18 Best Things to Do in Hamburg to Fully Experience the City
While Hamburg may not come to the top of your mind when planning a trip to Germany, it is the second largest city in Germany and a major port. It offers all kinds of amazing experiences and various different sides of the city to explore. If you only have one day, you can see the highlights, but with multiple days, you can really dig into the best things to do in Hamburg.
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About Hamburg, Germany
Hamburg has a strong history as a successful port city which has helped Germany sustain its position as one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries in Europe. Throughout the city and harbor you’ll find remnants of its famous past as well as the sights that keep this city thriving today.
Getting Acquainted with the City
In wandering around the city, the first thing you’ll notice is all of the canals and bridges spread throughout. In fact, Hamburg has more bridges than any other city in the world – coming in at right around 2,500 bridges. That’s more than Venice, Amsterdam, and London combined! This of course means that getting around can require the use of bridges, boats, and tunnels.
What to Do and See in Hamburg
While you’re in Hamburg, you will have plenty of things to keep you busy. For one, you’ll have to take a walking tour or two around Hamburg to see the top sights in the city. Then of course you need to eat your way through all of the delicious food. And lastly, tailor your trip to your interests with checking out the various sides of Hamburg!
Here are some of the best walking tours to get acquainted to Hamburg.
See the Top Sights around the City
While you’re out exploring, you’ll need to track down these top sights in Hamburg to fully understand the history and beauty of the city.
Speicherstadt
The Speicherstadt is the warehouse district or “City of Warehouses”. It was built after Hamburg joined the German customs zone in 1888 to accommodate the growing port area. Today, this stunning area is a protected World Heritage Site featuring the same Gothic Revival architecture. You’ll find some of the buildings still serve as storage for the port while others have been converted into apartments or other attractions.
Rathaus (Townhall) and Rathausmarkt
This beautiful civil building features 647 rooms and you can take a guided tour to explore parts of the inside. Additionally, you can explore the main city square which hosts all kinds of events. The stunning architecture of Rathaus was part of a larger plan to show off the wealth and prosperity of Hamburg.
Deichstrasse
This historic street is the oldest remaining street within the Old Town (Altstadt) of Hamburg. Deichstrasse features a number of carefully restored 17th – 19th century houses and is the only part of the city that is left from the original harbor district.
St. Pauli District
The St. Pauli District and the Reeperbahn street are the most notorious parts of Hamburg. It is home to most of the nightlife in the city, both of the typical variety and of the bit “seedier” variety. You will indeed find plenty of prostitutes, strip clubs, and porn shops in the St. Pauli area as well as bars and live music venues.
Hamburg Harbor
The busy harbor of Hamburg is located on the Elbe River and is 110 km from the mouth of the North Sea. It is Germany’s largest seaport by volume as well as the third busiest port in Europe and the 15th largest in the World. As a visitor to Hamburg, you will want to ensure you pay a visit to the harbor to take a boat trip throughout the waterside districts. It is one of the best ways to see the city.
There are plenty of options to tour the harbor, from boat trips to free ferry rides with your Hamburg CARD. Take ferry number 72 to view HafenCity and the Elbphilharmonie or take 61 to admire the busy port. If you’re interested in taking an official tour, here are some of the most popular options.
Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
This modern concert hall is said to be one of the largest and most acoustically advanced concert halls in the world. It’s worth a stop to see the astounding architecture that resembles a hoisted sail, water wave, iceberg or quartz crystal resting on top of an old brick warehouse.
Learn more about this fabulous building by taking a guided tour of the Elbphilharmonie. As a slightly odd bonus, you’ll also get to take a ride on the longest escalator in Europe.
Hamburger Kunsthalle
The Hamburg Kunsthalle Museum covers 7 centuries of European art, from the Middle Ages to present day. This museum is situated in three connected buildings in the Altstadt district and hard to miss as you tour around the city.
Elbe Tunnel
The Elbe Tunnel is a pedestrian and vehicle tunnel serving as an exhibition space. It takes you 24 meters below the surface of the Elbe River, and at 426 m long, you can use it to connect from central Hamburg to the docks and shipyards on the south side of the river.
Miniatur Wunderland
This model railway and miniature airport attraction is the largest of its kind in the world. Miniatur Wunderland features over 15,400m of track, 260,000 people, 130,000 tress, 4,110 buildings, and more! Watch as the trains and railways travel through the recreated landscapes of Hamburg, a Las Vegas night scene, Switzerland, and more.
You’ll also be able to watch as modelers and technicians work on the next stages of Miniatur Wunderland. Book in advance for priority entrance to Miniatur Wunderland.
Planten un Blomen
Looking for a retreat in the city? This is it. The Planten un Blomen is a city park featuring a lake and botanical gardens in the inner-city of Hamburg along with the largest Japanese garden in Europe. Spend some time relaxing on the lawn or exploring the five greenhouses. If gardens aren’t really your thing, you can also visit the Tierpark Hagenbeck zoo which is home of 510 animal species and sits on the grounds of the Planten un Blomen.
St. Michael’s Church
This stunning Lutheran church offers towers that serve as a landmark within the city. You can go up to the observation deck over 100m high for a great view of the harbor.
Taste the Local Delicacies
As with any travel destination, you will want to try some of the local delicacies to understand a whole different side of Hamburg. If you’re visiting Hamburg for just a couple of days, you’ll have to eat quickly and eat often to fit in all of the deliciousness! That’s right, you can go all the way to Germany just to eat!
Try the Local Specialties
One of the attributes of Germany that is easy to get used to is the grab and go food. From currywursts – a brat with ketchup and curry powder – to kebabs, you can always find a cheap, easy meal or snack.
Beyond hamburg(ers) and bratwursts, you’ll want to try a Fischbrotchen. It’s a fish sandwich typically made with pickled herring, pickles, onions, and remoulade sauce. And of course the Franzbrotchen, a delicious pastry slathered in butter and cinnamon.
Want to try all the food? Consider taking a food tour through HafenCity where you’ll get to taste international appetizers from 5 great restaurants in just 3 hours. To sweeten the deal, you will get to explore parts of the city, like Speicherstadt and the famous Elbphilharmonie to walk off some of the food and make space for more!
Check out the Beer Scene
Of course, Hamburg does have more than food. You’ll find a lot of local beer and one of the busiest red-light districts, which was kept thriving by the city’s large port. Definitely stop by Reeperbahn when you’re out and about at night. Located in the St. Pauli district, it’s one of the two main bar and nightclub streets within the city.
As Hamburg was once the world capital of brewing, you may want to explore the craft beer scene. One great option is to take a tour of three top breweries in the area. You’ll get to taste the specialties at all of the taprooms and then get a free sample of your favorite beer.
Get to Know a Different Side of the City
There are so many wonderful things to see and do in Hamburg, that you can certainly remain busy. But, you’ll want to make sure to get to know the city the way that has the most interest to you. Here are a number of different sides of Hamburg that might interest you!
The Party Side of Hamburg
Get to know Hamburg with a party harbor tour with Olivia Jones. You’ll get to experience the harbor in a party atmosphere. Rock and sing along to the music, drink liquor, and head to a bar afterwards for a few drinks.
If you really party hard, take part in the tradition of stumbling down to the fish market (Fischmarkt) on the harbor Sunday morning after a night of partying to take a look around and soak up the alcohol with a Fischbrotchen.
The Seedy & Seducing Side of Hamburg
Explore the Red Light District in Hamburg with Barker Fabian of the Olivia Jones family. You’ll hear stories of his time as a pimp and get an inside look at an S&M club.
Or, explore the St. Pauli district on a sex and crime tour to hear about the lives and loves of this infamous area. You’ll also visit the boxing club in the basement of the “Zur Ritze” bar.
Another option is to take a historic sex worker tour to learn all about the sex work trade in Hamburg in the past and present. You’ll be entertained by interesting anecdotes and famous stories as you explore the Reeperbahn area. The tour ends at a local bar where you can take a shot of Hurenschnaps, the “whores’ schnapps”.
The Haunted Side of Hamburg
Be spooked, terrified and delighted as you get to know the spirits of the city during a haunted tour of Hamburg. You’ll be introduced to the places in the city where horrible things have taken place and the curses of the dead can still be felt.
The Musical Side of Hamburg
The Beatles spent plenty of time in Hamburg and now you can walk in their footsteps with a Beatles Music Tour. You’ll get to explore the places they played and hung out while listening to fascinating stories about their time on and off stage in the early sixties. Not to mention the musician guide will perform live Beatles music and take you to a local pub to see more live performances of your favorite Beatles tracks.
The Magical Side of Hamburg
Discover the most magical and mystical places in Hamburg on a Harry Potter and Magic Fans tour of Hamburg. You’ll learn all about the mystical creatures that are scattered throughout town and the various legends behind them. And you’ll take a tour of the “Diagon Alley” of Hamburg.
Explore More of Germany
Overall, there are tons of things to see and do in Hamburg so you will definitely not be bored. It is a major historic city with a bit of a crazy nightlife and a great addition to any trip through Germany. Plan more of your trip with these other posts about Germany.
- How to Spend One Day in Lubeck
- What to See in Meissen: Home of Porcelain
- Day Trip to Neuschwanstein Castle
- And more…
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