Hamburg, Germany

Hamburg, Germany: detailed information about the city of Hamburg, main attractions with photos and descriptions, location on the map.

Hamburg, Germany: Complete City Guide

Hamburg (German: Hamburg) is Germany’s second-largest city, located on the banks of the Elbe River. It is one of the country’s wealthiest cities, the largest port, and the true “gateway to the world.” Hamburg has been a center of European trade since joining the medieval Hanseatic League. This brought enormous wealth to the city and left a rich cultural and historical legacy. The maritime spirit and Hanseatic traditions permeate Hamburg completely: from architecture and monuments to culture, food, and the cries of seagulls in the streets.

Geography

The city is located in Northern Germany on the southern edge of the Jutland Peninsula in an area between continental Europe and Scandinavia. The city stands at the confluence of the Elbe River and its tributary, the Alster. As an administrative unit – the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg – it borders the states of Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony.

Climate

Hamburg’s climate is oceanic with warm (sometimes cool) summers and mild winters. The warmest months are July and August. The coldest is January. Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year. From November to February, Hamburg is often cloudy and damp. Light frosts and snowfall are not uncommon in winter.

History and Interesting Facts

Major milestones in Hamburg’s history:

• 808 AD – Emperor Charlemagne ordered the founding of a fortress at the confluence of the Elbe and Alster to defend against Slavic tribes. A settlement grew around the fortress, giving birth to a new city.
• 1189 AD – Emperor Frederick Barbarossa granted Hamburg the privileges of a free imperial city, which, combined with its advantageous location, transformed the city into one of Europe’s trading centers.
• 1241 AD – Hamburg and the trading city of Lübeck formed an alliance that would later become the association we know as the Hanseatic League. This became a powerful catalyst for the city’s further economic and cultural development.
• 1264 AD – The city authorities issued a law protecting swans, prohibiting the killing and eating of these birds. In Hamburg, they believe that as long as swans live here, the city will grow and prosper (interestingly, Bremen has a similar belief about Roland).
• 1284 AD – A great fire that destroyed almost all the city’s buildings.
• 1350 AD – A plague epidemic during which half the population died.
• 1558 AD – Establishment of the stock exchange.
• 1810 – Napoleon’s invasion.
• 1842 – Another major fire destroyed and damaged a third of the city and many historical monuments.
• 1871 – Hamburg becomes part of the German Empire with broad autonomous rights. The city’s port also becomes the second largest in Europe.
• 1892 – A cholera outbreak caused by the city’s rapid growth and poor water quality.
• 1945 – Over 39,000 tons of bombs were dropped on Hamburg, destroying most of the city and 80% of the harbor.

Cuisine

Historically, Hamburg has always had a diversity of dishes and gastronomic traditions. Local sailors who traveled to other countries and crews of foreign ships constantly brought something new to Hamburg cuisine.

It’s no surprise that Hamburg’s cafés and restaurants represent a huge variety of dishes from different cuisines. The city offers a great diversity of dining establishments: from exclusive and prestigious restaurants to typical gastronomic cafés, from modern and stylish to traditional family restaurants.

Despite this, one shouldn’t underestimate Hamburg cuisine, which can offer both simple and complex traditional dishes. The most popular include:

• Franzbrötchen
• Labskaus (stewed meat)
• Rote Grütze – berry dessert with custard cream
• Currywurst

Markets

Historically, markets have always been among the main events in Hamburg life. Even now, northern Germany’s largest city hosts quite a few weekly markets where you can buy food products, and flea markets where you can find many interesting items from household goods to collectibles.

Hamburg’s most popular market is the Fish Market or Fischmarkt. This is one of the city’s oldest and most legendary markets, which began its history back in 1703. Located at St. Pauli Fischmarkt 2. Note: The Fischmarkt operates on Sundays from 5:00 to 9:30 (7:00 in winter).

In the Eppendorf district, the Isemarkt takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays. This is Europe’s largest open-air market where you can buy practically everything: from food products to books and tools. Hamburg also has a night market based on Spielbudenplatz.

Every Saturday from 8:00 to 16:00 on Neuer Kamp street, one of the main flea markets – Flohschanze – takes place. Here you can not only buy various interesting and collectible items but also see various curiosities.

Christmas Markets:

• Winterdom
• Alton/Ottensen
• Winter Pride
• Santa Pauli
• Christmas market at the Michel

Shopping

Hamburg is a true paradise for shopping and shopping enthusiasts. Here, almost every corner has stores selling everything: from souvenirs to household items, clothing, and jewelry. There are also large shopping centers.

If you love to dress up, Hamburg is definitely your “Mecca.” The city center has a huge number of stores from fashionable world brands to local designer products. Mönckeberg, Hanseviertel, Jungfernstieg, Europapassage, and Spitalerstrasse will help you take more than just wonderful memories from Hamburg. Among the arcades, cafés, and shops of the Alster waterfront, you can spend all day in any weather!

For those who prefer everything at once in one place, we recommend shopping centers. Hamburg’s largest shopping centers:

1. Hamburg Meile – 150 shops and food court. Address: Hamburger Str. 27
2. Mercado – large shopping center in Ottensen’s pedestrian zone. Here you can find food, books, perfumes, clothing. Address: Ottenser Hauptstraße 10
3. Europa Passage – over 120 shops. Address: Ballindamm 40
4. Levantehaus – cafés, fashion, bakeries, souvenirs. Address: Mönckebergstraße 7
5. Alsterhaus – five floors and 24,000 square meters of shops. Address: Jungfernstieg 16-20

How to Get There

Getting to Hamburg is not difficult. The city has excellent transport accessibility:

• The international airport connects Hamburg with 120 cities worldwide including London, Vienna, Dubai, and Paris.
• Railways – with almost all major and minor German cities like Berlin, Munich, and some cities in other European countries.
• Bus connections are also well-developed and popular. FlixBus is very convenient for travel.
• Car travel with excellent roads becomes a very fast and convenient way to get around. It’s easy to drive to Hamburg from all parts of Germany via four motorways (Autobahnen-A) and six federal highways (Bundesstrassen-B).

Public Transport

Hamburg boasts an extensive public transport system including metro, light rail network, buses, and ferries. Ticket machines offer single (one trip), daily (1 day), weekly, monthly, and annual tickets. Tickets are valid for all types of public transport. Public transport operates from 4:30 to 1:00 (24:00 on weekends).

S-Bahn and U-Bahn

A key element of Hamburg’s public transport system is the network of rapid transit and regional railway routes connecting the city center with the suburbs. There are four U-Bahn metro lines, six S-Bahn suburban lines, and nine regional railway lines connecting the city with other cities in the region.

Bus

The rail network is complemented by a wide range of bus routes, both urban and intercity.

Ferry

There are six ferry lines serving the harbor and Elbe River. These routes have two-digit numbers starting with 61. All ferries stop at Landungsbrücken.

Notable and Interesting Places Around Hamburg

North and Baltic Sea: Islands and Beaches

If you have a free day, we recommend taking a trip to the Wadden Sea, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is a series of shallow areas along the coastline. You can then visit the coastal town of Cuxhaven. Or Sylt, which is Germany’s northernmost island. It’s well known for its beaches and surfing. The best way to reach these places from Hamburg is by train.

Medieval Cities: Lübeck, Wismar, and Lüneburg

You’ve probably heard of the Hanseatic city of Lübeck before. After all, it was once the leading city of the Hanseatic League. To this day, the city has preserved a unique historical heritage, and its center was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is a must-see in Northern Germany. Just one hour from Lübeck is Wismar. This charming city was honored with UNESCO World Heritage status for its beautifully restored town houses.

Lüneburg completes the list of must-see historical cities around Hamburg. This medieval city still remembers times when it was one of the richest cities in Northern Europe. You can easily and quickly get here by car or train.

Hamburg Attractions

Thanks to its cultural and historical heritage and maritime charm, Hamburg is one of Germany’s most beautiful and interesting cities. The “Gateway to the World,” as the port city on the Elbe is often called, offers tourists the chance to explore monuments of past and present times of one of the main and wealthiest Hanseatic cities.

Landungsbrücken

Landungsbrücken or simply The Pier (Wharf) is one of Hamburg’s symbols, offering magnificent views and incomparable historic buildings. Two towers with beautiful green roofs mark the 205-meter terminal between the lower harbor, Reeperbahn, and Fischmarkt. Located on the Elbe, Landungsbrücken (German for illuminated landing bridges) was once a haven for ships and now functions as a connecting link for subway and suburban trains. Additionally, all Hamburg ferries depart from here.

Port

Hamburg’s port is the second-largest seaport in Europe and one of the nine largest container ports in the world. More than eight million containers are processed here annually. Despite its purely practical application, the port is one of Hamburg’s and Northern Germany’s most popular attractions. About 13,000 ships from around the world annually enter Europe’s second-largest port. From port terminals to historic Speicherstadt warehouses, landing bridges, and modern container port, you can feel and hear the aromas and languages of many countries, sense Hamburg’s rich maritime past and the true atmosphere of a free Hanseatic city. Taking a ferry ride or visiting one of the legendary museum ships will once again convince you that Hamburg is Northern Germany’s maritime capital.

Speicherstadt

Speicherstadt is one of Hamburg’s main landmarks, the world’s largest integrated warehouse complex, built in 1883. Since 1991, it has been a historical and architectural monument. The warehouses are built on oak piles, and the entire district is crisscrossed by canals that flood during high tides and become accessible to ships. You can take a journey through the narrow canals on small barges to enjoy architectural details, provided there’s a high tide at the time.

We highly recommend walking in this area after dark when Speicherstadt is shrouded in an aura of mystery. At this time of day, the red brick buildings and steel bridges are masterfully illuminated by 800 floodlights. The atmosphere becomes simply magical: illuminated facades of old port Gothic buildings, their reflections in the canal waters, and spicy aromas of goods from around the world.

HafenCity

HafenCity combines tradition and modernity in a unique symbiosis, providing real architectural and cultural delight. HafenCity’s modern architecture creates an interesting contrast with the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district.

The district’s architectural centerpiece is the futuristic Elbphilharmonie with its amazing glass facade and wave-like roof, rising from the former Kaispeicher building on HafenCity’s western edge. Inside are two concert halls, a hotel, and residential apartments. Between the old warehouse and glass structure is a Public Viewing and Visiting Area that extends around the entire building. This ultra-modern structure opened in January 2017.

Miniature Wonderland is the world’s largest model railway system, recognized as Germany’s most popular tourist attraction. Visitors can admire different countries and even a miniature airport. Besides scaled-down versions of Hamburg, the display features: the German mountain region of Harz, Austrian Alps, France, Italy, North America, and Scandinavia. A very interesting place for all the curious.

City Hall

The City Hall is an eclectic neo-Renaissance building from the late 19th century where Hamburg’s city government meets. This town hall is the sixth such structure in the city. The others did not survive to our times for various reasons.

St. Michael’s Church

St. Michael’s Church is one of the city’s most famous religious buildings, whose tower has become one of Hamburg’s symbols. It was built in the early 20th century. Previous structures were damaged by fires. The 132-meter tower with Germany’s largest bell tower offers a fantastic view of the city.

Planetarium

The Planetarium is one of the world’s oldest observatories of its kind, located in Hamburg’s northwestern part and opened in 1930. The building itself is a modernized Old Water Tower from the early 20th century.

Video – Hamburg City