Affenfelsen (“Monkey Rock”) at Hamburg Airport

Updated: October 2026 – When Hamburg spotters arrange to meet, almost always the same name comes up: Affenfelsen (“Monkey Rock”). It means an unassuming rise on Holtkoppel in Langenhorn, right next to the small café Coffee to Fly. From here you look over the airport fence onto runway 15/33, without a ladder, without admission and with a coffee within reach.

This page explains when the spot works, when it doesn’t, how to get there and where to go instead when wind or light don’t cooperate.

A city airport with crossing runways

Hamburg Airport Helmut Schmidt lies in the middle of the urban area, between Fuhlsbüttel, Niendorf and Langenhorn, with a small part extending to Norderstedt. Unlike in Munich or Düsseldorf, there are no parallel runways here but two runways that cross: 05/23 at 3,250 meters and 15/33 at 3,666 meters long. Which runway is used for departures and which for landings depends on the wind, the weather and noise protection rules implemented by German air traffic control.

For you as a spotter that means: there is no spot that always works. Around the fence there are dozens of vantage points, each for a particular runway and a particular time of day. The Affenfelsen is so popular because it covers the most common departure direction, needs no ladder and has facilities.

Runway direction in use: when the Affenfelsen delivers

The most common configuration in Hamburg is landings on 23 and departures from 33. The landings come in from the northeast over Langenhorn, and the departures begin at the southern end of 15/33 near the terminals and lead north toward Norderstedt. These are exactly the departing aircraft that taxi past the Affenfelsen. Narrowbody jets are sometimes already airborne at the height of the hill, while heavier aircraft are still on the ground or just starting to climb.

Less often, aircraft land on 15, usually together with departures from 23. Then the aircraft come in from the north and, after touching down, roll out on the runway past you toward the south. Landings on 33 and departures from 15 are rarer still, but use the taxiway directly in front of the fence – those are the moments for pictures at eye level.

Configuration	What you see at the Affenfelsen	How often	Recommendation
Landing 23, departure 33	Departures on 15/33 in full width	most common	Hill is the first choice
Landing 15, departure 23	Landings rolling out on the runway in front of you	occasional	worthwhile, get there early
Landing 33, departure 15	Taxiing traffic on the taxiway in front of you	rare	worthwhile, check the light
Operations only on 05/23	little on 15/33	weather-dependent	move to the west side or the Holtkoppel meadow

In poor visibility there is a lot in favor of landings on 23, because this runway is equipped with the highest-category instrument landing system. In fog and low clouds it therefore often gets quieter at the Affenfelsen. How to interpret wind and runway direction correctly before you set out is explained in the guide Understanding runway direction at airports.

Light and photography

The Affenfelsen lies on the east side of the runway. So you look west, and the sun is at your back from sunrise to about early midday. That is the time window you should come for. From the afternoon the light turns into backlight, and the fuselages go dark on the sunny side.

You don’t need a ladder; the rise is enough to see over the fence. For focal length, a standard telephoto zoom works well: for aircraft on the taxiway shorter focal lengths suffice, and for a narrowbody jet on the runway you should plan on about 150 to 250 mm. If you want details like registrations or engines filling the frame, bring more.

On hot summer days heat haze is the biggest problem. The air shimmers over the long asphalt, and pictures of aircraft at the other end of the runway turn soft. Shoot as early in the morning as possible then and concentrate on aircraft that pass close to you.

What you get to see in Hamburg

Hamburg is not a hub but a large point-to-point airport. That shapes the picture at the fence: lots of European short- and medium-haul traffic, few widebodies, but a broad mix of airlines.

• Lufthansa Group: Lufthansa connects Hamburg with the hubs Frankfurt and Munich, plus Swiss from Zurich and Austrian Airlines from Vienna. The Lufthansa flights and the partners of the Star Alliance are handled at Terminal 2.
• Eurowings and Condor: Both have aircraft based in Hamburg. Eurowings shapes city and leisure traffic, Condor mainly the vacation destinations.
• Long-haul: Emirates has flown to Hamburg since 2006 and, as things currently stand, uses the Boeing 777 on the Dubai route. The A380 has been seen on the route before – which type is currently flying is best checked beforehand in a flight tracker.
• Types: Most often you see narrowbody jets such as the Airbus A320neo and the Boeing 737-800, plus regional jets such as the Embraer E190.

A special feature is Lufthansa Technik at the airport. In 2021 the Lufthansa Group decided to give up maintenance of its scheduled aircraft in Hamburg, but VIP and government aircraft continue to be serviced. That is why unusual business jets and widebody jets can also turn up in Hamburg. The airport also serves as an alternate for the Airbus plant in Finkenwerder.

Getting there: car, subway and bus

By car the Affenfelsen is easiest. You drive via Langenhorn to Holtkoppel and park near the café. On sunny weekends it gets tight there, so allow some time for finding a parking spot and don’t park in driveways or on paths.

By bus and train it is more awkward, because the S1 does stop at the terminal, but the hill lies on the other side of the grounds. The usual route takes the U1 to Langenhorn Markt and from there the bus to the Wrangelkoppel stop. Then you follow the street Wrangelkoppel to the end and turn right to the hill; expect at least 15 minutes on foot. Check lines and frequencies best in the HVV journey planner.

By bike you are flexible: you can ride around most of the grounds and switch spots depending on the runway direction in use.

How a good morning at the Affenfelsen goes

What else belongs in your camera bag is covered in the Equipment checklist for plane spotting. If you are brand new, the guide Plane spotting for beginners helps you get started.

Backup spots around Hamburg Airport

Because the runways cross, a second spot is a must in Hamburg. On a footpath on Holtkoppel you get landings on 23 from a different perspective. If you want to collect registrations after the morning, go to the observation decks at Terminals 1 and 2, which according to the city portal are open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. On the west side of 15/33 there are further points around Bayernweg and the western end of the Krohnstieg tunnel, which have the better light from midday. Depending on the vantage point you need a small ladder there.

If you want to see more widebody traffic, a trip to the hubs is worthwhile. In the south, the visitors’ hill at Munich Airport offers an equally relaxed introduction, and in the west the observation deck at Düsseldorf Airport is the obvious choice.

Rules at the fence

The Affenfelsen lies outside the security area on publicly accessible land. To keep it that way, a few simple rules apply.

Consideration for the neighbors also applies: Holtkoppel is a residential and allotment garden area. Don’t park in driveways, take your trash with you and remember that the café is a private business, not a spotters’ clubhouse.

Conclusion

The Affenfelsen is not the most spectacular spot in Germany, but one of the most pleasant. It combines a legal, elevated vantage point without a ladder with morning light on the most important departure runway, a restroom and a coffee. If you keep an eye on the runway direction in use and come in the morning, you get relaxed and clean pictures of everyday Hamburg traffic here.

Its limits lie in the nature of the airport: with operations on 05/23 and in the afternoon you have to move. With one or two backup points in your pocket, the Affenfelsen still makes for a full spotting day.