Being the "gateway to the world", Hamburg sees thousands of ships passing through the city's harbour. The area is also home to many of the city's important landmarks. From a stroll along the warehouse district to getting a panoramic view of the city, let's see what you can squeeze in during your visit to Hamburg.
Hamburg was a rest stop for me during my 18 days travel around Central Europe and I failed to do much research on the city, thinking that it was nothing special. I just walked around town aimlessly, taking pictures of buildings because they looked cool and head to the chocolate museum, all excited to create my own chocolate bar.
Basically, don't be like me and properly spend some time to explore the gorgeous Hanseatic city while you are there.
The rather condensed German town is a pedestrian-friendly and you can exploring the city by walking. To have more fun while sightseeing, rent a bicycle from bike-sharing systems! The city is relatively flat and the streets have dedicated bike lanes making it extremely safe to travel around. Trying to see all 755.2 km2 of the port city with all its beautiful canals, funky districts and nightlife in a day however is impossible. With its local culture and cuisine, there are plenty to do for a couple of days and here's a few key highlights to make your stay satisfying!
What to See
Hamburg Town Hall - An iconic attraction in Hamburg, the home to Hamburg's senate and parliament has a staggering 647 rooms and has a beautiful facade. Guided tour costs 5 EUR, from 8:30am to 4:30pm. If you are a fan of Neoclassical facade with marble inscriptions and statues, this is definitely a sight to see.
Elbphilharmonie - The impressive glass concert hall in the harbour is another work of art. The building holds two concert halls, a hotel and residences. Looking absolutely unreal with its innovative architectural - a contrast of glass and bricks, the gargantuan building is a sight to see by the waters.
Nikolaifleet - Hamburg is an underrated canal town especially being so close to Amsterdam. Out of the total of 22 canals, Nikolaifleet is one of Hamburg's most famous canal and definitely a postcard-perfect view.
Hauptkirche St. Michaelis - The Church of St. Michael is known to locals as "Der Michel', is considered to be an iconic Hanseatic Protestant baroque churches.
Kontohaus District - The district is an essential part of Hamburg's and was also declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. Chile House, with its unique ship's bow shape, is a symbol of the Brick Expressionism of the area especially for the city's revival post WW1.
Speicherstadt - Translated as 'warehouse city' as it is the world's largest warehouse complex with 17 buildings with more than 300,000 square meters of storage area. More neo-gothic brick architecture for fans of the style. The popular young district is home to quirky museums, such as Harry's Hamburger Hafenbasar (a museum of sailors collections) and Spicy's Gewürzmuseum (a museum of herbs and spices). There are also fun attractions like Hamburg Dungeon and Miniatur Wunderland.
What to Do
Shopping at Jungfernstieg - The waterfront promenade has many designer boutiques along side affordable stores such as Alsterhaus department store or the Europa Passage shopping mall. The street accommodates art galleries and a panaoramic view of Lake Binnenalster. Fun Fact: "Jungfer" is virgin/maiden in German as the area used to be a place for wealthy Hanseatic families to marry off their daughters.
Cruise along Elbe - Ride one of Hamburg's public ferries to get extraordinary views of the Elbphilharmonie. Seeking for an active approach? Rent a paddle board or canoe and make your way through the river for a new perspective of the Hanseatic city.
Transport back in Time - The WW2 bunker is an interesting place to visit, just hidden under the Central station. There are regular English tours for 8 EUR at the Hamburger Unterweltern for you to schedule your visit.
Exploring Old Elbtunnel - St. Pauli Elbtunnel is a famous pedestrian tunnel in town, reaching a depth of 24 metres and a length of 426.5 metres. Today, the first and longest river tunnel in the world is still used by hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists. Starting from Landungsbruken, walk a little under 10 minutes across to the Port of Hamburg with a beautiful view of the city.
Party at St. Pauli - The quirky corner is filled with bars, clubs and bordellos (prostitution is legal here), making it the perfect nightlight experience. Reeperbahn is a pop culture hothouse; cheap smoky bars, erotic nightclubs alongside art galleries and theatres at Sternschanze. You can find the Beatles monument, Hans-Albers-Platz and also cabarets. Herbertstraße is the proper red-light district area and only restricted to men above 18 years old.
Visiting museums - A museum visit is a must in an European city. The Kunsthalle is home to collections spanning across 700 years of history. Or head to one of the many quirky museums in Speicherstadt.
Make your own Chocolate - Have your 90 minutes of sweetness at Chocoversum with a tour through Hamburg's chocolate museum. The guided tour explains the origins and process of making chocolate while letting you taste at each stage. End the tour by creating your own bar of chocolate - pick from milk, white and dark chocolate before heaping your favourite toppings. Pre-sale tickets are at 13 EUR and Visiting Day tickets cost 19 EUR for adults.
Stuff yourself full at Fischmarkt - Hamburg's fish market is another iconic landmark with its red brick and metal dome. Market is open every Sunday morning at 5am to 9.30am (summer) or 7am to 9.30am (winter), before church. Grab a fischbrötchen (fish sandwich) since you are there. Have some breakfast after at the main floor of the building where you can find waffles, wurst, baskets of berries and quarkballen. What's novel about this market is the live band with rock and jazz performance for those who wants to keep the Saturday Night vibes going into Sunday. Fun times!
Check out Toy Trains - At Miniatur Wunderland, you can spend hours trying to look at every single details as well as spotting the humor when the designers created this exhibition of toy trains. The train tracks currently run through America and Europe, but Africa is coming up soon. For 12 EUR an adult, have fun at the biggest toy train museum in the world, or the perfect place ever to play "I Spy".
What to Eat:
Fischbrötchen - A fish bun that is typically made with herring (pickled/soused) and topped with onions, pickles and remoulade sauce. These days you can get the sandwich with different stuffings, like fried fish and crabmeat, depending on what is available at the store. Grab one with German beer at Brücke 10 while enjoying the North Sea wind. For an sophisticated take on the traditional rolls, UNDERDOCKS offers them with sesame buns instead. You can even have an upgraded version with jalapanos and cheese at the fast food restaurant.
Aalsuppe - A traditional eel soup originating from the olden days. Though the classic Aalsuppe contained no eel and was called "Aol Suppe" in Northern German dialect, making other Germans hear it as Aal Suppe / eel soup. Thus today, the sweet and sour soup is a lovely mixture of dumplings, eel, and vegetables cooked with meat broth. Slurp down some of that soup with flour dumplings at Old Commercial Room.
Finkenwerder Scholle - Tender yet crunchy, the baked or fried plaice fish is served with onions, bacon and shrimp. Pricier than your normal street eats or fast food take-away, splurge on this fish dish at Fischereihafen Hamburg.
Rote Grütze - Reduced from summer berries, the fruit pudding is served with milk, vanilla sauce or ice cream. Usually red, the sweet dish may come in different colours so don't be surprised if you see it in blue or green. An affordable option will be at Anno 1905.
Brathering - Herring-based dish where the fish is fried and marinated before being served cold. A local favorite, best a post-lunch snack. You can find them at fast food stands and take-out places. Brücke 10 has them too.
Franzbrötchen - Inspired by croissants, the German take is baked with butter and cinnamon. Sometimes imarzipan, chocolate, seeds or raisins are added. Get your fix at Kleine Konditorei or Rindermarkthalle St. Pauli.
Solo Scorecard - 1 (1 - Perfect for Solo Travelling, 5 - Would not recommend for solo travellers)
The ease of walking or cycling around town is a big plus on the scorecard, in addition to the majority of locals being able to communicate in English. Being in a less touristy area makes you less wary about being caught in tourist scam and you can enjoy the town in its true authentic self. Another bonus - being in Germany, food are relatively cheaper than in other parts of Europe, especially when it is so close to the North! Grab some chocolates here too.
Researching and writing for this post made me realised how much I've missed out during my visit there. I have definitely overlooked Hamburg as it wasn't a city that was talked about in 2015 nor was it a tourist hot spot. Such a pity to miss out on all the landmarks, museums and especially, the opportunity to soak up the city's fun vibes. I am sure to revisit the German city in the future now that I know of it's charms.
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