Hamburg - SoGerman

Hamburg – Northern Lights? Turn them on!

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Up in the North of Germany, Hamburg is a metropolis that has a lot to offer. It is a Metropolitan Region; in other words, Hamburg is a state at all by itself and has more than 5 million inhabitants. It is located at the river Elbe, a large international harbour. Hamburg is also a vivid student city with several public and private universities. More over, Hamburg is one of the most famous and richest cities in Germany. It is the second largest city in Germany and the eight largest in the European Union.

Hamburg portrays life in its various facets. It is labelled by the music industry, the art sector, the business life and also by everyday life.

When you enter Hamburg from the South, you see Hamburg is walled in containers, cranes and huge buildings. This entry into the second largest city in Germany is known as the industrial area in Hamburg and depicts the harbour. That harbour is the 2^nd greatest container port in Europe. The Hamburgische Brücke is a bridge, which connects the port and the Altona inner city.

Altona is an ancient city central area and is well conserved where one can breathe a typical Mediterranean atmosphere; small houses with white walls and visible wooden beams as well as large windows with small balconies and colourful flowers marks that district. Compared with London, Altona is the SoHo of Hamburg. Many graffiti’s, street arts, leaflets and posters cover it. Many students meet there for having tea, lunch (…) or international artists mutually enrich one other in the alternative scenario. More over, it also depicts the student district, the society of freelance artists, the music scene, the popular club and bar area of Hamburg.

Another famous vivid club scene can be found on the Reeperbahn. The Reeperbahn is a red light district and it is the location where the most excessive parties take place. Germany’s only live sex theatre, Safari, is also on the Reeperbahn. As supplementary information, the Reeperbahn depicts a street with a lot of leisure facilities and it is the place where the Beatles became famous in Germany.

The Hamburger Dom is the name of a German cathedral and is a fair. It is also a place for having a lot of fun and enjoying delicious finger food, such as Bratwurst, Karpfen, Kartoffelpuffer, Baumkuchen etc.

Additionally, there is also a very popular soccer team named ST.PAULI. It is a team for the alternatives and punks, and has most female club fans in Germany.

What you shouldn’t miss when you come to Hamburg for the first time:

Town Hall (Rathaus), Mönkebergstraße (Shopping), Jungfernstieg/Alster, Landungsbrücken/Hafen, Speicherstadt

Great places in Hamburg to see if you have more time or return:

Altona, Elbstrand, Stadtpark, Schanzenviertel

"Barkassen" - small boats that offer tours of the harbour — “Barkassen” – small boats that offer tours of the harbour

Stadtpark - you'll forget that you are in a city and can go canoeing in summer. — Stadtpark – you’ll forget that you are in a city and can go canoeing in summer.

As well as exploring the city on your own, you can choose from a variety of activities. The harbour boat tours are very popular and they will make you aware of just how extensive the harbour area is and how small you are compared to a container ship.

Cycling is also a good way to get around in Hamburg. Red city bicyles (“Stadtrad”) are free to rent for 30 minutes and the stations are everywhere in the city.

Guided walking tours have the advantage that they are more personal than a bus tour and they will also guide you through the small streets of St.Pauli.

For days with the typical “Hamburg sun” (also known as cloudy and rainy weather), the city has many different museums such as a maritime museum, an emigration museum, a chocolate museum and an art gallery, just to mention a few.

It’s where all comes together – Individuality. Modernization. Alteration. Musicality. Poetic License.