This post on cool things to do in Hamburg is in partnership with Hamburg Marketing. They sponsored my trip in exchange for an honest review, but all opinions are my own!
Hamburg’s got a definite vibe. First impressions are that it’s friendlier, prettier, and altogether easier to love than Berlin, but that could just be the white wine at 3:53pm talking.
When I moved to Berlin last year, I imagined myself traveling to the farthest edges of Germany. I’ve made it as far as Budapest and Copenhagen and Sofia, after all. But some ten months later, I’ve hardly been anywhere in Germany (besides that one weekend in Munich). Happy to say that I finally worked myself up for a trip within Germany. With subterranean tunnels, squatter settlements, a warehouse district, fish markets, weird hotels, quirky bars, and street art everywhere, I had a feeling there would be plenty for me to get up to.
In Hamburg, even the most normal sounding experiences take an alternative edge. You don’t have to look very hard at all to find cool things to do in Hamburg, but let’s make this easy. Here are 51.
51 Fun + Cool Things to do in Hamburg
Very Hamburg Experiences
1. Wake up early on Sunday to catch the early fish auction at the Fischmarkt
2. Go for a morning jog through the 100+ acre Planten un Blomen park
3. Wander the very cute Karolinenplatz on a sunny afternoon
4. Check out a show inside the newly completed Elbphilharmonie
5. Go cornering – curbside beer drinking – in St. Pauli on a Friday night
6. Shop upcycled furniture and decor at Lockengolöt
7. Poke around the very cool Sternschanze quarter (then call it “der Schanze” like the locals)
8. Experience football fanaticism by holing up at Bacana Café for a Hamburger SV match
9. Flip through hangers at PICKNWEIGHT for some prime vintage shopping
10. Swing by the Flohschanze Flea Market on a hungover Saturday morning
11. Explore the street art by Push, Hello Karlo, and SPÄM plastering nearly every wall
12. Wander along the harbor and take in the view from Altonaer Balkon
13. Rent a bike from StadtRAD and explore the city like a real Hamburger would
14. Wander the UNESCO recognized Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District with Chilehaus
15. Skip the Harbor Cruise and instead hop on commuter Ferry 62 for a more local experience
16. See the city on a tour with Alternative Hamburg
17. Browse the collection of Hamburg-only vinyl at Hanseplatte
18. Swing by betahaus | Hamburg for a day of coworking
19. Rent a canoe in Alster and explore the city via its narrow waterways
20. Explore all things tiny at Miniatur Wunderland
Eating Hamburg
21. Sink your teeth into Fischbrötchen – a sandwich of herring, onions, pickles, and remoulade
22. Eat a hamburger (duh) at Otto’s Burger
23. Sit down for a table full of Portuguese tapas at NAU
24. Feast on some late night schnitzel at Erika’s Eck
25. Buy a package of Salzbrenner – Hamburg’s best sausages
26. Order a cake at the very cute Herr Maxx
27. Eat super fresh seafood at the hyperlocal Karo Fisch
28. Pick up a Franzbrötchen – Hamburg’s flatter take on a cinnamon roll – for breakfast
Drinking Hamburg
29. Drink everything Astra
30. Sip on the tiny tequila concoctions at Chug Club
31. Stop by the Reeperbahn on a Thursday and grab a beer at the St. Pauli Nachtmarkt
32. Grab a gin basil smash at The Boilerman Bar – the place where they were dreamed up
33. Order a coffee on the beach at the iconic Strandeperle
34. Grab a bite or a beer at Altes Madchen, set in a slaughterhouse-turned-cultural-complex
35. Experience Kniepe culture at Zum Silbersack – the ultimate Hamburg dive bar
Events + Festivals in Hamburg
36. Come to Hamburg in September to celebrate all things music and art at the Reeperbahn Festival
37. Hit up the Deichtorhallen for their street photography collection during the Triennial of Photography
38. Dress up like a bird and go wild for a weekend at Vogelball
39. Venture to Scheeßel for the 3-day Hurricane Music Festival
40. Glitter up and show your support at Christopher Street Day
Love festivals? Discover more: 21 Weird + Unique World Festivals
Beyond Hamburg
41. Venture one hour by train to the St. Peter-Ording on the North Sea
42. Experience the Baltic Sea from Lübeck
43. Embark on Heidschnuckenweg – the 223km hiking trail with supreme landscapes and lilac bloom
Keeping Hamburg Weird
44. Stay the night at Superbude – Hamburg’s edgiest hostel
45. Dress in pajamas for your stay at Fitz im Pyjamas
46. Dip into the Elbtunnel, the subterranean Elb River crossing
Just Because
47. Wind up playing Looping Louie at a house party
48. Wander past Rote Flora, the theater-turned-squatter-settlement in Sternschanze
49. Grab your paddles for a round of ping pong in the park
50. Make up your own drinking game to devolving stag parties in Reeperbahn
51. Buy your cigarettes from a vending machine
2 Comments
Minka Guides
June 19, 2018 at 3:15 pmYAAAAAY! Love this. I going there for the first time in late November/early December!
Taylor
June 19, 2018 at 7:46 pmHope you have as much fun as I did! Hit me up when you come through Berlin, will ya??