8 Best Performing Arts Venues in Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and the Baltic Coast

One of Germany's leading drama stages, Deutsches Schauspielhaus has been lavishly restored to its full 19th-century opulence. It's the most important venue in town for classical and modern theater.

The name says it all: the English Theatre, first opened in 1976, is the city's premier theater for works in English. Actors from near and far bring contemporary and classic drama to life on the small stage of this historic building.

One of the most beautiful theaters in the country, the Hamburgische Staatsoper is the leading northern German venue for opera and ballet.

Both the Philharmoniker Hamburg (Hamburg Philharmonic) and the Hamburger Symphoniker (Hamburg Symphony) appear regularly in the magnificent neo-baroque interior of the Laeiszhalle, which also hosts international orchestras and some of the biggest names in contemporary music.

The quirky Schmidt Theater and Schmidts Tivoli has become Germany's most popular variety theater, presenting a classy repertoire of live music, vaudeville, and cabaret.

The Stage Operettenhaus stages productions of top musicals including the musical adaptation of Rocky, and Love Never Dies, the follow-up to The Phantom of the Opera. Tours of the theater are also available.

Handily located just across the street from the Holstenstrasse S-bahn, the 2,000-seat Neue Flora attracts big crowds, who come for popular, long-running musicals such as Hercules.

A number of agencies, including the Hamburg tourist office at Landungsbrücken, sell tickets for plays, concerts, and the ballet. Tickets can also be booked online or via the hotline in English.