With its maritime flair, Hamburg is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in Germany. The harbour city by river Elbe has lots of great attractions and unique experiences in store. We present to you five of the top destinations for culture-vultures, architecture lovers, and night owls that you cannot miss on your trip to Hamburg.
1: Speicherstadt – Warehouse District
Hamburg's warehouse district covers about 26 hectares between Baumwall and Oberhafen. It is the largest warehouse complex in the world, and was built on several thousand oak stakes from 1883 on. In 2015, Speicherstadt along with the kontor district and Chile House, was declared UNESCO World Heritage.
Inside the warehouse district you can find numerous attractions, such as Miniatur Wunderland or Speicherstadtmuseum, where you get to learn more about the history of this Hamburg district. The International Maritime Museum, with over 40,000 model ships and exhibits is also very popular.
2: Miniatur Wunderland
Luckily, Speicherstadt is right where you find the second of Hamburg's must-sees: Miniatur Wunderland. Translating to miniature wonderland, the name of this attraction says it all. You are taken into a tiny little world, built over hundreds of thousand working hours. Several cities and countries have been rebuilt in most loving detail work.
Highlights here include Knuffingen Airport, where planes take off and land. Furthermore, Mount Vesuvius erupts on a regular basis, laying the ancient city Pompeii in ashes. Daytime and night-time take turns, so you can see all the sections illuminated by small-scale street lights.
3: Port of Hamburg and Elbphilharmonie
The Port of Hamburg is arguably the largest sight in the city by river Elbe. On a harbour tour with a hop-on hop-off ship, you can explore all its particularities, such as Cap San Diego, the traditional port, or the warehouse district. Furthermore, you get lots of interesting information about the logistics behind the large container ships and the local landmarks.
Since 2017, Elbhilharmonie is one of the most striking of Hamburg's landmarks. The imposing concert hall is distinguishable from afar with its impressive glass facade and the wave-like roof construction, thus significantly shaping the cityscape.
If you don't want to go to a concert, you can visit Elbphilharmonie within a guided tour during the day. You enjoy a unique view over the port and the city from the plaza.
4: Reeperbahn
If you haven't seen Reeperbahn, you have definitely missed out on an important bit of Hamburg. On the 'most sinful mile in the world', legendary bars, discos and nightclubs can be found along with theatre and musicals, music events and much more. Night owls will not get around paying a visit to this extraordinary road.
The place of amusement is located at the Hamburg district St. Pauli, and goes from Millerntor to Nobistor. You can get there by bus, tram, or subway.
5: Tierpark Hagenbeck Hamburg
With approximately two million visitors each year, Tierpark Hagenbeck is among the top destinations in Hamburg. The zoo is home to over 1,850 animals from all around the world, ranging from Siberian tigers and American bisons to Australian forester kangaroos. The Africa Panorama with ostriches, lions, zebras and flamingoes as well as the polar sea with South and North Pole dwellers are among the most popular sections.
The tropical aquarium covers around 8,000 square metres, making it the biggest of its kind in Germany, and even one of the biggest in Northern Europe. The circuit takes you along three theme areas that are home to over 14,000 exotic animals.
Further Highlights
Of course there is much more to see in Hamburg than this! We have a whole range of attractions for you.
