Miniatur Wunderland
The world’s largest model railway, spread across two warehouse floors in the Speicherstadt. Tiny trains, a working airport and whole countries in miniature make it Hamburg’s most popular attraction for every age.
Germany
Hamburg
Hamburg is Germany’s great port city: a place of red-brick warehouses on tidal canals, container ships sliding past the beach at Övelgönne, copper spires above the Alster lakes and a glittering glass concert hall perched on top of an old quayside warehouse.
It is a city made for wandering and for being on the water. You can ride the curved escalator up to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza for a free-flowing panorama of the docks, take a harbour cruise past the cranes and dry docks of Blohm and Voss, lose half a day among the miniature airports and mountain railways of Miniatur Wunderland, and walk the UNESCO-listed Speicherstadt, where coffee, tea and spices were once stored by the sack. On a grey day there are excellent museums, from Caspar David Friedrich at the Kunsthalle to nine decks of maritime history in a nineteenth-century warehouse. This guide books the tickets worth booking, points you to the sights that need no ticket at all, and matches you to the right hotel, from a grand dame on the Inner Alster to a cheerful design hostel near the Schanze.
Don't miss
Miniatur Wunderland
The world’s largest model railway, spread across two warehouse floors in the Speicherstadt. Tiny trains, a working airport and whole countries in miniature make it Hamburg’s most popular attraction for every age.
International Maritime Museum
Three thousand years of seafaring on nine decks of a historic HafenCity warehouse, with tens of thousands of models, a ship simulator and a LEGO Queen Mary 2. The rainy-day pick for anyone who loves ships.
Hamburg Dungeon
Hamburg’s darker history told by costumed actors in a Speicherstadt warehouse, with plague, fire, pirates and a few jumps along the way. Guided in English or German, and best for teenagers and adults.
Hamburger Kunsthalle
One of Germany’s great art museums, steps from the main station, with Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, old masters, Manet and a large contemporary wing.
Things to do in Hamburg
Elbphilharmonie Plaza Guided Tour
Ride the long curved escalator into Hamburg’s glass-topped concert hall and walk the Plaza, 37 metres above the harbour, with a guide who knows the stories behind the building.
Hamburg 1-Hour Harbour Cruise
An hour on the water from the Landungsbrücken, past container terminals, dry docks and the Speicherstadt, with an audio guide app in English. The classic way to understand what makes Hamburg tick.
Speicherstadt Tour with Coffee Tasting
A guided walk through the UNESCO-listed warehouse district, where coffee, tea and spices were once stored, ending with a coffee tasting at a working roastery. The tour is in German, so it suits German speakers best.
International Maritime Museum
Three thousand years of seafaring on nine decks of a historic HafenCity warehouse, with tens of thousands of models, a ship simulator and a LEGO Queen Mary 2. The rainy-day pick for anyone who loves ships.
Hamburg Dungeon
Hamburg’s darker history told by costumed actors in a Speicherstadt warehouse, with plague, fire, pirates and a few jumps along the way. Guided in English or German, and best for teenagers and adults.
Hamburger Kunsthalle
One of Germany’s great art museums, steps from the main station, with Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, old masters, Manet and a large contemporary wing.
Chocoversum Chocolate Museum
A ninety-minute guided tour through the story of chocolate, from cocoa bean to bar, with plenty of tastings and the chance to make your own chocolate bar. Tours run in English as well as German.
Port des Lumières
A vast immersive digital art space in the Westfield Überseequartier, where famous paintings and stories are projected across walls and floors to music. A modern rainy-day favourite in HafenCity.
St. Michaelis Church (Michel)
Hamburg’s best-loved landmark, a white-and-gold Baroque church whose tower platform gives a sweeping view over the harbour and the old town. Climb the steps or take the lift, and visit the crypt below.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten
Neustadt and Inner Alster
Hamburg’s grand dame on the Inner Alster, a five-star institution since 1897 with lake-view rooms, a classic bar, a patisserie and a spa. The splurge for a special occasion.
Check rates →
$$$Empire Riverside Hotel
St. Pauli
A bronze-clad tower by David Chipperfield above the harbour in St. Pauli, with Elbe views from the upper floors and the 20up skyline bar. The best base for the port and the Reeperbahn.
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$$$25hours Hotel HafenCity
HafenCity
A playful, sailor-themed design hotel in HafenCity, with 170 cabins, a rooftop sauna, the heimat restaurant and bikes to borrow. Walkable to the Elbphilharmonie and the Speicherstadt.
Check rates →HENRI Hotel Hamburg Downtown
Altstadt near the Hauptbahnhof
A stylish mid-range hotel in a brick Kontorhaus by the main station, with retro office-style design, a free evening bread supper from Monday to Thursday and a rooftop sauna to rent.
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$Superbude St. Pauli
Sternschanze and St. Pauli
A cheerful design hotel and hostel between the Schanze and St. Pauli, with private rooms and shared rooms with their own bathrooms, an organic breakfast buffet and a six-bed Rockstarsuite. The budget pick.
Check rates →Hamburg guides
First Time in Hamburg: What to Book, How to Get Around and How Long to Stay
A practical first-timer’s guide to Hamburg: the tickets worth booking ahead, how the city fits together, getting around by U-Bahn and ferry, and how many days you need.
Where to Stay in Hamburg: The Alster, HafenCity, St. Pauli and Beyond
A neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood guide to choosing a base in Hamburg, with the trade-offs of each area and our hotel pick for every budget.
