8 Reasons Why You Should Visit Hamburg

Hamburg is a city that may not be at the top of most people's places to see but it's a city that really deserves a visit and here I will tell you why. When we visited recently we were pleasantly surprised at what a vibrant and intriguing city Hamburg is, and we would love to go back. 

Here are my 8 reasons why you should visit Hamburg. 




1. It's a short flight from the UK

Having only a short flight time from the UK you can get to Hamburg in little over an hour flight, making it a perfect destination for a weekend break.

2. Most people speak English

Although German is the main language widely spoken, most people speak English too so if you don't know German you shouldn't have a problem making yourself understood.

3. It has amazing architecture



The Rathaus town hall

Being a big fan of architecture I was smitten with this city. The Rathaus is beautiful, the warehouse district, Speicherstadt has lovely red brick buildings and there are some gorgeous churches.


4. It has a large but fabulous port area

A boat in the port

Join a boat trip to get a real flavour of Hamburg, the second busiest port in Europe. A real working port you can see everything from large cargo being transported to luxury yachts being refurbished.

5. It has an eclectic mix of museums

Hamburg has an eclectic mix of museums. The Maritime Museum is really worth a visit if you want to find out about the history of boats, whilst the Chocoversum guided tour lets you discover the history of chocolate, and you can make your own chocolate bar. The real stand out museum though is the Minatur Wunderland, the largest model railway in the world having over 6 miles of track!

6. Music is at its heart

The Elbphilharmonie concert hall

With over 100 music venues and clubs and the newly built Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Hamburg is a city with music at its heart. In the Summer there are many live concerts in the beautiful parks.

7. The shopping is fabulous

From high street shops to independent quirky stores Hamburg will satisfy even the ardent shopaholic. The Neuer Wall Boulevard has designer stores like Gucci whilst the Sunday morning Fishmarket is interesting to browse and has great bargains to be had with flowers, fruit and locally caught fish - but get up early! On Saturday night St Pauli has a flea market so pop along for a vintage bargain. 

8. It has interesting nightlife

View of the city from Clouds cocktail bar and restaurant

From the dubious delights of the Reeperbahn, Hamburg's answer to the Red Light District in Amsterdam, to great cocktail bars at 20 Up and Clouds, to a wide mix of nightclubs and pubs, Hamburg has something for everyone.

My husband and I were guests of the Come To Hamburg scheme, read more about our long weekend in Hamburg and what we thought of the Heikhotel Hamburg here. We also covered Hamburg on our travel blog Fly Drive Explore where we wrote about 48 hours in Hamburg Germany and a tour of Hamburg harbour  #ComeToHamburg.

19 comments

  1. It looks so lovely and I had no idea it was so close! I'm just starting to branch out in Europe so it might have to be my next destination...

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  2. I am a culture fan so any thing to do with museums and I am well up for it. The History of chocolate? Sign me up!

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  3. I've never thought of adding Hamburg to my bucket list, but it looks like such a beautiful place x

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  4. Look at that view! Hamburg has never been on my list, but it is now! xxx

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  5. Oh! I would love to try shopping if I get a chance to visit Hamburg.

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  6. I always worry about going away at weekends because I don't want to travel the whole time. But an hour isn't much to be honest. It looks like a nice place to visit :)

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  7. Hamburg looks like a beautiful coty to visit, I have never been buts its on my to visit list.

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  8. I would love to visit Hamburg because so far I have only been to Berlin in Germany. I love the architecture and the harbour it looks indeed fabulous!

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  9. I flew into Hamburg once before heading off somewhere else but I didn't get a chance to explore much which sucked, I really want to go back x

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  10. Oh I'd love to visit Hamburg one day! It's so near too!

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  11. I love Germany but have never visited Hamburg, I will definitely add it to my list of places to visit x

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  12. You had me at a little over an hour flight! I can't believe it's so close. Will definitely consider visiting. x

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  13. This is at the top of my list of places to visit next year. The port looks lovely too.

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  14. I have always wanted to visit Hamburg, will have to go one day it looks amazing

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  15. My husband has been to Hamburg and he absolutely fell in love with the architecture! Must visit some day!

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  16. I was looking at Hamburg just the other day after seeing another blogger's photos, and this post is not helping the wanderlust! I love the idea of the flea market-and the Gucci of course haha.

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  17. Definitely think I'll go to hamburg next year! I keep seeing really cheap flights!

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  18. Never been here and wow, I never knew it was only an hour away! You could possibly do a day trip out of it if you started off early!

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  19. I've never been to Hamburg, but it really looks like a beautiful city.

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