10 Reasons to Visit Hamburg
Hamburg is Germany’s second largest city and is not the most popular when it comes to planning your German tourist destinations, however, this eclectic, industrial city needs to be added to everyone’s Germany bucket list. Don’t worry I have reasons why you should visit Hamburg…. ten to be exact.
10 Reasons to Visit Hamburg, Germany
Easily Accessible.
You can get here by every mode of transportation. No joke. The easiest is clearly by plane and then taking the train into town, but the convenience of the airport only being a 15-minute drive from the city center makes it one of the most accessible cities I have been to.
For 7 euros you can get a day pass on the metro, trust me you’ll be using it a lot, and you can even use it all night.
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
No visit to Hamburg is complete without checking out the Speicherstadt (translated to city of warehouses). This is the world’s largest warehouse district. It was built from 1883 to 1927 and is built on timber pile foundations that literally take over the River Elbe running into the city.
The neo-gothic facade makes for great pictures and a beautiful back drop for weaving in and out of the canals, bridges, and streets. This district became a world heritage site in 2015, making it Germany’s 40th UNESCO site.
Today it houses a lot of carpet dealers and several museums including the Hamburg Dungeon and Miniatur Wunderland, the world’s largest model railway.
Bridges.
There’s so many bridges. I read that Hamburg has more bridges than Venice, Amsterdam and London combined, I didn’t believe it, but it’s true! There’s so many water ways in Hamburg that it can be overwhelming, and this is walking well into the city. No wonder this is a huge port and industrial area.
There’s so many unique bridges that you could turn it into a game and try to keep track of how many you see or walk across… I lost track, but see how close you can get to 2,500 and let me know your number in the comments!
Elbphilharmonie.
The newest building added to the Hamburg skyline is the Elbphilharmonie. It’s a beautiful concert hall that’s on the Grasbrook Peninsula in Hafencity on the Elbe River.
Apparently it’s very difficult to get tickets to a concert here, but if you see there’s something you’re interested in, then get them while you can! This place is also a hotel (The Westin) and residential apartments. Can you imagine living here?! Wow.
There’s also an observation deck that is free to go to, however, you need to stand in line to get a ticket with a time and then stand in line to enter during your time slot. During off-season, it’s easy to walk up to any time of day, but during the summer months, you will have to plan on getting there early to get a time slot. You can also book your time prior online for a small fee.
Architecture.
The architecture is fairly recent compared to a lot of towns or cities in Germany and across Europe, it’s mainly late 1800’s to early 1900’s, but it’s beautiful. The churches line the skyline as you walk through the Speicherstadt and the town hall is one of the largest in country (647 rooms to be exact), it is also said to be the most beautiful government building in the country.
Cafes Everywhere.
I love all the cafes! And the bakeries! Hamburg is definitely not an overly rushed metropolis that New York or L.A. is. It has a completely different feel. Yes, it’s busy. Yes, there’s tons of people, but it doesn’t feel like you have to be in a hurry to get anywhere.
That’s why you need to go to a cafe when you visit Hamburg.
You take your time and enjoy eating your pretzel or waffle or cinnamon roll… take your time drinking your latte or kaffee as they say in German. It’s all the experience here.
Surrounding Neighborhoods.
The districts that are around Hamburg… which is still considered Hamburg… because Hamburg is HUGE, are definitely worth a visit. My favorite was Winterhude, it’s a 7 minute ride on the underground from the city center (and you do have to change trains), but the cute houses that line the streets and local cafes are worth the trip.
If you catch this area in the fall then you are rewarded with bright yellow trees and plenty of leaves to crunch beneath your feet. You wouldn’t even believe this place is located in Germany’s second largest city!
Pirate History.
Hamburg has had a gruesome history, but not as bad as say York in England or other places around the world, but their gruesome claim to fame is a pirate named Klaus Stortebeker.
He was a smuggling pirate that captured many ships in the Baltic and North Sea. He was convicted and sentenced to death in Hamburg. Just before he was hanged he asked the mayor if he would pardon all the crew members his headless body could walk by after the deed was done. The mayor was amused and agreed to the conditions.
Klaus was beheaded and his headless body walked past 11 of his crew members before the executioner tripped him. Yeah, I don’t believe it either, but it’s a fun story…. I also feel bad for the 12th guy!
Alternative Scene.
There’s a very eclectic mix of people that live in Hamburg and it’s a very young and hip scene. Explore St. Pauli to get the real artsy, trendy feel of the city. Sit down at a cafe and people watch, seriously, do it…. yes, I keep bringing up cafes, but for some reason they are just so much better in Germany.
Great Night Life.
Hamburg has the most ridiculous night life scene I have ever witnessed. Seriously.. and this is normal?! WHAT! Everywhere you go, there’s bars or kiosks (convenience stores) selling alcohol, which you can walk around with, and every other business in St. Pauli is a club.
Take the S-Bahn to Sternschanze for tons of bars and patio areas or get off at St. Pauli to experience the Reeperbahn and Hamburg’s club district.
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