Things to do in Hamburg

Hamburg is a port first and a city second. The Elbe reaches the sea about 100 km downstream, and the harbour still sets the layout. Most sights sit within a few kilometres of the water.

The waterfront on foot

Start at the Landungsbrücken piers and walk east along the water. Harbour ferries run on ordinary city tickets.

• Alter Elbtunnel. A tiled tunnel of 1911 under the river, entered by lift or stairs.
• Rickmer Rickmers. A three-masted museum ship of 1896, moored by the piers.
• Speicherstadt. Brick warehouses on timber piles over canals, built from 1883 and on the UNESCO list since 2015.
• Elbphilharmonie. A glass concert hall on an old warehouse, opened in 2017. The Plaza terrace is free with a timed ticket.
• Portuguese quarter. A short strip of restaurants behind the piers.

St Pauli and the Reeperbahn

The Reeperbahn is the entertainment strip of St Pauli. The Beatles played early residencies here in the 1960s. Pub crawls along it are for over-18s only.

The Sunday fish market opens before dawn in summer and is over by half past nine.

Leaving Hamburg by road

Hamburg is a hub for private transfers between cities. Each is a one-way run by car with an English-speaking driver, and some add a stop.

• Bremen. About an hour and a half by road.
• Hannover and Wolfsburg. Under two hours to Hannover, around two to Wolfsburg.
• Berlin. About three hours. A stop at Sanssouci, Frederick the Great's summer palace in Potsdam, is one option.
• Copenhagen. Over four hours. Egeskov Castle near Odense, a moated house of 1554, works as a stop.

Practical

• Weather. July afternoons average about 23C, January ones about 4C. It rains in every month, and the harbour wind favours a light waterproof over an umbrella.
• Getting around. The S1 runs from the airport to the main station in about 25 minutes. Ferry line 62 rides on the same ticket as buses and trains.
• Sundays. Most shops close, restaurants do not.
• Cash. Cards are common, but small kiosks and some bars take cash only.
• Tipping. Add five to ten per cent in restaurants, or round up in a bar.