Northern Germany has its unique beauty, culture, and charms, and the city that stands out in this region is certainly Hamburg. This important port city has attractions for all tastes: museums, shops of famous international brands, great restaurants, an urban center, and proximity to charming towns.
In addition to attracting travelers who are embarking and disembarking on cruises in the ports of Kiel, Warnemünde, and in the city of Hamburg itself, it is possible to make a return tour on the high-speed trains departing from Berlin.
However, we strongly recommend a stay of at least two days in Hamburg, to get to know a little of this cosmopolitan city, formerly essential for the development not only of Germany, and today one of the country’s financial centers. In this post, we will indicate five must-see attractions for visitors to Hamburg.
Internationales Maritimes Museum (Hamburg International Maritime Museum)
As a port city, the museum’s theme has a close connection with Hamburg. Located in Speicherstadt and founded in 2008, after a partnership with the city hall with Mr. Peter Tamm, a great enthusiast of the naval theme, who comes from a traditional family, and since a very young age, he cultivated the hobby of collecting replicas of boats. Over the years, contributions from other collectors and friends have resulted in the brilliant collection available for visitation.
The museum has a wide variety of exhibitions, where each floor has a theme, such as miniatures, uniforms, oceanography. In addition to offering guided tours with different themes, the museum has a navigation simulator. If you are in doubt about which museum to visit in Hamburg, this is certainly a great option. See our interview with Mr. Damián, the museum historian.
Speicherstadt
One of the best-known scenarios in Hamburg is the traditional warehouses, with red brick facades, built in the 19th century, with the initial purpose of housing the goods that traveled through the port of Hamburg. However, with the advent of containers, warehouses have become obsolete for this use, and today they integrate the daily life of the city in another way.
Today, many companies have offices and rooms in these warehouses, in addition to housing museums, such as the Internationales Maritimes Museum that we saw earlier and the Miniatur Wunderland that we will see later.
The Speicherstadt region is a great option for a pleasant walk, with stops at interesting points, such as those mentioned in the post, knowing the bridges and canals that surround this historic site. Ah, a stop at the Kaffermuseum Burg to get to know the history of coffee and enjoy one at the local coffee maker is recommended.
Miniatur Wunderland
Also located in the Speicherstadt, this attraction is the most visited in Hamburg, even buying tickets in advance is valid, especially during periods of high demand. Despite being considered a model railroad museum (the largest in the world), the environment reminds us of a magical world, where everything is incredibly small.
At Miniatur Wunderland, visitors will experience the miniature world, literally. There are several scenarios with attractions and landscapes from all over the world, from a replica of the Vesuvius volcano in Italy to the city of Hamburg itself.
The wealth of details is really impressive, and surprising for both adults and children, a great option for a family outing or even travelers who are on an individual tour.
Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial
Many travellers come to Germany with the expectation of knowing a little more, getting to know places of historical importance not only for the country, especially those involving wars, with an emphasis on World War I and II. For these travelers, Hamburg has very interesting places in its region, such as the museum of tanks, bunkers, and also, different from what many imagine, a concentration camp.
Located in the district of Neuengamme, about 30 minutes by car, you can visit the Memorial of the concentration camp of this city, as most of the attractions in this theme in Germany, we seek to emphasize the educational character of this sad episode lived in the past, being a tour that will stimulate the visitor’s awareness.
It is possible to schedule guided tours at the Memorial, and admission to individual visits is free. Remembering that the attraction is not recommended for children under 12 years.
Fish: the typical food
Fish is certainly a major player in northern German cuisine, especially in Hamburg. Due to social and regional issues, this food has long been featured in hamburger meals. Among them, two dishes with these ingredients stand out: Pannfisch and Fischbrotchen.
The first is basically made up of pieces of fish, made in a frying pan and accompanied by potatoes (a prominent ingredient in German cuisine) covered by some sauce that varies.
Fischbrotchen is the fish sandwich. Generally, marinated herring is used, with bread, onion, lettuce, and sauce, which may vary according to the restaurant.
In addition to these attractions and tips, Hamburg has much more to offer, including in your region, where you can easily discover charming cities on the Fairy Tales route in Germany in a quick train journey.
