A Visit to Miniature Wonderland, Hamburg

I arrived in Hamburg on a Tuesday evening around 6 pm after a long day of flights, delayed trains, and a harrowing drive before I could check into my hotel. It was too early for bed, and I needed to do something to offset jet lag and sleepiness. I headed off to explore Miniatur Wunderland Hamburg (in German, Miniature Wonderland Hamburg)! Like many people, I’ve seen videos and snapshots of the museum, and I was excited to see it for myself. Because who doesn’t love watching model trains? Ahhhh… But Miniature Wonderland is MORE than just a giant train set! It’s a whole world in constant motion (just very tiny!). I forgot all about my travel exhaustion, and the kid in me spent a few hours happily exploring!

visit miniature wonderland

 

Miniature Wonderland Hamburg

When I was young, I had a train set that ran around and around on an oval track. Over time, I added a cut-off track and some buildings. This simple set provided hours of entertainment (and glued fingers from putting the models together.) Miniature Wonderland made my little train set seem laughable.  This! is more than just a big model train. With 15,400 meters, that’s over 9 1/2 miles of track; it’s the largest train set in the world! You get to visit many different countries and see over 280,000 little people figures!!! The museum features multiple rooms spread across several floors.  It’s easy to get lost in the details of this fabulous little museum. Kids and adults were captivated by the various setups.

Where is Miniature Wonderland?

You will find Miniature Wonderland is in an old warehouse in the Speicherstadt in Hamburg (next to the very scary Hamburg Dungeon). It doesn’t look that exciting from the outside. In fact, I thought I had gone in the wrong door. You enter the museum on the 3rd floor (2 Etage) of the building. And the first place the stairway past the ticket booth takes you is into workshops. You see, Miniature Wonderland isn’t “finished”; they are constantly adding to and repairing it. In fact, it’s not unusual to see a guy walking across the tracks (in his socks) to make adjustments. And everyone watches very closely to make sure he doesn’t step on anything!

visit miniature wonderland hamburg

 

Miniature Wonderland is NOT a slick museum where the nuts and bolts are hidden behind carefully placed walls. It has the feel of a train set in someone’s basement, only much, much BIGGER. And maybe that’s part of the appeal?

miniature wonderland hamburg

 

Tiny details make it extra special

The flow of Miniature Wonderland was not what I expected. I thought it would be one big room. Instead, you are handed a “Reiseführer” or Travel Guide when you enter, containing a “world map” of the miniature world you are visiting. It starts with the workshops, where new models are being built, and old models are repaired.

 

The top floor is mostly about Germany. Hamburg (naturally) has a huge display, including the Speicherstadt and Hafen, complete with the new Elbphilharmonie, which opened to reveal musicians playing “Peter and the Wolf” to a tiny audience.

visit miniature wonderland hamburg

The rest of the floor is divided between Bavaria, Middle Germany, Austria, Scandinavia, and a massive airport scene with planes taxiing on the runways.

 

A Bavarian Village… you can just see Neuschwanstein in the upper right corner.

visit miniature wonderland hamburg

 

Neuschwanstein  from the Other Side

miniature wonderland hamburg

 

There were some fun surprises! They were mostly in the details, like spotting the tiny case of beer next to a house or the unicorn hidden under Neuschwanstein. Then, every 10 minutes, the museum house lights would dim, and the lights in all the models would flick on. You got to see the colorful nighttime view of all the exhibits.

The Carnival Midway by night

miniatur wunderland hamburg

 

 

Patagonia!

This year Miniature Wonderland opened a new land… Patagonia! See the Perito Moreno Glacier, a storm over Drake’s Passage, and PENGUINS! Looks like it’s time for me to return….

Who will Enjoy Miniature Wonderland?

Miniature Wonderland was designed for maximum enjoyment. All around each exhibit were rails for leaning (to get a little closer) and steps for the smaller people to stand on for a better look.

I saw grown ups AND kids (even Teenagers) enjoying the museum. There was something new around every corner, and I’d hear people young and old saying “LOOK” or OHHHHH!

Before you go! 

Reserve tickets online. Miniature Wonderland only allows a set number of people in at a time! The line outside can run 1 1/2 hours to get in if you just drop by mid-day in the summertime. (You can check their website for a fairly accurate wait time).  Also, keep in mind that it stays open until 10 PM during the summer (WOW). Reserve your tickets HERE

Miniature Wonderland DOES have a cafe, so you can eat, and go back to enjoying the sights.

And of course, they have a gift shop… so you can indulge in your train building fantasy when you get home.

More things to do in Hamburg

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