Hamburg

Maritime Hamburg – unique in Europe
It was Hamburg's port that earned it the reputation of being Germany's 'gateway to the world'. Here, in the very heart of the city, you can watch container ships and elegant liners from all around the globe slip past before your eyes. You can enjoy a boat tour of the port and the skipper's fascinating tales about the harbour that was founded over 800 years ago. Visitors flock to the Landungsbrücken jetties, to the many restaurants along the river between the port and Övelgönne and to the historical warehouse district. In HafenCity – Europe's biggest city-centre building project – you can see the future emerging as a brand new urban district. Just 800 metres from the town hall, this mix of apartments, offices, workshops and restaurants has a strong appeal for local people and visitors too. It's not difficult to see why – there's a special cachet about waterside living. Right in the centre of HafenCity, one of Hamburg's new landmarks is beginning to loom large: the spectacular new Elbphilharmonie concert hall.

Hamburg's cultural scene: diverse and entertaining

The Elbphilharmonie concert hall is set to be a cultural beacon for the city, a focal point for the wonderfully vibrant arts scene. In Hamburg three state theatres, 40 private theatres and as many museums offer a myriad of cultural events from classical to contemporary and for every age group. Hamburg is also the continent's leading venue for musicals, with over two million people visiting the city every year specially to see a musical.

Shopping in Hamburg: from luxury to quirky
Hamburg's international trading history makes it a shopping heaven for visitors from all over the world. With this many elegant arcades, chic boutiques and charming antique shops, you'll be busy for hours. In young fashion too, Hamburg more than holds its own – so head for the up-and-coming districts, the young designer haunts, for the first look at the trends of tomorrow.

The Hamburg experience
Visitors and locals make a beeline for the Reeperbahn, Hamburg's hottest party strip. St. Pauli and the Schanzenviertel district next-door are positively bursting with bars, pubs, clubs, cafés and discos for sampling the nightlife.
Hamburg offers a dazzling choice of events all year round, so everyone's in for an exciting time. For instance there's the Port Anniversary in May (the world's biggest port festival), the Hamburger DOM (the biggest funfair in north Germany) and a tantalising variety of Christmas markets.

Tourism in Hamburg: a story of success
Hamburg's maritime atmosphere and the sheer diversity of its attractions make it truly unique. More and more visitors are enjoying the Hamburg experience. A new record was set in 2009, with 8.2 million overnight stays (6 per cent up on the previous year). This puts Hamburg in 13th place among European city destinations – and it's an upward trend. By 2015 the city aims to generate 11 million overnight stays, and 13.5 million by 2020.

Key infrastructure projects, including the HafenCity development and the airport expansion, are already well underway. Many, many more visitors are going to discover Hamburg's central location in Europe and its excellent transport links. The city is well placed between Berlin and Copenhagen, both just a super-fast train journey away. St. Petersburg and southern Europe are also easily within easy reach.

Hamburg never sleeps. It just keeps on embracing one adventure after the next, its heartbeat strong. But there's nothing quite like your own experience of Hamburg – the vibrant city destination on the Elbe.

source: Hamburg Tourismus GmbH

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