Second Time in...Hamburg

Phil Thomas
2 days ago
8 min read

I lived six months in Hamburg during the 2000s and then went over a decade before returning (note to self, October 2020 wasn’t peak time to see any city at its best, especially when it coincided with a 10pm curfew!)

As a port city, the original Hanseatic city is in a constant process of renewal and reinvention and has a rhythm unlike anywhere else in Germany. It’s a city many have a fleeting knowledge of – Beatles, Reeperbahn, Christmas markets – but not one many know well. Because of this, the idea of returning may feel a bit of a stretch.

Sailboats on a river before a city skyline with church spires and the Elbphilharmonie, framed by autumn leaves at sunset.

But return you should. The Speicherstadt and docks have gone from being purely utilitarian to the soul of the city for tourists. A great night is possible without the need to bar hop along the Reeperbahn (although absolutely no reason not to – every Hamburg trip draws you back.

I’m writing this Second Time In Hamburg guide with an assumption your first visit was pre-Covid since which a host of new attractions have emerged.

You’ve already: Seen everything Beatles related, partied on the Reeperbahn and stayed up for the Fischmarkt in St Pauli, walked or cycled around the Rathaus and Binnenalster, been to see a game at either Hamburg or St Pauli FC, been up the St Nikolai Tower and visited the memorial

At A Glance

Where To Stay

Prize by Radisson St Pauli – Excellent budget-friendly option close to the Reeperbahn (let’s face it, you’re going to end up back there with modern décor and very well connected to the rest of the city. Rooms from £55/€65/$70

Reichshof Hotel – Art deco gem close to the Binnenalster lake and train station. Huuuge gym, spa and sauna on-site and spacious, tasteful rooms. Prices fluctuate wildly but pick your dates wisely and rooms can be found from £95/€110/$120

NH Hamburg Altona – Good location for night two revelery outlined below, NH always delivers good value, clean and comfortable rooms. This is a quieter part of Altona, close to the S-Bahn. Breakfast (charged extra) is superb. Rooms from £65/€75/$85

What To Do

Customised Walking Tour – If you’re short on time or prefer not to navigate yourself, these private tours are a great-value way to see the best of the city. Typically includes the best of the Speicherstadt but can be tailored to your particular interests.

2-Hr Harbour Boat Tour – Guided tour of the waters (narration but loudspeaker or via app and your personal headphones if you prefer) surrounding the city, including seeing the container ships up close. Nothing like this to make you feel small.

Elphi Private Tour – Anyone who wants more from the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg’s most striking site, will love this private tour of the building’s exterior, including insider stories on its construction and symbolism. Coffees and pastries included.

Day 1: Morning

Start early in Speicherstadt, where the red-brick warehouses look as though they’ve been arranged for pleasing photogenic effect, with canals, bridges, and slightly theatrical symmetry.

Everything is walkable from Baumwall U-Bahn station, it’s five minutes into the district and another five to your first stop. Most of this itinerary can be accomplished on foot so usual rules about comfortable shoes and planning for all weather conditions apply.

At Minatur Wunderland (open 08.30 – between 20.00 and 01.00, €22 for adults), the city – and many other global locations - shrinks to table-top scale but somehow expands your attention span, as you admire the time and effort required to create these scenes, the airport in particular.

Colorful LEGO-style canal houses and bridges line a miniature waterfront, with tiny figures and boats in a park setting.

This has unexpectedly become one of Hamburg’s showcase attractions and most of the time, you’ve got zero chance of scoring a walk-up ticket. Book in advance and ideally arrive early, it’s far more enjoyable before the crowds descend. Allow for a couple of hours (yes, this surprised me too) and bear in mind extended opening hours over the weekend.

A short five-minute walk from Miniatur Wunderland, Nord Coast Coffee Roastery (Deichstrasse 9) does exceptionally strong coffees and waffles that are generally agreed to be the best in the city. Sit by the window if you can and watch the canal traffic drift past with quiet purpose.

Afternoon

A ten-minute walk brings you to Chilehaus, all sharp angles and brickwork confidence, looking more New York than Germany. It’s a reminder of Hamburg’s trading past and the confidence of becoming one of the richest cities on the Baltic. Nothing to do here besides snapping a photo but it’s impressive nonetheless.

Aerial view of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie at dusk, with glass wave roof, red base, waterfront cranes, and city skyline.

Continue through the Speicherstadt along the water towards HafenCity and the gleaming curve of Elbphilharmonie. The “Elbi” opened in 2017 after years of delays, political arguments and spiralling costs. Ignoring this, it has become an undisputed modern icon of Hamburg, being the backdrop to assorted tourism PR videos and global events, including the draw for Euro 2024. The glass structure sits atop the former Kaispeicher A warehouse, a reminder that while Hamburg has reinvented itself for the 21st century, it remains a city built on trade, shipping and the water below. Grab the (curvy) escalator to the balcony for a world-class view of the harbour and city. Anyone who needs more interpretation or history would be well-advised to consider a private tour from local experts (coffee and pastries included).

Grab a late lunch at Vlet Kitchen (Dammtorwall 15), a restored warehouse, which leans into regional German cooking (think North Sea fish and slow-cooked meats) served in a space that balances industrial heft with great ingredients.

From here, you have a choice of water-bound afternoon excursions, heading to Landungsbrücken, whatever your choice. The best way to appreciate Hamburg is from the water but unlike admiring ornate buildings like London, Paris or Budapest, the interest here is in the working port and the sheer scale of it. Trust me, it’s better than it sounds.

Lit cargo ships stacked with containers at dusk in a port, with MAERSK and HAMBURG SÜD text visible.

If you’re on a budget, head for HVV Ferry Line 62, public transport masquerading as sightseeing. Included within the standard HVV public transport ticket (day passesfrom €8.40) it runs regularly along the Elbe, passing container terminals and improbable ships that look as though they belong in another century. For a more intimate harbour experience than the larger cruise boats, consider a private tour with commentary that is informative and gives you a genuine sense of scale You’ll get considerably closer to the container ships than you thought possible, a great exercise in feeling insignificant.

In both instances, sit outside if the weather allows.

Evening

If the weather is kind, the best sunset spot in Hamburg is at The Dockland Building: 25 minutes from Landungsbruecken via Ferry 62, get off at Fischereihafen or 10-15 minutes via Uber if you’ve lost your sea legs.

What exactly is it? The closest description is a giant staircase with architectural ambition. Instructions are simple, climb it no ticket required, and watch the light flatten the harbour into a decidedly cinematic view. Bring your own beers, as the locals do.

Modern waterfront building at sunset, with a cobblestone promenade, railings, distant cranes, and a few people silhouetted on the roof.

Unusually, tonight calls for swerving the Reeperbahn and heading for something with an altogether different atmosphere. The Feldstraße Bunker is exactly what it sounds like: a WWII-era concrete block now hosting bars and rooftop spaces. Built in 1942 as a flak tower during World War II, the bunker was designed to withstand direct bombing and shelter tens of thousands. An unexpected by-product is that its thick concrete walls later made it useful as everything from a media hub to a cultural venue...and a nightclub, Uebel und Gefaehrlich.

Opening hours vary by venue, but expect drinks from late afternoon into the night.

It’s a short U-Bahn ride (U3 to Feldstraße) or a 10-minute taxi from the harbour. A short walk away (before or after drinks), Bullerei (Lagerstrasse 36b) offers bold, modern German dishes in a former cattle hall. Befitting a restaurant owned by Tim Maelzer, think high ceilings, succulent steaks and world-class kaesspaetzele. Book in advance, it’s a popular spot.

Day 2: Morning/Early Afternoon

Hamburg encourages day trips (if you’re visiting in run up to Christmas, definitely head to Bremen, which for my money has) and it often surprises me that more people don’t take advantage of these.

Lübeck is my pick of the choices and it’s easy to reach. From Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, trains run a couple of times an hour and take about 45–50 minutes. Book in advance here to avoid the occasional queue at Hauptbahnhof ticket machines

Arriving in Lübeck feels like you’ve done the timewarp, as within a 15-minute walk from the station, you can feel yourself stepping into a carefully preserved argument for medieval urban planning. Once the de facto capital of the Hanseatic League, Lübeck grew rich on Baltic trade, its merchants shaping a city that still reads like a ledger written in the attractive red-brick architecture of the old city. Despite wartime damage, much of the medieval core survived or was carefully restored, leaving a surprising sense of continuity.

Aerial view of historic brick buildings with steep orange roofs beside a canal and road, with a round tower and sparse pedestrians.

The old town is compact, walkable, and surrounded by water, an island town within a castle island. Start at the Holstentor gate (you’ll visit and then seen it on every postcard of the city), then drift toward the Marienkirche, a vast brick Gothic church whose scale quietly asserts Lübeck’s former wealth; look for the broken bells left as a wartime memorial. For those seeking a dose of high culture, the former home of Thomas Mann, the Buddenbrookhaus, now a museum that offers insight into both the writer and the city’s bourgeois past.”

Lunch here should involve marzipan, not as a novelty, but as a local speciality taken seriously. Niederegger Café (Breite Strasse 89) dishes it up in cakes, chocolates, and forms you didn’t know existed…visit the attached marzipan museum (no, really) if you don’t believe me.

Steak tartare topped with an egg yolk on a white plate, served with grilled bread, pickles, and mustard in a restaurant setting

For a bigger meal, you’ll want to pay Schiffergesellschaft a visit. Set in a former guild hall for ship captains, this is the place for traditional northern German fare. Order pan-fried fish or Labskaus (see above - a pink-coloured hash of corned beef, potatos and beetroot, topped with a fried egg – it’s better than it sounds) and embrace the maritime theme, given your proximity to the sea.

You can make Lübeck easily last a half-day, meaning you’ll likely be back in Hamburg around 3-4pm.

Late Afternoon

By mid-afternoon, return to Hamburg and head west to Blankenese Treppenviertel – ‘Steps Quarter’ by translation. From the main station, it’s about 30 minutes on the S1 overground train (all valid within your HVV day pass) to Blankenese, followed by a short walk, and then the steps begin. Hundreds of them. Possibly thousands. No one is counting and I’d suggest you don’t start.

This is Hamburg at its most quietly indulgent: white houses, narrow paths, and views over the Elbe that feel more akin to Lake Como than northern Germany…at least until a cargo ship glides through and reasserts geography.

Hillside neighborhood of colorful houses above a sandy beach under a bright blue sky with big clouds; tiny people below.

Allow at least an hour to wander, longer if you stop for a drink at one of the hillside cafés like Kaffeegarten Schuldt (Suellbergsterrasse 30) is worth pausing at not just for the coffee but for its terrace, where container ships glide past below the hillside gardens of Blankenese. On a sunny day, it creaties an almost Mediterranean views.

Evening

Evening belongs to Altona, a district that trades polish for personality. Either head back to your hotel to clean-up or go direct, it’s about 10 minutes by S-Bahn from Blankenese.

You can’t escape one of Europe’s largest ports without sampling the seafood: Fischereihafen (Grosse Elbstrasse 143) is a Hamburg institution that warrants your attention. The lobster bisque is exceptional and the turbot a perpetual favourite. Reservations again recommended but you’ll be glad you did.

Tattooed hands stir a clear cocktail with a bar spoon on a dark bar mat, with a jar of yellow syrup behind

Afterwards, grab a 10-minute Uber and treat yourself to cocktails at Clockers (Paul Roosen Strasse 27), a compact, slightly chaotic cocktail bar known for its homemade gin and inventive drinks. Scoring a place on the upper floor with its global menu is like getting into Berghain.