Maritime flair at the port, Hanseatic elegance on the Alster Lake, exciting St Pauli nights, and the vibrating off-scene of the Schanzenviertel — combined with short distances, plenty of green and lots of water: these are the ingredients for an unforgettable Hamburg weekend with your BFFs.
In spite of its almost 1. Instead, Hamburg offers a relaxed atmosphere in a compact city. While Hamburg is nearly kilometres away from the open sea, the maritime atmosphere can be felt everywhere — thanks to the port, the Elbe beach, the Alster Lake and the numerous canals that criss-cross the entire city. A stroll around the Speicherstadt takes you past historic red-brick buildings and various bridges — in fact Hamburg has more bridges than Venice and Amsterdam put together.
In fine weather, the jetties along the Alster Lake turn into hot spots on the water. Equipped with sunglasses, you can sit back and watch the sailing boats and stand-up paddlers pass you by. Romantic minds will instantly fall in love with the wonky cottages along the Elbe beach. What would it be like to live here and to wake to the sound of tooting container ships? Like no other place in Germany, the Reeperbahn entertainment district combines mainstream and underground, kitsch and art, a shabby image and a hipster appeal.
Alongside musical theatres, comedy stages and live music venues you will find pubs, burlesque bars and night clubs. Amidst elegant restaurants and fast food chains, striptease clubs are competing for attention.
In the summer, the wide footpaths in front of the pubs on Schulterblatt are primarily packed with students, and at cooler temperatures they jostle in pubs such as Katze or Saal II. All those who make it to the early morning hours will be rewarded at the St Pauli Fischmarkt — with a sunrise on the Elbe and arguably the best soused herring buns in town.
