sightseeing & excursions in HAMBURG
Kontorhäuser
Typicly Hamburg: The grand houses of Hamburg's traders. An important part of the town's historic background!
Start at Kaufhof, Mönckebergstraße
Speicherstadt and Hafencity
The century-old Speicherstadt is located in the Free Port between the Deichtorhallen and Baumwall and is the world's oldest warehouse complex, built at the turn of the century in red brick, typical of northern Germany, with gabled roofs and small towers, which are beautifully reflected in the canals they border. Today, as in bygone days, wares from the world over - coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, tobacco, computers and Oriental rugs - are stacked in these storerooms. Also have a glance at the HafenCity.
Hanseatic Tour
The program starts with a long city sightseeing tour. It shows the many "faces" of this city that is so rich in contrast.
The Alster, the city centre of Hamburg, the city hall, St. Pauli and the port of Hamburg are only a few highlights of the roundtrip.
At exactly 12 a.m. you visit the St.Michaelis church (Hamburg symbol) where you can listen to a concert with all of its three organs. Thereafter you will see the "Krameramtsstuben" (shopkeeper office apartments), which belong to the oldest houses of Hamburg.
A lunch will be served in Restaurant Ratsweinkeller.
After that you enjoy a trip round the harbour on board a launch for rent, which guides you through the historic storehouse complex, the "Speicherstadt" and the large harbour basin.
Sights of Hamburg
Harbour and Elbe
On the harbour and the Elbe there’s lots to enjoy and discover, from a harbour tour to a walk through the old Elbe tunnel – or visit and explore the museum ships, which offer pleasure and fun for grown-ups and little ones alike.
Landungsbrücken
The 700 metre-long floating dock at the underground station Landungsbrücken is Hamburg’s waterway station. This is where tours of the harbour start, from here harbour ferries depart and the HADAG steamers to nearby Finkenwerder, Övelgönne and Blankenese. Even imposing luxury cruiseships put in here from time to time. Colourful souvenir shops offer waterfront memories to buy and cosy fish restaurants serve as much fresh plaice or North Sea shrimps as you can eat. Not far from museum sailing ship "Rickmer Rickmers" at Brücke 1, the museum freighter "Cap San Diego" is docked at the Überseebrücke. The tower on the eastern side indicates the water level as well as the time and the ship’s bell tolls every half an hour.¨
Fish Market
Every Sunday morning from 5 to 9.30 A.M. (7 A.M. from Nov. 16.th to Mar. 14th) customers come from near and far to bargain with vendors praising wares of virtually every type at Hamburg's oldest, most traditional open-air market, dating back to 1703. At the foot of the century-old Fish Auction Hall smart shoppers might find just the china teapot they were hunting for, not to mention fresh fish of course! Follow up with brunch in the historic Fish Auction Hall to the accompaniment of jazz, skiffle, country or western music.
Open:
every sunday 5 - 9.30am (in winter 7 - 9.30am )
Location/Information:
St. Pauli Fischmarkt/Große Elbstraße
Town Hall
The splendid sandstone construction in neo-Renaissance style, built 1886 - 1897, dominates the city centre with its impressive architecture. Hamburg’s Town Hall is the seat of the city senate and the municipality of Hamburg and has 647 rooms!
After Hamburg’s Town Hall burnt to the ground in 1842, the town council moved into temporary quarters in the former orphanage in the Admiralitätsstraße and after that into the building of the Patriotische Gesellschaft – the temporary solution lasted over 55 years!
The new Rathaus was inaugurated in 1897. It stands on over 4000 oak posts. Very much in contrast to the Hanseatic style, the Town Hall gleams with an elaborately ornate façade which is graced by a total of 20 statues of the Kaiser. Above the main door a sentence is written in Latin which translated reads: “May the descendants seek to uphold the freedom which was won by our forefathers.”
The grand banquet hall in the Rathaus is 46 metres long, 18 metres wide and 15 metres high. Five huge paintings depict the history of Hamburg from 800 to 1900, 62 coats of arms of the cities of the ancient Hanseatic league adorn the walls. The three chandeliers each with 278 bulbs weigh 1500 kilos apiece!
The Jungfernstieg
The Jungfernstieg on the Alster has for a long time been Hamburg’s shopping street and promenade. In the old days, families went for a walk here on Sundays and brought out their unmarried daughters ("Jungfern"). The Jungfernstieg is still something very special, not only because of its ideal situation on the banks of the Alster lake. For Hamburg residents, it is above all the historic importance of the promenade which plays a significant role.
Today, everything here revolves around shopping in big department stores and luxury boutiques. The Hamburger Hof shopping niche is also on the Jungfernstieg. This is where shopping meets culture: the high-class boutiques both large and small truly outrival each other with their exclusive wares.
Other delights along the Jungfernstieg: the famous Alsterhaus and places full of tradition such as Streit's cinema. What to do when you’ve finished exploring the shops? Quite simple: after all, the Binnenalster is right on the Jungfernstieg, where the boats await you there on the Alster pier…
If you’re hungry or just feel like a refreshment, you can sit down and relax in the Alsterpavillion’s “Alex“. Hamburg mayor Ole von Beust praised the international competition of ideas in March 2002 for redesigning the Jungfernstieg
Alster Lake
The large lake in the heart of the green Hanseatic city is a paradise for sailors, rowers and canoeists. A whopping 160 hectares in size (and, by the way, only 2.5 metres at its deepest) this artificial lake was created as early as the 13th century out of the Alster rivulet and its even smaller tributaries, which today provide a romantic stretch of water for rowers and paddlers. Hanseats enjoy their oasis over an “Alsterwasser”. Ever heard of it? That’s shandy – as refreshing and invigorating on summer days as the Alster itself. Hamburgers and visitors to Hamburg like to stroll around the Alster, because a walk around the Alster is one of the most rewarding things that the green city has to offer. In addition, parks and green spaces all around the Alster provide plenty of space to hang out, relax and play. Of course, there are also cafés and restaurants all around the Alster, where you can dig in with a view of the water or enjoy a refreshment.
Inner Alster
The Kennedy bridge and the Lambardsbrücke between the Atlantic Hotel and Dammtor station separate the Alster into the Außenalster (outer Alster) north of the bridges and the Binnenalster (inner Alster) in the city centre south of the bridges. The Binnenalster gives the city centre a romantic and maritime touch. The Alster steamers on the
Jungfernstieg depart for a “Törn übern Teich” (a turn around the pond). The sightseeing tours provide enchanting views of the city skyline.
Speicherstadt
The century-old Speicherstadt is located in the Free Port between the Deichtorhallen and Baumwall and is the world's oldest warehouse complex. It was built at the turn of the century in red brick, typical of northern Germany, with gabled roofs and small towers, which are beautifully reflected in the canals they border. You should plan to go on a harbour tour to see all the details.
Now you can experience a very special highlight: The old Speicherstadt is getting lighted. Buildings, bridges and canals can be experienced in the dark - the illumination makes the warehouse complex an impressing place of mistery and dream. Discover an important piece of Hamburg - and be enchanted...
Spicy‘s Spice Museum & night walk
For groups we can organise for example an interactive museum visit including a quiz, a walk through the storehouse city with a night watchman and afterwards a dinner in the „Zippelhaus“ restaurant referring to the spice topic.