We loved our time here roaming around the Speicherstadt. It was a fun exploration even on a rainy…read moreweekday morning. It was given UNESCO World Heritage status in 2015. That's most likely because it's the largest historic warehouse complex of its kind (low-lying) in the world. The site has been historically protected since 1991 and subsequently restored. What's interesting is that these old red brick warehouses were uniquely built on top of a foundation of oak timbers. They were driven deep down (about 36 feet) into what was technically once considered marshy sandbars along the Elbe River. The wood with the surrounding sand petrified over time to create a solid foundation to build upon. This whole complex was needed to store global market items such as spices, tea, and coffee. The warehouses have entrances from the canal and at the street level for easy access. I was actually more impressed with the Gothic Revival look of the buildings as well as the steel bridges connecting them all together. We walked up and down the blocks and across the various different bridges to get a feel for the area. I don't think the pictures really convey the scenery here. It comes across as gloomy on rainy days, but it really wasn't that way in person. I really like that this area has become so popular. There are many attractions, shops, museums, cafés, and restaurants in and around it. The beautiful Water Castle can be seen from the furthest bridge known as Poggenmühlen. There's an International Maritimes Museum housed in one of the oldest buildings (1878) in the Speicherstadt. You'll see it right away when you see the massive propeller at the south entrance. The Sandtorkai-Hof and Speicherstadt Rathaus are other beautiful buildings that deserve a mention. There's way more to Hamburg than Speicherstadt and HafenCity. This was just a cool visit to the historical port of Germany. It's definitely a place that I would revisit if given the opportunity.

The Speicherstadt is fantastic. A lot to see and a lot to do. Great coffee that I took back to…read moreCalifornia and great entertainment. A have to see spot in Hamburg.

Quite a unique history and a church stood through times. I'm amazed with it even I'm not a church…read moregoer, it's not big compared to others but quite big and impressive with the inside structure and decor. They do have a maze underneath where thy buried important people there. The top is quite breadth taking of 360 view of the city. You can just spend hrs to enjoys and take in the views. Quite stunning.

Having not being familiar with white interiors, I was fascinated by this lovely church. What a…read moregorgeous interior.

We did the one hour English guided tour of the Hamburg Townhall. You buy the tickets the day off…read moreinside the building and it costs 8 Euros per person. There are guided tours in German and English language. Note that the English guided tours are not as often as the German guided tours. Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. He made the guided tour enjoyable. It was nice learning the history and seeing various rooms of the Hamburg Townhall. Overall, I recommend visiting this landmark and doing the guided tour.

The seat of the "Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg", this building is on the Rathausmarkt square…read more Constructed between 1186 and 1897, this is also the seat of one of the 16 state parliaments of Germany. Government still operates from here. I did not have time for a proper tour of the building, but the next time I am in Hamburg, I absolutely will do so. The lobby is open to the public and you can get to a few other places if the parliament is not actually in session. [Review 12060 overall, 1843 of 2019.]

Pretty much the place for the night life in Hamburg. It's probably eight or so block by 4 or so…read moreblock wide radius. It translates to "Red Light" which implies it as a Red Light District. Much smaller than the one in Amsterdam, this one isn't too bad. There's a main strip where you can walk and drive down both sides of the street. Tons of bars, strip bars, restaurants, fast food, souvenir shops, cigarette shops, casinos, etc. I want to say there were a few hotels there but they didn't look too appealing. The restaurants included sit down ones and fast food. THere's a decent outdoor sausage grill place called Lucille's that is open all hours and is very good. There are also tons of bars and shops in the side streets off of the main strip. Of course there is the famed window section of this area as well. It's similar to Amsterdam but here they are all concentrated in a three block or so radius. This area is also forbidden to anyone but men. I'm not sure what happens when a female walks through here but there are signs stating females are not allowed. There are also ATM's every where here. Overall, I felt like everything was pretty cheap or decent priced, especially for a touristy area.

Really interesting party area of Hamburg considered the red light district. Felt pretty touristy…read moreand I never felt unsafe. However it's so crowded and although not too crazy, the people can get rowdy and there's a lot of interesting stuff to see.

On my self guided tour of Hamburg, I stopped along at what appeared to be the tallest steeple in…read morethe town. St. Nicholas's church is more of a memorial than an actual building. Again, another great piece of history. It caught fire in 1943 and what you see today are the remains of what was once a place of worship for the people of Hamburg. The remains of the building are still beautiful and you can imagine what it must have looked like. There are pieces of artwork dedicated to the times as well which really spoke to me. It is pretty much the complete opposite of St. Michaels. But definately worth a stop and marvel at what happened there 70 years ago.

Great view of the city and the museum is well worth the 5 euro (4 with student ID). Learned a lot…read moreabout WWII and how it affected Hamburg.

The Alter Elbtunnel is a cool and free place to check out in Hamburg. It was the original tunnel…read morebuilt for connecting two parts of the city across the Elbe, but has since been superseded by newer tunnels and bridges. For this reason, I don't think cars a very common sight in the tunnel, although they can go through it for a fee. There are very old and interesting lifts going down to the tunnel, which pedestrians and cyclists can also use, but I preferred to use the stairs, from where I could look at the lift's mechanisms. I'm interested in that kind of thing. The tunnel is long and it's straight. It was a fun experience to walk through it and then come up at the other side, with a tremendous view of Hamburg. From the other side, you can see St. Pauli, the harbour, HafenCity, and lots of church spires as well. It's worth it just for the view. Panoramic Photo Op!

Old Elbe Tunnel or St. Pauli Elbe Tunnel opened in 1911, is a pedestrian and vehicle tunnel in…read moreHamburg. The 426 m long tunnel was a technical sensation; 24 m beneath the surface, two 6 m diameter tubes connect central Hamburg with the docks and shipyards on the south side of the river Elbe. This was a big improvement for tens of thousands of workers in one of the busiest harbours in the world. It was heavily damaged during the war and was in a big state of disrepair and the city launched a huge project to restore it to its former glory. It's a sight not to be missed. Walk down the stairs or take the elevator down and walk along the tunnel and when you get out of the other end follow the signs to the viewing area for amazing views of the city. I would definitely recommend this as a must do activity in Hamburg. The entrance is located in a big round building along the harbour and easy to find.

Wow, super entertaining..... For 30minutes, water fountains dance along to music accompanied by a…read morerange of lights to change the colour of the water..... Whether you are a tourist or a local, would definitely recommend popping by one evening for this completely free event in planten u blomen park

Great place for an evening stroll or a nice day in the sun. Flowers are abundant in spring and…read moresummer with well maintained grounds with plenty of places to sit. A huge playground for the kiddies is a must do if you have a little one along for the ride. Date night has an interesting opportunity with evening fountain and light shows during the summer. This city hideaway feels like its miles from everything while being minutes from most.