Miniatur Wunderland - the largest model railway in the world

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: August 2026 | Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg showcases the world's largest model railway. Prepare yourself for floor after floor of fascinating and detailed miniature landscapes, with buildings, trains, boats and planes. Don't miss this impressive place during your visit to Hamburg!

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg

Even if you've done your homework, it's hard to realise just how big Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is. Here you can admire one amazing landscape after another, and everywhere you look you can see trains, cars and people moving around.

No wonder a large technical department is needed to keep traffic under control!

Multi-storey - lots of details

The model railway at Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg runs over several floors. At every square metre you are tempted to stop and look at the almost endless amount of details.

In one place you can check out an amusement park and in another a campsite. There are also, of course, shops, car parks, sports arenas, swimming pools ... and a car wash. If you want, you can check out each individual with their clothes and luggage.

Countries and cities in the world

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is divided into different geographical areas, so you can go on a 'journey' if you wish. Here you can also see how the museum has evolved over time. In the earliest sections, from Germany, there are many 'fantasy buildings'. Later sections have become very realistic, with scaled versions of real buildings.

Hamburg and the rest of Germany

It was of course extra fun to check out Hamburg, with the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, the wheeled steamer and life by the harbour.

Scandinavia

It was also fun to discover the Scandinavia section. There are a lot of environments from northern Norway and from Kiruna in Sweden.

Europe and USA

There are also tours of Europe and the United States. There are amazing environments from Italy and Switzerland, among others. You can even check out Pompeii!

The USA offers everything from dramatic desert landscapes to big cities with skyscrapers.

The exhibition is growing

The Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is clearly growing all the time. When we were here, they were building Monaco. And you can cross a bridge - to completely new premises - where South America is emerging.

Aeroplanes, hot air balloons and space rockets

Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg is a model railway, but it is also full of other vehicles and craft: cars, boats, aeroplanes, hot air balloons and even space rockets. Almost everything moves - either on its own or at the push of a button.

For a while we watched the planes landing and taking off. As we left, we suddenly heard people exclaiming "ooooh". We realised it was a Star Wars ship suddenly passing through the airport!

Sometimes it's night time in Miniatur Wunderland

Every now and then as you walk through the exhibition, it becomes night, and even the nights are exciting, in their own way. Then the festivals wake up, and people start dancing in the nightclubs!

Visiting Minitur Wunderland

Visiting Miniatur Wunderland is an experience we definitely recommend. The environments are marvellous and this entertains children as well as adults.

We received a written guide to the visit in Swedish, which was of course extra nice.

If you get tired and hungry (which is definitely a risk as the visit tends to drag on!) you can sit down in the restaurant for a bite to eat. This place is (of course!) designed like a train carriage.

Video from Minitur Wunderland

Here you can watch a film from Miniatur Wunderland.

More to see and do in Hamburg and Germany

In addition to Miniatur Wunderland, there are many other things to see and experience in Hamburg. For starters, we recommend strolling around the harbour area, and perhaps taking a boat trip. Other interesting experiences include the fascinating Elbphilharmonie concert hall and a guided tour in the footsteps of the Beatles.

• Guided Beatles Tour in Hamburg
• Elbe Philharmonic Hall
• Restaurants in Hamburg
• Things to do in Hamburg