The Most Beautiful Attractions in Hamburg
Start from your vacation apartment to explore the most beautiful attractions of Hamburg. During a walk through downtown Hamburg, you can discover some of the historic buildings. Admire Hamburg City Hall with its elaborately decorated facade. Not far from there is Jungfernstieg. This promenade was once used by families to parade their eligible daughters. Today, Hamburg residents and their guests enjoy the wonderful flair of the promenade, which stretches along the Inner Alster Lake. Numerous small restaurants offer refreshments and snacks. If you like to shop, you will find many stores and boutiques in the immediate vicinity. Luxury labels such as Louis Vuitton, Armani, Boss, or Chanel are located on the Neue Wall promenade, which leads to Jungfernstieg. For city tours using public transport, it is worth purchasing a Hamburg Card. It serves as a ticket for buses and trains and offers discounts on admission prices for museums, harbor tours, events, in restaurants and coffee shops, and when buying souvenirs.
Hamburg's historic Speicherstadt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its warehouses were built at the end of the 19th century. Numerous canals run between them, which were navigated by transport ships during high tide. To see the impressive facilities up close, a tour with one of the historic barges is worthwhile. Combine a visit to Speicherstadt with a harbor tour - Hamburg's port, with its cranes and gigantic container ships, offers an impressive experience. This place is particularly romantic in the evening hours. At night, the brick buildings and steel bridges are illuminated by countless floodlights. Visit the Speicherstadt Museum to learn about the history of this ensemble.
If you have booked your vacation accommodation for a weekend stay, don't miss the Hamburg Fish Market! It takes place every Sunday early in the morning. At this traditional market, you can buy almost anything your heart desires. Early risers or night owls - everyone meets here to enjoy a fresh fish sandwich or hunt for bargains among the street vendors. In the historic fish auction hall, you can start your Sunday with a brunch accompanied by music, leaving the kitchen in your apartment unused. Perhaps afterwards, you'll want to visit the Submarine Museum or the Landungsbrücken. The Old Elbe Tunnel was built in the early 20th century using the most modern methods of the time. The tunnel relieves ferry traffic and allows crossing the Elbe even in bad weather conditions due to ice or fog. All these attractions are located around Hamburg's port on the Elbe River.
Highlights in Hamburg
A visit to the Reeperbahn is a must during a vacation in Hamburg. The district is a colorful entertainment area with an operetta house, bars, and nightclubs. Here, you can experience everything from a cozy coffee to purchasable erotica. During the day, this district is rather quiet, but in the evening, things really get going. As a tip, keep in mind that there are some rules to follow. Leave glass bottles and weapons in your accommodation, as these items are prohibited on the Reeperbahn. Behave politely, even if some things seem strange to you. Then your trip to the sinful mile can proceed without incidents.
One of the most beautiful events is New Year's Eve at the Landungsbrücken. On this day, thousands of people gather here to bid farewell to the old year. The celebration is exuberant, and precisely at midnight, you can witness a spectacular fireworks display. The excursion boats and steamers perform a water ballet. If you're lucky, you'll snag one of the coveted tickets for the celebration on the boat and dance there until the early morning - a dream come true. From the deck, you have an especially good view of the fireworks over the city's panorama.
Excursions and Activities for Families
Family-friendly - that's also possible for a vacation in Hamburg. Book a private vacation apartment for 4 or more people with enough bedrooms, choose a nice apartment in a central location, or rent a vacation home in the Hamburg area for your family vacation. For children, there are numerous hands-on offers, the Hagenbeck Zoo, and interesting exhibitions in the museums. In Hagenbeck Zoo, animals from all over the world can be admired in the outdoor enclosures, water basins, and houses. A special attraction is the Arctic Ocean with its walruses, penguins, and polar bears, which can be observed swimming underwater through glass panels. The Tropical Aquarium is a special experience. Its facilities are designed to be particularly natural and have minimal barriers to recreate the habitat as authentically as possible. If you don't want to return to the vacation apartment after visiting the zoo, then visit the zoological museum. Here, the exhibits can even be touched! What do tiger fur or shark teeth feel like? How heavy is a whale rib?
Miniatur Wunderland is the largest model railway in the world. It opened in 2000 and has been continuously expanding since then. The halls feature different worlds to admire. For example, Miniatur Wunderland includes areas such as Central Germany with its castles and fortresses, the Austrian Alps, America, Italy, and Scandinavia. Of course, Hamburg, as the largest city, is also featured with its new Elbphilharmonie and the port. This exhibition is not only a delight for children's eyes. Technology enthusiasts, fathers, and grandfathers will surely enjoy accompanying the youngsters on the tour through the mini worlds.
If you have rented an apartment or an apartment in a quiet location, take advantage of the beautiful play opportunities near your accommodation to relax from the hustle and bustle of HafenCity. There are skate parks like the I-Punkt Skaterland, where children can romp to their heart's content. Hirschpark in the west of Hamburg is also quietly located. The landscape garden with many old trees invites you to stroll and relax. In its animal enclosure, reindeer and fallow deer frolic, which can be fed with carrots or grass. In the south, the Lüneburg Heath beckons with idyllic nature. On a trip to Sankt Peter Ording or Husum, you can experience the North Sea coast.
Eating and Drinking in Hamburg
In your cozy vacation apartment with Wi-Fi, you can cook privately, but with the huge selection of eateries in Hamburg, it's not necessary. Perhaps your host has some insider tips for you when booking. Otherwise, simply stroll from your accommodation over the Landungsbrücken towards St. Pauli, take a walk along the Alster and the Outer Alster, or leisurely browse the Jungfernstieg. Everywhere you will notice small restaurants, cafés, and bars enticing you with delicious offers. There are a number of typical Hamburg dishes that you should definitely try. Fish is naturally at the forefront. Plaice, smelt, or Hamburg eel soup are exquisitely prepared and beautifully served. A freshly tapped beer from one of the local breweries goes well with it.
The regional stews with rutabagas or pears, beans, and bacon are hearty and delicious. Labskaus is traditionally made from corned beef, beetroot, pickles, onions, and potatoes. All ingredients are finely chopped, well mixed together, and heated. This interesting and tasty mixture is served with fried egg, rollmops, and pickled cucumber. After a hearty meal with labskaus or eel, treat yourself to a small drink to aid digestion. Caraway or grain spirits and aquavit are popular spirits. Due to overseas trade, rum also has a good tradition in the Hanseatic city. Feel free to try one or the other regional dish in the kitchen of your vacation apartment. Most recipes are simple to cook, and the affordable ingredients are available near your apartment at the supermarket around the corner or at the weekly markets in different districts such as Altona, Blankenese, or Harvestehude.
Enjoy Art and Culture in Hamburg
In the Hanseatic city of Hamburg, a vast array of art and culture is offered. The city has several stages that perform music, plays, and cabaret. Among the most famous venues are the Elbphilharmonie and the Stage Theater. The Elbphilharmonie is the modern link between HafenCity and the Hamburg port. Its impressive setting has been considered the new landmark of the city since its completion. The venue hosts concerts with classical music as well as contemporary works. The Stage Theater was originally planned as a temporary venue for one season. However, the extraordinary success of musicals such as "The Lion King" or "Aladdin" led to annual extensions of the contracts with the city. Stage Entertainment now operates four musical theaters in Hamburg with a total seating capacity of more than 3000. For a visit to the concerts, rent a vacation apartment or an apartment nearby to comfortably return to your accommodation after the performance. Smaller stages like the St. Pauli Theater and Schmidts Tivoli present their own musicals and guest performances.
To experience art up close during your vacation, take a tour from your vacation apartment to the galleries and museums of Hamburg. The Hamburger Kunsthalle displays several collections of paintings, sculptures, and graphics from various epochs since the Middle Ages. The Museum of Arts and Crafts houses about 500,000 objects such as carpets for the home, musical instruments, fashion, ceramics, paintings, and graphics. The Deichtorhallen are internationally recognized exhibition houses for contemporary art and photography. In the Hall for Contemporary Art, you will find changing large-scale exhibitions by contemporary artists. For example, projects with works by Andy Warhol, Martin Kippenberger, Andreas Gursky, or Jonathan Meese have been realized. The Bucerius Kunst Forum, supported by a foundation, provides its premises for changing exhibitions of international artists. The curators collaborate with museums and galleries worldwide to bring interesting loans to the city.
If you are interested in historical buildings, Hamburg offers a rich selection of towers, ramparts, port facilities, warehouses, residential and commercial buildings. A large part of the buildings was destroyed during World War II. Therefore, there are only a few contiguous neighborhoods with historical architecture. Modern buildings include the Emporio skyscraper in a prime location, the Mundsburg Towers, and the Köhlbrand Bridge.
How to Get to Your Vacation Apartment in Hamburg
The Hanseatic city of Hamburg is located in the north of Germany near the Elbe estuary. You can easily reach your vacation apartment in the Free Hanseatic City by car via the A1 highway from Bremen, the A7 or A24 from Schwerin, or one of the connecting federal roads. Check if there are parking options near your vacation apartment. Many parking spaces in the city center are subject to a fee, but with a little patience, you can also find free parking. Vacation homes often have reserved parking spaces. If you prefer to travel to Hamburg by train, choose one of the five long-distance train stations that is closest to your booked apartment. From there, you can reach your destination directly by S-Bahn or buses of the public transport system. Long-distance bus lines for city trips also serve Hamburg from the larger German cities. For arrival by plane, you will land at Hamburg Airport or in Lübeck. Hamburg is served by German and international airlines. Lübeck is served by Ryanair and Wizzair. From here, there is a connection by train, car, or shuttle bus to the Hanseatic city of Hamburg.