jahlie

I'll be in Hamburg soon and have read/been advised that there isn't much to do there. What do you think? Will I have a hard time spending three days? I love museums and history. I always enjoy harbor cruises but can someone recommend a really good one? What shouldn't I miss? Thanks so much.

hsv

1. Change your sources of information to ones with at least half a brain.

2. Not a hard time spending three days.

3. For cruises of the port the way to go used to be the small boats departing from Landungsbruecken as they are small enough to pass under the low bridges in the historic warehouse district. As the historic warehouse district is now being gentrified in Europe's biggest urbanisation project (lots of fascinating new architecture arising, forming a contrast with the more historic red brick warehouses), a stroll by foot through the quarter may be more rewarding. At the same time the port activities with the shift from bulk to container have relocated down river and ocean going vessels in their whole magnitude are actually seen better by taking one of the bigger boats also departing from Landungsbruecken in my opinion. But it's a matter of taste.
Get more ideas on what to do from a thread in which I outlined a sample itinerary:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...what-to-do.cfm

Noteworthy museums, to mention just a few, include

Kunsthalle, just West of Main Station at the Outer Alster, where I would recommend to also dedicate some time to the modern art cube section.
http://www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/

Bucerius Kunstforum, a small, but exclusive venue next to City Hall with changing exhibitions, most of them of good quality
http://www.buceriuskunstforum.de/h/i...0645f8c4a7027e

Barlach Haus, displaying wonderful sculptures by North German expressionist Ernst Barlach in a lovely site in Jenisch Park, not far from the Elbe River
http://www.barlach-haus.de/Englisch/...us_Museum.html

International Maritime Museum, the conversion of a historic red brick warehouse in itself represents beautiful architecture, noteworthy apart from the exhibits
http://www.internationales-maritimes-museum.de/

hsv

Before I forget:
John Le Carré's newest novel, A Most Wanted Man, is placed in Hamburg, offers excellent, accurate and atmospheric descriptions of venues and is excellent entertainment by a master of his craft and someone with deep insight into and knowledge of the city.
The excellent Italian restaurant frequented by the main character actually does exist:
http://www.ristorante-la-scala.com/home.htm

hausfrau

Yes, you can certainly find plenty to do in Hamburg to occupy 3 days! It is a beautiful cosmopolitan city with an amazing history. You could spend one whole day just walking around, another taking a harbor tour and shopping, another visiting a couple of museums...you get the picture. We took the harbor cruise in one of the paddlewheel boats (I believe they are the largest of the tour boats) and enjoyed it immensely. Ours was in German but if you would like it in English, just ask - when we were there in October, they were offering one English tour per day. I don't think it really matters which company you use - as hsv said, the smaller boats can get up into the canals and under the low bridges, but you can access those areas easily on foot. The larger boats give you a better view of the harbor operations, container ships, construction sites, etc.

jahlie

Thank you hsv and hausfrau for all your positive feedback. I usually love port cities and couldn't figure out how a city like Hamburg - both a port and a powerhouse - could be dull. Now I'm looking forward to having a wonderful time and with the wealth of information I received from both of you - the "what to see and do" link has great information- my itinerary is already planned. All I need now is a Hamburg City Card, a detailed map and I'll let you know how it all works out when I return.

hausfrau

Wonderful - have a great time!

DAX

We really enjoyed the smaller boat tour because there were only 10 of us so it was fun and interactive plus we got to tour the canals. We did go far out to come close to the giant cargo ships which felt dramatic because of the size comparison. The guide was full of stories and humor so it was never boring. Our tour company was the furthest east,so it would be the first one you'll see if you walk from the BAUMWALL U bahn station. I'm just not certain if they particularly give any English tour though.

Since you like museums & history, you can add a couple more to your museum list: http://www.speicherstadtmuseum.de/#
There is also a unique spice museum where you can learn,feel & smell all the world spices that were traded in the warehouse district. http://tinyurl.com/ycv3dh3
Hamburg may have a few "interesting" museums, but I personally enjoy Hamburg more for its sophisticated metropolitan atmosphere & energy. If you take the street bus (as opposed to the U/S bahn) you can also discover the contrast between the surrounding small neighborhoods, some leafy, some edgy. I would recommend staying in downtown (Altstadt or Neustadt) to get the best city experience.

jahlie

Oh that sounds great. From what everyone has said, I'll probably take both the small an large boat tours. They seem to offer different experiences and if the tour isn't in English, I can enjoy the views and ambience. I have a book in my library about the history of spices - "Spice, the History of a Temptation" by Jack Turner. I haven't finished it but the subject is fascinating and spice was once what oil is to us now. I will love the Spice Museum.

I know what you mean about underground vs. aboveground transportation.

Do you have any recommendations for restaurants, cafes or german dishes?

DAX

They have a 3 hour and a 1 hour tour, so you can choose according to how much you want to explore the port. Personally I think one tour is good enough.
You may also enjoy exploring the brand new waterfront district in Hamburg called Hafencity. http://www.hafencity.com/index.php?s...age=ueberblick

I prefer taking the nice city bus because I get to enjoy Hamburg on the street level instead of taking the U & S Bahn which tend to be underground with some elevated rail/platform on some areas (waterfront areas).

There's a good thread filled with great restaurant recommendations from hsv who used to live there:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...alling-hsv.cfm

jahlie

You're right, that is a good thread. I suspect I won't go hungry

Thanks again

hsv

The thread on restaurants generously offered by DAX is slightly out of date. Here are a few of my current favourites:

Seafood:

1. Fischereihafen Restaurant, top quality seafood, not to fault, not cheap, but very affordable lunch specials, river views, local celebrity haunt for a reason, classic and a bit formal
http://www.fischereihafenrestaurant.de/

2. Fischmarkt, family owned (as Fischereihafen Restaurant is, too, but by different owners), top service, great presentation, top-quality and less formal than Fischereihafen Restaurant. No views as not on Fish Market Square as the name would suggest, but below St. Michael's church close to the port, but without views. I would recommend some fried sole, potato salad accompanied by a Riesling from the Rheingau region (e.g. Schloss Vollrads, not expensive, but top notch mineralic quality).
http://www.restaurant-fischmarkt.de/fisch.html

3. Fischerhaus, a 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/

Upscale:

1. Poletto, run by aspiring young chef Cornelia Poletto in an inconspicuous building in the nice residential neighbourhood of Eppendorf; not cheap. Cuisine is Italian influenced and Michelin starred. Quality not to be faulted.
http://www.poletto.de/

2. Jacobs Restaurant, an institution in the upscale suburb of Blankenese, perched atop the River. Chef Thomas Martin has been receiving honours of the best chef in town over recent years and deservedly so. French influenced, classic cuisine executed to perfection, extensive wine list with great advice offered. Formal, not cheap and unfortunately the portions can be on the small side. 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, chef Heinz Wehmann has been one of the city's top chefs for 3 decades. Local cuisine with a light and sometimes French touch, formal. No views as unfortunately on the wrong side of posh Elbchaussee. Duck Vierlaender style is the specialty.
http://www.landhausscherrer.de/

4. Tafelhaus, local restaurateur and chef Christian Rach is a perfectionist and also has gained some national TV exposure. He relocated from his restaurant in the unassuming Bahrenfeld district to a stylish and cool glass enclosed space quite a few years ago, but still doesn't fail to disappoint. In Oevelgoenne overlooking the river very close to the port.
http://tafelhaus.de/

Austrian (the finer German cuisine)

1. Tschebulls
in the same building as the Park Hyatt on Moenckebergstr.. Proprietor Alexander Tschebull has a very credible track record from former upscale Winterhude restaurant Allegria and now focuses more on his native Austrian cuisine in this new city venue. If only more residential living were in the city center to keep great restaurants like this lively at nights!
http://www.tschebull.de/home.html

2. Lutter & Wegner, o.k., it is a chain from Berlin, but its Hamburg outfit still serves some of the best Viennese style Schnitzel, the wine list with German and Austrian varietals in the majorities cannot be faulted and it has views of the port - what's not to like?!
http://www.lutter-wegner-restaurant-....de/index.html

Neighbourhood restaurants:

1. Die Bullerei, German TV chef Tim Maelzer's new venue in the hip Schanzenviertel. Some old red-brick warehouses of the former meat market, restored and now occupied with a bustling restaurant and a bistro. For the restaurant you'd be well advised to make a reservation well ahead (Maelzer is about as popular in Germany as Jamie Oliver in Britain), but in his bistro (they call it Deli) walk-in patrons stand a chance to be served. Food, while not spectacular is of good quality and it has a good vibe and great prices. It doesn't hurt that it's surrounded by hundreds of funky bars of different varieties in a sometimes still slightly edgy neighbourhood that is a very typical Hamburg coonstellation of live and let live of all different sorts of people.
http://www.bullerei.com/

2. Elbe 76, located in Hoheluft-West in the basement of a period apartment building in a very pleasant inner-city residential area, it serves better than average food, great pizza and has perfectly chilled (not too cold, not too warm) fresh, hoppy Jever Pilsener on tap. Caters mainly to a reasonably affluent younger crowd.
http://www.elbe76.de/index.php?article_id=1

Lunch:

1. Vapiano, now an international chain of self-service Italian restaurants with better than average food quality and decor, its first outlet still serves its clientele on Hohe Bleichen in Hamburg. Other outlets on Rothenbaumchaussee close to the university and near Hauptbahnhof
http://www.vapiano.com/

2. Cha Cha, Thai food in 2 of the inner-city shopping malls (Hamburger Hof and the slightly naff Europa Passage). Good quality, but manages to annoy by not serving different courses to two or more patrons lunching together at the same time more often than accceptable.
http://www.eatchacha.com/popup_flash.php

3. Café de Paris, French fare in a former art nouveau butcher's outfit with beautiful tiles on the walls and decent quality food. Very popular and thus crowded.
http://www.cafeparis.net/

4. Moe Grill, Bratwurst (fried sausage) stalls at Moenckebergstr., opposite each other, one next to C&A, the other between Goertz shoe store and Starbucks (what used to be Burger King in the former library on Gerhart Hauptmann Platy). Now another outlet on Jungfernstieg. Hamburg's tastiest sausages to go (I like their Thueringer and Schinken varieties best).

Breakfast:

1. Literaturhaus Café, a lovely setting with high ceilings in a period mansion on the Eastern shore of the Outer Alster Lake, just minutes from the center, good quality breakfast
http://www.literaturhauscafe.de/

2. A.mora, situated on the berth in front of Hotel Atlantic, in the Outer Alster, open from 10.00 h only, lounge-like atmosphere
http://www.a-mora.com/

3. Dat Backhus, a local bakery chain of average quality. But the outfit on Jungfernstieg offers a stylish ambiance by local architect Andre Poitiers and low prices. The Franzbroetchen are quite good (Franzbroetchen are a kind of cinnamon roll only to be found in Hamburg and about 15 miles around it - I don't know why. They are delicious).

Bars:

1. Strandperle, if it's still warm, this unassuming kiosk normally would not draw anyone's attention, but its location right on the beach of the River opposite the container docks is spectacular and there is hardly anything more typically Hamburg than sitting in the sand on a mild night, sipping a local beer from the bottle and listening to the waves and the constand humming and buzzing from the other shore of the River, gaze at the countless lights and the ocean going vessels passing by and just feeling the city and oneself come to life.
http://www.strandperle-hamburg.de/

2. Yakshi's Bar at East Hotel, still an in-place. Stylish cocktail bar, impeccable drinks, side street of Reeperbahn.
http://www.east-hotel.de/

3. Dual Bar, not far from Bullerei restaurant, a classic in Schanzenviertel, relaxed, unassuming atmosphere
http://www.dualbar.de/

hsv

Another bar:

4. Bar Hamburg, a classic, just behind Hotel Atlantic, only 5 minutes from Main Station, stylish, perfect drinks
http://www.barhamburg.com/

And regarding tours of the port: I don't think doing 2 of them warrants the time as 75% of the tours are likely to be identical. If you feel like another tour on the water, I'd recommend to board one of the Alster "steamers" (excursion boats) and embark on a "Canal Tour", which will lead you through inner-city canals around the Outer Alster. It offers a glance at some of Hamburg's prettiest backyards of posh mansions and other insights into the city from a different perspective. Do not confuse with a "Fleetfahrt", a tour of Alster canals linking the Alster to the River Elbe (Fleete are canals with tides in Hamburg). Such a tour would bring you into the warehouse district of the port again and would be somewhat repetitive.
http://www.alstertouristik.de/e_kanalfahrt.php

DAX

Whoa hsv, that is quite a list!!!
If I may/dare add to that incredible restaurant list from hsv:
Le Plat du Jour http://www.leplatdujour.de/index.php...te/kategorie/6
It’s a small but excellent french bistro on Dornbusch, just a couple blocks behind the Rathaus. I know it’s not german but if you're looking for really good food with reasonable prices, you won’t be disappointed here. They serve solid french classic dishes from seafood to game with a clean modern presentation. The only downside I can think of is their waiters are French instead of native Hamburger.

One place I want to recommend again is the Hamburger Dom. It's probably best visited on a weekend night to capture the festive atmosphere. The Dom is something so typical german in my view, plus you'll love the authentic Thuringer bratwursts that they sell inside as you wander through this large fair even just for an hour. It's located between the urban bohemian Schanzenviertel and the Reeperbahn (pathetic tourist trap but that's where tourists go) so you can visit all three in one afternoon all the way to the late evening.

Ingo

Amazing restaurant list! I second the vote for Fischmarkt ;-)

HSV, are you back in HH? Hi to you and DAX!

hsv

Plat du Jour has been serving staple French fare for ages and is a very good recommendation.

The Dom can indeed be fun (the Hamburg Dom is a fun fair rather than a church as one would expect. In fact there used to be a church called Dom. But as Hamburg has always been a city that likes to reinvent itself and cares much less about traditions than commerce, it was torn down in the 19th century after the city gained ownership over it from the church and thought it was in the way for the city's development. And despite dating back to 13th century it was deemed as not too significant... Brilliant - Hamburg's "Pfeffersaecke" (a slightly derogatory term coined by German poet Heinrich Heine - whose family was part of the establishment - for the city's merchants that to some extent now is worn with pride) at their best.).
For everyone going to the fun fair I recommend to indulge into the small beignet style pastry that is dusted with icing sugar (Schmalzgebaeck). Make sure they give you fresh ones that are still warm. No visit to the Dom would be complete without it.

Hi back to everyone. Not back in Hamburg, but travelling there every so often.

gradyghost

Hello jahlie:

We visited Hamburg a couple years ago and faithfully followed hsv's restaurant suggestions with great outcomes. One additional seafood restaurant I would mention is Die fischkueche located at Kajen 12--terrific Dover sole. As for things to do in additional to the list already mentioned is the Miniature Museum; good fun for kids and adults. Enjoy this wonderful city. Gradyghost

GaryCA

I'm planning a trip to Hamburg next May. Are five days a good amount of time to spend there? I want to take at least one day trip, probably to Luebeck.

DAX

With daytrip options, 5 days in Hamburg will be comfortable. Not only Hamburg is ideal for making a daytrip into Luebeck, but also for daytrips into Bremen and Schwerin. Another option would be Celle.

Hello back to Ingo. I need to relearn how to add the yellow smiley thing on Fodors because I needed one after the waiters being French instead of native Hamburgers.

bilboburgler

Fischmarkt for me too

jahlie

E-gads! What an incredible response I walk so much when traveling that I usually lose a couple of pounds. This might just be the exception. Also, I intend on trying as many pastries as possible. Fischmarkt is mentioned so often - how can I pass that one up? Thanks to you all for the advice and lists.