If you are lucky enough to have a trip to Hamburg in your future, here are some suggestions of what to do in Hamburg.
I have been in Hamburg a couple of times, with my latest trip to Hamburg coinciding with my attendance at a business conference. As with most business travel, there was little time for sight-seeing. What I am presenting is a suggested set of sites to visit during a 6-hour window. You can also visit these sites if you have an extended layover at the Hamburg airport. The trip into town is a very convenient 1-hour round trip on the S-1 line for 3.50 Euro each way.
For those concerned, Hamburg is an incredibly easy city to walk. As the city is located on a river basin, the topography is pretty flat. There is also a great network of trains and buses to leverage, and the fares are pretty reasonable. I recommend avoiding taxis, given the availability of the mass transit. The cost savings is substantial.
Quick history
Hamburg, officially the free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is Germany’s second largest city. Hamburg has a population of ~1.84 million in the city proper. The larger metro region population is over 5 million.
Hamburg’s name reflects its history, as it was one of the leading cities of the Hanseatic League. The League was a confederation of powerful cities that controlled the trade routes and defenses around the North Sea during the Middle Ages. The city’s history actually dates back to 808 A.D.. Emperor Charlemagne established a fort at the confluence of the Rivers Elbe and Alster, as a defense against attacks from the north. So, the town has been around a while.
Located at the mouth of the Elbe River, Hamburg is Germany’s largest deep water port city and the gateway to the North Sea. Hamburg is actually the third largest port in all of Europe, behind Rotterdam in The Netherlands, and Antwerp, Belgium.
Of Germany’s 16 states, Hamburg is one of three city states, along with the Capital city of Berlin, and Bremen, which actually also includes Bremerhaven.
Covid note: For the most part, Germany has put the mask mandate aside. There are exceptions of course. Masks are required to be worn in hospitals, elderly care facilities, and other locations where compromised people are likely to be present. Germany has recently waived the mask requirement for flight coming into Germany. Germany maintains the requirement for N-95 equivalent masks on public transportation, including rail and buses.
What to do in Hamburg – where to stay?
There are many fine hotels in Hamburg. I personally have stayed in the area around the Rödingsmarkt station. This area is very convenient to the city center as well as to the points of interest around the Harbor including the Philharmonie, Minatur Wunderland, and river cruise operators.
My first recommendation is Fraser Suites Hamburg, located at Rödingsmarkt 2. The Fraser Suites rooms are very spacious and well decorated. I was on the first floor near the lobby and had no noise interruption form the hallway or the street. The fitness area is small, but adequate with weights and treadmill. Free laundry facilities (washer and dryer). Excellent restaurant with a creative bar.
Fraser Suites Hamburg Reviews, Deals & Photos 2023 – Expedia
My second recommendation is the Steigenburger Hotel, Hamburg located at Heiligengeistbrücke 4. This 5-Star hotel has very modern accommodations. The lobby bar is a lively place to get a drink. They are opening a new restaurant in the summer of 2023. Otherwise, there are many restaurants around the hotel.
Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg Reviews, Deals & Photos 2023 – Expedia
Both of these hotels have easy access to the Hamburg Airport via the S-1 line. The Stadthausbrücke station is only a couple of minute walk from each hotel. The S-1 can be caught there.
What to do in Hamburg, points of interest.
Harbor Cruise
There are a fleet of boats along the Elbe Promenade that are there solely for the purpose of giving 1- and 2-hour cruises around the Hamburg Harbor. These harbor cruises range from 20 to 45 Euro depending on the duration and the provider. The boats run the gambit in design from small 25 guest boats, to themed boats advertising local activities (such as the Lion King production) to a replica of a Mississippi River paddleboat. The hour tour I took provided a great opportunity to see the mix of architecture along the riverbank, the harbor operations, and different perspective of the city.
The cruises take you along the operation harbor that is the life blood of the city. The cruise operators bring you up close to some truly immense ocean freighters. On my cruise, the Hapag Lloyd cruise ship Europa was in a dry dock along the river undergoing maintenance. Its always cool to see a vessel up out of the water and be able to appreciate the infrastructure needed to do it.
On the final stretch of the cruise heading back to port, the vessel did a turnaround at the modern Elbphilharmonie building. The structure is rather striking with a multi-story glass structure resembling a tall ship’s sails built on top of a 7-story warehouse. The building’s brick warehouse base opened in 1963, with the re-designed topper added in 2017. There is a viewing platform where the two structures meet that allows you to do a walk around 360-view of Hamburg and the port. The Elbphilharmonie building is houses three concert hall venues, the Westin Hotel, and a number of luxury apartments. In addition to the Philharmonic orchestra, the Elbphilharmonie serves as a host for productions and concerts of many different genres.
Speicherstadt
The Speicherstadt section of Hamburg opened in 1883 and was listed as a UNESCO World heritage site in 2015. This section of Hamburg was originally a series of warehouses along canals along the harbor that stored, coffee, cocoa, textiles, etc. Today, there are still warehouses in many of the structures, including handling a large amount of the world’s carpet production.
The area has also seen a revitalization with newer structures replacing the old, and repurposing of the existing. The Speicherstadt, contains a network of buildings that now house restaurants, coffee roasters, retail and business offices, as well as tourist attractions such as the Hamburg Dungeon, and my next topic, the Minatur Wunderland.
Minatur Wunderland
My wife incredulously asked; “who wants to go to Hamburg to see a model train exhibition?” Apparently, everybody. Germany travel website identifies the Minatur Wunderland in Hamburg as the number one tourist attraction in the country. Neu Schwanstein is only number four. Ranking aside, tastes obviously vary. The Minatur Wunderland website provides a list of some amazing statistics about the exhibition. The exhibition covers more than 1,490m2, features 260,000 miniature figures, and contains over 15.4 Kilometers of railroad track.
Tickets run as high as 20 Euro for adults, with discounted prices at different time slots during the day. Annual passes are also available for 80 Euro for adults, and 40 Euro/child. The Exhibit operators recommend buying your tickets on line for a scheduled arrival. When I bought my ticket, many of the timeslots for scheduling were sold out. Wait times were forecast to be 120 minutes. The operators balance the flow in order to control the number of visitor in the exhibit at any given time. Visitors can spend however long they like in the exhibit. As such, tickets are scanned going in, and coming out. When the exhibit is at capacity, visitors without tickets purchased for a scheduled time must wait before they can enter.
Covid comment – the Minatur Wunderland Exhibit does not require masks. I suggest wearing a mask if you are uncomfortable in closed in venues, with fairly densely packed attendees.
What to do in Hamburg – visit the Altstadt in the city center
The center of Hamburg has an expansive pedestrian zone allowing visitors to walk among the many restaurants and shops. There are a number of shops for those with the taste for high end luxury fashion and jewelry.
The city center is the home of the Rathaus. This beautiful building houses the government for the city and state of Hamburg.
The Altstadt is located along the shores of the Binnenalster. The route around the lake provides a great path for jogging, or just taking a walk. There is a grand mix of impressive architecture along the lake shore to appreciate.
Boat cruises are available If you want to take a less active approach to seeing the sights.
What to do in Hamburg – Planten un Blomen
The botanical garden of the city of Hamburg, called Planten un Blomen, is located about half a kilometer from the city center. This park provides a nice respite from the city, with walking trails among the trees, ponds, playgrounds, and manicured displays. There is also a greenhouse conservatory in the center of the park.
What to do in Hamburg- for next time
As I mentioned at the top of this, I had very limited time on this trip to experience Hamburg. One of the “must see” locations that I failed to see was the St. Pauli district. The St. Pauli district is the is the home of the Reeperbahn. The Reeperbahn is a thoroughfare that used to be more of the red-light district in Hamburg. The area has evolved into a less R-rated entertainment district with a vivacious music scene. This sector of town has a history for being the launching pad for musical success. This, after all, was where a group called The Beatles got their start. There is a monument/statue in the area commemorating them.
Until the next time…
Travel well. Pursue experiences
O.M.I.A.H.