I have a complicated relationship with Hamburg. It’s the big city nearest my German cousins, and I’ve had fun excursions there with them several times. But when I go by myself, I always seems to run into the travel gremlins: little things go wrong and blow up, or at least trip up, my day. Anyway, there are plenty of sites to pack a fun day or two in Germany’s second largest city. Often overlooked by American tourists in favor of Berlin, Bavaria, or the Rhine, north-central Germany has a lot to offer; Hamburg is its gateway.
The Rathaus (town hall) and Binnenalster.
Start with a harbor cruise to explore the city’s port, once Europe’s largest. Stroll the Elbe River’s waterfront, then over to Speicherstadt, seen atop the page, the old warehouse district that’s been recovered and repurposed. [Consider a ‘Discover Hamburg’ walking tour, or one specifically of Speciherstadt and the neighboring Hafencity. (Those are bookable, affiliate links.]It’s a redevelopment success story and well worth wandering through, but skip the museum dedicated to the area—it’s small and uninspired. Instead, head to one of my two favorite Hamburg sights: Miniatur Wunderland. Spread over a multiple floors and a couple of buildings, the Miniatur Wunderland is one of Germany’s most interesting attractions—seriously.
Mini-recreations of landscapes from Italy (with a working volcano that you’ll want to see erupt) to Norway to Las Vegas. Aside from the volcano, the other must-sees are the working model of Hamburg’s airport, with planes taking off, landing, and taxiing, and the two-story model of the Swiss Alps. Fun visual puns are scattered across the exhibits—watch for them. This may not sound riveting, but trust me, it’s a blast. [Below, see the Elbphilharmonie opened up, Bavaria, Norway, the Grand Canyon, Pompeii, Switzerland, a highway bridge, Rome, and the Hamburg airport in miniature.]
What’s left of the Nikolaikirche.
Walk next toward the new, strange Elbphilharmonie in the neighboring Hafen City, which looks inside and out like an alien spaceship has landed atop an office building. Further (north) sits the St. Nicholas Church, or Nikolaikirche, its intact spire looming over the empty spot where the rest of the church stood before being leveled in WW2: ruin as monument. You can take an elevator up the tower for views over the city, or walk down to the basement for an exhibit on the church’s destruction in the fire-bombing of Hamburg, balanced with reminders of the destruction Germany dealt other countries. From here, it’s a short walk to the town hall and the Binnen- and Außenalsters (lakes) and nearby (high end) shops. [Below, the harbor, a river boat (wut?), and the Elbphilharmonie (outside and in).]
One giant neon cuckoo clock with the F word on it, please.
For dinner, make a reservation in advance and take the U-bahn (subway) out to the gritty, creative Sternschanze neighborhood, home to German celebrity chef Tim Mälzer’s restaurant Bullerei. One of the most memorable meals I’ve had in Europe was here: we ordered the evening’s special, a steak with corn and greens, which was delivered on a lime green cart by a server ringing a bicycle bell. The new twists on classic dishes pair well with the décor (at least before its currently in-process renovation) features a huge neon cuckoo clock captioned the words ‘What the fuck is heimat [home]?’
BallinStadt dorm accommodations.
That other ‘favorite attraction in Hamburg” is the emigration museum, BallinStadt, which I visited with my fourth cousin from Lübeck (north of Hamburg). His side of the family stayed in northern Germany near the coast; mine came to America in the mid 1800s. BallinStadt was created by the director of the HAPAG shipping company (now Hapag-Lloyd ) to house and prepare customers for the voyage across the Atlantic. In its day, it was a small village built by the company with medical facilities, dining, a range of housing options, a church and a synagogue, and a music hall.
Three buildings remain and house exhibits, a surprisingly good café, and computer terminals for visitors to do genealogical research. The exhibits are high quality, interesting, and visually engaging. [They’re also mostly in German—grab an English guide at the front desk as needed.] Definitely a recommended stop if you had relatives emigrate from Germany—or through it. There’s another, similar museum about an hour away in Bremerhaven; if you have Germany or eastern European ancestry, they likely traveled to the US from one or the other.
[See below, one of two pink Statues of Liberty (guess that’s a thing), first class accommodations, flipped exhibit, and cousin Sigvard outside the BallinStadt complex.]
For more tour options in and around Hamburg, see here (bookable, affiliate link).
I’ve only stayed in the center of town once (as opposed to out by the airport several times). The area between the Hauptbahnhof and Speicherstadt hosts several hotels at vaired price points. For a quality hotel at a budget price, try the new Premier Inn by the Meßberg U-bahn. Want to stay in a bit more style? Try one of the Adina properties, the Sir Nikolai, or the Ameron in Speicherstadt. Or consider staying in nearby Lübeck and doing Hamburg as a day trip. More on that city, one of my ‘German hometowns,’ in the next post.
Want to visit Hamburg, or other sights in Europe? I’m a travel advisor specializing in Europe and European river cruises. Shoot me an e-mail, and I’ll help you make it happen.
The Rathaus (town hall) gets ready for Christmas.
