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Sightseeing Overview
Sightseeing is concentrated in two main areas, the city center and the harbor.

Hamburg’s historical center has twice been consumed by flames, once by accident in 1842 and once by Allied bombing in 1943. It is consequently mostly modern with only a few surviving churches and ancient houses standing alongside neoclassical facades, some new, many expertly restored. The city center looks onto its signature feature, the Alster Lake, of which the outer section (Aussenalster) is particularly attractive.

The other principal sightseeing center is the harbor and the adjoining red-light district of St Pauli with its infamous main street, the Reeperbahn. The harbor is the second biggest in Europe and provides visitors with boat tours, museum ships, the Speicherstadt warehouse museums and the colorful comings and goings of any major port.

The once notorious St Pauli is not as dependent on the sex industry as it used to be (though it is still no place for the prudish) and large parts of it have been transformed into the city’s leading nightlife area, with numerous theaters and respectable nightspots.

Tourist Information
Hamburg Tourismus
Tel: (040) 3005 1300.
Website: www.hamburg-tourism.de  

The main office is at the back of the Hauptbahnhof (main railway station), Kirchenallee entrance. There are also offices at the St Pauli Landungsbrücken (between piers 4 and 5), in the airport arrival area, at Dammtor station and at Jungfernstieg station.

Passes
The Hamburg Card, which can be purchased at the tourist office, gives unlimited travel on all public transport in the Greater Hamburg area and also grants free or reduced-price admission to many top attractions and excursions.

Key Attractions:

Harbour Tours
Hamburg owes its prosperity, past and present, to its docks, so a trip around the harbor (daily noon, March to November with English commentary), sailing past huge container vessels and spotting ships from all over the world, is essential.

Landungsbrücken, Brücke (pier) 1
Tel: (040) 3178 2231.

Cruising the Alster Lake
There are many ways to cruise the Alster, the best being the Alster-Kreuz-Fahrten option, which makes nine stops on a leisurely two-hour trip, allowing you to hop on and hop off at will, visiting bucolic lakeside cafes and restaurants or stopping for a picnic.

Jungfernstieg (landing stage)
Tel: (040) 357 4240.
Website: www.alstertouristik.de  

Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte (Museum of Hamburg History)
The Museum of Hamburg History brings to life the story of the city, from the feared pirate Störtebeker to the Beatles at the Star Club. There are some impressive large scale exhibits and interactive displays, all with English captions.

Holstenwall 24
Tel: (040) 42813 22380.
Website: www.hamburgmuseum.de  

Sunday Fish Market
Good street food, live music, souvenirs, tremendous food bargains and the type of stall-holder banter which will make even non-German speakers smile have all made this early-morning market a city legend.

In and around Fischmarkt

Michaeliskirche (St Michael’s church)
Visit this city landmark at noon (daily) for the three-organ concert, then ascend the tower for great views over the harbor and the city.

Englische Planke
Tel: (040) 3767 8100.
Website: www.st-michaelis.de  

Further Distractions:

Speicherstadt
The world’s biggest warehouse complex part retains its original function and now also holds a variety of visitor attractions, from the Hamburg Dungeon and the world’s largest model railway of its kind, to five small museums - on Spices, Toys, Afghanistan, Customs & Excise and the Speicherstadt (‘warehouse city’) itself.

Kunsthalle
Hamburg’s expansive city art gallery spans the ages from 15th-century German Old Masters through French impressionism to Andy Warhol and 21st-century installations - it’s worth a visit for the Café Liebermann alone.

Glockengiesserwall
Tel: (040) 4281 31200.
Website: www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de

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