Hamburg
Temperature
5°
Time
7:01 AM
Hamburg
The Elbe River, lakes and canals, the historic Town Hall, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus, the nightlife on the famous Reeperbahn and the traditional Hamburg fish market shape the image of Hamburg, Germany’s green city on the waterfront. The HafenCity offers modern architecture and the new landmark, the concert hall Elphilharmonie. In Hamburg — Germany's second biggest city — prestige, elegance and creativity are combined to create an edgy, modern vibe.Find your trip
Discover the best of Hamburg with the Red Double Decker bus day ticket on Line A. With 20 stops to choose from, hop on and off as you please to take a closer look at the magnificent sights of this maritime metropolis. Additional tours, such as the twilight tour or the Elbe riverside tour, are also available, offering even locals new perspectives of Hamburg.
MS Cap San Diego is the largest seaworthy museum cargo ship in the world. Experience and discover 160 metres of shipping history and embark on a long voyage with the English booklet. Stop for a break in the 'Bord-Bistro' and stay the night on, instead of, by the Elbe river in one of our passenger cabins. During the diversity of evening events you may also meet the ship’s kobold (mischievous household spirit) or even set sail!
Discover Hamburg's Hagenbeck Zoo. In a park of 19 hectares you can find more than 1,850 animals from all over the world including Germany’s only walrus family. Guests experience an expedition around the equator at the Tropical World Adventure Aquarium, where you can find more than 14,300 animals of 300 species.
Chocoversum is Hamburg's sweetest museum, in the heart of Germany's chocolate capital. Uncover the secrets of the world's finest chocolates with all your senses. A guide will take you on a 90-minute journey from the cocoa tree to freshly wrapped chocolates. Witness historic machines in action and savour a taste at every production step. To top it off, you'll even create your own bar of chocolate.
Experience the sea at the Maritime Museum, which showcases 3,000 years of seafaring history with precious artefacts from around the world. Welcome aboard! Discover the stories of wind, waves, explorers, and pirates. The museum boasts over 40,000 miniature model ships, a treasure chamber with models made of gold, silver, and amber, the Queen Mary 2 constructed from 1 million LEGO bricks, and a professional ship simulator.
Sunday morning, 5 am. While most people are usually still asleep at this time, Hamburg is buzzing with activity. At the city's fish market in Altona, by the Elbe, around 70,000 people are either already working or still out and about. Trading here dates back to 1703. Night owls from the Reeperbahn and market enthusiasts meet once a week at this early hour to either end their night or start their day with live music in the fish auction hall.
The Elbphilharmonie is the new landmark of the metropolis on the waterfront. With the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg forges its path as a port city and a city of music, once again demonstrating that the city is shaping its future based on contrast. The spectacular building contains three concert halls with a diverse music programme, a comprehensive music education programme, a hotel, as well as the Plaza — a public viewing platform at a height of 37 metres that offers an amazing view of the city. If you are a modern architecture nerd, you simply must take the extremely popular guided tour that tells you all about the building's construction and history.
Unusually lavish for Hanseatic taste, the splendid sandstone edifice built in 1886–1897 in Neo-Renaissance style dominates the city centre. Hamburg Town Hall is the seat of the city's Senate (state government) and Bürgerschaft (parliament). With a total of 647 rooms, the building has more rooms than Buckingham Palace. The Town Hall can only be viewed on guided tours. Also worth seeing is the fountain of Hamburg's patron goddess, Harmonia, in the Town Hall's courtyard.
Discover the best of Hamburg with the Red Double Decker bus day ticket on Line A. With 20 stops to choose from, hop on and off as you please to take a closer look at the magnificent sights of this maritime metropolis. Additional tours, such as the twilight tour or the Elbe riverside tour, are also available, offering even locals new perspectives of Hamburg.
MS Cap San Diego is the largest seaworthy museum cargo ship in the world. Experience and discover 160 metres of shipping history and embark on a long voyage with the English booklet. Stop for a break in the 'Bord-Bistro' and stay the night on, instead of, by the Elbe river in one of our passenger cabins. During the diversity of evening events you may also meet the ship’s kobold (mischievous household spirit) or even set sail!
In the old Mellin arcade — Hamburg's oldest shopping arcade today — you can admire the ceiling paintings and stained glass from the turn of the last century. Here, you’ll find antiques, art and rare literature at Felix Jud, exclusive porcelain vases and dishware at the Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur, and countless creatively designed bags at Tumi. The Mellin Passage connects the Alsterarkaden with the luxury shopping street Neuer Wall. With the picturesque ceiling paintings the shopping mall is a real find for tourists alongside their shopping spree.
Colourful, alternative, creative and enticing, the market street in the Karolinen district shows that it can be on par with the big shopping streets and centres in the Hanseatic city. Nevertheless, the area retains its particular vibe. The exceptional position of the Karolinen district has helped maintain its vibrant, village character.
Ironically, the most sensual and intense district in the heart of Hamburg bears the name of a saint. This apparent contradiction is characteristic of Saint Georg. The residents call their district a 'world village'. On just 1.8 square kilometres, in a crossover of cultures, a unique scene has developed, both explosive and fascinating. St Georg is quirky and sinful, chic and gay, and always good for sensational headlines.
Jungfernstieg provides a diverse connection between the Inner Alster and the surrounding shops and attractions. Set a date at this central location and start shopping in the nearby department stores — especially the famous and traditional Alsterhaus but also small but refined shops. After a break and refreshment in the Alsterpavillon, continue through the surrounding shopping areas and arcades.
Europa Passage is more than a shopping centre — it is a real attraction in Hamburg. There are over 120 shops on five floors. Whether you're into fashion, books or electronics, the shopping mall in the city centre between Jungfernstieg and Mönckebergstrasse has it all. You can spend a lazy afternoon protected from the wind and weather in this impressive building designed by Hamburg architect Hadi Teherani.
Mönckebergstraße, or just Mö for short, is Hamburg’s major shopping street. Until 1907, this area between the main train station and the City Hall was known as Gägenviertel; here, the city's poorer residents lived on narrow streets with half-timbered houses. When Mönckebergstraße was constructed, Hamburg's administration created the boulevard that could best represent the pride and economic power of the Hanseatic city. Even today, this boulevard displays an impressive variety of large department stores, fashion boutiques, retail shops, cafés and food stalls. The Levantehaus is among the city’s smallest and finest shopping arcades.
The Alsterhaus in Hamburg is one of Germany’s major department stores. The exclusive range of products, the classy sense of trends and the artful presentation have shaped the image of the Alsterhaus significantly. On six floors the premium department store presents many shopping highlights — from international luxury brands to home accessories and prime groceries — and therefore links tradition and modernity.
Schanzenviertel is home to many bars, restaurants, small foreign traders, fashion boutiques and associated clientele dominate the streets in the centre. Just recently in 'Schanze' (as the Hamburg natives say) a series of new stores have opened that make the area attractive and versatile for shopping.
In the old Mellin arcade — Hamburg's oldest shopping arcade today — you can admire the ceiling paintings and stained glass from the turn of the last century. Here, you’ll find antiques, art and rare literature at Felix Jud, exclusive porcelain vases and dishware at the Königliche Porzellan Manufaktur, and countless creatively designed bags at Tumi. The Mellin Passage connects the Alsterarkaden with the luxury shopping street Neuer Wall. With the picturesque ceiling paintings the shopping mall is a real find for tourists alongside their shopping spree.
Colourful, alternative, creative and enticing, the market street in the Karolinen district shows that it can be on par with the big shopping streets and centres in the Hanseatic city. Nevertheless, the area retains its particular vibe. The exceptional position of the Karolinen district has helped maintain its vibrant, village character.
The ultra-modern Hamburg Airport close to the city centre offers quick arrival options and easy access to all national and international destinations. You can get to and from the airport via a suburban train (S1 line), one of the five bus lines (including a night bus and an express bus), by taxi or your own car. You will find an overview of the most important connections to public transport with the latest schedule on the official website of Hamburg Airport.
Lübeck Airport is a smaller airport located 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Lübeck and 54 km (34 mi) northeast of Hamburg. It is the secondary airport for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, after the much bigger Hamburg Airport (HAM). Sometimes you will even see the airport called 'Hamburg Lübeck' for marketing purposes. You can get from Lübeck Airport to Hamburg by train (via Lübeck Hbf). This trip should take you about 1.5 hours. You can make the same trip by bus, but it will take you a while longer — about 2.5 hours.
Save yourself the time and avoid the stress of driving. In the Greater Hamburg Area, suburban and underground railways and the "MetroBus" network operate on weekdays from 5am until around 11pm at 5 to 10 minute intervals. Night, express and regional buses complete the transport network. To make it easier on the travel budget, visitors to Hamburg have various options for cheaper tickets for group and day tickets as well as the Hamburg CARD. The Hamburg CARD not only offers public transport by bus, train and harbour ferry (HVV) but also discounts at more than 150 tourist attractions.
Hamburg is perfect for bikes! Explore the city at your own pace with the sleek red wheels of the Hamburg bike hire system StadtRAD. For locals and tourists alike, StadtRAD Hamburg is practical and the perfect means of transport in the city. There are currently more than 250 hire stations and 3,700 bikes available in many suburban railway and underground stations in the central area as well as major residential areas, business districts and major leisure and tourist attractions.
Car sharing is a great option if you want to take a spontaneous trip to the suburbs or have a lot of heavy shopping to do. There are essentially two types of car-sharing schemes in Hamburg. With non-stationary car-sharing you pick up a car and drop it off at any available parking spot within the rental area. Providers like Share Now and Sixt are parked all over the city. Companies like Cambio and Flinkster operate car-sharing stations, where you can choose different models. These schemes work better when you book in advance and make more sense for longer-distance travel.
You can easily flag down a taxi or check the official City of Hamburg for numbers and further information. Fare meters are used and there are numerous taxi companies. All German Taxis go by the meter. Count on €15 per 15 minutes along with a small tip. All taxi drivers should accept payment with cash and by debit- or credit card. Two popular and recommended companies are: Hansa-taxi +49 40 211 211 Das Taxi +49 40 22 11 22
The post office at Hauptbahnhof railway Station is located in the shop K Presse + Buch. It's open on Monday to Saturday from 5 am till 5 pm. Other post offices are open Monday to Friday from 9 am till 6 pm and on Saturdays usually from 9 am till noon.
You can fill your prescription and buy over the counter medication in Hamburg by finding one of the many pharmacies signed with the large red letter “A”. They are often confused with drugstores (Drogerie), where you can get toiletries, but not medication. Pharmacies in Hamburg are usually open just like any other store: closed in the evening, on Sundays and holidays. If you need medication outside of normal working hours, you can also visit your local emergency pharmacy.
The ultra-modern Hamburg Airport close to the city centre offers quick arrival options and easy access to all national and international destinations. You can get to and from the airport via a suburban train (S1 line), one of the five bus lines (including a night bus and an express bus), by taxi or your own car. You will find an overview of the most important connections to public transport with the latest schedule on the official website of Hamburg Airport.
Lübeck Airport is a smaller airport located 8 km (5.0 mi) south of Lübeck and 54 km (34 mi) northeast of Hamburg. It is the secondary airport for the Hamburg Metropolitan Region, after the much bigger Hamburg Airport (HAM). Sometimes you will even see the airport called 'Hamburg Lübeck' for marketing purposes. You can get from Lübeck Airport to Hamburg by train (via Lübeck Hbf). This trip should take you about 1.5 hours. You can make the same trip by bus, but it will take you a while longer — about 2.5 hours.
