My First Time in Hamburg

Enjoying my first-ever visit to Hamburg, I thought of great “second cities”: Marseille, Glasgow, Porto, Barcelona. Hamburg has a real feel and edgy charm, and an honest grip on where it came from and where it’s going. I can hardly wait to return with my TV crew.

Hamburg — with its important port — was hit hard in World War II. But today, about the only reminder I saw of the war was this bunker in a park. Too thick to bother tearing down, it has been painted and converted into a climbing wall.

The most impressive sightseeing experience of my entire trip so far has been this harbor cruise, with a jaw-dropping look at Hamburg’s mighty port.

The old warehouse district of Hamburg gives a strong sense of the vastness of what was Germany’s only major seaport in the early Industrial Age.

Hamburg’s former docklands — like London’s, Barcelona’s, Oslo’s, and so many others — is being gentrified. As the city reclaims what was once a wasteland in Europe’s biggest urban development project, HafenCity, it’ll become 40 percent bigger. And the centerpiece of the development: the Elbphilharmonie concert hall.

Hamburg’s Reeperbahn, its tawdry red light sailors’ quarter, is shrinking in a rising tide of affluence. So many people know the city for this zone (and for the fact that the Beatles got their start here). The Beatlemania Museum closed just last month. And the red light district feels barricaded within one small block, defined by the metal modesty walls erected during Hitler’s rule. Back then, German society didn’t admit to having such districts, but an exception was made for its hardworking and heroic (if horny) sailors on shore leave.
Comments

13 Replies to “My First Time in Hamburg”

  1. Nice article, but not to nitpick but Glasgow is the largest city and metropolitan area in Scotland, not #2 (which is I presume you meant by your 2nd city comment)

    Keep up the blog, happy travels.

  2. By 2nd city, I don’t think Rick was alluding to population, but popularity.Barcelona second city to Madrid, Marseilles to Paris. We spent 7 weeks in Europe using Rick’s books almost exclusively and they were incredibly helpful and accurate.

  3. In fact, Rick is probably comparing Glasgow as a second tourist city to Edinburgh which is significantly smaller than Glasgow, but has more familiar tourist sites. Glasgow has been growing as a tourist destination for the last 20 plus years, but it has strong local rivals in Edinburgh and then the Scottish countryside.

  4. I visited Hamburg for the first time a couple of years ago, and also last year. I love the city and its people. It is a normal German Port City and not that touristy in my opinion. It does have things to see, as in the Rathaus, the promenade along the Port Harbor in the city center and the warehouse district (Speicherstadt ) where the Miniatur Wunderland model train display is., and where several recreated areas of the world are created along with cites, people, buildings, trains etc and run by many computers. It is really exciting and worth the visit. It has Swiss, American, Hamburg, and other places recreated. This warehouse district is close to the Rahaus and the main one of the main streets of Hamburg, Mönckebergstraße. I only spent a side trip from Hannover to Hamburg for a few hours and enjoyed it, wish I had more time to explore.

  5. Glad you enjoyed my favorite city in Germany. What took you so long?

    “Hamburg — with its important port — was hit hard in World War II. But today, about the only reminder I saw of the war was this bunker in a park.” One of the things I like about the city is although it was heavily rebuilt after the war, unlike Mannheim, Hannover, Köln, Berlin, etc. it retains much of it’s splendor from the late 19th century. But I am afraid, Mr. Steves, you missed the most powerful sign of the war, the ruins of St. Nicholas Church. A striking reminder that there’s no such thing as a “Good War”.

  6. I applaud Rick’s adventures in the less-traveled areas of Germany. I first visited Hamburg on leave in 1967 from my post in Berlin as a reluctantly drafted enlisted man. The Reeperbahn & Star Club were the hot attractions then–I’ve returned several times to find today’s Hamburg vibrant and always fascinating–it’s a great city for walkers (although the metro is ideal for getting around this large city in a short time).

    Some highlights: the Kunsthalle with many famous examples of German Romanticism–Friedrich, etc, the Hamburg Historical Museum–on the 2nd floor is a permanent exhibition “The Jews of Hamburg,” with a very moving panorama of the events of 1933-45, St. Michael’s Church and its immediate surroundings–a brief taste of what old Hamburg was like before the massive fires of the 19th century and WWII, the area around Hansa Platz & Steindamm–the non-touristy sex district with its fascinating mix of immigrants & sex workers, Lange Reihe kind of a Greenwich Village scene with trendy boutiques and cool restaurants, the train station with all sorts of cheap places for good food and, last, my favorite hotel, the Village on Steindamm, a few steps from the Bahnhof–it’s very reasonable, friendly and its been converted from a former brothel into a very cool hotel–much more gemutlich than the nondescript hotels crowding the Bahnhof district.
    Give Hamburg a try…I’d love to see one of Rick’s tours include this fascinating city on a future itinerary.

  7. I have heard of lot of great things about Hamburg which you seem to confirm here Rick. To be honest, it is a destination which I had never thought of until a frined told me all about it.
    I also agree with you about the appeal of second cities on European city breaks. In answer to previous comments, I take it you are referring to non capitals, and I would say in many cases these second cities are more interesting than the capital. It’s a matter of opinion of course but I would choose Florence over Rome and Barcelona over Madrid any day.

  8. Check your Wikipedia people. Glasgow was known as the second city of the British Empire. London, of course, being the first city. But I still stand by my notion that Second Cities are ones that wouldn’t be at the top of your list when first touring a country. That does not mean that they don’t have lots to do and see–Chicago is the Second City in the US even though it’s no longer the second largest city in the US. And it’s a wonderful place to visit and live.

  9. I’m glad to hear your enthusiasm for Hamburg! My mom is inviting my sister and I along on one of her business trips to Hamburg this October. I’m really excited to go, as it will be my first time to Hamburg and to Germany. When I think of big-city Germany I usually think Berlin — “Ich bin ein Berliner”, its nice to know that there will be fun things to do in Hamburg besides shopping! Thanks!

  10. Breanne: Berlin is easily reachable by train from Hamburg. If you have time, I would definitely recommend checking out Berlin as well. :)

  11. Breanne, if you go to Hamburg, don’t miss the Miniaturworld in the Speicherstadt! Even if you are not into trains, it is awesome and a must see.
    About Rick’s travel books – they are very helpful when trying to get around in Europe, informative, great guides and accurate. Did some sightseeing without them June and July and regretted not bringing them.

  12. Thanks Jonas and Heidi for the tips! I appreciate the help and will definitely look into your suggestions! :)

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