|
Hamburg, officially known as the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the second-largest city in Germany, after Berlin, and the eleventh-largest in the E.U. Situated on the Elbe River in north Germany, Hamburg City has a fair population of 1.8 million in an area of 755 sq km. After Rotterdam, Hamburg is the second-largest port in Europe and the ninth largest in the world.
|
|
How to Get There:
Hamburg has always been a major transportation hub in Northern Germany. It is now a media and industrial centre as well, with Blohm + Voss, Airbus and Aurubis locating factories in the city. Getting into and out of the city has never been a problem. Hamburg's airport, the Airport Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel has been thoroughly modernized. Hamburg has the fifth largest international airport in Germany, so flying in is an obvious choice. Though well connected within Europe, only a few intercontinental direct services are on offer. Hamburg Airport connects to the city by the S-Bahn commuter trains, which shuttle between the main station (Hauptbahnhof) and the city centre in about 30 minutes. There are trains every 10-20 minutes, single fare €2.70.
Discount airline Ryan Air and Wizz Air operate out of Airport "Hamburg-Lübeck" aka "Lübeck-Blankensee", 65 km from Hamburg via motorway. Flights go to Stansted (England), Shannon and Dublin (Ireland), Glasgow Prestwick (Scotland), Stockholm Skavsta (Sweden), Milan Bergamo (Italy), Pisa (Italy), and Gdansk (Poland). Buses connect the city, and cost much more than the trains.
Hamburg has five major stations with the Hauptbahnhof (central station), best located. ICE operates on the route to Berlin, Cologne (Köln), Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, Basel and Zürich, Switzerland. Service to and from Copenhagen and Århus (Denmark), Budapest (Hungary), Prague (Czech Republic), Vienna (Austria), and Bratislava (Slovakia) are also available. Seven motorways connect Hamburg, as do several international buses. Within the city, buses are most convenient. |
What to See:
There isn’t enough time to explore Hamburg. Four official tours take you around the city. City Centre around Mönckebergstraße, for shopping; around city hall, the Rathaus (1897); around St. Nikolai; the Harbour Area including Hamburg Dungeon, the Miniatur Wunderland, HafenCity, Hamburg Cruise Centre, Church St. Michaelis, Landungsbrücken, Alter Elbtunnel, Sankt Pauli with its Reeperbahn, one of the most famous red-light districts in the world. From variety to prostitutes, from bars to sex-shops, you can find whatever you want. U 434, Church St. Katharinen, Schanzenviertel, Sankt Georg, Ottensen, Karolinenviertel and many other sites remain.
The many parks include Alter Botanischer Garten with Tropenhaus, Planten un Blomen is a park in the city with an emphasis on flower displays; Subway station Dammtor Ohlsdorfer Friedhof, The Stadtpark (city park) has a Planetarium situated in an old water tower in the middle of the park; Alstervorland, at the Außenalster; Jenischpark, Baurs Park, and Garten der Alma l'Aigles, down the river Elbe close to Teufelsbrück; Neuer Botanischer Garten and Hagenbecks Tierpark, Hamburg's Zoo. Hamburg has 11 museums and 8 theatres.
Where to Eat:
Die Bank, Landhaus Scherrer, Mess, Deichgraf, Landhaus Scherrer, Parlament and the Rive. Among budget restaurants, Geelhaus, Lühmanns Teestube, Murphy's Roadhouse,
Teufels Küche and the Ristorante Borsalino find mention.
Events:
Fischmarkt (Fish Market); Hafengeburtstag (Harbour Birthday). Every year in May the
harbour birthday attracts millions of people, Kirschblütenfest, (Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival) on May 19th; Hamburger Dom (Fair) — The Dom is one of the largest fairs in Germany. The fairground, with stalls and rides on both sides, is over 3 km long. It takes place in spring, summer, and early winter for the duration of one month each;
Street Parties:
Altonale, in Ottensen; Bergedorfer Stadtfest, in Bergedorf; Osterstraßenfest, in
Eimsbüttel and Schanzenfest, in Schanzenviertel are some examples.
Hamburg is a safe city, as long as you follow the ground rules.
Hotels:
Hamburg has 634 hotels of all grades. Those recommended are the Steigenberger, Sofitel Hamburg Alter Wall, Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Le Royal Méridien and the Atlantic Kempinski. Prices are on the high side, unless you manage some discount by long-term advance or block booking, with costs dropping by 30-40%. There are many budget places, which tend to be noisy. Jugendherberge Hamburg - Auf dem Stintfang; Jugendherberge Hamburg - Horner Rennbahn; Schanzenstern; AO Hostel; Schanzenstern Altona; Instant Sleep Backpacker Hostel; Kogge; Backpackers St. Pauli; Superbude.
|
