Hamburg
Hamburg, officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and sixth-largest city in the European Union, with a population of over 1.9 million.
The Hamburg Metropolitan Region has a population of over 5.1 million and is the tenth-largest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. At the base of the Jutland Peninsula, the 110 km (68 mi)-long Elbe estuary begins in Hamburg, at the confluence of the Alster and Bille. Hamburg is one of Germany's three city-states alongside Berlin and Bremen, and is surrounded by Schleswig-Holstein to the north and Lower Saxony to the south. The Port of Hamburg is Germany's largest and Europe's third-largest, after Rotterdam and Antwerp. The local dialect is a variant of Low Saxon.
Getting to Hamburg
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Worth seeing
The entirety of the city centre is worth walking throughout, as it is jam-packed with varied and truly interesting sights. Those range from the iconic Speicherstadt and Hamburg's five main historic churches, through the upscale area around the Binnenalster artificial lake and the town hall (Rathaus) to the ultra-modern Hafen-City.
Things to do
You can make a trip on the river Elbe with line 72 from Landungsbrücken to Elbphilharmonie, or line 62 via Museumshafen Oevelgönne to Finkenwerder, and line 64 to Teufelsbrück. Bicycles free of charge. Adults one trip €2.10, day card €8.20 (Apr 2026). The public ferries are part of the public transport system, meaning day tickets for buses, subway and interurban trains are valid for the ferries as well.
Where to eat
Original Hamburg dishes are Birnen, Bohnen und Speck (Low Saxon Beren, Bohnen un Speck, green runner beans cooked with pears and bacon), Aalsuppe (Low Saxon Aalsupp/Oolsupp, often mistaken to be German for “eel soup“ (Aal/Ool translated ‘eel’), however the name probably comes from the Low Saxon allens [ʔaˑlns], meaning “all”, “everything and the kitchen sink”, not necessarily eel.
Getting around Hamburg the local way
- Get inThe most likely places are the Hamburg Cruise Center Altona (near to the fish market) and the Hamburg Cruise Center HafenCity (next to the Unilever-Haus), check out the Hamburg Cruise Center home page There is a regular yet expensive ferry between Hamburg, Cuxhaven and Helgoland.
- Get inLübeck's port suburb Travemünde, about an hour away by train, is a major Baltic ferry port.
- Get inTo the east (A24-Berlin) and northeast (A1-Lübeck/Rostock/Puttgarden-ferry to Denmark), you can start at the "Horner-Kreisel" and take the number 261 bus from U-Burgstraße to U-S Barmbek (exit BAB-Auffahrt Horn or walk from U3-Rauhes Haus).
- Get around(2026) Urban rail lines in Hamburg]] Hamburg has an integrated public transportation system, operated by the HVV, which consists of six S-Bahn (commuter rail) lines, four U-Bahn (subway) lines, seven R-lines (regional trains), three A-lines (AKN), a dense network of bus lines and ferries across the Elbe.
- Get aroundTherefore, the HVV operates a fleet of ferries to connect the two banks of the Elbe.
- Get aroundThese ferries operate in the harbour and along the River Elbe, and are a part of the regular public transport system (your regular public transport ticket is valid) - think of them as buses which happen to float.
- Get aroundSome of the more interesting ferry routes for tourists include: Ferry 62, which goes from Landungsbrücken all the way down the Elbe to Finkenwerder, offering fantastic views of the harbour and city skyline, all for the price of a normal public transport ticket.
- Get aroundAt Finkenwerder, you can take a bus into the scenic Altes Land area, take ferry 65 to Blankenese (only in summer), or stay on the ferry for the return trip.
From Wikivoyage: Hamburg, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Alchemist-hp (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons.
