This sample chapter is taken from the current (Seventh) edition of my travel guidebook Daytrips Germany, featuring 63 one-day self-guided do-it-yourself walking tours of the most fascinating places in the country. It is also in my smaller Daytrips Berlin and Northern Germany book. Enjoy!
Trip 55
Hamburg Walk #1
Proudly proclaiming itself as the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany's greatest port and second-largest metropolis — after Berlin — is a state in its own right. It possesses its own parliament and has never had much use for kings, emperors, or even archbishops. Merchants run the show here, as they have since the founding of the Hanseatic League in the 13th century. The goal of its citizens is to make money, a trait at which they were always quite adept.
Hamburg is perhaps best known for its notorious St. Pauli district and the famous Reeperbahn, an area filled with fleshpots and raunchy bars. Yet this is only a very small part of a very large picture and will be explored on Walk #2. It is also one of the Continent's most elegant cities, as well as a leader in culture and the arts. A visit to its bustling port facilities is always exciting. Virtually nothing of the city's ancient history has survived the great fire of 1842 and the wholesale devastation of the last war, but in its place a handsome new metropolis has risen — one whose many facets are at least partially explored on the suggested tours that follow:
GETTING THERE:
Trains from all over Germany and northern Europe arrive at Hamburg's three major stations: Hauptbahnhof (main station), Dammtor, and Altona. Most expresses stop at all three, but check the schedules to make sure. Built in 1906, the Hauptbahnhof has recently been modernized and is centrally located in an area of moderately-priced and inexpensive hotels. Dammtor Station, an Art Nouveau masterpiece of 1903, is close to some leading hotels and the convention center. Altona Station, in the western part of the city, opened in 1979 and is thoroughly modern. Frequent S-Bahn commuter trains connect all three.
By Car, Hamburg lies at the hub of major Autobahns coming from all directions. To find the city center, just follow the "Centrum" signs. Driving in town is not as difficult as in most other German cities.
By Air, flights from all over Europe and the world arrive at Fuhlsbüttel Airport, 10 km (6 miles) north of the city center. A special airport bus runs between the terminals and the downtown main train station (Hauptbahnhof) as well as Altona station at 20-minute intervals.
GETTING AROUND:
The route shown for Walk #1 involves about three miles of walking, which can be reduced by using the excellent public transportation system (HVV) part of the way. This consists of U-Bahn subways, S-Bahn subways that continue on as commuter trains, buses, and ferries. A map and instructions are available at the tourist information office in the main train station. One-day passes can be purchased at the HVV offices or from vending machines in the stations. The tourist office in the main station also sells the economical Hamburg Card, which covers all public transportation, gives free admission to many museums, and discounts on various top attractions. It is available for either adult individuals (with up to three children under 12) or groups, for either one or multiple days. The Hamburg Card is also available from most hotels and the ticket vending machines of the HVV.
PRACTICALITIES:
Hamburg is at its best from April through September, although even the winter season is much milder than you might expect. Most museums are closed on Mondays. The local Tourist Information Office, T: (040) 3005-1300, W: hamburg-tourism.de, is in the main train station, with a branch in the St.-Pauli Landungsbrücken passenger terminal. Hamburg has a population of about 1,700,000.
Walk #2 (page 297) begins where this one ends, so ambitious walkers who don’t linger too long at the sights can continue on and do both in one day.
FOOD AND DRINK:
Great restaurants abound in this internationally minded city, some of them very expensive. Among the best choices in all prices ranges near this first walking route are:
Deichgraf (Deichstr. 23, 3 blocks southwest of the Nikolaikirche) An elegant place for North German specialties, overlooking the ancient harbor. Reservations advised, T: (040) 364-208. X: Sat. lunch, Sun. €€€
Fischküche (Kajen 12, 2 blocks west of the foot of Deichstr.) It’s seafood only in this popular, modern restaurant. Reservations advised, T: (040) 365-631. X: Sat. lunch, Sun., holidays. €€ and €€€
Ratsweinkeller (in the Rathaus) A wide choice of dishes served amid antique ship models in the vaulted cellars of the City Hall. Reservations suggested, T: (040) 364-153. X: Sun. eve, holidays. €€
Le Plat du Jour (Dornbusch 4, 2 blocks southeast of the Rathaus) A good-value French bistro right in the heart of things. T: (040) 321-414. €€
SUGGESTED TOUR:
CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE.
Numbers in parentheses correspond to numbers on the map.
Begin your walk at the Jungfernstieg (1), easily reached on foot or by U- or S-Bahn subway. This elegant boulevard is bordered on the north by the Binnenalster, a large boat basin created centuries ago by damming up the Alster River. Delightful cruises through a complex network of waterways are available here, but this treat is better saved for the end of the day, at the end of the second walking tour (see page 300).
Stroll through the lovely Alsterarkaden to the:
RATHAUS (City Hall) (2) (photo, above), T: (040) 428-310, W: hamburg.de. Tours Mon.-Thurs. 10:15-3:15 and Fri.- Sun. 10:15-1:15. €.
Built in the Renaissance style during the 1890s atop some 4,000 oak piles, City Hall’s 367-foot-high tower dominates the adjacent market place. Guided tours through the richly, if heavily, decorated interior are conducted frequently. While these don't visit all 647 rooms, they do take a full hour.
Now follow the map past the Börse (Stock Exchange) and along several ancient canals, including Hamburg's first harbor, the 700-year-old Nikolai Fleet. The ruined Nikolaikirche (Church of St. Nicholas)(3), originally dating from 1195 and rebuilt several times, was destroyed during World War II and is now preserved as a monument. Its steeple, at 482 feet, is the third-highest in Germany.
Cross the pedestrian bridge spanning busy Ost-West Strasse and wander down Deichstrasse, an intriguing street lined with old merchants' homes — many of which are now occupied by restaurants specializing in traditional Hamburg dishes. A stroll over Hohe Brücke and around Cremon (4) will take you past old warehouses and a former crane on the edge of the harbor.
Several of the massive 19th-century Speicherstadt warehouses across the canal to the south have been converted into fascinating museums and other tourist attractions, some of which are:
MINIATUR WUNDERLAND (5), Kehrwieder 2, Block D, T: (040) 3005-1555, W: miniatur-wunderland.de. Open Mon.-Fri. 9:30-6, staying open until 9 on Tues.; Sat.-Sun. 8:45-8. €€.
For everyone’s inner child, here is one of the very best model train layouts in the world. Hundreds of HO-scale trains race through settings in Hamburg, Scandinavia, the Alps, and even the Rocky Mountains of America.
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SPECIAL TREAT: CLICK on this link for a marvelous video in English about Miniatur Wunderland:
Then scroll down to IMAGE VIDEO and click on GO.
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HAMBURG DUNGEON (6), Kehrwieder 2, T: (040) 3005-1555, W: hamburgdungeon.com. Open daily 10-6, 11-6 in Sept.-April. Timed tickets available in advance by phone or online. Tour takes 90 minutes. €€€.
Come on board for a nightmarish 90-minute ride through the terrors of the Great Fire of 1842, a mass execution of pirates in 1400, the devastating storm and flood of 1717, and — of course — the Black Death of 1350.
U-434 (7), Versmannstr. 23c, T: (040) 3200-4934, W: U-434.de. Open Mon.-Thurs. 10-6, Fri.-Sun. 9-7. €€.
Follow signs to the world’s largest non-nuclear submarine, used by the Soviet Union to spy on the American coastline in the 1970s. This bit of Cold War history was purchased from Russia and is now a major tourist attraction, albeit not for the claustrophobic or handicapped.
SPEICHERSTADT MUSEUM (8), St.-Annenufer 2, T: (040) 321-191, W: speicherstadtmuseum.de. Open Tues.-Fri. 10-5, Sat.-Sun. 10-6. €.
Ever wonder what went on in those old warehouses? Here’s your chance to find out. All manner of materials from around the world are displayed, along with the tools for processing them.
DEUTSCHES ZOLLMUSEUM (9), Alter Wandrahm 16, T: (040) 3008-7611, W: deutches-zollmuseum.de. Open Tues.-Sun. 10-5.
Operated by the customs service of the German Federal Government, this museum of customs and duties can tell you a lot about smuggling as well as the legal importation of stuff.
SPICY’S GEWÜRZMUSEUM (10), Am Sandtorkai 32, T: (040) 367-989, W: spicys.de. Open daily 10-5, closed Mon. in the off-season. €.
Hamburg’s spice trade had a long and colorful history, and its story is all told here. There are also many spices for you to sniff, or even touch.
Now follow the map past several canals to the S-Bahn station at Stadthausbrücke (11), the end of this walk and the beginning of the next. From here it is only a short walk back to Jungfernstieg (1), or you could take the train. Some of the more hearty souls may want to press on to Walk #2.
Text, map, and photos copyright © 2010 by Earl Steinbicker
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