Miniatur Wunderland

Miniatur Wunderland began as an idea of the twin brothers Frederik and Gerrit Braun, and its first three sections opened in a Speicherstadt warehouse in August 2001. It has grown ever since, and Guinness World Records lists it as the largest model railway system in the world. The track now runs to more than 16 kilometres in H0 scale, with about 1,230 digitally controlled trains, roughly 290,000 figures and nearly half a million LED lights that take the scenery through a regular day and night cycle.

The layout is split into themed sections. The early ones cover central Germany and the Harz mountains, the invented town of Knuffingen and Austria, followed by Hamburg itself, America, Scandinavia and Switzerland. Knuffingen Airport is a favourite, and the layout includes 52 model aircraft and about 11,800 vehicles. Later additions include Italy, Venice, Rio de Janeiro, Patagonia, Monaco and Provence, and further sections on South and Central America are planned. Around 200 push-buttons let visitors set things in motion, from starting a train to scoring a goal in a model football stadium or launching a helicopter, which keeps children busy.

The detail is the reason to come. Look closely and you will find small scenes tucked into every corner, so it pays to slow down rather than walk the sections at speed. Grown-ups who have no interest in trains usually end up staying far longer than planned, and it works well in any weather, which matters in Hamburg.

The venue's own advice is blunt: it is almost always busy and often very crowded. Book a timed ticket online, and aim for early morning or late evening if you can. On particularly busy days it stays open until late at night. Special evening formats, such as nights with short behind-the-scenes tours and a quieter evening set aside for wheelchair users, are worth checking on the website. Allow at least two to three hours; keen visitors spend much longer.

The entrance is on Kehrwieder in the Speicherstadt, and the Elbphilharmonie, the Speicherstadt canals and the Landungsbrücken are all close by, so it combines easily with a harbour day.