In the 13th century, there were several watermills on the Inner Alster. The owner of one of these mills in 1256 was Heinrich Reese (Reesendammbrücke). The Inner Alster is 3m deep and about 400m long.

The Alster Arcades, which were planned in 1842 by the Hamburg architect Alexis de Chateauneuf, are located directly on the Kleine Alster.

Opposite the Alsterarkaden are the imposing Hamburg Town Hall and the Town Hall Lock. Locking into the Old Town canal is only possible on longer tours. The difference in height is 1.5 metres and it takes 15 minutes.

One of the oldest bridges in Hamburg has been listed in city maps at this location since the 13th century. Behind this bridge began the Alsterwiesen in the Middle Ages. Today, the city's most exclusive shops are located there.

Depending on the water level, we lock about 1.5 meters down into the Alststadtfleete and later up again. The water level of the Alster is regulated via this lock. This rises about 10cm per hour. After rain, the lock is closed and there is a strong current. In this case, we will spend more time on the outer Alster.

The famous Jungfernstieg is located on the south bank of the Binnenalster and we almost always see it from the water side.

The Alster fountain is 60 meters high and fills an entire bathtub in 3 seconds.

The Lombards Bridge follows the course of the old ramparts. There was a pawn shop called "Lombard" here (Lombard shops, Lombard set). At the eastern end of the bridge is the 10th longitude, which we cross several times on the journey. The distance between the longitudes is about 70 km in our latitudes. We are 700 km from Greenwich.

The Alster is a 56 km long river that flows into the Elbe in Hamburg. In the middle of Hamburg's urban area, the dammed river forms the Alster lakes. The Outer Alster (we've been here for about 10 minutes) was created in the 12th century by damming the Alster river for a water mill and was part of the city's fortifications. Many beautiful canals lead from the Alster into the city, all of which we can travel on by gondola on longer trips. The Outer Alster is 2.8 km long, 1 km wide and on average 2.5 m deep. The banks of the Alster are very popular with Hamburg residents. The "Alsterrunde" for joggers is 7.4 km long and goes around the Outer Alster. On warm spring and summer days, many pedestrians, cyclists and picnickers are out and about on the riverside paths and in the adjacent parks, enjoying the view of the water of the Outer Alster. From the soft cushions of the gondola you can enjoy the unobstructed view of the green banks of the Alster, the villas and the skyline of the city.