variant shown on veloroute.hamburg follows the signposts, whenever that is reasonably possible.

Printed map

The printed Wanderkarte – Abenteuer Grünes Netz can be found in Hamburgs Bücherhallen, its Kundenzentren, in the foyer of Behörde für Umwelt, Klima, Energie und Agrarwirtschaft and many art, culture and social venues. You can also order it via publikationen@bukea.hamburg.de.

Comfort / Quality

The segments vary a lot: from smooth asphalt, to well made fine gravel paths, to bad trails – you'll find them all on this route. Therefore parts of the route are not suitable for rainy conditions. The same idea also applies to the available space. Some parts are crowded, some are narrow and sometimes you won't meet anybody for a while. Pedestrians have the right of way in all of Hamburg's green spaces, so yield or get off your bike if necessary.

Opinion

Being Hamburg's sole route with decent signage, the 2nd green ring is very suited as a tour for beginners. More advanced cyclists can also complete the tour in a single day and enjoy the varied landscape. The tour isn't perfect and requires you to get off your bike at various barriers and non-lowered curbs. Nonetheless it is one of the best leisure routes Hamburg has to offer.

External links

• official site of the city
• Komoot route planner: outer ring route
• route in OpenStreetMap: part 1, part 2, part 3
• PDF Hiking Map “Wanderkarte Abenteuer Grünes Netz”
• Route in GPX format or KML format