Hamburg, Germany -- where to stay, what to see, what to do?

Hamburg is a comfortable rich metropolitan offering anything from traditional upscale to funky edgy areas. The downtown area is mostly a collection of upscale shopping passages with a grand cityhall and 2 main art museums. The surrounding suburban towns conglomerate together to form the greater city of Hamburg. Each town has its own character and center. The nice character of Hamburg is the water element from the Binnen Alster to the canals and major river port.

I would recomend staying in the oldtown/Altstadt east of the Hauptbahnhof.

1.PARK HYATT is the most comfortable & convenient 5 star hotel to stay on Moenckebergstrasse, literally minutes away from the train station. I enjoy having the quick access to the train station to travel to Luebeck, Bremen and other day trip destinations (Schwerin, Wismar, Wolfsburg etc). The hotel offers true personalized service and 5 star rooms with every convenience nearby. Moenckebergstr is a long shopping street that starts from the Hauptbahnhof to the beautiful cityhall and Neuer Wall the designer shopping area and the new Europa Passagen.

2. Renaissance (Grosse Bleichen) & Marriott (ABC strasse between Hanse Viertel & Gaensemarkt shopping quarters). Both are 4 star hotels in the old town shopping lane area, quite a walk from the train station (2 metro stops).

3. Le Meridien Hotel, newish 5 star hotel with minimalist design,facing the Ausen Alster waterfront but slightly less convenient location.

4. Sofitel on Neuer Wall behind the City Hall, strategic but not as comfortable street.

5. Vier Jahreszeiten Hotel, traditional grand dame hotel facing the Binnen Alster.

6. Intercontinental facing the Ausen Alster in a residential area near the US consulate.

What to do:

1.Fernseher Turm: climb up to the top to view the whole Hamburg from above and if you are adventurous enough try the bungie jumping!

2.Hamburger Dom: Fun fair in the winter, spring, summer & Fall. Best to go at night or dusk.

3.Schanzenviertel: start with Marktstrasse to see the young hip bohemian scene in Hamburg. It's a touch of Berkeley Haight Ashbury scene with elaborate weekend market. Just north of the Hamburger Dom. You can combine both in one day.

4.Port/Hafen Tour 1-3 hours. I suggest the 1 hour tour is enough to see the Speicherstadt (Storage quarter) from the waterside as well as the large cargo boats from all over the world. You can combine with a tour of the Hafencity below.

5. Visit the new Hafen City (ongoing building constructions). At the edge of the Hafencity you'll find:
- MINIATUR WUNDERLAND very impressive mega train layout.World largest and continually expanding. http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/
-HAMBURG DUNGEONS right nextdoor to the Mini Wunderland. Hamburg history, medieval torture from the dark ages.

5. visit Rathaus (Food at the Rathaus keller is not so great but OK if you have no expectation).

6.Fischmarkt best on weekend mornings to watch live market in action. You can combine a visit here with the Hafencity & Hafentour.

7.Modern Art museum in Altstadt: some interesting pieces well presented but nothing spectacular.

8.Diechtor Hallen: check for their good exhibitions.

9.Planten & Blomen. A really nice park to relax just northwest of the Altstadt with the river running through it.

10. Reeperbahn

One area to avoid is the St George area which is filled with drugs and prostitution. We accidentally wandered there with our todlers years ago.

One well known church ruin to visit is St Michel
One special landmark Burger King is located on Moenckebergstrasse.
Try the Thuringer Bratwurst at the double stands on Moenckebergstrasse or inside the Hamburger Dom.
The original Vapiano Italian Fast Food restaurant is located just next door to the Renaissance Hotel.
Shopping is a major attraction & activity in Hamburg.

>1.Fernseher Turm
I love this: "TV set tower" (Plasma or TFT?) . How many of them would make a TV tower (Fernsehturm).

Great tips, DAX. I second the recommendation of a tour of the Rathaus (town hall). Magnificent interior. Also, the Hafen (harbour) tours are well worth your time. Another idea is a boat tour of the lakes (Binnenalster, Aussenalster) and canals in the residential areas - beautiful houses, green setting.

Oh my, the locals would be so upset if the 'Michel' (St. Michael's church) were in ruins ... actually, it is one of the most beautiful protestant churches in Germany (Baroque style) but currently undergoing restoration.

I also recommend an excursion to Blankenese, further down the Elbe river - lovely residential area on a hillside above the river.

I.

Ingo is right (of course), I meant St Nikolai which was the only tall structure (ruin) left standing in the city center after the second world war bombing. Personally I find a church ruin more interesting than an intact church. One has to use more thought & imagination to appreciate it.

A few suggestions from me:

Hotels:

4*-5*:

1. Park Hyatt, of course, good location, great style, nice health club with pool, brilliant value for money
http://hamburg.park.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

2. Sofitel (4.5*) or Vier Jahreszeiten (5*), depending on whether you want modern or traditional
http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-5395-sofitel-hamburg-alter-wall/index.shtml
http://www.hvj.de/en/index.php

3. Grand Elysee (4.5*), owned by steak house magnate Eugen Block, not especially stylish, but refreshingly un-ostentatious, nice location parkside and bordering pretty period mansions and the university, 5 min. from Dammtor station, 7 min. from the Outer Alster Lake
http://www.elysee.de/el/en/home.html

4. Hotel Abtei (5*), small, intimate, family owned, in a posh inner city neighbourhood, walking distance to Outer Alster, Michelin starred restaurant
http://www.relaischateaux.com/en/search-book/hotel-restaurant/abtei/
They also have ideas for activities under the following link:
http://www.wsw-int.com/cityguide/hamburg/en/abtei/index.html

3*-4*:

1. Madison Hotel (3.5*), the Elysee's apartment hotel sister, close to St. Michael's church and to the port with access for guests to the neighbouring Club Merdidian health club (co-ed sauna, nudity, though)
http://madisonhotel.de/en/index.html

2. Moevenpick Hotel (3.5*), impressive reconstruction of a former water tower reservoir, parkside, bordering the still slightly funky but gentrifying Schanze district with lots of cool and still relaxed bars, restaurants
http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/en/pub/your_hotels/worldmap/hamburg/overview.cfm?CFID=4814295&CFTOKEN=89500808

3. The George (3.5*), in infamous St. Georg area. While appropriate for certain portions, DAX' word of caution needs to be taken with a grain of salt: St. Georg has two faces on two sides. Lange Reihe St. is pretty much the dividing line: Lange Reihe itself is colourful, lots of small shops, restaurants, cafes, bars. Everything towards the Alster (i.e. to the North/Northwest of it is perfectly fine and actually up and coming. Center of the gay community, the mayor owns an apartment there. The George is on the right side (backside of former Hotel Prem) and operated by the owners of Gastwerk Hotel and the 25 hours hotel mini chain, stylish.
http://www.thegeorge-hotel.de/english/

4. Hotel Vorbach (2.5*), on-campus of the university, nice side street, period building, unassuming, but long-established and respectable
http://www.hotel-vorbach.de/index_en.htm

Activities

Day 1:

Breakfast:

1. Literaturhaus Cafe, period mansion, opposite the Outer Alster Western shore, lovely setting, good quality food
http://www.literaturhauscafe.de/

2. A.mora, situated on the berth in front of Hotel Atlantic, in the Outer Alster, loungey atmosphere, also good for a sundowner, open from 10.00 h only, very nice addition to Hamburg's bar/cafe scene
http://www.a-mora.com/

3. Backhus, a bit lower key, the Jungfernstieg outfit of the bakery chain near the Vier Jahreszeiten hotel offers some nice interior design by noted Hamburg architect Andre Poitiers and decent quality breakfast, make sure to get a Franzbroetchen, a cinamon roll that for reasons beyond me can only be found in Hamburg and about 20 km outside of it, it's delicious.

Hafen City:

Europe's biggest urbanisation area, within the next 20 years Hamburg will double the size of its inner city, developping the former historic warehouse district into apartments and offices, adding lots of in my opinion pretty well designed new buildings.
Start at the information center in Kesselhaus to get an overview at the model they display.
http://www.hafencity.com/index.php?set_language=en&cccpage=infocenter
Opposite is the acclaimed largest model railroad of the world if you can take the waiting time and feel young at heart. It's pretty neat, but can take a while to get in.
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exhibit/video/4-minutes-wunderland/
After that head for the water, turn left on Am Sandtorkai and stroll via the new Madagaskar terraces turning right onto Grosser Grasbrook and climmb the orange view point for a glimpse of city and the construction of Hamburg's landmark project Elbphilharmonie, a huge concert hall set ontop an old warehouse by architects Herzog-de-Meuron.
http://www.hafencity.com/index.php?set_language=en&cccpage=infocenter_artikel&show=artikel&item=49
http://www.elbphilharmonie.de/index_flash.php?language=en

Also in the neighbourhood is the new Maritime Museum, Koreastr. 1, housed in a converted red brick warehouse, note the baeutifully light staircase inserted apart from the various exhibts on ships and naval wars.

Tour of the port:
Sounds industrial, but Hamburg's port has always been part of the city and while industrial has a certain maritime flair and scenic beauty about it.
Tours depart from Landungsbruecken (also a train stop). The small boats (Barkassen) used to be the way to go as only they are able to enter into the warehouse district, which you would already have seen. As the port in the container age has relocated down the river, the bigger boats may be the better and more interesting option. They would also take you a bit more downriver from where you can catch a glimpse of the pretty mansions on the hills in Othmarschen and the new office buildings lining the river in Neumuehlen/Oevelgoenne, note the ship-bow shaped Docklands building by Hamburg based architect Hadi Teherani.

City Hall Tour:
English speaking tours start every hour 15 min. past the hour.
Monday - Thursdays from 10.15 - 15.15 h.
Fridays from 10.15 - 13.15 h.
Saturdays from 10.15 h - 17.15 h
Sundays from 10.15 - 16.15 - now that's an easy schedule to remember...
http://english.hamburg.de/attractions-hamburg/293996/city-hall-hamburg-attraction-english.html

Day 2:

Fischmarkt:
Only on Sundays. Held at the former Fisch auction hall by the Fischmarket landing, one ferry stop from Landungsbruecken (ferries included in public transport day-tickets). Lively atmosphere, despite most of the visitors would be likely to cure their hangovers having arrived directly from a long night in the nearby clubs on and around Reeperbahn. Live jazz normally at the auction hall, lots of other things other than fish for sale.
http://english.hamburg.de/attractions-hamburg/295006/fischmarkt-hamburg-elbe-english.html

Isemarkt:
If you are in town on either Tuesday or Friday you could also go to Isemarkt, Hamburg's biggest and best market with high quality delicatessen and everyday's conveniences on sale. It's held under the metro viaduct on Isestr, in a nice residential neighbourhood with lots of period buildings. Metro stop is Hoheluftbruecke on U3 line, which actually is very scenic going above the river at Baumwall and through pretty residential areas between Hoheluft and Kellinghusenstr.

St. Michael's church:
not very ornate, but this is austere Northern Germany anyway, if you are lucky, the organ will be playing. The steeple is a worthwhile climb, great views.
http://english.hamburg.de/attractions-hamburg/294590/michel-hamburg-church-st-michaelis-english.html
On the backside, you will see a small restaurant call Krameramtsstuben. Next to it is a small alley, in which you can spot about the only few historic buildings that survived the big fire from 1842. A bit touristy, but gives you an insight on how things looked in the olden days.

Blankenese:
Makes for a nice excursion, stroll the hills and take in the neat little houses lining the narrow streets. Climb up to Suellberg and have some coffee or a shandy (Alsterwasser, in more quaint regions of Germany known as Radler) on the terrace with beautiful river views.

Alster excursion:
Or, if you aren't tired of water, take off on an excursion of the Outer Alster and its adjacent canals.
You can either walk around it (7 km), the Western shore is nicer as more park like. Take a break at Bodo's Bootssteg at the berth at Alte Rabenstrasse for an Alsterwasser. It's low-key, but very relaxed and pleasant. They also rent lounge chairs and sheets for almost nothing or you could hire a boat, rowing or sailing, although for sailing you would have to produce a sailing licence.
Alternatively you could board one of the Alster steamers from Jungfernstieg on a "Kanalfahrt" that takes you through some very nice residential areas of the city where you can spot lots of nice mansions and their gardens. Heads up: There are "Fleetfahrten" and "Kanalfahrten". Many people, especially from outside the city, believe "Fleet" is a Hamburg term for canals. A Fleet actually is a canal, but one with tide, i.e. connected to the Elbe River. Thus, a Fleetfahrt, while interesting, would take you towards the Hafen City, which you would already have seen and a Kanalfahrt would be more interesting.
http://www.alstertouristik.de/e_kanalfahrt.php

Inner City:
Stroll through the inner city for the rest of the day and sample the nice shopping arcades around the nicer shopping streets around Jungfernstieg (Neuer Wall, Grosse Bleichen, Hohe Bleichen).
Mind that on Sundays the inner city will be pretty empty as hardly anybody lives there. The Outer Alster and the surrounding areas will be more lively, but shops will generally be closed.

The Hamburg Zoo is exceptionally good, with various walks for specific amounts of available time.

Restaurants:

Lunch places:

1. Cafe de Paris, French fare in a side street just opposite City Hall, antique tiling lining the walls, popular.
http://www.cafeparis.net/

2. Vapiano, now an internationally successful chain of smartly Mateo-Thun-designed Italian fast food restaurants, their first restaurant was on Hohe Bleichen in Hamburg good quality, cooked to order, self service.
http://www.vapiano.com/

3. Cha Cha, Asian food, good quality, quick, but slightly annoyingly the service sometimes doesn't manage to serve different dishes at the same time, in Hamburger Hof shopping arcade on Grosse Bleichen originally, now also in the slightly more low-key Europa Passage nearby.
http://www.eatchacha.com/popup_flash.php

Take aways:

1. Moe Grill, Bratwurst stalls on Moenckebergstrasse, behind Burger King on Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz, next to Goertz shoes and opposite to C&A, now a new one on Jungfernstieg (labelled Alster Grill, I believe) just outside the Jungernstieg metro entrance, best sausages in town.

2. Eppendorfer Grillstation, good quality classic German fast food, home of Dittsche (cult German TV show, filmed here Sunday nights), nice residential neighbourhood on Eppendorfer Weg 172.
http://www.eppendorfer-grillstation.de/imbiss/startseite/index.php
Also:
http://dittsche.homepage24.de/
Dittsche rules!

Fish and Seafood:

1. Fischereihafen Restaurant, classic, celebrity institution, slightly formal, top quality seafood, not to fault, not cheap, but very affordable lunch specials, river views.
http://www.fischereihafenrestaurant.de/

2. Restaurant Fischmarkt, great presentation, top quality fish, nice ambiance, great service, no views, confusingly not on Fischmarkt Pl., but in a side street near the port next to Gruner+Jahr publishing house, near St. Michael's, good wine list (try the Schloss Vollrads Riesling, crisp, dry, good), show kitchen.
http://www.restaurant-fischmarkt.de/fisch.html

3. Fischerhaus, local institution, more of a lunch place, no frills, no nonsense fresh fish, plaice Finkenwerder style (fried in butter and with bacon bits accompanied by potato salad) is the way to go along with a dry Holsten Pils from tap, the upstairs section with port views is for tourists, locals stay in the slightly shabbier ground floor section to the right of the building.
http://www.restaurant-fischerhaus.de/

Sushi and more:

Henssler & Henssler, excellent Sushi and other cross-over dishes, stylish environment in a former fish warehouse on Fischmarkt, no view, loud, but intimacy through noise.
http://www.h2dine.de/start.html

Upscale:

1. Poletto, delicious Italian influenced Michelin starred cuisine carefully prepared by aspiring young chef Cornelia Poletto in an inconspicuous building in the nice residential neighbourhood of Eppendorf with a pleasant atmosphere, not cheap.
http://www.poletto.de/

2. Jacobs Restaurant, in Blankenese, a bit away from the city, Thomas Martin has been receiving rave reviews over recent years and deservedly so. French influenced, classic cuisine executed to perfection, extensive wine list, formal, not cheap and unfortunately the portions leave me slightly hungry sometimes. Beautiful river views and a graet lime tree terrace, painted by German impressionist Max Liebermann.
http://www.hotel-jacob.de/gastronomie.php

3. Landhaus Scherrer, Heinz Wehmann has been on top of his game for 30 years, serving local cuisine with a light and sometimes French touch, very good, not cheap, formal, less expensive and less formal bistro also very good, no view as unfortunately on the wrong side of posh Elbchaussee.
http://www.landhausscherrer.de/

Austrian:

1. Tschebulls, in Levantehaus on Moenckebergstr., same building as Park Hyatt, Alexander Tschebull has recently opened his Viennese style restaurant and Beisl (Viennese Pub), good quality food, decent prices and very credible track record from former upscale Winterhude restaurant Allegria.

2.Lutter 6 Wegner, Berlin's signature restaurant has opened a Hamburg outfit on Grosse Elbstr. 49, views of the port, good wine list, reliable fare.

Italian:

Gallo Nero, slightly upscale, but still informal Italian, more than red sauce, in a very pleasant residential neighbourhood (Winterhude), just a short cab ride from the inner city.
http://www.gallo-nero.net/

Bars, Lounges, Clubs:

1. Strandperle, quintessentially Hamburg, a must-see, basically just a shabby kiosk, but right on the beach of the river Elbe, opposite the container terminal, local bottled brews, kick off your shoes on a mild summer night, when the lights of the port just come on, see the ocean-going ships pass by and listen to the constant humm and buzz from the other shore to feel you and the city are alive.
http://www.strandperle-hamburg.de/

2. Alsterperle, a knock-off of Strandperle, but on the Alster, also just a kiosk, but a bit poncey, quite in line with Alster vs. Elbe in general, still good just the wrong beer (Beck's), opposite Literaturhaus Cafe.
http://www.alsterperle.com/

3. A.mora, already mentioned in the breakfast section, a lounge practically in the Outer Alster, a welcome addition to the thriving bar and cafe scene.
http://www.a-mora.com/

4. Yakshi's Bar at East Hotel, stylish cocktail bar, crowded, place to start off on a club night, good drinks, side street of Reeperbahn.
http://www.east-hotel.de/

5. Bar Hamburg, also a class act, behind Hotel Atlantic, quality drinks.
http://www.barhamburg.com/index_pop.php

6. Katze, relatively new addition to the extensive bar scene of Schanze district on Schulterblatt 88, nice design, mixed crowd, overlooking the Flora Theater, a run-down commie activist hangout one of the last remaining evidences of the revolutionary past of the neighbourhood.

7. Golden Cut, a restaurant-cum-bar-cum-club, around for a few years, still not bad.
http://www.goldencut.org/club.html

8. Mandalay, in Schanze district, more relaxed than Golden Cut, still a good bar and club
http://www.mandalay.tv/

Correction, one of the first paragraphs of my second post and I already screwed up: Literaturhaus Cafe is on the Eastern shore of the Outer Alster, on Schwanenwik, not the Western shore.

hsv, I'm glad you're posting on this thread. Your posts make me want to revisit Hamburg. Your hometown is always so comfortable and easy to enjoy.

I assume Tschebull replaces the mediocre italian restaurant in the Levantehaus, that should make a much better anchor restaurant for the Levantehaus. It looks like it also has the Schuhbecks kraeutershop now.

hsv: I didn't realize that Lange Reihe is that special/worth a mention. My wife & I appreciated lunches at the good quality Cox restaurant and the old Portugese neighborhood restaurant but we never thought much of the street. I've also tracked my way though a few times for the wine store just off Lange Reihe but for the life of me I never thought much of Lange Reihe, perhaps it has been further renovated.

We used Marriott reward points and stayed in the Renaissance. We liked it very much. The Marriott is located near by. It is a short taxi ride from the train station and located close to the Town Hall. I enjoyed the cruise around the lake but could only understand about one out of every 100 words in German. I enjoyed Hamburg and am looking forward to a return trip soon.

Great ideas, makes me want to go to Hamburg.

I did not say Lange Reihe is that special, but it serves a function as dividing line between seedy St. Georg and respectable St. Georg. That said, the area is certainly developing and trying to clear up as evidenced by new hotels opening even on Steindamm (next to the Accor Suithotel a Motel1 is going to open, Austrian Arcotel group opened the Arcotel Rubin on Steindamm. I still would not recommend staying on Steindamm as at best it's bland (and you're likely to encounter dubious characters on the way to Central Station), but between Lange Reihe and the Outer Alster (where BTW also the Le Grand Meridien is located) isn't a problem. And shops, bars and restaurants on Lange Reihe are actually quite nice and evidence a pleasant multi-cultural mix as there asre still some original, non-chain places.
Examples:

Restaurants:
Cox, http://www.restaurant-cox.de/index.html
Sgroi, top class Italian at high prices, http://www.sgroi.de/

Bars
Dorf, the souterrain wine bar at Lange Reihe 39, next to the pharmacy, has been around for decades without displaying its name anywhere, not exactly classy, but quirky.
Buddha Bar
Cafe Gnosa (very gay clientele)

Shops
Mutterland (technically not on Lange Reihe, but its extension towards Central Station "Ernst-Merck-Str."), focusing on quality German condiments and miscellaneous merchandise http://www.mutterland.de.
Manufaktur (sidestret Schmilinskystr. 25), everything leather.

We did the port tour by boat, the rathaus, and some of the churches that Luther preached in.

I liked the Rathaus a lot. They have a portrait of all the Burgermeisters going back hundreds of years. Some of the newer ones are really funny.

One of a man wearing thin black tie (so I would guess 1950's or 60's) looks green. A woman sit's next to him, smoking a cigarette in a long holder with a scowel on her face. Our theory: He died without a portrait so they had to paint it when he was dead. In his will he expressed his desire for his wife to also be in his portrait so she had to sit next to the corps and isn't at all happy.

The Rathaus also has a great stairway which we decided was to distract raiders and pirates. They would storm the Rathaus, load up with valuable trinkets, then be so awed by the staircase they would loose their step looking up the windows and ceiling, tumble down and break their necks.

St. Pauli used to be the seedy, red-light part of town. Now it's the up and coming hot spot. I always thought the St. Pauli Girl (of bier fame) was a milk-maid or at worst bar maid but found out St. Pauli girl refers to a lady of the evening.

I stayed at the Renaissance last summer. I believe I paid $55 a night using Priceline. The hotel is located in a very attractive building (an old newsprint building?) in a good location.

One night I ate at a seafood place near the warehouses but I can't remember the name. I think the owner was named Karin. It was very good. Any idea, HSV?

I thought the Reeperbahn area too seedy for my tastes.

How about Hamburg SV? Not a bad year, eh?

Fischkueche, owned by Karin Brahm, I presume. Good quality. Personally, I like Fischmarkt better, but I can see the point.
http://www.die-fischkueche.de/

Season is not over. Way to go, so ask me in May whether it was a good year. Looks like we finally get back to where we belong.

So far, so good though. (I hope I didn't jinx them.)

Wolfsburg has been a surprise.

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Addition to Restaurant recommendations:

Bullerei, Tim Maelzer's new restaurant in a refurbished part of the old slaughterhouses and meat market in the hip Schanzenviertel district. Informal, very busy (recommendations needed for the restaurant section), but worthwhile to just drop by for an informal dinner in the deli section, too. The deli also offers quite a few hearty and warm options on the menu, the atmosphere is lively and may be more appealing to a crowd of younger or at least young at mind people. Prices are extremely reasonable, presentation is good (think of an upscale diner), but informal (the dish of the day most likely includes a bottle of Hamburg's infamous Astra Pilsener to be drunk directly out of the bottle). Overall, while not a gourmet experience, this is good food to get one started for an extensive tour of the hundreds of bars in the vicinity.

http://www.bullerei.com/deli.html