Hamburg City Guide

Hafen, Speicherstadt & Innenstadt

A day on foot by the water: from the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken through the historic Old Elbe Tunnel and by barge into the harbour, up to the Michel and along the promenade to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza. On into the brick-red Speicherstadt with the Miniatur Wunderland and the Wasserschloss, to the Chilehaus, the grand town hall, the Binnenalster lake and the Kunsthalle.

1. St. Pauli Piers – The day begins at the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, the heart of Hamburg's harbour. On the floating pontoons the North Sea air blows in your face, before you the Elbe, huge container ships and the HafenCity skyline. Above it all rise the two green domed towers of the reception building. Grab a fish roll straight away and tune in to the most maritime day of your trip.
2. Old Elbe Tunnel – Right beside the Landungsbrücken, the Old Elbe Tunnel of 1911 runs under the Elbe - free for pedestrians. Historic lifts or stairs take you 24 metres down, then you walk through two fully tiled tubes with maritime reliefs to the other side of the Elbe at Steinwerder. The reward over there: the finest view back at Hamburg's skyline, with the whole harbour in the frame.
3. Harbour cruise (Barkasse) – Rather than a giant steamer, it's best to board a small barge, the old, nimble harbour round. For about an hour you glide close to the action: past the huge container cranes and shipyards, then into the narrow canals of the Speicherstadt, where the brick warehouses rise straight out of the water. From the low boat the quay walls look even mightier - the best view of Hamburg's harbour.
4. Michel (St. Michaelis) – The Michel, the main church of St. Michaelis, is Hamburg's landmark, a magnificent Baroque building with the famous green copper tower. You don't necessarily need to go into the plain, bright interior - the real reward waits up top: at 106 metres, the viewing platform opens a wide panorama over the harbour, the Elbe, the Speicherstadt and the whole city to the horizon.
5. Elbphilharmonie (Plaza) – At the tip of the HafenCity rises the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg's modern landmark: an old brick warehouse crowned by a glass structure curved like a wave or a sail. Halfway up lies the public Plaza. A long, curving escalator takes you up, and at the top you circle the building on a viewing terrace with a 360-degree view over harbour, Elbe and city. The timed ticket is free - get it at the counter.
6. Miniatur Wunderland – In the heart of the Speicherstadt lies the Miniatur Wunderland, the world's largest model railway - and far more than that. Across thousands of square metres, whole landscapes and countries come to life in miniature: trains, ships, a working airport, hundreds of thousands of tiny figures, plus a day-night cycle where every few minutes the lights come on. A feast for the eyes for young and old; allow a good two hours and book a time slot in advance.
7. Wasserschloss Speicherstadt – The Wasserschloss is the Speicherstadt's most famous photo subject: a small, gabled brick building that sits like an island at a canal junction. From the Poggenmühlen bridge, the red warehouses, the narrow bridges and the green copper turrets mirror in the dark water - especially magical at dusk when the façades are lit. Inside, a cosy tea room invites you in.
8. Chilehaus – The Chilehaus is an icon of 1920s brick expressionism and a UNESCO site. The ten-storey office building tapers at its eastern tip into such a narrow, sharp edge that it looks like the prow of an ocean liner bearing down on you. Its builder had made his fortune in the saltpetre trade with Chile - hence the name. Most impressive is the view from the eastern tip, where the ship's prow shows most clearly.
9. Hamburg City Hall – Hamburg's town hall on the Rathausmarkt is a showpiece of Historicism, built at the end of the 19th century to display the pride and wealth of the free Hanseatic city. The magnificent neo-Renaissance façade with turrets, statues and the tall central tower is impressive, but the insider tip lies behind: the quiet, arcaded courtyard with the Hygieia fountain is far calmer than the busy front.
10. Jungfernstieg / Binnenalster – The Jungfernstieg is Hamburg's most elegant promenade, right on the shore of the Binnenalster. The large square, lined with grand buildings and department stores, opens wide to the water: before you lies the Binnenalster, a glittering basin with a fountain in the middle, framed by the white arches of the Alster arcades mirrored in the water. From here the Alster steamers set off on their cruises - a wide, bright contrast to the brick-red harbour.
11. Hamburger Kunsthalle – To close, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, one of Germany's most important art museums, uniting seven centuries of art under one roof. From medieval altarpieces through the Old Masters to classical Modernism, the collection ranges wide. Its most famous work is Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, the icon of German Romanticism. Allow two to three hours - a fitting, calm close to the day near the main station.