Luxury hotels in Hamburg

Hamburg guide

Hamburg: the Elbphilharmonie and the Speicherstadt

A concert hall like a wave over the harbour, red-brick warehouses on canals and the Alster lakes.

The Elbphilharmonie, a concert hall of glass waves rising from an old warehouse on the Elbe, is Hamburg's most cited sight; the public Plaza offers views over the port, and concert tickets are sought after. The Speicherstadt, the largest warehouse district in the world and a UNESCO site, lies next to it.

Take a harbour cruise, walk around the Alster lakes, and visit the Miniatur Wunderland, the world's largest model railway. The Fish Market on Sunday mornings and the restaurants of the port quarter complete the visit.

Miniatur Wunderland

Miniatur Wunderland, in a warehouse of the Speicherstadt, is the world's largest model railway and one of the most cited attractions in Germany: kilometres of track through miniature Alps, Scandinavia, Italy and a working airport where planes take off. It delights adults as much as children.

Timed tickets are essential, as it is often fully booked, and early mornings or late evenings are the quietest. Next door, the Speicherstadt and the HafenCity are lovely to explore on foot or on a canal boat.

The harbour and the Fish Market

Hamburg is Germany's largest port, and a harbour cruise from the Landungsbrücken piers, past giant container ships, shipyards and the Elbphilharmonie, is one of the city's most cited experiences. Public ferries offer a cheaper version of the same view.

On Sunday mornings, the Altona Fish Market opens at dawn, with traders shouting their prices and a live band in the old fish auction hall. The Old Elbe Tunnel, opened in 1911, can be crossed on foot under the river.