Blankenese, in the far west of Hamburg, is the city's most picturesque suburb — a steeply terraced former fishing village climbing up the Elbe escarpment, with whitewashed houses scattered through a maze of narrow stepped lanes called Treppenviertel. There are something like 5,000 steps in total; orienteering by street map is futile, so just wander.
The S-Bahn line 1 reaches Blankenese station in 25 minutes from the city centre. The walk down through the village to the Elbe beach takes about 30 minutes, with several pleasant cafés along the way. The Süllberg, a low hill at the village centre, has a restored 17th-century lookout tower and one of the best views over the river. The riverside path back along the Elbe to Övelgönne is one of the city's classic Sunday walks.