How To Spend A Perfect Weekend in Hamburg: The Complete Itinerary
This past weekend I quite spontaneously ended up on one of the most last-minute weekend trips I have ever planned. I typically spend months scouring the internet for cheap airfare, researching destinations, and pre-planning itineraries. However, when I had the opportunity to visit with the Come to Hamburg project, I decided to take a walk on the wild side and booked my flight to Hamburg the day before boarding the airplane!
I’ve visited Germany before and really enjoyed experiencing the culture in Berlin and celebrating Springfest and Oktoberfest in Munich, so I was quite excited to have the opportunity to spend a weekend in Hamburg.
I am happy to report that my last minute decision to visit Hamburg totally paid off-I had an excellent time exploring this German gem of a city.
Did you know that Hamburg is home to over 2,300 bridges and that it has more canals than both Amsterdam and Venice combined? The city is actually named the “City of Bridges” because there are more bridges located within Hamburg than any other city in the world!
If you love the water, are interested in maritime history, enjoy historic architecture, and are looking for a city with a variety of interesting things to see and do, then a weekend break in Hamburg might just be perfect for you.
I created the following 3-day itinerary and included all of the places I visited in Hamburg (and then some)! Feel free to mix things up depending on weather, your personal interests, and the amount of time you have in the city. It should also be noted that I visited during winter-during the summer there are many parks worth checking out as well!
Note: I visited Hamburg as part of a collaboration with the Come To Hamburg project and their partners. As always, my opinions are 100% my own!
Map
- Day 1: Red
- Day 2: Orange
- Day 3: Yellow
- Other places of interest: Green
While this itinerary is designed to reduce backtracking, depending on the weather, tour times, and other factors, you may decide to mix things up! The great news is that Hamburg has a PHENOMENAL and easy to use public transportation system. Which brings me to my next point…
Getting Around
One of my favorite things about Hamburg is how easy it is to get around! The busses and U-bahn and S-bahn trains run frequently and drop off near pretty much every site you could possibly want to visit. If you plan on using the transit system a lot, then I highly recommend purchasing a Hamburg Card. The card includes unlimited rides on the U/S-Bahn, buses, and even includes ferry rides, in addition to other discounts at museums and sights around town. I found the Hamburg Card to be particularly useful as I never had to worry about purchasing tickets, and could easily hop on or off any form of transit I desired.
Where I Stayed
As part of the Come To Hamburg project, I was able to stay at the Best Western Premier Alsterkrug Hotel. The hotel is located incredibly close to the airport, which was perfect for me as I landed in Hamburg quite late at night on Thursday. It is a little bit outside of the city center (~30 minutes), but I had no problem getting to the city via train.
If you have a late night or early morning flight in or out of Hamburg, or are looking for a relaxing place to stay just outside the city, then I’d highly recommend it. The staff were friendly, breakfast was amazing (there was bacon!), and the bed was 100 times more comfortable than my bed at home in Spain! There is also a spa available for guests to use as well, which is perfect if you are planning a girls’ weekend.
The Itinerary
Day 1: Exploring Hamburg’s Port and Warehouse District
What better way to start off a trip to Hamburg than with a visit to the Port of Hamburg? The port is the city’s heart and soul, and there is so much to explore in this area!
Landungsbrücken
Your first stop of the day is Landungsbrücken, a series of floating piers located in the St. Pauli area of Hamburg. Here you’ll find souvenir shops, small waterfront snack stands and restaurants, and an excellent view of the port. Spend some time walking along the piers, watching boats pass by, or grab a snack before starting your day. I visited in March, so a nice hot coffee was essential!
Boat Tour
If you’d like to learn more about the port of Hamburg, why not hop on a boat tour? After all, the best way to see the port is from the water! Tours begin at the Landungsbrücken piers. I was able to join a Barkassen Meyer boat tour with the Come To Hamburg project. The tour itself was conducted in German, so I made sure to grab an English audioguide before taking off! The trip lasted 1 hour, and I was able to learn quite a bit about Hamburg’s maritime trade history, as well as information on the bustling port today. One of my favorite parts of the journey was watching shipping containers loading and unloading from ships, and I also loved having the opportunity to see Hamburg’s most famous landmarks from the water.
Elbphilharmonie
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Now that you’ve gotten to experience the city of Hamburg from the water, it is time to make your way over to one of the city’s most notable buildings, the iconic Elbphilharmonie. This impressive glass concert hall located along the Elbe river is impossible to miss and is a must-visit. It’s no wonder the building is an architectural marvel-construction costs totaled over 700 million Euro! The good news is that today, visitors to Hamburg can enjoy the Elbphilharmonie for free. Simply grab a ticket to the Plaza level, head up the escalator, and you’re ready to enjoy the building and its’ views of the city and harbor.
Speicherstadt, Warehouse District
From the Elbphilharmonie, you’ll have some great views of Hamburg’s Speicherstadt, or historic warehouse district. This area was one of my favorite spots to go exploring in Hamburg. You’ll know you’re in the right spot when you are surrounded by red brick buildings and find yourself crossing over a series of bridges and canals. These historic buildings, once used as warehouses, are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and make for a pretty great Instagram location, if you ask me! 😉 (Looking for a great background? 10/10, would recommend!)
Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg
I have to be honest, when I first heard that the Internationales Maritimes Museum was one of the best museums to visit in Hamburg, I was a little bit skeptical. Typically I find myself more interested in art museums when traveling, and didn’t think I would find this museum particularly intriguing. However, as I was in the Warehouse District, I decided to pop by and couldn’t have been more surprised-I LOVED visiting this museum and was completely fascinated during my visit.
Even if you don’t think maritime history is for you, I couldn’t recommend visiting this museum more! I was shocked to learn that all of the 40,000+ items featured in the museum-from model ships and naval uniforms to maritime art-are originally from the private collection of one man, Peter Tamm. As you explore each floor (or “deck”) of the museum, you’ll encounter over 3,000 years of naval history in an engaging and beautifully curated space.
In case you couldn’t tell, I really enjoyed my visit. If you only have time to explore one museum in Hamburg, make it this one! You can find ticket prices and hours here.
Miniatur Wunderland
If you still have time and are looking to see one of Hamburg’s quirkier attractions, you can head over to the Warehouse District’s Miniatur Wunderland. What exactly is Miniatur Wunderland? It is the home of the largest model train railway in the world. The exhibition represents over 760,000 hours of work and includes over 9,000 miniature cars, 1,000 miniature trains, and 260,000 miniature figures. Visitors can watch trains wind their way through models of Italy, Switzerland, Austria, the USA, and Germany. I personally loved seeing all of the mini renditions of my favorite Italian cities like Venice, Rome, and Cinque Terre‘s Riomaggiore-I was amazed by how accurate the models were!
Day 2
Kunsthalle Hamburg
If you are an art lover, you won’t want to miss out on a visit to the Kunsthalle Hamburg, and art museum which houses over 7 centuries of European art. The museum itself is quite beautiful, and inside you’ll find works by world-renown artists such as Rembrandt, Degas, Monet, Picasso, and Warhol, just to name a few! You can find the museum hours and prices here, and there is a discount if you have a Hamburg Card. I spent a couple of pleasant hours exploring the museum (while hiding out from the rain), and the art history major within me couldn’t have been happier!
Better Burger Company
After a few hours staring at still life paintings of food, I was feeling quite hungry and made my way to the Better Burger Company, where I was able to enjoy a burger as part of the Come To Hamburg project. After all, how could one visit Hamburg, the city where hamburgers derive their name from, without trying a burger? While it isn’t certain that hamburgers were actually invented in Hamburg, I was happy to enjoy one nonetheless!
Mönckebergstraße
Now that you’ve eaten, feel free to shop ’till you drop! If you are looking for the best shopping street in Hamburg, you’ll find tons of stores on nearby Mönckebergstraße. Even if you don’t feel like shopping much, the treelined pedestrian-only street is a perfect lane to wander down en route to your next destination.
Rathaus
You won’t be able to miss Hamburg’s Rathaus, an impressive 19th-century city hall that towers over Hamburg’s historic city center. Unfortunately, on the day I visited, I had already missed all of the guided tours for the day. However, I still managed to take a peek inside, and I thought the interior was just as lovely as the impressive exterior. If you happen to hop on a tour while in Hamburg, please let me know in the comments if you enjoyed your visit! You can find more information on visiting here.
Get a Bird’s Eye View of Hamburg
For the best view in town, you’ll want to make a stop at one of Hamburg’s churches! Located near the Rathaus, you’ll find two perfect options for seeing the city from above, St. Michael’s Church and St. Nicholas’ Church. St. Michael’s Church is probably the most famous church in Hamburg and offers excellent views of the city. I chose to visit the ruins of St. Nicholas’ Church, as the majority of the church was destroyed in WWII. Today, you can take an elevator to the top of the remains of the bell tower and enjoy stunning views of Hamburg in this one-of-a-kind historic landmark.
St. Pauli Elbtunnel
During my time in Hamburg, a tour guide informed me that one of the best things to do in the evening in Hamburg is to visit the St. Pauli Elbtunnel. If you aren’t too worn out from a busy day exploring, then you can head back to the Landungsbrücken area and visit this 426-meter long tunnel that was originally built in 1911. Today, it is both a pedestrian and vehicle pathway (and gallery space!) which connects Hamburg with the shipyards in the harbor beyond. You’ll find that the tunnel is open 24/7 for pedestrians, so feel free to walk across for some lovely views of Hamburg lit up in the evening!
Reeperbahn
Looking to spend a night out experiencing some of Hamburg’s legendary nightlife? Consider heading to Reeperbahn, a street that is home to some of Hamburg’s most well-known nightlife and entertainment venues. Reeperbahn is probably most famous for being the home of Hamburg’s Red Light District. While a Red Light District sounds seedy, the area overall is pretty safe. Pro tip: Watch out for your wallets and purses here, pickpockets do hang around this area!
Day 3:
Fischmarkt
Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, you’re in luck! Hamburg’s incredible Fischmarkt is off to a lively start every Sunday as early as 5:00 AM (hours differ in winter, check the schedule here). Simply stroll on over after a long night out on the town in Reeperbahn, or wake up extra early to catch a glimpse of this local phenomenon. This isn’t your ordinary fish market-inside, you’ll encounter live music, people carrying on the party from the night before, vendors shouting, and shoppers competing for the best prices on goods. If you are in Hamburg on a Sunday, this local gem really can’t be missed!
St. Pauli Walking Tour
While you are in the area, I highly recommend taking a tour of St. Pauli, particularly if you decided against heading to the Reeperbahn at night. You’ll learn all about this eclectic area’s fascinating origins, why the Reeperbahn is known as an international nightlife hub, the history of Hamburg’s Red Light district, and even quite a bit about the Beatles and their early years performing in Hamburg. I took one of the many free walking tours offered (don’t forget to tip!) and thought it was a great way to understand what this fascinating part of Hamburg is all about!
Other Ideas
If you still have time to visit a few other spots in Hamburg, consider heading to some of these local museums, tours, and attractions. You’ll find these spots marked on the map in green!
- Die Roten Doppeldecker City Bus Tour-discover Hamburg on a hop on, hop off bus tour of the city! Perfect for a rainy day, or if you are looking to get a break from walking.
- Chocoverseum-learn all about chocolate making (and get to taste the chocolate) on a 90-minute long tour dedicated to chocolate!
- Kunstmeile-if you can’t get enough of arts and culture, spend some time museum hopping in Hamburg’s Kunstmeile, or museum mil. A combined ticket will grant you access to the Kunsthalle Hamburg, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg, the Deichtorhallen Hamburg, the Bucerius Kunst Forum, and the Kunstverein Hamburg.
- Rickmer Rickmers-obsessed with Hamburg’s ships? Hop aboard the Rickmer Rickmers, a 19th-century ship and art museum open to tourists! Learn more about visiting here.
- U-434 Submarine Museum-board an actual Soviet submarine located just next to Hamburg’s Fischmarkt. Be sure to catch a guided tour to learn all about the submarine and life aboard.
- Take a walk in the park-I visited in winter, but there are so many parks scattered around Hamburg that I am sure would be lovely to relax in during the summer! Discover the best spaces in the city here.
Are you planning a visit to Hamburg or have you been before? Which of these spots are you going to be sure to visit? Let me know in the comments!
Special thanks to the Come To Hamburg project and their partners (Best Western Premier Alsterkrug Hotel, Barkassen Meyer boat tour, Better Burger Company, Internationales Maritimes Museum, Die Roten Doppeldecker City Bus Tour, Kunstmeile) for helping make this trip possible. As always, my opinions are 100% my own!
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