Hamburg
From Imakoopedia
Hamburg is a major port city situated on the Elbe river in northern Germany. It is at the same time one of the German Bundesländer (states).
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Understand
Hamburg is a city-state; it values its status as a "free city". Traditionally one of the most important harbors in Europe, the city takes great pride in its mercantile background. Millions left Europe on their way to the new world. Even today, one of Hamburgs taglines is "The Gate to the World".
With the decline of sea travel, Hamburg has been trying - with some success - to cast itself as a hub of the service industry, especially media.
Get in
By plane
Hamburg has the fifth-largest international airport in Germany, so arrival by plane is an obvious choice for those visiting from far away.
The airport is being modernized (as of 2004). Facilities are by and large adequate and you won't get lost. Depending on the gate your flight arrives at or leaves from, walking longer distances can be a problem.
Despite the fact that the airport is basically in the city, it isn't quite trivial to reach it. If you are in a hurry or feel like you do not want to bother, take a taxi - but be aware that this can be costly. Buses connect the airport to the central station, to Ohlsdorf and to Rahlstedt - you can change to regional trains and subways at all three, or national/international trains at the central station. Fare is roughly 2-3 Euros per person, depending on where you wish to go. Trips can take a while, since you likely will have to change to a connecting transport.
The bus shuttle called 'Airport Express' to the central station is not covered by tickets for the public transportation; you will have to pay the fare as you enter the bus: 5 Euros one-way; the trip will take about 25 minutes.
This situation is being addressed; part of the construction at the airport is for a new subway station which will hopefully result in much better connections to the city itself.
- Hamburg Airport website (http://www.ham.airport.de/)
By train
Hamburg has five major stations: Hauptbahnhof (central station), Altona, Dammtor, Harburg, Bergedorf. Various types of train service are available.
- ICE (Inter City Express) high speed train service from or to most major German cities, including Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich also to Basel and Zurich (Zürich) Switzerland -- hourly service to most destinations during daytime
- service from or to Copenhagen, Denmark
- "Metropolitan" (http://www.met.de/) service from or to Cologne (Köln), Dusseldorf, Essen -- 4 daily connections on weekdays, 2 daily connections on weekends ("Metropolitan" trains are availiable until december 12th and will be discontinued afterwards due to economic reasons)
By car
via the Autobahn:
- A1 to/from Lübeck (north) -- to get to the city change to the A24 at "Autobahnkreuz Ost"
- A1 to/from Bremen, Cologne (Köln) (south/south-west) -- to get to the city change to A255
- A7 to/from Flensburg, Kiel (north) -- to get to the city exit at "Bahrenfeld"
- A7 to/from Hanover, Kassel (south) -- to get to the city exit right after the "Elbtunnel"
- A23 to/from Husum
- A24 to/from Berlin
Be prepared to pay for parking or park outside the city and use public transportation.
By bus
Buses serving other cities arrive at or depart from the "ZOB" which is located near the central station (Hauptbahnhof) (2 minute walk), destinations include Berlin
Buses to Lübeck depart from Wandsbek
By boat
Ferry service available from or to Harwich, England by DFDS Seaways (English site) (http://www.dfdsseaways.co.uk/) (German site) (http://www.dfdsseaways.de/)
Get around
Public Transportation
Hamburg has a well developed public transportation system. Buses going around the clock. Underground/metro service from approx. 5 AM until 1 AM. See HVV - Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (http://www.hvv.com/) for lines and prices. Group tickets, day tickets, 3-day tickets available. Try to avoid rush-hours before 9 AM and 4-7 PM. You are not allowed to take bikes into subways before 9am and between 4pm and 6pm.
See
Around Mönckebergstraße
The area west of Hamburg's central railway station is mainly a shopping area with the streets Spitaler Straße and Mönckebergstraße leading to Hamburg's town hall. Close to the Mönckebergstraße you find the churches St. Jacobi (at road Jakobikirchhof) and St. Petri (at road Bergstraße), two of Hamburg's five main churches. Directly beside St. Petri there is the Hubelhaus dating from the beginning of the 20th century as most buildings around, but looking much older.
Behind the Hubelhaus under the building of "Radio Hamburg" you can visit the remains of the bishops tower, from the 11th century. On the other side of the road, where's nowadays a big car park, the fortress Hammaburg was erected in the 9th century giving Hamburg its name.
Around town hall
The Mönckebergstraße ends at the Hamburg's impressive town hall ("Rathaus"). The place in front is the Rathausmarkt and hosts many events especially in summer. The building behind the town hall is Hamburg's House of Commerce ("Börse"). Between both buildings is a little nice place called Rathaushof with its fountain Hygieia-Brunnen.
North of the Rathausmarkt is a canal with white arches called Alsterarkaden. The whole area behind is full of indoor shopping arcades. The most well-known one is the Hanse Viertel.
Following the canal to the right and crossing the traditional shopping road Jungfernstieg you quickly get to the artificial lake Binnenalster. Boat tours take you to the even bigger artificial lake Außenalster directly behind the Binnenalster with lots of sailing boats in summer.
Around St. Nikolai
From the House of Commerce into the road Börsenbrücke you get to the house of the Patriotische Gesellschaft. Behind the building to the right there is the bridge Trostbrücke with the statues of Graf Adolf III and Bishop Ansgar on both sides. Following the water to left, there is Hamburg's oldest remaining bridge Zollenbrücke from the 17th century.
At the other side of the Trostbrücke there is the ruin of the church St. Nikolai. All five main churches of Hamburg have been damaged in World War II. But in contrast to the other four St. Nikolai has not been re-erected making it a memorial against war. At the side of St.Nikolai there is the hop market ("Hopfenmarkt") with its fountain Vierländerinbrunnen.
Following the bridge over the huge street Ost-West-Straße and keeping right takes you into the road "Alte Deichstraße" with its ensemble of traditional half timbered merchant houses and the canal Nicolai Fleet at the rear. This is the site where Hamburg's harbour was some centuries ago.
Harbour Area
At the southern end of the Alte Deichstraße you see whereto the harbour moved afterwards. There is a canal called Zollkanal. Looking to the left you see the Speicherstadt, a large district of warehouses from around 1900. Some are still in use, but others have been converted to apartments. It's a "typical" location and worth a visit. It also houses attractions such as the "Hamburg Dungeon" and the "Miniatur Wunderland".
The Hamburg Dungeon is a live-action presentation of the "darker times" of Hamburg. It is probably mostly suited for a younger, easily impressed audience. But it might not be suitable for young children. For details see their Website (http://www.hamburgdungeon.com/).
The Miniatur Wunderland is the world largest model railway layout. It is located in the Speicherstadt close to the Hamburg Dungeon. For details see their Website (http://www.miniaturwunderland.de/html2/framepage.htm).
Behind the Speicherstadt is the area of Hamburg's Hafen City. It is Europe's largest project of city development, creating a whole new quarter from scratch in a former harbour region. The Kesselhaus houses an exibition about (Am Sandtorkai 30, in the Speicherstadt, Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, www.hafencity.com (http://hafencity.com/html/info_uk.html), admission free).
Looking from Alte Deichstraße over the Zollkanal to the right you can see the modern buildings belonging to the Hanseatic Trade Center ending to the right at the Kehrwiederspitze. Looking further right you already see the modern harbour.
Walking in this direction takes you to the river Elbe. At the opposite of the metro station "Baumwall" there's Hamburg's city and yacht harbour ("City und Sportboothafen"). The big red lighthouse boot ("Feuerschiff") hosts a restaurant today. Some yards further down the Elbe you get to the Überseebrücke where formerly big cruise liners docked when coming to Hamburg. Permanently docked is the museum ship Cap San Diego, which is sayed to be last classic cargo ship.
Leaving the water, passing by the hypermodern building of the Gruner + Jahr publishers, you get to the church St. Michaelis (called "Michel"), Hamburg's well-known landmark. Close to the Michel off the road Krayenkamp the shopkeeper-office-flats ("Krameramtswohnungen") are the last example of a typical 17th century housing estate.
Continuing down the river Elbe you get to Landungsbrücken, the most touristy part of Hamburg's harbour, close to the metro station with the same name. Stroll along the landing bridges where tourism boats land and tourist shops, restaurants and snack bars are. The sailing ship Rickmer Rickmers can be visited.
You can also walk through the tunnel Alter Elbtunnel from 1911 to the other side of the river Elbe and have great views from there. A lift or stairs bring you the 24 meters down into the tunnel. You then walk through one of its two 427 meter long pipes having 12 meters of water over your head. The tunnel is decorated with ceramic arts of maritime motives (e.g. fish, mussles, seals). At the other side you again walk up the stairs or take a lift. Go out and back to the river to "Aussichtspunkt Steinwerder" for great views on Landungsbrücken and the sights behind. Even cars can pass though the tunnel (only Mon-Fri, 5:30-20:00, for 2 Euros) being brought down with 4 lifts. You find the tunnel at Landungsbrücken in the building having the biggest green dome. Signs to "Aussichtspunkt Steinwerder" also point to it. For pedestrians and bicycles it is free and open all day and night, every day.
From Landungsbrücken you can also make boat tours into the harbour. These Hafenrundfahrten are available from various companies and take around an hour. Big ships provide more comfort, but smaller ships also go though the Speicherstadt. Both are well worth the money. Inquire about English language tours.
As a low-budget alternative for a boat tour on the river Elbe take a HADAG Ferry that is part of Hamburg's public transport system (HVV, see "Get Around"). If you have already bought a HVV day ticket, the ride is free. Most tourists take the number 62 to Finkenwerder via the museum harbour Övelgönne. The whole ride to Finkenwerder and return takes about an hour. In Finkenwerder you can continue with another Ferry to Teufelsbrück.
Walking from Landungsbrücken down the river Elbe takes you to St. Pauli Fischmarkt.
Other Sites
Another Hamburg landmark is the Reeperbahn - probably one of the most famous red-light districts in the world. And that's exactly what it is. From variety to prostitutes, from bars to sex-shops you can find an assortment of attractions. Common sense and caution are advised here as in any such area. It's relatively safe and a definite touristy place to see - a lot of people go there for dinner, live music, or other non-sex related activities.
The Fernsehturm ("Television Tower") has a restaurant and a viewing platform. Even Bungee-Jumping is possible. But at the moment (2004) the whole tower is closed for renovation.
U 434: One of the biggest non-nuclear Russian submarines.
Church St. Katherinen: One of the fifth main churches of Hamburg.
The Chilehaus having the form of a ship.
The Auswandererhalle is only a sight if you know its history. In some way it is the counterpart of Ellis Island in New York where immigrants from the old world landed in America. Emmigrants stayed in Hamburg's Auswandererhallen for two weeks in quarantine before emigrating to the new world. It was opened 1900 and regarded to be modern and comfortable. After the flow of emigrants decreased it was closed in 1934. Today only one of the buildings is left and nothing tells you about its historical role. It just looks like a dirty, white commercial building with a today closed restaurant on one side. But for the future there are plans to make it a musum. For a visit take metro S3 to Station "Veddel". Leave at its southern exit, cross the bus station and the steet "Veddeler Straße". Then you stand in front of it.
Parks
- Alter Botanischer Garten with a Tropenhaus.
- Planten un Bloomen is a park in the city with an emphasis on flower displays. Subway station Dammtor.
- Ohlsdorfer Friedhof: One of the world's biggest graveyards.
- The Stadtpark (city park) with a pretty good Planetarium situated in an old water tower in the middle of the park.
- Alstervorland at the Außenalster
- Jenischpark, Baurs Park and Garten der Alma l'Aigles down the river Elbe close to Teufelsbrück.* Neuer Botanischer Garten
- Hamburg's Zoo called Hagenbecks Tierpark
Museums
- Altonaer Museum
- Deichtorhallen
- Deutsches Zollmuseum (admission free)
- Kunsthalle
- Museumshafen Övelgönne (admission free)
- Museum für Kommunikation (admission free)
- Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte
- Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe
- Museum für Völkerkunde
Do
Theater, Opera and Musicals
Hamburg has an opera house (Staatsoper) and many theaters. It is also known to host a number of different Musicals as well as other music events.
Sports
- The AOL-Arena (formerly Volksparkstadion) is the stadium of the local Bundesliga soccer club HSV. It is arguably the prettiest stadium in Germany with a great atmosphere; apart from guided tours it also features a museum presenting the history of the club. See also the HSV Website (http://www.hsv.de).
- The Millerntor-Stadion is the home of the cult soccer club FC St. Pauli (http://www.fcstpauli.de). It lacks the modernity and prettiness of the AOL-Arena, yet its atmosphere during games is unique and well worth a visit. The Millerntor-Stadion is located at the end of Reeperbahn.
Learn
Work
Buy
The main shopping area of Hamburg is the Mönckebergstraße in the center of the city. Take the subway to either central station or Rathaus (town hall). The Schanzenviertel is also getting more popular nowadays. Especially younger people happen to be here often.
Eat
A good site on restaurants in Hamburg is http://www.schlemmerinfo.de
Budget
- Geelhaus, Koppel 76 (St. Georg), 20099 Hamburg, phone +49 40 28052886, dine from 6pm until 11pm, some meals until midnight; menu changes frequently, fresh food, creativity. http://www.geelhaus.de/
- Murphy's Roadhouse, Saseler Markt 1 (Subway station Poppenbüttel, then take the Bus to Saseler Markt), +49 40 6370880. Mo-Th Noon-1AM, Fr+Sa Noon-2AM, Su 10am-Midnight. Serves a variety of American type food; good quality and portions at decent prices. Located in the northern suburbs, so it's a bit of a trip unless you are in the area. Typical meal should run about €10-17.
- Teufels Küche Serves VERY good international freestyle food.
Ottenser Hauptstraße 4, 22765 Hamburg, Tel. 040/39 80 49 77, Mo - Sa 11 - 23, Su 12 - 22 Uhr
Mid-range
- La Mirabelle, Bundesstraße 15, phone +49 40 4107585; French cuisine, fresh 4- or 5-course changing daily, including wine @ approx. 55 EUR
Splurge
- Fischereihafen Restaurant, Große Elbstraße 143, 22767 Hamburg, phone +49 40 381816; excellent view of parts of the port and the river Elbe; many celebs have dined here, including English royals. http://www.fischereihafen-restaurant-hamburg.de/
Cafe
- Cafe Klatsch, Glashüttenstraße 17, 20357 Hamburg; A small cafe serving delicious breakfast and other tidbits in a very cosy environment with friendly staff.
Drink
- Christiansen's Fine Drinks & Cocktails, Pinnasberg 60, 20359 Hamburg, phone +49 40 3172863, fax +49 40 3172863, bar@christiansens.de -- award winning bar (Playboy Bar of the Year 1998, Best Bartender 2000, Marcellinos Top 10, etc.), open Monday thru Saturday nights from 8pm. http://www.christiansens.de/
Live-Music (Rock)
- The Academy, Hans-Albers-Platz (right off the Reeperbahn) -- people in wheelchairs not always welcome
- Molly Malone, Hans-Albers-Platz (right off the Reeperbahn)
- The New Thomas Read, Reeperbahn opposite from Hans-Albers-Platz
- Molotow/Meanie bar, Spielbudenplatz 5 (Reeperbahn). A retro Bar and a great little venue in the cellar hosting alternative live acts.
GLBT
- G-Bar The New Generation, Lange Reihe 81, 20099 Hamburg, open 6pm until 2am. http://www.g-bar.org/
- Cafe Gnosa Lange Reihe 93, 20099 Hamburg, phone +49 40 243034, open 10am until 1am, Fridays and Saturdays until 2am; also a great place to have breakfast or lunch. http://www.gnosa.de/
Sleep
Budget
Youth Hostels:
- Jugenherberge Hamburg - Auf dem Stintfang (http://www.jugendherberge.de/jh/hamburg-stintfang/), Alfred-Wegener-Weg 5, 20459 Hamburg, phone +49 40 313488, fax +49 40 315407, jh-stintfang@t-online.de -- river/harbor view!!!, walking distance to the Reeperbahn
- Jugendherberge Hamburg - Horner Rennbahn (http://www.jugendherberge.de/jh/hamburg-horn/), Rennbahnstraße 100, 22111 Hamburg, phone +49 40 6511671, fax +49 40 6556516, jgh-hamburg@t-online.de
- Schanzenstern Hostel (http://www.schanzenstern.de), Bartelsstrasse 12, 20357 Hamburg, phone +49 40/4398441 - in the middle of the trendy quarter Schanzenviertel, 50 beds.
- Schanzenstern-Altona (http://www.schanzenstern-altona.de/), Kleine Rainstraße 24-26, 22765 Hamburg, phone +49 40/39919191, fax +49 40/39919192, info@schanzenstern-altona.de, 70 beds.
- Instant Sleep Backpacker Hostel (http://www.instantsleep.de/), Max-Brauer Allee 277, 22769 Hamburg, phone +49 40/43182310, fax +49 40/43182311, backpackerhostel@instantsleep.de - No. 1 choice for backpacking in Hamburg, 45 beds, provides a kitchen. Also in Schanzenviertel.
Mid-range
- Hotel Engel (http://www.hotel-engel-hamburg.de/), Niendorfer Straße 55, 22529 Hamburg, phone +49 40 554260
- Hotel Königshof (http://www.koenigshof-hamburg.de/), Pulverteich 18, 20099 Hamburg, phone +49 40 2840740, fax +49 40 28407474, Hotelkhh@aol.com; gay people welcome - run by an all-male couple.
Splurge
- Kempinski Hotel Atlantic (http://www.kempinski.atlantic.de/), An der Alster 72-79, 20099 Hamburg, phone +49 40 28880, fax +49 40 247129, hotel.atlantic@kempinski.com
- Raffles Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten (http://www.hvj.de/), Neuer Jungfernstieg 9-14, 20354 Hamburg, phone +49 40 34940, fax +49 40 34942600
- Le Royal Meridien Hamburg (http://www.lemeridien.com/germany/hamburg/hotel_de1800.shtml), An der Alster 52-56, 20099 Hamburg
On the floor
There is a Church mission on the back side of the main train station, just next to the back entrance, mainly for homeless people and people in problems. But it's very clean, people are friendly there and if one is humble and polite, there are good chances he can enter to chat (even in English) and sleep there on the floor in his sleeping bag. The night shift opens the place at midnight and everyone has to leave before seven in the morning. If you are a traveler, it would be nice if you could contribute a little money to run the service or offer some help with something.
Contact
Free WLAN access available in various locations. See HOTSPOT HAMBURG (http://www.hamburg-hotspot.de/)
Stay safe
Cope
Get out
Discount service by Ryan Air (http://www.ryanair.com/) to London-Stansted from Lübeck available. Lübeck is a 30-60 minute drive away (Autobahn A1). Free parking at Lübeck makes this a very attractive way of getting to England for locals.
External links
- Official Hamburg website (http://international.hamburg.de/)
- Hamburg Tourism GmbH (http://www.hamburg-tourism.de/) Company that promotes tourism to Hamburg
- Szene Hamburg (http://www.szene-hamburg-online.de/) City Magazine which is available online, as well as on newspaper stands and covers the whole mumbo jumbo about Hamburg (in German)
- Virtual Walk through Hamburg (http://www.ti5.tu-harburg.de/staff/venzke/hamburg/city/)
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