24-Hour Layover in Hamburg

Old Jun 24th, 2014, 07:58 AM
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24-Hour Layover in Hamburg

We will have 24 hours in Hamburg in early October, on our way to Greece. We've already booked a room near the airport (as a convenience for our morning flight out), and I understand it's pretty quick and easy to get to and from the city center.

So... what to do there for a day? We enjoy walking around, getting a feel for the place, seeing the sights, etc. But really, we're open to suggestion. I confess that I don't know much about the town, other than what I've read in a few online articles like this one:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/germany/2...823347417.html

I'm pretty sure ms_go would have little desire to experience the infamous red-light district, but other than that we are all ears. What are your top 3 or 4 must-sees?
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Old Jun 24th, 2014, 08:00 AM
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Note: our day there will be a Friday.
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Old Jun 24th, 2014, 02:24 PM
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I can think of a few activities, such as taking a tour of the harbour, which is a working port and quite fascinating (forget it if it's foggy), visiting Planten un Blomen, which is a massive botanical garden (the name means 'plants and flowers' in Low German, which is the dialect (regional language) spoken in north Germany), and seeking out some Raucheraal (smoked eel), which can be eaten as a snack all over the city, but try the railway station if you can't find any. Street food also includes Frikadeller (big meatballs), which you don't find in more southern cities. The architecture is quite different to Munich or Berlin - more similar to the brick Gothic style of the northeast.

There used to be a poster called hsv here who did some posts on good hotels and restaurants in Hamburg - I believe fine dining is a major pastime in Hamburg as it's quite a wealthy city, so seek out his screen name. That is going back a couple of years now but maybe it will give you a point of departure.

I would not bother with the Reeperbahn (red light district) - not worth seeing in my book, although if you must see it, see it at night when it's in action.

Lavandula
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Old Jun 25th, 2014, 05:38 AM
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Thank you, lavandula. I'll definitely look out for posts from hsv; a good meal is a great way to kick off a trip, and we could use some guidance!
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 08:56 AM
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I'm topping the thread because, apparently, we will be there on German Unity Day. The official Unity Day celebration will actually be in Hannover this year, but I'm pretty sure it's still a big deal in other cities as well.

This is news to us; we didn't plan it this way. So...what should we know?
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 09:25 AM
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Well I enjoyed the Reeperbahn which is not all red-lights in windows at all - nice area overlooking the water. Some nice old architecture too.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 09:51 AM
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If you have arty interests, the Kunsthalle and the Kunst und Gewerbe museums are well worth a visit.

But I second the suggestion for spending a couple of hours on a trip around the harbour, to get some fresh air if you've got jetlag.

The U-Bahn system is pretty good - get yourself a Tageskarte from the airport station. For the harbour trips, you need to get to Landungsbrücken (you could use the service ferries on your Tageskarte, but they don't go into all the bits of the harbour that the tourist boats do, and of course you don't get a commentary). The art galleries are very close to the Hauptbahnhof.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...in-hamburg.cfm
http://www.hvv.de/en/
http://autolycus-london.blogspot.co..../label/Hamburg
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 03:46 PM
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It will be a public holiday on 3 October so many businesses will be closed. Most people use Tag der deutschen Einheit as a bridge day for a long weekend. There isn't necessarily anything special on that would not happen on a Sunday.

For the events on that day I found a flea market, Flohmarkt Bergedorf (Hauni Maschinenbau AG, Adresse: Kurt-A.-Körber-Chaussee 8-32, 21033 Hamburg), and also an exhibit of Körperwelten. I don't know if you have heard of this phenomenon but a man called Dr Günther von Hagens (the 'plastinator') is involved. He typically displays human bodies stripped down of their skin and with muscles, veins and bones laid bare and plasticised. His work has been on display in many different cities in Germany. This particular display focusses on the small differences medication can make to the human body. Many, many people have seen his displays. They are both fascinating and a bit gruesome, but highly scientific. This is being held in the Kulturcompagnie in the Hamburger HafenCity. I have never personally seen his work but my husband has, and I've seen some of the display literature. That is going back some years now.

There is also an annual foot race across the Köhlbrandbrücke, and various concerts.

This is where I found those events:
http://www.hamburg-tourism.de/erlebe...newSearch%5D=1

Lavandula
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Old Sep 24th, 2014, 06:44 AM
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Thanks to all for your feedback. I wasn't sure how much of a "big thing" the holiday is in Hamburg and Germany in general. Sounds like it won't interfere too much with our (rather loose) plans.

With any luck, the weather will cooperate with our harbor-cruise plans!

lavandula, the Chicago Science & Industry Museum had a similar exhibit a couple years ago, except I think the musculature was mostly left intact before the 'plasticizing'. Interesting stuff.
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Old Sep 24th, 2014, 10:59 AM
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I took a bout tour of the huge harbour... interesting and informative.
Liked the city very much.
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 10:17 AM
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Here is a simple one-day itinerary good on a major Holiday - - it focuses on the #36 Schnellbus (1st class public bus) that goes west from downtown through the best parts of Hamburg; (whenever you alight, check the time that the next bus will depart; ~every 20 minutes on a holiday):

From the airport go to the S-Bahn and get a Gruppen Ticket (group ticket; good for groups up to 5, but still a good deal for two people) and pay the 1st class surcharge so you can take the #36 Schnellbus; take the S-bahn from the airport to Hauptbahnhof; either walk down Moenckebergstrasse or take any of the many busses two stops to the Rathaus (city hall); stroll past the Rathaus and then along the canal north toward Jungfernstieg (with view over the Alster river, which looks more like a lake there); take the #36 Schnellbus from there till you get to the Reeperbahn (if you want to see Planten Und Blomen as lavandula suggested, get off at Stephansplatz, and then you can walk west and still pick up the #36 at the other end; the #36 has a stop soon after that at the Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte (Hamburg History Museum) and it is a really doable museum, also open on that holiday; a couple stops further west on the #36 is the Reeperbahn, which is always good for a stroll; after that, keep going west a few stops on the #36 to the Hollerzollernring Sued stop, and from there, walk down one of the staircases or paths to the Elbe river and the pretty Övelgönne area, where (if it a nice day) it will be awash with people strolling/eating/drinking, and the harbor there has old ships for viewing; from there, there is a pier called Neumühlen/Övelgönne where your dayticket is also good for the public transportation ferry #62 (direction: Landungsbrücken) which takes you on a superb half-hour trip down the Elbe river to Landungsbrücken, the big dock at the center of the harbor, with lots of restaurants and souvenir place. From Landungsbrücken you could either take the S-Bahn directly back to the airport (goes every 10 minutes) or if you have still have time, walk around the Speicherstadt (with it's restaurants and tourist places like the Model Railway Museum and the Hamburg Dungeon, etc.); close by the Landungsbrücken is also the Portuguese district with loads of great restaurants.

This tour basically along one bus line, and back on the very fun ferry, really does manage to cover most major sights in Hamburg, in a very pleasant course.
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 10:26 AM
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This museum is my husband's favorite; it was on his bucket list, and he wasn't disappointed. If you're at all interested in model railroading, this is the largest layout in the world. You could easily spend the entire day here. Gute Reise
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 10:28 AM
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Oops. Here's the link to the model train layout:

http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 10:52 AM
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Hamburg mainly is a maritime city. So, the heart of it is the harbour.

Start at the Landungsbrücken (it is an U-Bahn stop). From there, take the public ferry for a round trip. It is by far the cheapest way to explore the city from the water.

You may walk from the Landungsbrücken to the Hafen City. On they way, you will see several historic ships which you may visit. In any case, step on the Feuerschiff (signal ship, brightly red) and have a drink there.

The Hafen City is a bright new urban development around historic warehouses. The blend of old and new is anazing. In one of the warehouses, you find the Speicherstadt Museum - a very interesting introduction into the history of shipping.

Leaving the harbour, the second heart of the city is the Binnenalster, a small lake created by the little Alster river. Just walk around it and enjoy the cityscape. A must-see is the nearby City Hall. Hamburg had never been a princedom, and there are very proud of their civic history. The City Hall (Rathaus) is a most beautiful demonstration of the pride (and wealth) of Hamburg's merchant citizens.

This is probably what you can do in a day.

I understand you have one evening in Hamburg. For a regional dinner, I suggest the Fischerstube. It is on the Colonnaden, certainly Hamburg's most attractive streets. The wood-paneled restaurant is very atmospheric. For a starter, order Aalsuppe (eel soup) which tastes like liquid smoke. For a main dish, order (all-you-can-eat) Labskaus, a rustic seaman's dish, in fact potatoes mashed with beef and reed beets, served with a plated egg and herring. After dinner, to not forget to order the "Friesengeist".

The restaurant's website is not professional, but take it as a good sign for an authentic, non-touristy restaurant: http://www.hamburger-fischerstube.de/

If you want to spend a little bit more, you may have dinner at "Old Commercial Room" and eat lobster with Currywurst. Also typical for Hamburg and very atmospheric. http://www.oldcommercialroom.de/
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Old Sep 25th, 2014, 12:44 PM
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More great feedback, I love it! Thanks so much, everyone...this is why I love Fodors!
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Old Oct 11th, 2014, 06:19 AM
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Belated thanks for all this advice. We quite enjoyed our day in Hamburg. It was a little cloudy at the outset but turned into a great, sunny day, and we spent all of it outdoors...and mostly walking. After checking in/dropping bags at the Radisson Blu at the airport, we took the S-bahn to Landungsbrücken and took the public ferry in a loop, and then walked back through the Portuguese district and the city center in the direction of the Binnenalster, past the Rathaus and several of the major churches. We had a late outdoor lunch at the Fischerstube (although different dishes than above, but still good...thanks for the recommendation!). After lunch, we walked back to and around Hafen City and enjoyed the variety of architecture. By sundown, we we were (sadly) giving in to jet lag and finished with a few appetizers at our hotel and then prepared for our 6am departure to Greece.

We took a lot of photos during our day in Hamburg and will post a link to some here once we get home and have faster internet.
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Old Oct 11th, 2014, 06:54 AM
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Reading the news, I had been wondering how you got on during your early October visit since you didn't mention the precise dates you were going.

http://www.businessweek.com/news/201...hes-in-hamburg
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Old Oct 11th, 2014, 09:39 PM
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We were in Hamburg on Oct 3 (Unity Day), so before this happened. I've seen a few headlines this week but was not aware of the magnitude. Thanks for sharing the article.
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Old Oct 12th, 2014, 12:40 AM
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I've been in Hamburg for the last few weeks (including biking and taking S-Bahn around the center daily) and if I hadn't read it in the paper I wouldn't have known about it. It's basically a rumble in St. Georg - - ~400 hardcore Kurds vs. ~400 hardcore islamisten, around the Steindamm, which is a sleazy street of kebab places and sex shops just east of the Hauptbahnhof. They weren't after the tourists, that's for sure.
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Old Oct 16th, 2014, 06:00 AM
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Thanks again to all for your help. We enjoyed our Hamburg layover, and ended up taking quite a few pictures.

If you are interested, you can see some of them here:
http://onelittleworld.zenfolio.com/p63882042

(As usual, ms_go has done a great job of editing and organizing them.)
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