reneea

I have an opportunity to visit the city on a side trip for work. I'll be visiting only for 2 or 3 days, and will be traveling alone. I realize safety is relative for any city. But, can anyone give their opinion on where I should go or not go in my short time there?

Also, any suggestions for "must do's" or "must see" places in the city during my short stay there.

I don't speak a lick of German (I wish I could). Will that pose a problem for most of the city? I'd also appreciate any advice about the weather, attire, etc., that would be of interest in August.

scatcat

I would go in a heartbeat! You can visit Lubeck from Hamburg by train in about 1 hour. Then Travemunde is located on the Baltic sea about 20 minutes from Lubeck.

You should have no problem with language. I've been going for years and speak VERY little German. Most everyone speaks English.

As for as the weather...the last time I was there was Sept.'05 and it was perfect with sunshine but not too hot.

DAX

Hamburg is known to be the most English compared to any other german cities. It's a comfortable, rich & sophisticated metropolitan. I've been there several times and enjoyed it every single time.

1. Harbor boat tour
2. A couple of easily managable art museums.
3. Landmark cityhall.
4. The whole old town is very safe and upscale. It's very pleasant to explore, lots of pleasant waterfront promenades. It is also filled with plenty of nice restaurants, cafes & shops.
The only one area to avoid at night is St.Georg area (drugs & ladies of the night) which is just west of the main train station.
5. Hamburger Dom is a humongous four season fair with rides & food. Personally I find the Thuringer sausage there is addicting.
6. Watch the Lion King performance in it waterfront theatre if you've never seen it. They have Lionking boats that will take you to the theatre for free.
7. Dinner in the Ovelgoenne area
8. Buy the "Met" train tickets to visit the nearby city of Bremen which has a larger & more attractive old town buildings than Luebeck.

reneea

What a relief to know that language won't be a big problem. I've been to Germany only once before and only had a slight problem, but everyone was very friendly (Dusseldorf). Sorry to sound ignorant, but what is Travemunde?

I guess I've read some things about the city that sound pretty undesirable (red light district?), but I know that every major city has one of those. I just wasn't sure how bad it really was.

But, from the things you wrote, it sounds like a great city to visit!

Are the trains pretty easy to understand and to navigate?

Oh, and now that you gave me great suggestions for sightseeing, how about shopping? Any good there?

I'm getting more excited now. I almost traded this trip with a co-worker, but think I'll keep it now!

quokka

Travemünde is a seaside resort near Lübeck on the Baltic Sea. Since your time is short, I wouldn't bother (unless the weather is very very hot and you want some cool sea air).
If you want a day trip, Lübeck is the #1 choice. I do not agree with reneea.

In Hamburg, definitely do a boat tour of the port("Hafenrundfahrt&quot. There are plenty of boats departing from Landungsbrücken every hour or so. Recommendation: take one of the small boats ("Barkasse&quot because they get much closer to the big ships in the port, which makes the tour more impressive. The "Fleetfahrten" on the rivers and canals are nice, too, and more romantic. Departure from Jungfernstieg or in the port area.

See Hamburg's landmark, the church of St. Michaelis, known as the "Michel". Go up the steeple for a view of the city - you can walk the stairs but there is also a lift.

Speicherstadt - the area with the historical storehouses is worth seeing, although it has lost some of its atmosphere due to recent efforts to turn it into a schicki-micki quarter.

The tourist information office is opposite of the Rathaus. Get yourself a map and a plan of the public transport network there. Many S-Bahn and U-Bahn routes are on viaducts which offer great views, the route along the port, for example.

Shopping:
"Normal" shops can be found along Mönckebergstraße between Hauptbahnhof and Rathaus.
Upscale shops are in the area West of the Rathaus along Neuer Wall and Jungfernstieg.
Alsterhaus is a huge department store on Jungfernstieg.

Avoid the area Northeast (not West) of the Hauptbahnhof (St. Georg, which has already been mentioned) and St. Pauli around Reeperbahn.

skatedancer

I just heard from our friend in Hamburg who we are visiting in August, and she told us to pack pants and a sweater / rain coat as the weather has been very unpredictable.

reneea

Rain? And I just printed out this walking tour route. I guess I'll just bring an umbrella and hope for the best!

But, good advice to plan for the rain. I've been reading that weather over there is unpredictable in the Summer. I'm hoping that even if it rains, it'll still be fairly warm.

Is there some safe/fun/touristy thing that I could do at night by myself? Listen to music or even shop/eat at some marketplace?

DAX

Not sure if you need to bring an umbrella with you, the hotels I stayed at always had an umbrella for me when I needed it.

There's a lot more shopping in Hamburg than in Duesseldorf, here's a good website for you to explore all the Shopping malls (Passagen) in downtown Hamburg: http://www.hamburg-magazin.de/st_sho...sagen-city.htm.

Do you know which hotel/area you will be staying? I can recommend some evening entertainment if I know what you enjoy and which area you'll be staying in. For a single woman, I recommend taking a taxi back (reasonable cost)to your hotel if you go out very late at night, but during normal evening hours is fine with public transportation.

Hamburg is really perfect for 2-3 days.

reneea

Thanks for the shopping advice. Good (and bad) that I'll be able to do a lot of shopping! And I remember Dusseldof to have a lot of shopping! So, this should be fun.

Thanks for the link. I coudn't find a English translation, though.

I don't know where I'll be staying yet. Is there an area of the city that you would recommend? I will probably have some choices from our corporate travel agency. But, I like to go to them after I've done some research - like flights I prefer, as well as hotels. Although they are really helpful, unfortunately many of them have never actually been to the destinations.

Usually I try and choose to stay somewhere near a train or subway station (within 5-10 min walking) but for this city, will I be able to walk to most sites? According to the walking tour route that I printed out, it seems that way.

When I travel alone, I usually never go out at night. Although I did see a quartet play (probably very touristy, but I loved it!) once in Vienna at night. For some reason, that city seemed really safe at night.

I usually get back to the hotel for dinner or when it gets dark and stay in and read if I'm not too comfortable with the area. Turns out to be relaxing, but cuts into my time for seeing the area.

Sorry. I'm not sure if this is too helpful. I guess I usually just try and get a feel of the area on the first day, like taking a one-day tour type of thing. Then, the next day want to explore on my own and try and do more "local" things like an open market, do a day-trip to another nearby city, etc.

DAX

One of my favorite hotels in Hamburg is the Park Hyatt. Just steps away from the train station toward the upscale side. Fantastic personal service especially if you get the club lounge included, it's the most reasonable Park Hyatt in terms of price. You can board the train literally in 10 minutes from the bedroom to the train. Right outside is Moenckebergstr where the normal shops are. It's handy if you're planning to go to Bremen, Luebeck or Schwerin.

Toward the Neuer Wall shopping area are the Renaissance & marriott, not as nice rooms but convenient location for shopping(quite a walk from the train station). The Sofitel Dorint hotel behind the Rathaus(Cityhall) can often be had through Priceline, I personally don't like its srrounding as much as the other 3.

There are other hotels like Atlantic & Le Meridien which is waterfront but on the St George side of the station, though not inside the St George area itself. I don't care for their location because it's not as convenient and hodge podge especially at night. Once you decide where you're staying I can give you tips on nearby restaurants.

DAX

One good hotel you may like is the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten(translation: 4 Seasons) which is located against the Alsterlake. It's very convenient and it is the classic grand dame hotel of Hamburg. There are other ultra modern design hotels like the SIDE hotel etc, but the location is not as good for a single traveller where you want to be in the middle of everything.

reneea

The Park Hyatt and the Fairmont looks like great places! We'll see what my work will pay for. I'm hoping to book the trip by the end of the week so that should help get the location set.

All the responses have been so helpful! I'll be looking for great places to eat next, but know that my hotel will be a factor.

The Rennaisance looks like they are having some renovations being done to the hotel lobby and restaurant(according to the web site). Usually, I like to have breakfast in the hotel before I start my day.

I'm considering Luebeck as a day trip. So, being near the train station will be helpful. Do you know if that's a walking sort of town? I don't think I'll be renting a car.

DAX

You can easily enjoy Luebeck by taking the train and walking from its station to the old town. My impression of it was just OK, certainly below my expectation in terms of charm. In case you'd like a restaurant suggestion for lunch (Tuesday thru Saturday) in Luebeck:
www.wullenwever.de/

DAX

A better restaurant to recommend for lunch in Luebeck or Bremen: http://www.paulaners.de/speisen.htm. I've had meals in Paulaner in various cities in Germany and was always impressed by the high quality Bavarian food at reasonable prices.
I made an error in recommending the Roy Petermann in Luebeck previously thinking that they are also open for lunch.

reneea

Thanks DAX for the menu! I'm getting hungry just looking at it. And they had it for me to print in English!

If Lubeck isn't much different or "better" than Hamburg, I'm wondering if I should just tour Hamburg for the 2-3 days or possibly another city?

Another city that I might consider visiting in Kiel. Is that city worth the trip from Hamburg? Seems that I have to take a shuttle bus there, so I'm thinking I would overnight there if I visit. If there's not much to see, maybe just a day trip?

DAX

Luebeck is very different than Hamburg because it's a small town. I think you'll enjoy it if you don't have a high expectation like I did. I am also more of a city person so I prefer city conveniences. I enjoy small towns too if it is attractive & rewarding; I've never been to Kiel,but I heard that it's not quite a place for tourists except for their boating/regatta period.
I would recommend keeping the Luebeck/Bremen daytrip option open in case you get bored, otherwise it may be just as relaxing to explore a big city like Hamburg. I understand German & the culture well so I probably get more out of it. Hamburg is very green and has a lot of water elements. It's more like Boston though more orderly.

reneea

I'm finally starting to work with the travel agent on this trip and she says she usually books a hotel in Altona. Does anyone know if that is a good location? I don't usually need something fancy (when I travel for work), but do like to stay at a relatively safe location. And would like a hotel with a restaurant for breakfast.

I know there are some places a few of you already mentioned to stay away from, but Altona was not mentioned. So, just wanted opinions on the location for safety and for sightseeing.

WillTravel

ReneeA, did you see this posting?
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34876270

It has a bit of info about Altona, and much helpful info from hsv, DAX, and otehrs.

reneea

So much good information. Brain overload. It doesn't sound like a bad place to stay. But, I can't tell how far it is from shopping and/or train station. It sounds fairly safe, as well. Maybe I'll just go with her recommendation.

DAX

Nothing wrong with Altona. You just have to take the train into oldtown(=Altstadt). Altona is a suburb west of downtown beyond the Reeperbahn/St Pauli area. It has its own train station where most out of town trains actually stop. You'll be close to the Ovelgoenne & Ottensen besides the Reeperbahn red light district. Do you know what hotels in Altona your company will put you up?