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Summary
This post describes my experiences in Hamburg, visited as part of my three week solo InterRail train journey between London and the Arctic Circle.
It details my arrival in the city, my sightseeing and other activities, together with my thoughts and my impressions on what I saw.
In particular, it highlights my activities while walking on foot in Hamburg.
For easy reading the post is divided into number of sections and subsections, as detailed in the accompanying ‘Page Content’ tag. Each details a different aspect of my stay in Hamburg.
The post also includes a further information section, setting out other places to visit in Hamburg and a list of local Hamburg food delicacies.
Sights within Central Hamburg
My Walking Route Through Central Hamburg
A Free Self-Guided Hamburg Walking Tour
My free Hamburg walking tour starts from Jungfernstieg S-bahn station and visits:
- the Asterfleet;
- the Norderelbe;
- Jan-Fedder-Promenade; and
- the Rickmer Rickmers sailing ship.
It then terminates at Landungsbrücken S Bahn station allowing easy access to other parts of the city..
The Free Self-Guided Hamburg Walking Map
The map below details my free self-guided walking route through central Hamburg, visiting all of the attractions set out above.
‘Hamburg on Foot’ Walking Route through central Hamburg. Germany (Source: Base Map Courtesy of openstreetmap)
Arriving in Hamburg
Trouble on the S-Bahn
On Wednesday evening, four hours after leaving Wernigerode in the Harz Mountains, I arrive in the dark at Hamburg Hbf. From here it is should be a simple switch to a S-Bahn train (part of Hamburg’s Public Transport system) before heading off to Reeperbahn and my hostel for next two nights.
Nothing is ever simple however.
Having found the correct platform I jump on the first train only to find out, too late, that the platform is shared by several other S-Bhan routes. Finding my way back to Hamburg Hbf, once my error is comprehended, takes a further 30 minutes.
The Reeperbahn
Finally, on emerging from the Reeperbahn’s S-Bahn station into the Hamburg night air I’m immediately dazzled by the sound of traffic and the neon lights of the Reeperbahn – once home to John, Paul, George and Ringo and now a buzzing mass of bars, fast food joints and hawkers.
For all its commercialism however it has a rather nice laid back Asian city feel about it.
My Hostel – The A&O Reeperbahn
The rambling A&O hostel, my home for now, is easily found in a courtyard opposite the S-Bahn exit. After safely booking in to my private room, complete with en-suite, it is time to hit those bars for a beer of two.
The A&O hostel offers both dormitory accommodation and private rooms. It’s an ideal format really, offering the relative luxury of a en-suite hotel type room with the communal vibe or a backpacker hostel. It is also reasonably priced.
Find out more about the A&O Hostel Reeperbahn
Morning Preparations
Now, Let’s ‘See’ Where We Are
It’s Thursday morning. First things first, my reading glasses have fallen to bits after only three days of travelling. One arm has come off and I am reduced to blindness. To make matters worse I can’t read the google screen on my phone to locate an optician or plan my sightseeing for the day.
Finding an Optician
Apparently, according to the hostel receptionist, there is a shopping mall about a kilometre away where I might (or more likely will not) find an optician. Armed with bottled water it is time to set out for the day.
Would you believe it, emerging from the hostel courtyard, glancing across the road, the first thing I see is an optician – must be my lucky day. 15 minutes and 10 euros later I depart from the shop with eyesight fully restored.
Coffee in the Reeperbahn
It must be time for a coffee to celebrate. Two doors down from the optician is a local cafe / bar that looks ideal. It turns out to be a welcome breakfast retreat, especially as it comes complete with a people watching pavement terrace and posters of James Dean and Marlene Dietrich.
Sightseeing in Hamburg
S-Bahn to Jungfernstieg
To start my day of walking in Hamburg I take the S-Bahn to Jungfernstieg. From here my tour of Hamburg’s Old City, its canals and its warehouse areas begins.
Exiting the S-Bahn at Jungfernstieg and not fully prepared for my tour I am distracted by riverboats heading out onto Alster Lake. Mistakenly, I think these riverboats will take me onto the canal system running through Hamburg’s Old City.
An Unexpected Boat Trip on Alster Lake
The next boat, marketed as the Canal Trip, is due to depart in ten minutes so I hurry to buy a ticket and scramble aboard. After five minutes of travel however, and after studying the onboard handout leaflet, it becomes obvious the boat is heading away from Hamburg’s Old City, rather than through it.
No problem really!!!
In fact I quickly convince myself that this is an added bonus. I will now see new parts of the city, thus understanding more about Hamburg than perhaps I might otherwise do.
In hindsight, although interesting in its own way, the next hour and half does little to inspire. We do nonetheless pass by some grand houses, the Hochschule Music Theatre and a few parks. In addition, we do indeed pass through a number of canals. It’s just a pity they are not the canals that pass through Hamburg’s Old City.
Book a boat trip on Alsterlake
An Alternative Boat Trip Through Hamburg’s Waterways
On writing up this blog I discover that there is another boat trip from the same pier (and run by the same company) that does indeed travel through Hamburg’s Old City canals rather than the afore mentioned suburbia. Rather confusingly however this is marketed as ‘The Waterways Trip’ and not ‘The Canal Trip’. So, there it is, you will know which one to choose when you visit.
Book a boat trip through Hamburg’s Waterways
City Hall
Back on Terra firma I recommence my original plans and set off in a southerly direction towards the 140 year old City Hall. This building, built on 4,000 stilts that were sunk into the muddy shores of Alster Lake, sits on the south side of Rathausmarkt and houses Hamburg’s parliament, senate and mayoral seat.
Asterfleet and Deichstrabe
From City Hall I make my way along the Asterfleet waterway towards the historic 14th century Deichstrabe with its twee shops and bars before settling down for a well deserved beer and snack.
Hamburg Old City’s Torrid History
The Great Fire of Hamburg – 1842
What I only start to realise while sitting outside a cafe in Deichstrabe is that the vast majority of the original historic centre of Hamburg was destroyed in 1842 by the Great Fire of Hamburg, killing some 50 residents and making 20,000 people homeless, with only a part of Deichstrabe remaining.
The Allied Bombings – July 1943
Then subsequently, following a 100 year period of renewal and modernisation, the city was again systematically destroyed by allied air bombardments during the second world war.
Operation Gomorrah
This happened primarily during the last week of July 1943 when the allies undertook ‘Operation Gomorrah’, using waves of aircraft, night after night, to carpet bomb the city. These bombings, coupled with the resultant fires that raged through the city, killed around 40,000 Hamburg citizens over an eight day period.
Comparisons to Hiroshima
To understand the enormity of this second destruction during World War 2 it needs to be remembered that, by contrast, the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima killed around 130,000 people.
In 8 nights these allied bombings in Hamburg therefore had 30 percent of the impact of one atomic bomb.
I know that Hitler had to be defeated and things were vastly different at that time. Nonetheless, killing 40,000 innocent civilians in 8 days through indescriminent carpet bombing would be classed as a war crime in this day and age. Let’s hope we never face a war like that again.
Post WW2 Renewal
These historic events in the centre of Hamburg go a long way towards explaining why the city centre is now dominated by a proliferation of mostly post war architecture. Those notable buildings that did survive the 1943 bombings and subsequent firestorms were painstakingly restored to retain as much of the historic centre as was possible. Today though, historic buildings such as the City Hall and those in Deichstrabe are very much an exception.
St. Nikolai Church WW2 Memorial Museum
The above events in 1842 and those of just over 100 years later are recorded in detail at the St. Nikolai Church WW2 Memorial Museum. This is located in the ruins of St Nikolai Church, preserved in its bombed condition following the Allied forces’ Operation Gomorrah reign of destruction .
If you’d like to find out more about the history of Hamburg’s Old Town the following historic walking tour might be worth considering. It costs around £30 for 2.5 hours of immersive history and includes entrance costs to the St. Nikolai Church Memorial Museum and visits the City Hall, Deichstrabe, the Elbphilharmonie and Krameramtswohnungen
Small Group, 2.5 hour historic walking tour of Hamburg’s Old Town
Moving on to Speicherstadt
Moving on from Deichstrabe I make my way south towards Speicherstadt and the Norderelbe. The former is the old port warehousing area on the northern bank of the River Elbe and the latter forms the northern arm river Elbe as it passes through the city.
Speicherstadt
Built between 1883 and the 1920’s, the old port area of Speicherstadt is the world’s largest complex of warehouses. It covers an area approaching 300,000 square metres. In its heyday, it was a bustling tax-free zone used for storing goods like coffee, tea, and spices.
Like many inner city port areas though, its importance fell into decline in the post war years, accelerated in Hamburg’s case by the legacy of WW2 bomb damage. By the 1970’s, with the change to container based shipping, much of the area was unused.
Finally, in 1997, the city embarked on the HafenCity project, to both conserve the built environment and bring urban renewal to the area. Like many similar projects in other European cities, the initiative has been a resounding success, with the area being given UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2015.
Hamburg’s Modern Day Port
As a point of interest, Hamburg’s modern day port area lies nearby, primarily on the south side of the Elbe.
Interestingly, despite Hamburg’s present day port being some 65 miles from the North Sea it is the largest seaport in Germany and the third largest in Europe. Hamburg is therefore Germany’s seafaring ‘Gateway’ to the world.
This perhaps explains why the city was considered such a strategic target by the allies during World War II.
A Walk By The Elbe
Having visited the warehouse area I then make my way along the northern bank of the Elbe towards Landungsbrücken S-Bahn station following Jan-Fedder-Promenade and passing the sailing ship Rickmer Rickmers.
Jan Fedder Promenade
Zaha Hadid – Architect
In terms of the former, although I don’t know it at the time, the promenade was designed by the renowned Iraqi -British architect Zaha Hadid – I must admit though. it doesn’t stand out as one of her most memorable works. Nonetheless, the promenade is of passing interest in so far as its primary function appears to be that of flood protection.
The 1962 Hamburg Floods
Following a storm surge that flooded large parts of the city centre, this flood defence / promenade was originally constructed in 1962. Subsequently, presumably due to the effects of climate change, its height had to be raised again from 7.2 m to 8.9 m above sea level – see Donald, despite all you might say, climate change is a real issue.
This change, which was implemented in the last 10 years, involved the commissioning of Zaha Hadid in an attempt to improve the streetscape of the area.
The Rickmer Rickmers
With regards to the sailing ship, Rickmer Rickmers, it was built in 1896 in the nearby seaport of Bremerhaven and up until World War I it regularly carried cargo from around the world to Hamburg port. Originally it carried rice and bamboo back from Hong Kong and subsequently operated between Hamburg and Chile carrying cargos of saltpeter. After World War 1 it served as a training ship for the Portuguese navy and is now a museum.
If you’re interested in visiting the Rickmer Rickmers museum you can get tickets through the link below. Its only around £6 to get in and its open from 10.00am to 6.00pm most days.
Get tickets to visit the Rickmer Rickmers
Return to the Reeperbahn by S-Bahn
After my potted history tour of the wonders of Hamburg I arrive at Landungsbrücken S Bahn station at around 5.00pm and make my way back to the Reeperbahn and my hostel.
A Wheat Beer To Finish
During the evening I consume one or two wheat beers (or is it three or four, my memory is somewhat blurred) before retiring to bed, ready for my next day’s journey to Copenhagen.
Further Information
Other Attractions in the City
Buildings:
- Elbphilharmonie: A world-class concert hall and architectural masterpiece.(Programme and tickets here)
- St. Michael’s Church: A Baroque masterpiece providing panoramic city views from its tower. (Entry ticket information here)
Parks and Gardens:
- Planten un Blomen: A scenic park with gardens, fountains, and free summer concerts. (Free entry)
- Jenisch Park: Jenisch House Museum and gardens. (Free entry)
Museums and Art Galleries:
- Hamburger Kunsthalle: Contains art from the Middle Ages through to contemporary pieces. (Tickets here)
- Kunstverein Hamburg: An art gallery displaying contemporary art exhibitions. (Membership and exhibition information here)
- International Maritime Museum: Contains a vast collection of maritime artifacts and history. (Tickets here)
Other Attractions:
- Hamburg Dungeon: An interactive journey through Hamburg’s dark history. (Tickets here)
- Hamburg Zoo: A family-friendly zoo containing a diverse range of animal species and attractions. (Tickets here)
- Chocoversum: An interactive experience of chocolate-making. (Tickets for guided tour and tasting)
- Miniature Wunderland: An intricate miniature world, including the world’s largest model railway. (Tickets here)
- Ohlsdorf Cemetery: Europe’s largest park cemetery with impressive mausoleums and sculptures. (Self-guided walking tours – free)
If you would like to recommend any other local attractions please add them in the comments
Local Food Delicacies to Try While Here
Bread based Dishes
- Rundstück warm: A warm roll filled with various ingredients like meat, cheese, and vegetables.
- Fischbrötchen: Fresh fish, typically herring or salmon, served in a bun with various toppings and sauces.
Soup / Stew Dishes
- Labskovs: A warm potato stew with meat, typically beef or pork.
- Pfeffersack: A hearty stew with beef, pork, and beans.
- Aalschnüüsch: A thick eel soup with vegetables and herbs, a regional specialty.
- Aalsuppe: A traditional eel soup with vegetables, often enjoyed as a hearty meal.
Meat based Dishes
- Labskaus: A traditional sailor’s dish made with corned beef, potatoes, and beetroot, often topped with a fried egg and pickles.
- Knipp: A local sausage dish made from minced meat, bacon, and oats.
- Pannfrikadellen: Pan-fried meatballs made from a mixture of minced meat and bread.
- Königsberger Klopse: Meatballs in a creamy caper sauce, typically served with potatoes or rice.
- Grünkohl: Kale cooked with smoked sausage and other meats, often served with potatoes and mustard.
- Kohlrouladen: Cabbage rolls stuffed with meat, rice, and spices, often served with gravy.
Fish based Dishes
- Pannfisch: Pan-fried fish, often served with potatoes and a mustard sauce.
- Bismarckhering: Marinated herring fillets, usually served with onions and a creamy sauce.
- Räuchermatjes: Smoked herring fillets, a popular local delicacy.
Vegetable based Dishes
- Rotkohl: Sweet and sour red cabbage, a common side dish in Hamburg.
- Französischer Salat: A German potato salad with mayonnaise and pickles.
- Birnen, Bohnen und Speck: A hearty dish featuring pears, green beans, and bacon.
Desserts / Pastries
- Franzbrötchen: Cinnamon and sugar pastries, similar to cinnamon rolls but with a unique local twist.
- Rote Grütze: A red berry pudding or compote, often served with cream or vanilla sauce.
If you have tried any other local dishes the you would like to recommend please add them to the comments.
Conclusion
Thanks for reading this post about my short stay in Hamburg. If you decide to go I hope you find some of the above information of use.
Based on my experience I would highly recommend that you visit. Maybe chose to go late Spring or early Autumn though so that you miss the worst of the crowds but still benefit from extended daylight hours and warm days.
If you would like to find out more information about my travels from London to the Arctic Circle the following posts provide a record for the various parts of the journey.
Also, I have additionally provided information about other overland adventures that I have undertaken and some other gems.
Thanks
Useful Resources
Hamburg City Card
If you are going to visit Hamburg soon it might be worth purchasing a ‘Hamburg City Card’. It provides discounted access to up to 150 attractions and also allows free use of public transport. You can find out more information below:
Alternatively, if you’re limited for time, you could consider the city’s ‘hop-on / hop off’ bus service. This will allow you to get around more quickly but is of course a more expensive option.
Book a Hop-on / Hop-off bus tour
If you want to travel more extensively in Europe then the following resources could be prove useful in planning your trip.
Train Tickets
InterRail travel passes, ranging from country specific to Europe wide, and valid for just a few days or up to three months can be obtained at:
If you buy your InterRail pass in the November Black Friday sale or the March / April Spring sale you can usually get a 25% discount on the price of all passes. Additionally, if you are under 28 you get an extra 25% discount anyway. Similarly, an extra 10% discount is also available for those who are 60 or over.
Alternatively, individual Europe-wide train tickets can be booked online using the link below:
This website provides all the details you need, train times, connections and prices, and it also allows you to book tickets there and then online. No need to navigate train operator sites, translate from a foreign language or deal with currency conversions.
Accommodation
Budget hostel, private apartment or hotel accommodation can be found using this link to Booking.com, the most trusted accommodation booking service on the internet.
Luggage Storage
If you haven’t got time to stay overnight in any place, but still want somewhere to store your luggage during the day to go sightseeing, Radical Storage are brilliant.
They have a network of luggage storage facilities in most towns and cities worldwide. You can reserve a space online and pay by iPay or similar just a few minutes before you need to drop your luggage off, or book in advance.
The online website will give you a quotation, issue you with a QR code to show to the local operator and provides directions to the shop / facility (together with a grid reference).
Nothing could be simpler. They also provide luggage insurance just in case something goes wrong. Hopefully you want need it – in my view, it just illustrates their trust in their local partners.
Find out more about Radical Storage
Guide Books to Germany
Click the images below to buy your Guide Books to Germany from Amazon
Further Reading
Other Detailed Posts on my Travels from London to the Arctic Circle
Details of My Other Long Distance Overland Adventures
Other Detailed Posts
Useful Country Factsheets
Who Are Your Favourite Travel Writers
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#travel #hamburg #HamburgRoute #HamburgItinerary #Hamburgonfoot #tophamburgfooddelicacies #topattractionsinhamburg #bestsightseeinginhamburg #topfooddelicaciesinhamburg #bestsightseeingattractionsinhamburg #thingstodoinhamburg
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