Red Light Districts, canals and tunneling under a river, and if you’re a Fab Four fan– where the Beatles began, are a few sights to see in Hamburg, Germany.

Fischmarkt (Fish Market)

Altona Fischmarkt harkens back to a time when the fisherman sold their fish before Sunday services. You can still see auctioneers selling fish to locals, but now you can also get bags full of sausages, antiques, flowers, vegetables with all sorts of buying and selling go on. It is worth a stop to see what treasure you might find.

Hours: Sundays Only — April to Oct., 5 am to 9:30 am; Nov. – March, 7 am to 9:30 am.

Admission: Free

Address: Große Elbstraße 5, 22767 Hamburg, Germany

Reeperbahn

The neon streamed Red light area of Hamburg in the St. Pauli’s district.  It is seedy with its strip clubs, sex shops and brothels. This is a walk through the wild side of life in Germany. If you come in the late evening it swells with crowds of partiers and out-of-towners looking for drinks. It is one of Hamburg’s most popular attractions and mostly safe nowadays.

The Beatles began their long career performing at bars and nightclubs on Gross Freiheit (Great Freedom) street. They performed at the Indra Club and Kaiserkeller in the 1960s. At the entrance to the street is the Beatles-Platz life-size, which are steel silhouettes commemorating the five original Beatles – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best and Stuart Sutcliffe. Ringo Starr had not joined the Beatles yet.

Address: 20359 Hamburg, Germany

Mahnmal St. Nikolai (St. Nicholas Memorial)

Former main church was destroyed in an air raid in 1943.  The Allied Operation Gomorrah caused the destruction of 270,000 homes and approximately 35,000 people were killed at the time at. The St. Nicholas Memorial stands as a memorial to the victims of war and persecution from 1933-1945. Here you can see an exhibition on the airs raids, the destruction of Hamburg and other European cities. You can also take a glass elevator up to the steeple for views over the city.

Hours: May- Sept. – everyday 10 am – 6 pm; Oct. – April – everyday 10 am – 5 pm.

Admission: Museum and tower viewing – Adults €5 and children 6-17 years €3.

Address: Willy-Brandt-Straße 60, 20457 Hamburg, Germany

Rathaus (Town Hall)

Where Hamburg’s parliament and senate assemble. Construction started in 1886 when 4,000 wooden poles were drilled into the muddy shores of the Alster Lake in order support the weight of the building, which would measure 133 meters wide, 70 meters deep and 112 meters tall.  It is constructed in the neo-Renaissance style and has an imposing clock tower.

You can see the inside in a 40-minute tour starting on the ground floor with its many pillars. In the tour you can see the staterooms, tapestries, large chandeliers and grand portraits.

Hours: Monday- Sunday, 8 am – 6 pm, English tours start at 10:15 and on from there.

Admission: Free

Address: Rathausmarkt 1, 20095 Hamburg, Germany

Jungfernstieg

A wide promenade by the Alster Lakes in central Hamburg. Many department stores, souvenir shops and shopping centers are nearby including the glass-covered arcade of Sillem’s Bazaar. If it is a warm day get yourself some ice cream at Warneke Eis.

Address: Jungfernstieg 54, 20354 Hamburg, Germany

Boat Tours: You can discover the Hamburg port by a barge tour or take a boat tour among the many canals around the Alster and Speicherstadt.

Websites: Hamburg Travel, Tripadvisor, Getyourguide.com—gives you a breakdown of some of the costs.

Speicherstadt

Is the world’s largest contiguous warehouse complex is located in the Freihafen (free-port) between Deichtorhallen and Baumwall. It is built around a series of canals and made up of redbrick Gothic architecture. You can explore this area on on small barges. At night the area is illuminated with 800 spotlights. The area includes the futuristic HafenCity project with new hosing schemes. The area has many restaurants, museums and the world’s largest model railway with famous global sites in the Miniatur Wunderland Museum.  Also, nearby is the Elbphilharmonie, the city’s tallest building, created by Herzog and De Meuron is modern landmark and services as a concert venue that overlooks the harbor.

St. Michaelis Kirche (St. Michael’s Church)

Hamburg’s largest church. The copper roof church includes a 132-meter (432 feet) tall tower that supports Germany’s largest clock and bell. Panorama views can be seen from the observation deck in the tower.

Hours: April – Sept. 9 am – 6 pm, Monday- Saturday; 11 am – 5:30 pm, Sunday. Oct. – March, 10 am -5 pm Monday- Saturday; 11 am – 5:30 pm, Sunday.

Admission: Tower: Adults €5, Children €3.50. Crypt: Adults €4, Children €2.50. Combined Tower and Crypt: Adults €7, Children €4. Discounts available through the Hamburg CARD.

Address: Englische Planke 1, 20459 Hamburg, Germany

St. Pauli Elbe Tunnel (The Old Elbe Tunnel)

Was opened in 1911 and was quite remarkable feat of engineering as the first river tunnel on the European mainland. It is 426 meters (1,398 feet) long and 24 meters (80 feet) beneath the surface. Two 6-meter (20 feet) diameter tubes connect central Hamburg with the docks and shipyards on the south side of the River Elbe. Four huge lifts carry passengers and vehicles to the bottom. The walls are decorated with glazed terra cotta ornaments displaying items related to the Elbe River.

Hours: For pedestrians it is always open.  For vehicles: Mon – Fri 8.00 a.m. – 1.00 p.m. one-way traffic from St. Pauli to Steinwerder; 1.00 p.m. – 6.00 p.m. one-way traffic from Steinwerder to St. Pauli. Exception: Closed on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays

Admission: Free for pedestrians and cyclists and the motor vehicle fee is €3.

Address: Bei den St. Pauli Landungsbrücken 7, 20359 Hamburg

Planten un Blomen

The park in central Hamburg is a destination for families, romantic couples and those seeking relaxation. There is a botanical garden with a tropical greenhouse and the largest Japanese garden in Europe.

Admission: Park is free check website for specific attractions.

Hours: May- Sept., 7 am – 11 pm; Oct. -March, 7 am – 8 pm and April 7 am -10 pm

Address: Marseiller Str., 20355 Hamburg, Germany

Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg

The museum is nine levels of nautical wonder. See the world’s largest bone ship. Try out the ship simulator. The museum houses a huge collection that includes 38,000 miniature shops, 100,000 books, nautical instruments, uniforms, maps, telescopes, and everything else that is part of maritime history.

Hours: Monday- Sunday, 10 am – 6pm

Admission: Adults €13 and Reduced Rate Includes Students €9.50

Address: Koreastraße 1, 20457 Hamburg, Germany

OTHER GERMAN CITIES TO VISIT

WHAT TO SEE IN BERLIN IN A DAY