Top attractions in Hamburg, Germany, include the unique Elbphilharmonie concert hall, the world’s biggest model railway and engrossing harbour cruises.
Hauptkirche St Michaelis
The baroque interior of Hauptkirche St Michaelis looks like a wedding cake designer has been let loose on a cavern, with the giant organ and outlandish, goblet-like pulpit especially swaggering. But it’s the pencil-like spire you’ve come for. It’s 452 steps (or 52 plus the lift for cheats) up to 83m high viewing platform, with 360 degree city views.
A Hamburg harbour cruise
The best overview tours of Hamburg are on the water, with several companies offering pootles round Europe’s third biggest port. The two hour version takes in the looming red brick warehouses in the Speicherstadt district and some seriously daunting container ships.
Miniatur Wunderland
Speicherstadt is home to seemingly billions of museums, but none top this, the world’s biggest model railway. No wait, come back! Miniatur Wunderland is genuinely amazing! Spread over two floors, the scale and detail – including massive models of America, Italy and a fully functioning airport – is extraordinary and thoroughly heart-warming.
Internationales Maritimes Museum
For more serious, old school museum traipsing, this massive beast is all about ships and shipping. Some bits – it’s a little obsessed with model shops and navies – are acquired tastes. But the sections of the Internationales Maritimes Museum devoted to the history of shipbuilding, navigation and voyages of discovery are stimulating brain nourishment. imm-hamburg.de
Elbphilharmonie
This dazzling concert hall was much delayed, but absolutely worth it in the end. A red brick base is topped with a bubbled, curving, waving masterclass of glass topping. The Elbphilharmonie is a justified new icon, the acoustics are world-leading and the long wiggly worm-esque escalator up to the viewing deck is fabulously odd.
St Pauli – and its Sunday morning fish market
The Reeperbahn is one of the world’s most notorious streets, and yes, it is seedily stacked with strip clubs. The statues at Beatlesplatz – with the metal-framed Stuart Sutcliffe walking away – are oddly touching, however. Also, go a couple of blocks back, and the cartoon sleaze dissipates, replaced by feistily cool neighbourhood bars.
The Sunday morning fish market on the banks of the Elbe in St Pauli is theoretically catering to those who wake up early to buy the freshest fish, but they are usually outnumbered by those spilling out of the bars and clubs. The acknowledgement of this comes in the form of the live bands performing, and stalls selling beer at 5am.
Mahnmal St-Nikolai
The church spire is the tallest in Hamburg, but most of the rest of the building is gone, destroyed during World War II bombing raids. Mahnmal St-Nikolai now stands as a memorial, with the crypt hosting a sobering exhibition about the carnage. Learning that the firestorm killed 35,000 people, and 900,000 were made homeless, is a shattering gut-punch.
Hamburg’s beach bars
Hamburg is pretty much the polar opposite of a beach destination, but that doesn’t stop the locals flocking to the ‘beach’ bars that crop up during the summer months. Sand is imported, deck chairs are laid out and drinks are merrily consumed in several pop-up resorts, such as Strandpauli in St Pauli or the larger Strandperle further to the west.
The Old Elbe Tunnel
Hamburg’s favourite short cut is the Old Elbe Tunnel, which heads under the river from St Pauli to the port area. Traditionally used by dockworkers, the art deco design is part of the appeal – as is the viewing platform at the other end offering an alternative panorama of the city.
More Hamburg travel
Alternative Hamburg tours and activities include Reeperbahn walking tours, bike tours and sunset sailing cruises.
Other Hamburg articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Why Hamburg’s vibe comes from St Pauli, musicals and the port.
- Where to eat, drink, shop and stay in Hamburg.
- How to get cheap Hamburg to Berlin train tickets.
