One month in Hamburg
 

Hi everyone! I am going to stay the whole Agust in Hamburg to study German and I will also have lots of time to explore this city. What I want to ask you is , if you have some tips for "unknow" and great places to see here. And of course I would love to know some tips on good places where to go eat or just anything else what you could recommend me to do in this wonderful city.

I will be glad for every tip!

Thank you
Madeleine

Madelaine, a few ideas, Lubeck and Lunaborg (sorry not doing German spelling this morning) are both worth a day out, the area to the east of Hambourg is a large fruit growing area and so you might like to rent a bike and head off to the Elbe and follow it for a bit, the submarine museum to the west is an odd one, but maybe.

In town loads of things, but look up http://www.hamburg-greeter.de the sailing on the lake is ok if a bit safe.

bilbo means Lüneburg.

When you are in Hamburg you will quickly explore the city and its attractions. The cityscape is pretty with the river Elbe, the harbour, the Alster lakes and the canals. You will like boat trips. An excellent (and cheap) boat trip is the public ferryboat to Finkenwerder.

The "cool" neighbourhoods are Sankt Georg, Altona, Sternschanze. Also visit the Hafen-City, a mix of old storage buildings and bright modern architecture.

Of course, there are dozens of museums and attractions in Hamburg. Read here:

http://english.hamburg.de/

For daytrips from Hamburg, medieval Lübeck (one hour by train) is certainly a good choice. On the coast north of Hamburg, Büsum is a charming fisher village, Sankt Peter-Ording has an incredibly wide sandy beach.

A few more words about daytrips:

- When you are in Lübeck, you may add Travemünde, a pretty seaside resort with a good beach, also in easy reach with public transport.

- Berlin is just a 1:42 train ride from Hamburg. It is a fascinating city and a must-see when you are in Hamburg.

- Bremen is a 0:55 train ride from Hamburg. Bremen has a picturesque old town, a splendid historical city hall (like Hamburg) and the art-deco Schnoor street.

In Hamburg, a visit of the Airbus factory is very impressive if you are interested in technology.

For the evening:

- The Feuerschiff (light ship) is a cool place. Each monday evening they have live jazz. http://www.das-feuerschiff.de/

- One of my favourite restaurants with traditional cuisine is the Fischerstube right in downtown (Colonnaden). It is wood-paneled and serves excellent Aalsuppe (eel soup) which tastes like liquid smoke. Also a good place for Labskaus, a traditional Hamburg dish (all you can eat). http://www.hamburger-fischerstube.de/

- A cool place for a cocktail is "Die Bank" - a former bank that has been transformed to a restaurant and bar. http://www.diebank-brasserie.de/

- For modern cuisine, go to the famous chef Cornelia Poletto. http://www.cornelia-poletto.de/

- The best steaks (dry aged) are served in the Meatery. http://hamburg.meatery.de/

- For oysters and (affordable) lobster, go to the lobster bar in the (otherwise posh) Grand Elysée Hotel near Dammtor station.

- Another cool place for a drink is the bar in the II-World-War shelter near Dammtor station.

Visit the Lüneburg Heath Nature Reserve, especially to see the open air museum. My grandfather was from Lüneburg and it was interesting to see how he would have lived as a child.

The heide (heath) is a scrubby landscape not good for much more than raising sheep, and their wool is not good for clothing, only carpets. Most of the heide is now in the national reserve.

The city of Lüneburg is very attractive. It became rich from salt and you'll see houses tipped at an angle because the salt mining has undermined the foundations. Lüneburg was never bombed in either WWI or WWII so it is more authentic than some other cities in Germany.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%BCneburg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3%B...Nature_Reserve

I suggest you to take Free Walking Tours for the city centre and St. Pauli. It's a very good way to develop a feeling for the city. St. Pauli's nightmarket on Wednesdays (4pm +) is highly recommended, grab some local food and enjoy the vibe.

Checkout if the Hamburg Card is appealing to you. Bundle some sights, save some bucks and spare yourself the registration fee for the CityBikes that you can use for free for the first 30 minutes. They are awesome to get around the city.

For food:
- try Kumpir, e.g. in the Schanzenviertel
- awesome organic homemade ice to be found at Beizini's
- Daniel Wischer for some quick snack of local fish