Stadtpark Winterhude

Hamburg's Stadtpark in Winterhude is, at 148 hectares, the largest inner-city public park in the city and a perfect tip for a summer Sunday - designed in 1914 by Fritz Schumacher (the later chief architect of the so-called Hamburg School) as a 'democratic park for everyone'. The idea: no representative avenue as at Berlin's Tiergarten, but lawns for lying about, play areas, water and sports. The central Stadtparksee, with 5 hectares of water and pedal-boat rental (15 € per hour), draws around 1,000 picnickers on a summer weekend. Highlights: the planetarium inside the 65-meter former water tower (one of the oldest and most-visited in Germany, shows from 10 €), the open-air stage with its annual program of concerts between May and September (Element of Crime, Annett Louisan and Reinhard Mey have all played here), the open-air swimming lawn, mini-golf, skate facilities and the Eichenpark with structures from the 1920s. Right next door: the Stadtparksee with pedal-boat rental, the famous Sierichstraßen avenue and the Café im Park. Getting there: U3 Borgweg or Saarlandstraße, then 5 minutes. Family program: pedal-boating, picnic and a planetarium show makes a half-day.