Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany. It is situated on the estuary on the River Elbe. Hamburg is known for the Port of Hamburg. This city is a very important transportation centre, also a commercial and cultural centre, and a big tourist place. There is a part of the downtown area which survived the wars and the past of Hamburg – Deichstrasse. There is a warehouse built in the 19th century and a harborside complex in the 21st century.  

Hamburg was built in the 9th century as a mission to convert the population of the Saxons. It is a very important centre in Europe. It Has a very attractive location on its port, and also is an independent city. 

When to visit Hamburg

There are 4 seasons in Hamburg, with hot summers and cold winters. In spring and fall there are a lot of festivals. The weather can change various times in a day. 

The hottest temperature in Hamburg is in July, when the temperature can be 23 C. The coldest temperature in Hamburg is in January, when the temperature can be 4 C. 

Good to know about the city

Hamburg is one of the most enchanting cities in Germany. There are a lot of important landmarks and buildings in Hamburg. Walking tours by local touristic agencies are offered, because the city has very beautiful architecture along 5 kilometre pavement. 

The public transport in Hamburg is called HVV and is very well organised. There are public trains and buses which are regular. They are buses and trains on every 20 minutes during the day, and in the rush hours they more often (trains on every 5 minutes and buses on every 10 minutes). 

Average salary for people in Hamburg is around € 2.500 per month. The city is expensive, but the salaries are also higher. 

If you go to a restaurant, you should give a tip, unless you are not satisfied with the provided service. But if you receive great service, you should give a generous tip as a way of appreciation. Places where you do not need to leave a tip (but it would be appreciated) are: a coffee shop, taxis, parlours, hotels, self-help eateries, salons, tours, courier service and food deliveries. You must never tip in the supermarket, because if you put all the items in a bag you carry your own groceries to your place where you are staying. 

Famous people born in Hamburg are: Angela Merkel (chancellor of Germany), Hark Bohm (actor), Uwe Bohm (actor), Gerg Heidemann (journalist) and Edgard Ende (artists).

What to see in Hamburg

Speicherstadt

Hamburg joined the German customs in 1888. Then the work started on the new area of the warehouse. In that period, new storage objects were made on the oak piles and together with Gothic architecture. In this manner Speicherstadt was made. Speicherstadt (City of Warehouses) is protected as a site of world heritage. Walking through the area, with red bricks, and a lot of canals can be very pleasant. 

Nowadays, a part of the warehouses are apartments. Some of the objects from the warehouse are now attractions. And there are some warehouse objects which are still used for storing tea, spices, electronics and coffee.

HafenCity

Right next to the Speicherstadt, HafenCity has been a quarter since 2008. This area is continuously growing and it creates homes for around 12 thousand people, and offers jobs for over 40 thousand people. There is a mixture of old and new, has office blocks with glass, and old apartment buildings. The best part for seeing it is the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. 

Elbphilharmonie

This is the tallest object in Hamburg, with more than 100 metres tall. It has an enigmatic design, often compared to a quartz crystal. On the facade there are a large number of windows, and on the top is an observation place and a café. The concert hall is one of the most advanced places for listening to the Elbphilharmonie Orchestra. It has room for more than 2000 visitors. 

Planten un Blomen

Planten un Blomen is one of the best urban parks. It consists of gardens, ponds, lawns, botanical plantations and greenhouses. In these gardens, you must see the Old Botanical Garden, made in 1821. 

International Maritime Museum

Hamburgs’ museum is situated in Kaispeicher B, the oldest object in Speicherstadt. It was first opened in 2008. The museum was firstly made of the collection of Peter Tamm, who had a lot of models of ships and marine artefacts. Visitors who are fond of the open sea would gladly visit this museum, which include sailboats, and artefacts (letters of Admiral Nelson), the reproduction of the lifeboat of Ernest Shackleton and an ancient canoe from Hamburg's harbour.

Kunsthalle Hamburg

Take a short walk from Hauptbahnhof to go to this museum, which is both large and rich with pieces of art. You will need a whole day to explore this museum, and you will be wowed by pieces of Rembrandt, Goya, Lucas Cranach, Rubens, Canaletto and many more. In the section of the 19th century you will find pieces of Max Liebermann, Caspar Friederich, Manet, Gauguin, Degas etc. When you visit the section for modern art, you will find art from Krichner, Paul Klee, Picasso, Warhol, Francis Bacon, Emin and Beuys.

St Pauli

This district is in the centre and away from Elbe, “decorated” with a lot of graffiti and neon. The place Reeperbahn is big, and have porn shops, also places for prostitutes and many strip clubs. But the clubs here are great to visit, and many youngsters are living here. There are a lot of places where the Beatles are incorporated as a subculture. Three clubs who were favourites in the 60s are still active, those are Indra, Kaiserkeller/Große Freiheit 36 and Moondoo. 

Miniatur Wunderland

In a whole warehouse there is a miniature world. This warehouse is situated in the Speicherstadt. This attraction was made in several phases from 2000. At the beginning, it started with railway models from Central Germany and Austria, and also a piece named Knuffingen. In the next few years more models were added, including models of Hamburg, Italy, United States, Switzerland and many others. A complicated software is commanding different moving parts, like the traffic, people and other parts. 

Since 2017 the miniature world has consisted of around 15 kilometres of track. The visitors can switch around 200 buttons which control windmills, a helicopter shuttle, a space shuttle and many more.