I love taking day trips when I travel! I think it’s a great way to get out of a big city and see some smaller towns and get a more local feel. Aarhus has a lot of amazing day trips, and when I was planning my trip to Hamburg, I learned about Lüneburg from Wayfaring with Wagner. It looked like such a cute town, AND it’s only 30 minutes from Hamburg! So if you’re looking for a day trip from Hamburg, you need to visit Lüneburg!
Visiting Lüneburg, Germany
While I was in Hamburg, there was some crazy lightning storm that messed up the train schedule, so I left later for Lüneburg so I didn’t have as much time there as I wanted (and I ended up getting stranded in Hamburg that night after my train back to Aarhus was canceled at the last second, so the trains weren’t on my side that day). Even though I only had a few hours in Lüneburg, I still got to see most of the town! So it’s an easy place to visit if you want to get out of Hamburg for only half a day.
History of Lüneburg
Lüneburg actually dates back to the Neanderthals! They have uncovered tools that are over 100,000 years old in the area. The actual town of Lüneburg dates back to the Medieval Age, and the town is first mentioned in written records in 956. It was known for its salt production, and the city became wealthy from its salt exports.
Lüneburg struggled through wars in the 17th and 18th centuries, but it was actually pretty untouched during the two World Wars. So the majority of the Hanseatic buildings are centuries old, and they are beautiful and well-preserved! The population started increasing in the 1940s, and today there are about 72,000 people living in Lüneburg.
Things to do in Lüneburg
Since the trains messed up my day a bit, I didn’t have as long to explore Lüneburg as I would have liked, so I mostly just walked around the city to see the sights. If you’re short on time, I definitely recommend just strolling around the town because every street is so pretty!
If you have more time, you can see the German Salt Museum, visit some of the churches and abbeys, or walk through some parks (which I visited very briefly and have pictures at the end). The city hall (pictured below) has a tourism office and gift shop, so you can also stop in there to ask for more recommendations. And you should definitely get some pastries while you’re walking around Lüneburg 🙂
I loved how ornate and detailed the architecture is!
I didn’t have much time to explore the parks, but I did walk through one briefly and it was pretty!
If you’re looking for a quick day trip from Hamburg, definitely visit Lüneburg 🙂 It’s just a short train ride from Hamburg (as long as there aren’t any crazy lightning storms), and it’s a beautiful small town you have to see for yourself!
Great post and Amazing photos. I’ve add hamburg to my list. Thanks
Thank you! 🙂
I spend a few months a year living and working in Hamburg but have never visited Lüneburg. Definitely need to visit now I’ve seen this!
You should definitely go to Luneburg when you go back to Hamburg! It’s such a pretty place!
What a fairy tale looking town! I’m sad to say that I haven’t heard of Luneburg. But after going through your photos, I would love to visit and just stroll around the place. It looks like there’s so much atmosphere and charm there.
I hope you can go there, it’s an incredible place!
I absolutely adore the cobblestone streets of Europe. I will definitely have to check this city out!
It’s such a beautiful place! I love cobblestone streets, too!
I love all of the buildings! I think I would enjoy wandering around. I need to plan a trip to that part of the world.
It’s an amazing place! 🙂
Dear Julia,
your post and photos are amazing!
I also love the beautiful and historical city of Lüneburg.
It’s near my village – a small heath village. In summer you should come back and see the flowering heath near the salt and hanseatic city of Lüneburg. It’s fantastic!
Greetings from Amelinghausen
Kerstin
Thank you so much! 🙂 I would love to go back soon!