Destination Guides > Germany > Hamburg

Hamburg

Although it is more than 100km inland, Hamburg is Germany's largest port. This major northern German city which rose to prominence as a trading centre has become one of Germany's richest cities. Nowadays, however, it is known mostly for its bustling port and red-light district.

However there is much more to Hamburg which many visitors discover to be a surprisingly pleasant city with many parks and outdoor areas. Alsterparks, Municipal Parks, Hirschpark... there are 25 more parks in Hamburg, as well as 900 kilometres of rambling paths. Almost every street has trees and bushes - avenues and parks are as much a feature of Hamburg's cityscape as arms of the river and bridges.

Hamburg is Germany's only major city centred on a lake. One can walk round the Outer Alster or follow the Alster rambling path from Fuhlsbüttel Dam to the North. Sailing and surfing in the city centre - in which other city is that still possible? There is aslo the possibility of greeting the overseas ships along the River Elbe. With its tiny front gardens and the museum harbour, the old pilots and skippers district of Oevelgönne is a little picturesque world of its own.

One of North Germany's most attractive rambling routes runs from here along the bank of the Elbe in the direction of Teufelsbrück to the classy stairway quarter of Blankenese. There is always something going on here; more than 13,000 ships move along the Elbe each year. It is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world.

Hamburg's port is fast, versatile and still growing. Containerships and occasionally windjammers, white banana freighters and sedate tankers, nimble tugboats, barges and launches chug up and down the Elbe, day and night. It is quite easy to get to the port: cross over to the other side of the Elbe on foot and free of charge through the old Elbe Tunnel at the St. Pauli Landing Stages.

The city is also home to numerous museums. The Kunsthalle is to get an extension costing 60 million marks, while the Deichtorhallen - the former wholesale flower market halls from the turn of the century - have already been renovated and are being used for large-scale exhibitions of modern art.

Hamburg's skyline is dominated by the six towers of the main churches and of the Town Hall. From Hamburg's baroque landmark - St. Michael's Church - one gets a great view of the port, the Alster and Old Hamburg.

Practical Information

Hamburg Tourist Information Centre

St Pauli Landungsbrüken, Hamburg

Tel (040) 30 05 12 00

American Express

Ballindamm 39, Hamburg

Tel (040) 30 90 80
Website www.americanexpress.com

Local Transport

Hamburg's public transport network is operated by HVV (website www.hvv.de) and consists of buses and both U-Bahn and S-Bahn train networks. The network is split into three zones, covering the city centre (Nahbereich), the city centre and neighbouring suburbs (Grossbereich) and the entire area of Hamburg state (Gesamtbereich). You can buy single tickets for €1.50 in the Grossbereich area, €2.40 for longer trips. Day passes (Tageskarte) cost €5.50, or €4.65 if purchased after 9am Mon-Fri or all-day Sat-Sun. A three-day pass costs €13.30.

For €7.30 you buy the Hamburg Card which combines one day on public transport with free or reduced admission to musuems. A three-day version of the Hamburg Card costs €15. You can buy this ticket at the tourist information centre in Hauptbahnhof station.

Coming & Going

Although Hamburg's main train station is Hauptbahnhof, there are several other major stations which handle InterCity trains with Altona, Dammtor and Harburg Station also handling a lot of rail traffic. Although most trains using these other stations also stop at Hauptbahnhof, it is a good idea to keep Hamburg's other stations in mind when you're checking the timetable.

Zentraler Omnibus Bahnhof (ZOB), south of Hauptbahnhof, is the main bus station handling Eurolines, Europabus and Autokraft bus services to destinations in Germany and elsewhere in Europe.

The Citynetz Mitzfahrzentrale (ride sharing agency) can match you up with someone driving to your destination. They are located near Berliner Tor S-Bahn station at Gotenstraße 19, you can phone them on (040) 19 444.

DFDS Seaways operates ferry services from Hamburg to Harwich (20 hours) and Newcastle (24 hours) in England. The ferries depart from the Edgar-Engelhard-Kai terminal near St Pauli Harbour. Take the S-Bahn to Königstraße.

The cheapest way to get to the airport is via U-Bahn/S-Bahn line U1, S1 or S11 to Ohlsdorf station and then transferring to bus 110 to the airport. Although Hamburg Airport (website www.ham.airport.de) is located only 9km away from the city centre, this way can take around 40 minutes to get tho the airport. The direct Jasper Airport Express bus service (€5; website www.jasper-hamburg.de) is a much quicker alternative, taking 25 minutes to get from the airport to Hauptbahnhof.

Accommodation

Instant Sleep Backpacker Hostel

Max-Brauer-Allee 277, 22769 Hamburg

Bus 115 S-Bahn, U-Bahn Sternschanze

Tel (040) 43182310

Jugendgasthaus Auf dem Stintfang

Alfred-Wegener-Weg 5, 20459 Hamburg

Bus 112 U-Bahn Landunsbrücken

Tel (040) 313488

Jugendgasthaus Honer-Rennbahn

Rennbahnstraße 100, 22111 Hamburg

Tel (040) 6511671

Schanzenstern

übernachtungs- und Gasthaus

Bartelstraße 12, 20357 Hamburg

Tel (040) 4398441