A week ago, I spent a family-weekend in Hamburg, Germany. I had visited this city before but only for 2 hours, so I was very happy to have 4 days to explore it again - and I wasn't disappointed! Even if we had rain for almost 2.5 days without stop, we got to know the city quite well. And let me tell you: Also in grey, Hamburg is very worth to visit! :-)
We took the night train from Basel at about 9 p.m. I love this way of travelling as it gives you time to prepare mentally for the destination. Aaaand the other good thing: I always sleep like a log in trains! That's why we arrived happily and with enough energy in Hamburg the next morning at 8 a.m.
On our way to our Air B'n'B, we crossed the Mönckeberg-street, some beautiful old brick houses and the city hall with its big square.
We also crossed the Alsterarkaden. Don't these arcades remind you a bit of Venice? Actually the prices of a coffee there is really similar to the ones at Marcus square in Venice! :-)
We walked to my personal highlight of my last very short Hamburg-trip: The Landungsbrücken (in English: St. Pauli Piers), the biggest landing place in Hamburg's harbor. I love the maritime atmosphere there - the shops, the cafés, the views (boats, ships and the Elphilharmonie in the background)... Amazing!
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| Is he might be dreaming about the big waves and the freedom of the sea? |
Another great view is the newly built Elbphilharmonie (Elbe Philharmonic Hall, or short: Elphi), on of the largest concert halls in the world. It is not only famous by its architecture (designed by the famous architects Herzog & de Meuron and built on top of traditional warehouse building) but also for it's price - as it cost 10 times more than it had been calculated... Too bad the tickets are almost always sold out. I would have loved to go to a concert at Elphi!
A must when you're in Hamburg: A harbor cruise on boat. We decided to do two tours (a big one to the harbor surroundings (2 h), and a short one along the canals of the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt). We were all very impressed about this huge harbor! Driving along ships that are more than 300 m long is quite scary!!
We also saw...
... little beaches...
... biiig ships...
... and logistical challenges! Wow!
When we had land under our feet again, it soon started raining at was freezing cold, so we decided to seek shelter from the weather. What we found: The Old Elbe tunnel (or: St. Pauli tunnel). This tunnel was built in 1911 and is 24 m beneath the surface. It is quite fascinating, sas it connects the center of Hamburg with the other side of the river (mostly docks and harbor). It is open for pedestrians and bicycles, but at specific times of the day it can only be used by cars. It is quite a funny feeling to walk in a tunnel if you think about all the water you have above your head (as long as you don't think about possible holes...)!
We were lucky and had picked a fantastic air b'n'b appartment in Hafen City, a new neighborhood of Hamburg, very near to the center. There, we found a lovely café, run by a very chatty, Albanian woman. "Café Irma" was our favourite spot for morning coffees and a gooood and healthy breakfast!
Outside of the beautiful market hall you can buy everything you want and don't want: fresh fish, fruit baskets, chocolates, things for your kitchen, clothes- everything! The screams of the seller while trying to sell their thing in the last minutes are veeery funny! And you don't have to be surprised if you find yourself at the end with a whole box of fresh mangoes or a small tree - that's completely normal! :-)
At the inside of the old market hall you can have brunch or a beer and there are bands playing - the atmosphere is amazing!
... and then explored my favourite part of the city: The old warehouses district, the "Speicherstadt". I love the atmosphere with the brick houses and canals! Today, the Speicherstadt is on the list of UNESCO world heritage, but some of the buildings are still used as warehouses, mostly for the carpet production and other goods like coffee, tea, spices or cocoa. I can almost smell coffee and chocolate when I see the pictures! :-)
The next highlight of our Hamburg-trip: A visit to the "Miniatur Wunderland", a museum famous for it's model railway. I could have never imagined how fun it is to visit! There is so much to see, so many buttons to click on and so much to laugh! It is hard for me to explain why this attraction is an absolute MUST when in Hamburg (I also had my doubts when my friends told me about it, but trust me: You won't regret it!!), so I let the pictures speak...
Another must on your trip to Hamburg: The Reeperbahn (or: Kiez, or even more simple: the most sinful mile), Hamburg's famous red light district and THE place to be for Hamburg's nightlife. Also here, I won't be able to transmit the special atmosphere in this districts while writing about it. But let me tell you: I was amused, amazed, shocked and impressed at the same time!
The Reeperbahn is well known for being the place where the career of The Beatles began. Nowadays, they even have their own square there!
Setting change, another shade of grey, but still rain: We decided to do a Free Tour around the St. Pauli-district, not only known for the Reeperbahn or its soccer club but also for the alternative scene there. It didn't make us feel good when the guide told us that one day before, a man was stabbed here, but still: St. Pauli has its charm!
The St. Pauli park was built after kids had been encouraged to hand in ideas for designs. 2 ideas won: A flying carpet and an island with palms. Do you see them?
At the third day, finally the sun came out, so we decided to see Hamburg from above. For this, church towers are always a good idea - and the St. Michael's church (shortly "Michel") is probably the best one. The view from above is fantastic!
Finally, the sun came out. Off course we had to compensate our lack of vitamin D, so we sat down in a cozy deck chair at the "Hamburg del mar"- bar, next to the harbor and the Landungsbrücken. Isn't it great?
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| Chillin' in a deck chair, with Elphi in the background, an ice cream and a cold drink - can it get any better? |
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| One happy tourist |
Hamburg has a looot of fantastic places and spots to stay and drink a beer or coffee. One of my favourite places was the "Erste Liebe Bar" (german for "First love bar") in the city center. I loved the stylish interior (very reduced to the max)! And trust me, in a bar with such a name, you can be sure you will have very philosophical and interesting talks! :-)
Sadly, after 3 days of a lot of great sights and experiences, we had to leave Hamburg and to go back home. We ended our trip with a stop at "Alex" at the Binnenalster - off course with fantastic, warm summer weather - how mean is that?!
The trip to Hamburg was really cool and I really liked the city. There would be so much more to see and do, so I guess it won't have been the last time I was there! But next time, pleeeeease give me 50 shades of BLUE!! :-)
My tips for your trip to Hamburg:
Where to stay: As we had booked an Air B'n'B in the Hafen City- neighborhood, I cannot recommend you a good hotel. But what about try your luck with Air b'n'b? :-)
Where to eat: There are too many good restaurants, so you won't find it difficult to find a good one. We had delicious dinner at "Singh" (Steindamm 35), an Indian restaurant. On this street you will find a lot of other interesting restaurants if you like foreign food. We also tried a greek restaurant near the famous Reeperbahn called "Taverna Hellas" (Davidstrasse 29). A lovely spot for having breakfast is at "Irma's Café" (Sonninstrasse 22) or the "Erste Liebe Bar" (Michaelisbrücken 3). If you need a drink and it's good weather try out one of the beach bars next to Landungsbrücken. We tried the "Hamburg del mar" and loved it!
What to do:
- Do a harbor cruise: Even if it sounds not very exciting trust me it is! On this 1- or 2h-cruise, you will experience this huge harbor from a different sight and learn a lot about it! Aaand: You have a great view over Hamburg's skyline!
- Visit the Landungsbrücken: one of the nicest spots in town - but also one of the mst touristy places. From there you can take a ferry for a harbor cruise or to get to the musical theatres.
- Visit the Speicherstadt (the old warehouse district): simply because it's beautiful!
- Visit the St. Pauli - district or better: Do a free walking tour there as it gives you extra information! And off course, you should also visit it by night as it is especially legendary for its Reeperbahn.
- Visit the "Fischereimarkt" (Fish market) on Sunday morning - you will love the rumble, the noises and the funny things you can buy there. But make sure you get up early - the market closes at 9:30!!
- Visit the "Miniatur Wunderland" - one of the most fantastic "museums" I have ever seen. There is so much to see and do in this miniature world that you could easily spend 2 full days there. I highly recommend you to book your tickets in advanced as it is the most popular museum in Germany and the queues are always loooong...
- Explore the old town around the city hall. It is great for shopping or just having a cup of coffee.
- Climb the tower of "Michel" (St. Michaels Church) - from there you have a wonderful view over the old town and the harbor!