Hamburg, worth a visit?
 

Hi there!

Next month I (19 years old) will be hitch-hiking from Utrecht (The Netherlands) to Germany but I'm not yet sure where to go. I've been to Berlin twice already, so I wanted to try something else. I've read some things about Hamburg and I got the impression that it is a rather cold (in an emotional sense) and empty city. Also it seems that is mainly a place for the retired rich. Can anybody refute this dull image of the city? WHY SHOULD I VISIT HAMBURG? Persuade me! What I like about Berlin is that is a very youthful and vibrant city, does Hamburg offer this youthful vibe too? Munich is an option too, but I doubt if I will make it in one day. Thanks in advance for your replies!

I suggest you do a search in the forums here. For example, this thread will come up:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ing-or-not.cfm

HI, I will stick out my neck for Hamburg and say that I quite liked it, but it's a big city and none of the cutesy architecture of other places, if that is your thing. Things I liked about Hamburg: different food to other places - Raucheraal available in the railway stations. The port is interesting; take a boat tour. Walk down the Reeperbahn at night for a mild thrill (by day it's just sleazy). Visit the Hamburger Dom (a big, big fair with typical amusements). http://english.hamburg.de/hamburg-ev...m-english.html

When I was young and still in the phase of learning German I was thrilled to find that the Hamburg edition of Bild (the largest circulating newspaper in Germany) even had words from the local dialect. In all, it was OK and a good counterpoint to other cities I saw. My memories of the architecture is that it's a little similar to the brick gothic style but not all that amazing. Maybe worth a weekend.
I understand it has a vibrant restaurant scene which would interest me more as an older person, but maybe less so in your case. Lots of seafood, but if you eat on the cheap, the Nordsee chain would do just as well :)
If you want to see a north German city, you might also consider Bremen or Lübeck, both of which are totally different to Hamburg (Bremen has some preserved medieval architecture in the Schnoor, while Lübeck is true brick gothic; read Buddenbrooks). Or Hamburg plus Stade, which is very small but pretty.

Lavandula

>>>I got the impression that it is a rather cold (in an emotional sense) and empty city. Also it seems that is mainly a place for the retired rich. Can anybody refute this dull image of the city? <<<

It is not cold at all. It is bustling of life and has many vibrant neighborhoods full of life. Check out St. Georg and Altona. It is also a young city with several universities. Actually the retired rich do live in Travemünde and maybe a few of them in the outer districts of Hamburg.

There is much to do in Hamburg - lots of museums, bars, restaurants, architecture, the harbour, the canals...

Gee - where do you get yr impressions? Utrecht is pure industry and Hamburg pure vibrant life. Berlin sucks - dirty, noisy, touristy. But if you dont like cities with lakes in the middle, museums of international standard, world famous red light districts + musicals my gosh visit Berlin, not Hamburg. Or if you like things in a nut shell visit Lübeck.