5 Top Places in Hamburg, Germany

Known as a major port city in Northern Germany, Hamburg is one of my favorites in the whole country. Full of impressive landmarks, captivating architecture, and unique historical insights, Hamburg is considered to be one of the most innovative European cities. Let´s check my favorite Top places in Hamburg.

Visiting Hamburg, Germany

If you are planning to spend a few days in the city of Hamburg, Germany – you´ll definitely not regret it. There are so many unique things about this city – a vibrant old warehouse district, the biggest port in Germany, the mind-blowing Miniatur Wunderland, and even one of the coolest tea shops I´ve ever been to…

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Have you ever heard that Hamburg has 2,300 bridges – more than Amsterdam, London, and Venice combined? The city is full of picturesque locations, so check out this Hamburg photography guide in order not to miss any of the best photo spots!

Additionally, if traveling over the winter holidays you can kill two birds with one shot and enjoy the European Christmas (as German Christmas markets are my favorites, alongside Switzerland, and the French Region of Alsace).

Although, the last time I visited Hamburg in January it was honestly so cold. It´s either the fact that Hamburg is a port city and humidity makes one feel colder, or it´s just me living in warm Spain for way too long.

One way or another, Hamburg is such a picture-perfect city full of unique landmarks, that everyone should visit at least once in a lifetime.

My 5 Top places in Hamburg, Germany

1. Speicherstadt

Every trip to Hamburg must begin at Speicherstadt, the largest warehouse district in the world, built from 1883 to 1927. Nowadays it is also an ultimate business center and tourist attraction.

Speicherstadt is known for its moody industrial architecture. Very much like Lisbon in Portugal, the abandoned docks of Hamburg were turned into one of the trendiest shopping and residential areas over the last few decades.

No wonder, the splendid Speicherstadt is one of the ultimate inspo-locations for world-famous designers, like Karl Lagerfeld (who shoot here his 30th anniversary Chanel collection for the iconic Vogue).

2. Miniatur-Wunderland

One of the top places in Hamburg that would love to visit again with my kids is the world’s largest model railway exhibition Miniatur-Wunderland.

To be honest, I initially expected something like Mini-Europe in Brussels, but the Germans took the details to a whole new level. The exposition of Miniatur-Wunderland houses countries, regions, and even large objects, like airports or stadiums. Most of them are interconnected.

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But what´s also quite impressive is their light control system. While you walk around Miniatur-Wunderland the day is followed by the night. So, the objects and the people act accordingly, and everything looks so real till the last detail.

3. The Port of Hamburg

Hamburg night lights are so beautiful. In the evening, you can enjoy a Night Harbor Cruise to see more of the Port area and learn about its history (via audioguide). If traveling with your partner, this experience can totally make it to your list of the most romantic travel plans.

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Even a simple visit to the largest port in Germany, the second biggest in Europe (after Rotterdam) is a must. In the summer months, this area is full of nice cafes and bars. Alternatively, you can also take ferry 62 (like the locals do on a daily basis) to cross the river Elbe.

4. Hamburg-Altstadt / The Old City

As happens with the most of large European cities – Hamburg literally has it all: unique museums, picturesque churches, trendy restaurants and bars, shopping centers, and local markets… It is so diverse, international, and multicultural that over the last years Hamburg has had a reputation as “Germany’s Gateway to the World”.

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Take a walk through the Old City Center of Hamburg to experience the heart of the city. Don´t miss Hamburg´s Town Hall – the largest town hall in all of Germany. I´ll leave for you the list of landmarks and museums at the end of this post.

5. Wasserschloss Tea Shop

As a tea lover, I really loved the Wasserschloss Tea Shop. It is definitely not the cheapest tea shop, but they have amazing quality and a great variety of teas from all across the globe. You can enjoy hot drinks at their cafe.

I bet that by the time you´ll be reading this post Hamburg will have lots of other new cool tea&coffee locations, but back in 2017, that´s what I enjoyed so much.

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Nevertheless, every tea I bought at Wasserschloss store was simply perfect. So, every time someone from my friends or family travels to Hamburg, I still ask for a new tea flavor as a souvenir.

More places to visit in Hamburg

• Kunsthalle Hamburg ( one of the top art galleries in Germany )
• International Maritime Museum ( maritime and nautical exhibits )
• The Hamburg Museum ( interesting expositions related to the history of Hamburg )
• Kaffeemuseum (a museum dedicated to coffee)
• Ohlsdorf Cemetery ( the largest rural cemetery in the world )
• Altona District ( a picturesque neighborhood with a few interesting sights and museums )
• Wallringpark ( especially gorgeous in the Autumn months )
• Heinrich Hertz Telecommunications Tower ( this 124-meter-high building will be reopened to the public in 2023 )
• Elbphilharmonie ( Hamburg Opera House )
• Deichtorhallen Hamburg ( one of Europe’s largest art spaces for modern art and photography lovers)
• Gewürzmuseum (a museum of spices )
• Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe ( Museum for Arts and Crafts )
• Hamburg Zoo ( while I avoid visiting zoos myself, as I´ve told you in my Tenerife and Jardin del Papagayo posts, locals claim that the Hamburg Zoo is one of a few zoos in the world that doesn’t use cages )
• Street Art ( while Hamburg can´t compete with Berlin or Lisbon in terms of countless murals, you can still find a few unique art pieces around Große Elbstraße; don´t miss the feminist art project FrauenFreiluftGalerie )
• Non-touristy Hamburg ( for a more local vibe check the areas of Karolinenviertel and Sternschanze or Reeperbahn, the famous red-light and party district of St Pauli, at night)

Day trips from Hamburg

If you have a few days for your Hamburg city break and want to escape the bustling city life, take a day trip to explore more of the surrounding regions. You can set your eyes on Willkomm-Hoft, Schloss Ahrensburg, Lüneburg, Bremen, Schwerin. Personally, I really recommend Lubeck, as it is definitely one of the most picturesque small towns in Germany.

For more Hamburg travel tips and alternative itineraries check my Pinterest board Germany Travel.

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This post is linked up with The Weekly Postcard and Feet Do Travel