Hamburg is a vibrant harbour city in the North Germany. There’s always something going on, especially at the beginning of summer when the weather getting better.
The Hamburg Hafengeburtstag is the weekend before the workshop, 10-12 May, and celebrates birthday of Hamburg Harbour, which will be 835 years old this year. There are usually around a million visitors over the weekend.
The Michelturm is a Hamburg Landmark, a church tower with excellent panoramic views of the city, walk up or take the lift.
Hamburg has a lot of water. Alster lakes, Harbour tours and Speicherstadt UNESCO World Heritage site. Many operators from Landungsbrücken. Insider tip: Take the HVV 62 ferry along the river as part of the local transport network for only a few euros.
Here is a 7km circular running route starting from Altona Bahnhof, if you want go further just keep heading along the Elbe.
Hamburg feaures some world class art galleries, such as Kunsthalle and Deichtorhallen among others.
Miniature Wonderland is probably the most famous attraction in Hamburg now, the world's largest model railway which now also feaures an airport.
Classical music can be found at the Laeiszhalle and the Elbphilharmonie, or "Elphi", which is a world-famous concert hall and opera house in the Hafen City. Plaza tickets grant access to the entrance plaza and the viewing platform that surrounds the building for panoramic views of the harbour and city skyline. Tickets cost 3 Euro in advance or free on arrival if any remain.
There are live music venues throughout the city, such as Molotow, Grosse Freiheit 36, Docks et al., Mojo, Übel & Gefährlich.. There is also a very lively club scene and nightlife on the Reeperbahn. Ther are also many musicals/shows to be found (mostly in german).
On a sunny day, the beaches by the Elbe are a popular destination. There are also beach clubs along the Elbe near Landungsbrücken, such as Strand Pauli.
You can walk through the famous Old Elbe tunnel as feaured in many films such as The Odessa File, to get a view of the city from the other side of the river.
Many bars and restaurants can be found in parts of the city such as Sternschanze, St. Pauli (Reeperbahn, Karolinenviertel), Ottensen, Grindel. Many good Portuguese restaurants (excellent fish specialities) near Landungsbrücken. For more 'typically German' food and drink, you can't go far wrong at the Groeninger. Some of the many restaurants in Hamburg are listed on the dedicated page.
