The Loki-Schmidt-Garten is the botanical garden of the University of Hamburg, spread across 25 hectares in Klein Flottbek. It’s been here in various forms since 1821 and was renamed in 2012 after Loki Schmidt, the botanist and conservationist who spent decades advocating for it. It has over 14,000 plant species organised by continent and climate zone, a Japanese garden, a scent and touch garden, a dedicated children’s section, a free exhibition building, a café, and the kind of wide, wandering paths that make it one of the better family days out in the city without costing anything to get in.
There is a café inside the garden. It’s called Café Schmidtchen Palme and it’s in the middle of the site, serving homemade cake, coffee, ice cream, and quiche. Bring your own picnic if you want, but you don’t have to.
What’s There
The garden is split into three main themes: plant geography (sections covering Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa), plant systematics (species grouped by botanical relationship), and plants and people (medicinal plants, cultivated plants, a poison garden, a farmer’s garden, and more). Each section is clearly signed and labelled, which is more useful than it sounds when you have a child asking what everything is.
The Duft- und Tastgarten is a scent and touch garden specifically designed to be experienced through smell and texture rather than just looking. Kids consistently find this more interesting than the adults expect. The Japanese garden has small bridges, islands on a lake, and the kind of layout that keeps children occupied simply by offering a lot of small paths and things to discover. The alpine section has a proper hill, which is low-key exciting if you’re four.
Inside the garden is the Loki-Schmidt-Haus, a blue cube building with a free exhibition covering cultivated plants and the life and work of Loki Schmidt herself. It has limited opening hours so check before you go if you want to visit it specifically. There’s also a children’s section with interactive stations and play elements.
Reviewers consistently describe the garden as better than expected and significantly underrated. A visit of 1.5 to 3 hours is typical. It’s also one of those places that works in every season. Spring for blossom, summer for the full canopy, autumn for colour, and winter for the structure of the bare trees and the quieter atmosphere.
A Few Practical Things
No dogs. No bicycles. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The garden is closed on 24 and 31 December and occasionally in extreme weather. Parking on site costs around €1/hour. The S-Bahn to Klein Flottbek is the easier option. The station is a short walk from the entrance. In winter the garden hosts the Christmas Garden light installation, which is a separate ticketed event in the evenings and nothing to do with the free daytime garden.
Why Parents Love It:
- Free entry, on-site café with cake and coffee
- Wide stroller-friendly paths throughout most of the garden
- Enough space and variety to fill a solid half-day
- Genuinely good in every season
Why Kids Love It:
- Japanese garden with bridges and lake islands to explore
- Duft- und Tastgarten to smell and touch
- Alpine hill section to climb
- Children’s section with interactive stations
