Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, please confirm event/venue details in advance.
COUNTRY CODE:
Dial +49 for Germany
FROM THE AIRPORT
Car Hire :
Take advantage of the special easyJet inflight rates and visit the Europcar desk on arrival or call +49 (0)40 500 2170. Open from 7am-midnight seven days a week.
Airport Transfer :
Pre-book your door-to-door transfer with easyJet’s transfer partner, Holiday Taxis—from home to the airport and the airport to city or resort. Just log on to easyjet.holidaytaxis.com.
Train :
The nearest rail link is at Ohlsdorf station, served by overground S-Bahn lines S1 and S11, as well as the U1 underground U-Bahn—all pass through the main train station.
Taxi :
The journey to the city centre takes 20 minutes and costs about €22.
(133 Grosse Elbstrasse. Tel. 040 382 811) A bustling harbourside institution where ample portions of quality southern Italian fare are served on communal wooden benches by the River Elbe.
(54 Falkenried. Tel. 040 420 6295) A worn but timeless Italian restaurant where the market-fresh menu is theatrically paraded before patrons by Trentino-born chef Mario Zini.
(30 Strandweg, Blankeneser Landungsbrücken. Tel. 040 869 962) From the freshest of bivalves to the most succulent carpaccio and mouth-watering risotto, this legendary waterside eatery, located on a jetty in Blankenese, excels at it all.
(96 Colonnaden. Tel. 040 343 125) While its Manga comic menus are decidedly current, the Japanese fare of Tokyo native and chef Hideaki Morita is decidedly traditional at this iconic second-storey restaurant in the heart of the city centre.
(98 Sternstrasse. Tel. 040 433 545) Join a cross-section of society—everyone from cabbies to abattoir workers in blood-stained overalls from the nearby Schlachthof complex—for late-night drinks and merriment.
(11 Klosterwall. Tel. 040 339 491) A brick-clad former flower market is now one of Hamburg’s best live music venues, featuring up-and-coming international groups.
(16 Schellerdamm. Tel. 040 4154 1494) A recently opened late-night hang-out in a cavernous former warehouse south of the River Elbe, this disco is perpetually crowded with scenesters who nibble on thin-crust pizzas and sip cocktails.
On the ground
Shop
Known for his fastidious attention to detail and the upper-echelon clients who purchase and then use his handiworks, Stefan Fink is a latter-day hometown artisan who creates one-off writing instruments from such exotic materials as purplewood and bubinga (www.stefanfink.de).
Insider Tip
Recognised for its breakthrough architectural ethos, Hamburg is awash in lauded modern structures. ArchitekTour is a coach tour that focuses on developments in each of the city’s four budding districts, including HafenCity, Alster and Elbchaussee (www.a-tour.de).
Key Area
Walk among tiny captain’s houses in the former fishing village of Övelgönne, now an eye-catching suburb on the banks of the harbour. Dotted with Friesian-style homes, the tiny quarter is bisected by Strandweg (Beach Way), a hedgerow-flanked pedestrian walkway that meanders along the Elbe.
This month
As the second-largest harbour in Europe and with a seafaring tradition that dates back to the Hanseatic League and beyond, Hamburg has a special relationship with its industrial waterfront. The Harbour Festival celebrates this history with an event that culminates in fireworks 9-12 May (www.hafengeburtstag.de).
Day Tripping
Travemünde
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Criss-crossed with manicured lime tree-framed streets lined with stately mansions, the windswept seaside resort of Travemünde is famed for two things: its hilltop golf club and stately white-stucco casino. There is also an attractive promenade lined with traditional restaurants and shops. One hour from Hamburg.
No way!
Unlike most large German cities, Hamburg’s number plate designation isn’t based on one letter. ‘H’ belongs to Hanover. So, it's 'HH' for Hanseatic Hamburg.
