Things to do in Hamburg

Germany’s second largest city after Berlin, Hamburg is built around the great lakes of Binnenalster and Aussenalster. Hamburgers will proudly point out that their city has even more bridges than Venice. The splendid neo-Renaissance style Rathaus stands in the middle of the main shopping area. Take a sightseeing boat from Jungfernstieg pier to view the fashionable streets and parks around the Binnenalster from a different perspective. For non-stop nightlife, head for Reeperbahn.

Altona Fish Market

A popular destination for those on their way home in the early morning after a night out on the town. It may be billed as a fish market, but there is just about anything and everything on sale at this lively, colourful Hamburg market.  The market takes place early on Sunday mornings, and has done so since 1703. There is a restaurant in the historic Fish Auction Hall, along with some live musical entertainment to rejuvenate tired shoppers. Phone: +49 40 380 120; website: www.fischmarkt-hamburg.de.

Alter Elbtunnel

Built from 1907 to 1911, the oldest of the Elbe Tunnels links the district of St Pauli with the island of Steinwerder. The twin tunnel is 426 metres long, nearly five metres wide and over four metres high, and runs just six metres below the river. Built for traffic, cyclists and pedestrians, the tunnel is decorated with ornaments and tiles and can only be reached by lift or staircase. The interesting dome-shaped entrance hall on the north side was built by Ludwig Raabe and Otto Wohlecke. Due to increasing amounts of traffic, even the New Elbe Tunnel has just been extended to an extra lane.

St Michaelis Church

One of the city's major landmarks, the Lutheran church of St Michaelis was originally built in the early 17th century. Destroyed by lightning in 1661, it was replaced by a Baroque building in 1786. In 1906, the church was again destroyed by fire but was immediately rebuilt true to the original. In later years, however, it sustained irreparable damage in the two World Wars. The tower offers marvellous views of the city and still plays host to a 300-year-old tradition, whereby a trumpet player plays a hymn facing north, then south, then east and west (10:00 and 21:00 daily; midday on Sundays). Phone: +49 40 37 67 80.

Carl Hagenbeck's Tierpark

Hamburg's zoo, one of Europe's best, was founded in 1848 and today it is home to about 2,500 animals belonging to 360 species. The unfenced paddocks and beautifully landscaped park are world famous. There are sea lion and dolphin shows, rides on elephants and camels, a train ride through ‘fairyland’, and a spacious children's playground. Phone: +49 40 540 00 10; website: www.hagenbeck.de.

Reeperbahn

Hamburg's notorious red light district, to the east of the city centre in the St Pauli zone, has become its second-greatest tourist attraction. The Reeperbahn (Rope street) is where rope used to be produced for the ships in the harbour. It is now a half-mile long street which, along with its cross-streets, is filled with bright lights and flirtatious prostitutes, and crammed with bars and establishments offering erotic entertainment. The Reeperbahn became the neighbourhood where sailors of old were encouraged to seek entertainment after they were banned from invading the city's more respectable areas in the 19th century.

Afrika-Haus

Two giant bronze elephants greet visitors at the entrance. In the courtyard, a palm tree and Walter Sintensis's statue of a native African make it pretty obvious what this place is all about; this is Africa House. Built in 1899 by the Woermann Trading Company, a firm which made a fortune trading with Africa during the colonial period, Africa House is still used by the Woermann concern as its head office. The company flag is depicted on the ceramic tiles on the façade, and the staircase is lined with photographs recounting the history of the company and Africa House. Phone: +49 40 35 76 96 52.

Museums

There are several museums worth visiting in Hamburg. For art buffs, there is the famous Hamburger Kunsthalle (website: www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de/start/en_start.html; phone: +49 40 4281 31200), while the historically inclined will enjoy the Museum für Völkerkunde (phone: +49 40 4288 79510) and the Museumshafen Oevelgönne, a naval museum (phone: +49 40 4191 2761). For something more bizarre, the Erotic Art Museum is fittingly located on the Reeperbahn (phone: +49 40 317 8410), and there is also the Panoptikum, a ‘House of Wax’ (phone: +49 40 3103 17).