Hamburg, Germany

• Introduction
• Getting Around
• Study
• Eating Out
• Out on the Town
• Day Trippin'
• Student Accommodation

Introduction to Hamburg

With a population of around 1.7 million people, Hamburg is the second biggest city in Germany.  Its official name is Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and is a Stadt Staat, so all governmental politics take place within the city. The SPD have current control over Hamburg and Ole Von Beust has just been re-elected as Bürgermeister.

Hamburg’s economy is mostly based around the harbour, which is not just a tourist spot, but the second biggest port in Europe.  It is not uncommon to see huge sea going ships docked in the harbour as it is deep water.  Other industries in Hamburg include media, with around half of all Germany’s newspapers being published in the city, as well as Stern and Der Spiegel.  There is also a Blohm + Voss shipyard. 

The harbour can be described as Hamburg’s “Tourist Trap” as there are many shops selling delightful wares such as ships in bottles and pirate memorabilia, and it’s impossible to walk alongside the water without hearing people advertising Stadtrundfahrt (bus tours around the city) or Hafenrundfahrt (boat tours around the harbour).  However, many of these tours are good value (around €10 for a 1.5 hour trip through the harbour and Speicherstadt) with informative commentary from tour guides.  They are most likely to be in German though, so if you’re with non German speakers it may be best to ask at the tourist information kiosk at Hauptbahnhof for English tours.  Other tourist spots include the Rathaus, various churches dotted around the city, the “Museum Mile”, the many theatres and the Reeperbahn.

The centre of the city is around Jungfernstieg, which is just by the Binnenalster lake.  The impressive town hall is just around the corner with the Rathausmarkt providing a good area for photo opportunities.  This space is excellently utilised at Christmas time for one of the markets, which even has Father Christmas flying through the air with his reindeer!  There are also tours of the town hall on most days, which don’t cost very much.  It is, however, free just to go inside and have a look around the main entrance hall.

The main shopping area of Hamburg is called Mönckeberg Straße, although there are many other shopping precincts around the Jungfernstieg area for example the Europa Passage, which is a short walk from the Rathaus.  Shops range from cheapish (C&A) to the more exclusive, like the boutiques along the Alster Arcaden.