Currency: Euro €
Language: German
Visas: You can travel in Germany for up to 90 days as part of the Schengen area rules.
Money: Credit cards are widely accepted with ATMs also available.
Time Zone: Central European Time (CET) +1
Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany, after Berlin. It is the 7th largest city and largest non-capital city in the European Union, with a population of over 1.85 million. The city is located on the River Elbe, as well as two of its tributaries, the River Alster and the River Bille. Hamburg is one of Germany's 16 federated states and is surrounded by Schleswig-Holstein to the north and Lower Saxony to the south.
Hamburg is a major international and domestic tourist destination. In 2015, the Speicherstadt and Kontorhausviertel were declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Hamburg's rivers and canals are crossed by approximately 2,500 bridges, making it the city with the highest number of bridges in Europe. The city has a rich architectural heritage and is home to notable cultural venues such as the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle concert halls. Hamburg has also been influential in the music industry, giving birth to movements like Hamburger Schule. The city boasts several theaters and a variety of musical shows, and St. Pauli's Reeperbahn is among the best-known European entertainment districts.
Cruise port
Cruise Center Steinwerder is Hamburg’s most modern cruise terminal and opened in June 2015.
Google Maps port location: https://goo.gl/maps/9fjopEJhtxqffwek8
Port website: https://www.cruisegate-hamburg.de
Things to do
The striking Rathaus (City Hall) serves as Hamburg's seat of government. The parliament, senate, and mayor all have their offices within the City Hall on Rathausmarkt. While it's convenient to have everything in one place, it took time for this building to become the icon it is today. After several relocations, fires, and other disturbances, the current City Hall is the sixth version in Hamburg's history.
Construction began in 1886, requiring 4,000 wooden poles drilled into the muddy shores of the Alster Lake to support the weight of the building. The City Hall measures 133 meters wide, 70 meters deep, and 112 meters tall. A passageway was built to connect the new building to both the Chamber of Commerce and the Hamburg Stock Exchange. The courtyard between these buildings resembles an Italian piazza, and it houses the Hygieia fountain, named after the Greek goddess of health, in remembrance of the cholera epidemic that swept through the city in 1892. After 11 years of labor, the City Hall, with its 647 rooms, opened in 1897.
Fortunately, you don't have to be a German politician to get a glimpse inside this eclectic neo-renaissance building. Hamburg's City Hall is open to the public, and visitors can join guided tours or visit exhibitions inside.
The City Hall is open to visitors everyday, with several guided tours available. The Rathausmarkt in front of the City Hall is a popular venue for fairs, markets, and concerts.
Miniatur Wunderland is the world's largest model railway system, located in the historic Speicherstadt in Hamburg, Germany.
As of December 2021, the railway consists of 16,138 m (52,946 ft) of H0 scale track, divided into nine sections: the Harz mountains, the fictitious town of Knuffingen, the Alps and Austria, Hamburg, America, Scandinavia, Switzerland, a replica of Hamburg Airport, Italy, and South America. The models take up 1,545 m2 (16,630 sq ft) of the exhibition's total 7,000 m2 (75,347 sq ft) floorspace.
The exhibit features around 1,120 digitally controlled trains with over 10,000 wagons, 4,300 houses and bridges, more than 10,000 vehicles (including around 350 that drive independently on the installation), 52 airplanes, and approximately 290,000 figures. The system also includes a day-night cycle using nearly 500,000 built-in LED lights. Plans are underway for the construction of sections representing Central America and the Caribbean, Asia, England, Africa, and the Netherlands.
At Fischmarkt, you can find fresh fish and seafood as well as flowers, fruits and vegetables, meat, and clothing. Trading has taken place here since 1703, making it a well-established and busy market that opens every Sunday morning. Alternatively, you can head to the adjacent fish auction hall for brunch and a live jazz or skiffle band performance.
Getting around
Taxi: Uber worked absolutely fine for us in Hamburg however we were unable to request an Uber XL for 5+ passengers so used FREENOW instead. You can download the app here: https://m.free-now.com/JGMc/62g9uoku. And if you use our referral code ptwop494i you get £10.00 for your 1st trip and we get £10 too!
Walk: It is roughly a 52 minute walk from the cruise terminal to the city centre however this does take you past some sights including the Norderelbe and St. Pauli Piers.
You will also be able to walk the Old Elbe Tunnel built in 1911 to provide a more direct route for dock workers over to the southern banks of the Elbe river from the Landungsbrücken piers in St. Pauli. At 426m it was a big improvement for tens of thousands of workers in one of the busiest harbours in the world.
Recommended excursions
This page may contain affiliate links. If you click one, we may earn a commission at no cost to you.