6 Authentic Local Craft Beer Bars in Hamburg

6 Authentic Local Craft Beer Bars in Hamburg

by | Nov 29, 2021 | Uncategorized

As Covid-19 restrictions are starting to ease, many more Bars and restaurants are starting to open up here in Hamburg. Now, finally, it is possible to visit our favorite craft breweries and bars after such a long exodus. Hamburg, being the craft beer capital of Germany, has many places to choose from, but only a few places deserve the recognition of truly being an authentic local craft beer bar. Maybe not as hyped or marketed as much as the others, but these are truly the regional craft beer heros that are not afraid of making a statement with their extraordinary beers. Here is our list of the 6 most authentic local craft beer bars to visit while in Hamburg!

Oorlam Bar

Located in the center of the city, Oorlam Bar is the official tap-room for Buddelship brewery, a brewery run by Brewmaster, Simon Siemsglüss. They have a total of 15 taps to choose from and are constantly changing taps to make for a never ending variation to their sortiment. Also expect collaboration brews from other breweries to be served here along with Simon’s excellent barrel aged beers, wonderful IPA series and delightful sour beers among other styles. There is always something for everybody here at this bar.

It is a cozy and local bar in every sense of the word. Here you can enjoy high quality beers as well as snacks. They have an excellent menu of French salamies or Dutch cheeses along with locally fresh baked breads and soups among other snacks. With all the different beers and snacks, it is truly an explosion of flavours to enjoy while visiting!

If that weren’t enough, Oorlam bar also boasts an excellent variety of genevers… an old style of gin. Simon just happens to be married to a wonderful genever distiller who also presents her fine genevers in the bar or on request give craft beer and genever pairings as well as tastings. This bar is for real craft beer connoisseurs!

Oorlam Bar
Buddelship Brewery
Baby Goat Bar in Hamburg, Germany
Goat Beer

The Baby Goat Bar

This delightfuly cozy bar is located on the wonderful Street of Grindelhof in the student district of Rothenbaum and unlike many restaurants on the street, it has space for a nice beer garden in front of the bar. With 8 Taps and bottled beer you will be sure to find a beer style you like. You can also order chips, onion rings or other wonderful dishes and they even have food for vegans!

Their beers are well tempered and blended. For those that want a drinkable pilsener or session there are no worries that they will beat it down with massive bitter hops! But for those looking for a nice IPA, they will also be delighted with their creations. Alcohol free beers are also offered in bottles from the fridge.

This craft beer bar started with an incredible friendship between Chris and Thomas, who met each other while playing field hockey here in Hamburg. They started brewing beer in their garage and thought it was such a great idea that they made their way all the way to Edinburgh to study beer brewing. 

While studying they went once to Spain for a vacation and asked a local where the best bar in the city was. The local said they should definitely visit the “Baby Goat Bar”. They searched for the bar the whole night while asking every passerby if they knew where the bar was… But to no success. 

The next day they happened to see the local who recommended the bar and told him their story from the night before. The local couldn’t stop laughing and admitted he made the story up sending them in vain the whole night on an adventure. Back in Hamburg they decided to then make the Baby Goat Bar a reality with a meaning of always searching and seeking for something that maybe isn’t there.

This is a great bar to relax and enjoy the weather if it is nice out as well as drink a few splendid craft beers.

Malto Shanghiat Bar

This bar is also a very cozy bar, or in fact the Taproom of Shanghiat Brewery, a nano brewery here in the city. They have just renovated the bar which has added a nice touch to the atmosphere and sometimes they also invite restaurants as guests to do food pairings with their beer. Located in the frequented Max-Brauer-Allee in Altona it is very centrally located.

Francesco, the brewer, is always trying new beers with a twist and sharing his creations with the community. They also have delicious food if no beer tastings are going on and it is always interesting to listen to Francesco explain his inspirations for his beers. He is one motivated brewer that puts a lot of fantasy into his craft.

They also have a beer garden in summer when the weather is permitting. So a great place to enjoy a fantastic beer in the sun!

Shanghait bar

Galopper des Jahres

Located in the heart of the infamous Schanzen quarter, this bar is as true to craft beer as it is rustical. It is in the Schulterblatt street right next to the squated Rote Flora theater. The have 12 different taps and a dozen or so bottled beers. They are a cooperation between a bakery during the day and bar with club at night time as well as a cinema among other functionalities.

You can often find events here as well like live music, pub quizzes, Meet-the-Brewers gatherings, and many other events. There are also many famous restaurants in the area so it is very convenient to visit before or after a nice meal in the area.

You will find many local beers here as well as regional breweries. However, they do tend to stay away from the many international corporate breweries which helps the local brewery scene. Many times you can meet brewers from these local breweries enjoying their evening off here. A great place for insiders and novices to meet with each other.

Craft Beer Flight
Alles Elbe Bar

Alles Elbe Bar

Alles Elbe or translated “Everything Elbe”, gets their inspiration from the Elbe river that flows through Hamburg, starting in the Czech Republic and eventually flowing into the North See. They host an ever changing tap list from local breweries as well as many times Czech breweries and have many regional snacks that go perfect with their beers.

Located in the heart of St.Pauli it is only a short stroll from the Reeperbahn, and for the same price as getting a mass produced boring beer on the Reeperbahn, one can enjoy the great flavors of craft brewed beer brewed along the Elbe river.

It is a great cozy place with friendly service with a home-style touch. with 8 taps and several fridges with bottles, you will definitely get to try some great local as well as Czeck beers!

Landgang Brewery Bar

This craft beer bar is located directly in the Landgang brewery and offers an excellent backdrop for a few great beers. Their bar container is outfitted with repurposed woods which give it an old maritime feeling. With 10 different taps, you can try many different styles of their beers. They also have tasting flights with 5 of their most popular beers to choose from.

Probably known as Hamburg’s only democratic brewery. Every time the brewery is ready to brew another style of beer they brew 5 different recipes of it and when ready, invite the community in to rate the different beers. Of course, the recipe with the most votes is the one they brew in the end. But everyone is still a winner with the free drinks and fun of being able to participate in the brewing process!

This brewery touts a great selection of hoppy beers, from their Lager or Pilsner to sours, IPAs, Stouts and barrel aged varieties. The Brew master, Sascha, is always seen working his craft in the background or enjoying his after-work beer in the evening… Just don’t mistake him though for an intern due to his young looks 😉

Also, they do have a lot of events at the brewery taking place. For example, comedy nights, bingo evenings, pub quizzes, bbq and other food events, brewery tours as well as brewing courses among other things. There is a lot enjoy at this brewery!

Landgang Brauerei
Landgang Brewery Beers

This article was written by Brent Foster. Robin and the Tourguides encourages responsible enjoyment of alcohol. Join our Hamburg Craft Beer Tasting Tour to get an insight to Hamburg’s unique craft beer scene. Tickets are available at: www.robinandthetourguides.de

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The 5 best Craft Breweries in Hamburg

The 5 best Craft Breweries in Hamburg

by | Jul 14, 2021 | Uncategorized

Germany and Hamburg have a great tradition of brewing beer that goes back millenia and the beer that is brewed today in Germany has an extremely high standard of quality enjoyed all around the world.

Hamburg even use to have the nickname “The Brewing House of the Hanseatic League” in the medieval centuries with over 500 Breweries in the city in the 16th century. Everyone drank beer because it was much safer to drink than unpurified water and had a lot of vitamins as well as calories. Slowly over the centuries though this number dwindled due to the invention of Schnapps, coffee and hot cocoa, as well as the industrial revolution and the invention of refrigeration machines which helped the brewing process so larger breweries started to buy up smaller ones and close them. Not to forget the Second World War destroyed much of the city along with many breweries which ultimately were not reopened after the war. All in all, just about two decades ago there were only 3 Breweries left in Hamburg: Holsten, Astra (Bavaria-St.Pauli Brauerei) and Gröninger, the oldest brewery in the city.

Germany is a major beer exporter of beer. Last year exporting over 850 million litres of beer and the number is constantly growing. It is no wonder that German beer is so well loved throughout the world due to the infamous German Purity Law of 1516. Its high standards are well cherished around the world. In fact, millions of visitors come every year to celebrate the world’s largest beer festival in Munich, the infamous Oktoberfest!

With such a rich beer history it might come as a surprise to some that the craft beer scene in Germany is relatively young. twenty years ago one would have looked in vain for an IPA or Imperial Stout in Germany. The same is true for Hamburg, now the craft beer capitol in Germany right up there with Berlin.

How could this be, one of the most Beer affluent countries in the world with a beer drinking capita of around 100 litres per person per year? Is Germany so cut off from the rest of the world that it missed out on the craft beer trend from America? The answer is no, of course not. Germany’s beer just has such a high quality that Germany didn’t, till recently, see a need for craft beer. Germans are also incredibly proud of their beer as well as their German Purity Law. So there has always been a distrust in beers that experiment too far away from a standard German pilsener or helles. But things have turned around and slowly over the past decade or so, more and more Germans are taking to loving the newly found craft beer scene that has been becoming more and more popular.

The first craft beer brewery to open here in Hamburg was the Kehrwieder Brewery which opened its doors in 2011. Ten years later there are a total of 20 craft and micro breweries and the number is constantly growing! Some craft breweries are more famous than others with strong marketing teams, located in popular and trendy locations, and more well known than others, so it might be confusing to figure out which craft breweries are the best here in the city, especially if only visiting the city for a short amount of time. 

Here are, in our opinion, the 5 best craft beer breweries in Hamburg that show an extraordinary quality and variety in their craft brewing techniques.

Kehrwieder Brewery 

This brewery is rated “Hamburg’s favorite brewery” for several years in a row from the followers at the popular craft beer rating site, RateBeer.com. And once you try their many different types of beers it will come as no surprise why. Kehrwieder Brewery is run by brewmaster Oliver, along with his lovely wife, Julia, who helps with the organization. The brewery boasts over 100 different beers and has won over 50 different international beer awards. Not only that, but Oliver was also the world beer sommelier champion in 2013 from the renowned Doemens Academy. So he definitely knows his stuff. Oliver is also a founding member of the Society of German Creative Brewers.

In 2011 Kehrwieder Brewery started brewing their first beer in the very south of Hamburg in a small village called Sinstorf. The “Prototyp” came about which is a dry hopped lager. Lager doesn’t sound that spectacular but once you try it you will know why it has won so many international awards!

The name of the brewery, Kehrwieder, or “return again”, comes from a part of the Hamburg ports known as Kehrwieder where historically the wives of the sailors going out to see would stand and call to their husbands to return safely home. Oliver’s idea when he founded the brewery was that Hamburg should return to its roots with a vast assortment of beers being offered here in the city… And ten years later one could say that he has started something incredible here in the creative beer scene, not only in Hamburg, but all over Germany!

One speciality that Oliver has been working on very successfully is his diversity of alcohol free craft beers. Oliver has developed a special one of a kind process for his alcohol free series. Instead of filtering the alcohol out, which also filters out a lot of flavour, Oliver has developed a special technique which gives these beers an extremely full flavour but without the alcohol. The result is uncanny and one would not believe that it is actually alcohol free beer!

Wildwuchs brewery 

Wildwuchs brewery opened in 2014 and is the first completely organic craft brewery in Hamburg. Of course, being an organic brewer the quality of their beers is second to none. Located in Wilhelmsburg south of the Elbe River and a bit off the beaten path, a visit to their brewery tap room is always a great way to spend a weekend evening!

Wildwuchs is run by the Brewmaster Fiete, who is a native to Hamburg and has a degree in beer brewing and is a professional beer sommelier. Every aspect of the brewery takes the environment into account and you might even see the workers throughout the city delivering the beer on their electric transport bikes, of course run only on green electricity.

Not only does Wildwuchs use organic ingredients, but also they focus on ingredients that are grown locally and have even planted a hops garden here in the south of Hamburg to help them with sustainability in their supply chain. 

The brews have won dozens of awards and recently their delicious Bock O’range line won the title of favourite beer from the German Beer Consumers Union, a well deserved honor for Fiete’s Bock creation. However, there are many other wonderful beers to choose from at Wildwuchs, from the standard IPAs, wit beers, lagers and pilsners, and even a delicately crafted smoked beer among many others! If you haven’t tried craft beer from Wildwuchs already, you are definitely missing out on some excellent brews!

Buddelship Brewery

Buddelship Brewery was started in 2014 by Brewmaster Simon. They were located for a long time in a former fish canning factory, but don’t worry, there is nothing fishy about this brewery.

Buddelship means ship in a bottle and stands for some great hanseatic traditions. Simon is an expert brewer that one can tell his affinity towards barrel aged beers, whether it be amazing imperial stouts, to “Barrique” Pilsners or his barley wines among others. After trying many of Simon’s beers, one starts to realise his true passion for barrel aged beers. One also might ask themselves where does he get all of those wonderful port, wine and liquor barrels to make such a diverse and great variety of beers?. It might be no wonder that his wonderful Dutch wife, Nienke, is a genever distiller and sommelier who also sells, together with Buddelship, her amazing types of old styled gins. Together they make a great team and also offer insightful tasting pairings.

The barrel aged beers are highly commemorated, but Simon’s other beers are also an incredible delight! He, of course, has his standard beers, but also experiments a lot with sour beers, gose, lambics and has an incredible IPA series which he names the “Mr. (one letter)” series. Probably the most famous of his is Mr.B IPA. An incredibly flavourful and hazy New England India Pale Ale.

You can try the amazing beers at Buddelship’s own tap room, Oorlam, located in the middle of the city, Kohlhöfen 29. It is a cozy tap room with a great atmosphere and snacks such as amazing dutch cheeses and french salamis with locally fresh baked breads, among other delicious snacks. They also often have collaborations with other breweries so it is always an interesting mix of beers and with 15 taps and dozens of bottled beers, you are sure to find some incredibly wonderful beers that suit your taste!

Landgang Brewery

Landgang is the youngest brewery here in our list. But it has been flooded with success and now boasts to be the third largest brewery in Hamburg. With so much success, their beer has to be good!

Sascha, the brewmaster of Landgang founded the brewery in 2015 together with Lars, who organises the marketing and back office side of the brewery. They have proven to be an amazing team that has created many great beers together. And it is no surprise that the brewery is still growing today after winning dozens of international beer awards.

Landgang loves to make hoppy beers. From their Lager to New England IPAs, expect a lot of hoppy flavour in their beers. This can range from their typical north German pilsner which is as expected on the bitter side, to an array of citrusy aroma in their American IPA, or the fruity flavour of their Double IPA… Sascha likes his hops and the customers love his beer!

But Landgang also has unusual beers, for example, their tutti frutti series. Every half a year or so they produce a sour beer with a different fruit injected into the beer. Sometimes black currant, tropical fruits, gooseberries or even cucumbers. It is always interesting to taste the different aromas that are created in this refreshing series.

Interesting fact about the brewery is that before they brew the new beer style, they invite the community to try 4-5 different prototypes of the beer recipe and the community votes which recipe should be brewed. This is always an incredibly fun event for the community and also ensures the best recipe will be brewed… Or Hamburg’s only democratic Brewery 🙂

They also open their tap room on weekends located directly in the brewery for guests to come by and enjoy some great beers on tap in a modern brewery atmosphere. If you haven’t been, it is always worth a visit!

Bunthaus Brewery

Bunthaus brewery is located on Bunthaus island in the south of the city and is by far the smallest brewery on this list… yes it is really a nano brewery with a 2 hektor litre brewing facility. It doesn’t have an incredibly large assortment of beers, but for that, the quality and flavour of their beers are marvelous.

Because the brewery itself doesn’t have a license to serve alcohol they have a tap room, located in the south of the city in Wilhelmsburg. It is in the beautiful gardens of Island Park and is a former water purification facility where you can still see the nano copper pigments from the water that used to flow through the building on the walls (located at Kurdamm 24). It is an imposing monument to the decades-long function of the building.

The brewmaster, Jens, started as a hobby brewer about 10 years ago and has made incredible strides throughout the few years he has been brewing. He has keeped his brewing process small but at the same time gratifying his trustworthy craft beer drinkers. He is constantly trying new things out which make his beers unique to say the least… How about a gose with instead of salt a vietnamies fish sauce, or an Ale with beetroot infused in it? All under the motto, don’t dis it till you’ve tried it!

Bunthaus only has about 5-6 beers at a time, if not sold out before then, but the variety ranges from dry hopped pilsners, of course alluring IPAs, to imperial stouts and even wonderful gose. So everyone is bound to find a style that suits them.  Jens, is a low key brewer but with high ambitions for the quality of his beers. A good reason to try them before they are sold out again!

If you are looking for more information about the best craft beers here in the city, feel free to join the original Hamburg Craft Beer Tasting Tour! With our expert guides we will learn about the craft beer scene here in the city and try some of the best craft beers Hamburg has to offer. Don’t settle for second best rather book directly at: www.robinandthetourguides.de

This blog was written by Brent Foster from Robin and the Tourguides in July of 2021. We welcome you to comment or share your thoughts and experiences about Hamburg’s craft beer scene below!

Top 5 Cafes to Enjoy while Visiting Hamburg

Top 5 Cafes to Enjoy while Visiting Hamburg

by | Jun 13, 2021 | Uncategorized

Most people don’t know, but today Hamburg is the largest importer of Coffee in the world importing over 76,000 tons of coffee every year, and tendencies are growing. In fact Germany alone imports around 80% of the world’s coffee reserves, mainly through the ports of Hamburg and Bremen. It should come as no surprise that Germany is also the world’s largest consumer of coffee, drinking around 162 litres on average per person per year. A world record!

With so much affluence in coffee there are many excellent cafes to enjoy while here in the city! Some are more modestly priced while others boast the world’s most expensive coffee, the infamous Kopi Luwak coffee, and will set you back €215 for a Kilogram bag. Here are our top 5 cafes to visit while visiting Hamburg!

Nordcoast Coffee Roastery

Located in the historic Deichstrasse in the middle of the city, this cafe shows excellence in their slow roasted sorts of coffee. This roastery claims that, just as in wine, the ground, climate and elevation of where the coffee beans are grown have a significant effect on the aroma of each type of coffee. Here you can try different types of roasts such as light, medium and espresso roasts, as well as an array of 6 different brewing techniques. Your conscience can be clean because all coffee is grown in sustainable and fair trade conditions.

The prices start at around €1.80 per cup of coffee and go up to €4.20, so it is an excellent value for their quality. Also, they have exceptional snacks such as waffles, Hummus and Açai bowls, banana-bread pancakes, sourdough bread topped with, for example, deviled eggs and avocado among many other delicious and healthy inviting snacks. So you can enjoy an excellent bite to eat here!

This cafe is perfect for people with time to enjoy their top quality brewed coffee in a wonderfully relaxed atmosphere and delightful service staff as well as baristas. Also, be ready for the wait for a table as there is usually, due to high demand, a line to be seated and it takes time to brew coffee right! Our tip is to reserve a time online to skip the usual wait to get in, which is possible Fridays to Sundays.

Address: Deichstraße 9. For more information visit: https://nordcoast-coffee.de/karte-en

Speicherstadt Kaffeerösterei

Located in the historic and UNESCO world heritage Speicherstadt (or the Warehouse-District), the Speicherstadt Kaffeerösterei is an institution for coffee lovers the world over! Here you can enjoy dozens of different coffees as well as see and smell the slow coffee roasting of historic methods. In this cafe you will not only enjoy their wonderful coffee but also enjoy the historic atmosphere of the Speicherstadt warehouse built in 1888. There are also a wide range of cakes, pastries as well as waffels among many other delightful treats to choose from while enjoying your daily caffeine doses.

Also, for groups and events they offer coffee tastings to discover some of the 800 different aromas that coffee can have. These tastings are given, of course, from one of their many coffee experts and delves into the immense as well as diverse world of coffee. A must for any groups visiting the city and wanting to celebrate the world of coffee. (Please note that tasting might be affected by the corona lockdown. Please check their website to see if tastings are offered.)

For those that would like to take a souvenir with you, they also have a wonderful gift shop for anything related to coffee, including coffee beans, hand-grinders, mugs, postcards, actual Coffee plants, rarities, filter systems, candies and coffee sugars among many other things.

Address: Kehrwieder 5. For more information visit: https://speicherstadt-kaffee.de/

Cafe Paris

This cafe is also an institution here in Hamburg. A wonderful place to enjoy a quick croissant, fruit salad or a nice Sunday brunch. It is located in the middle of the city center just a two minute walk from the town hall. The building itself is a former member of the Hamburg stock exchange decorated inside with wonderful historical tiling. The tiles were important to make sure all bids could be heard through all the ruckus of offers and bidings being traded during its stock exchange days.

Today, it boasts a wonderful Parisian flair as well as food and drink. It is definitely one of the most favorite places for many locals to enjoy a well deserved breakfast, lunch or dinner. It is also modestly priced for breakfast times, however, the prices do go up during the day and evening times. Our tip is to get up early and enjoy the early bird breakfast prices.

Address: Rathausstraße 4. For more information visit: https://cafeparis.net/en/

Mutterland

There are 5 Mutterland cafes in Hamburg and each has their own charm as well as flair. We can recommend them all but especially the one next to the Rathaus, the Mutterland Cölln’s (address: Brodschrangen 1-5). Mutterland is a wonderful cafe that is ecologically friendly and offers delightful regional cakes, fresh bread, meals and coffees. It is a cafe with tradition and delicacies. All their ingredients are fair trade and organic resulting in phenomenal quality. However, their service is also second to none!

They also have a wonderful gift shop with local chocolates, jams, tees, coffees, schnapps, biscuits, sweets and sometimes hartier meals such as Labskaus in tins, which is an old sailor’s dish (basically ground roast beef with potatoes, vegetables and red beets). There you will definitely find some wonderful gifts or souvenirs to take home with you! 

With this cafe you are sure to not be doing any harm to the environment as they have environmentally friendly packaging, only consume green energy, use only ingredients from the region that are seasonally grown, are socially responsible as they donate all their leftovers to local charities, for example, food shelters and offset all carbon dioxide that they produce. They also offer a 50% discount on all their fresh products starting from an hour before they close to minimize waste and let their customers in on a fair discount. But the main reason to go is their fresh and delicious dishes and wonderfully aromatic coffees.

Address: Brodschrangen 1-5, more information visit: https://mutterland.de/

Elbgold Kaffeerösterei

The Elbgold Kaffeerösterei is located in the middle of Hamburg’s alternative district, or the Schanzen quarters. It stands for high quality and directly traded coffee from Costa Rica, Ethiopia, Honduras and other locations. It is fair traded coffee that is excellently brewed. Here you can find dozens of different coffee styles, so you are sure to find the best suited coffee for you and your friends.

The Cafe has a modern look but also offers a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy their pastries and coffee while maybe checking some emails or doing some quick errands online. It also offers a lot of space as it is located in the former historical slaughterhouse complex. But no worries, those bloody days are over and it is home to many gourmet restaurants as well as the Ratsherrn Brewery next door. You can also buy packaged coffee beans to take home with you or an array of specialty coffee filtration systems so you can brew like the professionals at home.

They strictly keep the environment in mind as they offer reusable cups that can be washed instead of thrown away. A huge plus for every conscious minded coffee lover!

Address: Lagerstraße 34c; For more information visit: www.elbgoldshop.com

This Blog was written by Brent Foster from Robin and the Tourguides. If visiting Hamburg be sure to visit the Free Tours from Robin and the Tourguides. We are looking forward to welcoming you soon to the city!

10 Best Things to do in Hamburg

10 Best Things to do in Hamburg

by | Jan 27, 2021 | Uncategorized

If you are planning a trip to Germany, be sure to have Hamburg on the radar. Not only does Hamburg offer a wide range of activities to enjoy but is till now still an insider’s secret as far as wonderful destinations in Germany are concerned. From the infamous Reeperbahn to the beautiful city centre and the impressive harbour, you will be amazed from this incredibly diverse and vibrant city.

Here are our 10 top tips of must see things to do when visiting our unique city!

Take a free tour or two

The best way to get a feeling for what the city has to offer is to go on our free tours. You will get a great introduction to the city with historical and cultural background knowledge to further enhance your stay afterwards. It is a great overview of what to see here in the city in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.

We offer two different free tours. Our Historic City Centre Tour starts everyday at 11:00 a.m. in front of the Rathaus in English and German* and gives an in depth overview of how the city began, its roots, historical burdens and knowledge of the city in general.

Our Harbour/St.Pauli tour shows you the powerhouse of the city economically, the ports as well as the alternative red light district. We discuss not only the historical aspects of the city but also the up to date insights and cultural aspects shaping the city. From containers to gentrification, everything is in this tour. This tour starts everyday at 2:00 p.m. at the Landungsbrücken Nr. 5 (right next to the Hard Rock Cafe)*.

The best thing about these two free tours is that you can take both of them in one day with an hour break in between to get something to eat or drink! At the end of the tour you can decide for yourself how much the tour was worth. This means everyone is welcome to join the tour no matter what your budget is. Because you decide how much the tour is worth, your guide is motivated to give you a top notch experience! (*please check our website for times and availabilities due to the Corona pandemic)

Visit the new concert hall, the Elbphilharmonie

Visiting the new concert hall in the city is a must see thing to do while here in the city. completed the end of 2016 it has become a cherished symbol of what the city is capable of achieving if we stick together. Designed by the two world renowned Swiss architects, Herzog and De Meuron it is a breathtaking statement towards the city’s music institutions.

Entrance to the Elbphilharmonie plaza is free for the public and you will enjoy wonderful views of the surrounding harbour and Hafencity, a brand new district that is still being developed today. You can also visit their Störtebeker Craft Bier Bar with dozens of handcrafted beers to try all while enjoying a first class view of the city.

Integrated into the building is also a five star hotel, the Westin, luxury apartments, 2 chamber music halls and a restaurant. But the main disposition of this building is by far the flareful architecture inside and outside. Built on an old cocoa warehouse which today is the parking structure, the Elbphilharmonie is resemblant of sails on a tall sailing boat with its glass facade shining in the sunshine. Also, just the entrance to the building gives you an impression of the gravitas of the building with Europe’s longest curved escalator, bringing its visitors to the main look out platform.

With a bit of luck, you can also buy last minute tickets directly at the entrance of the Elbphilharmonie. Our facette is, the Elbphilharmonie is definitely worth a visit!

Hamburg’s true Landmark, the St. Michael’s Church

Originally built from 1647-1669 the St. Michael’s church is the largest and most important church in Hamburg today. Of course, as with most older buildings in the city it was burnt down a few times only to be rebuilt as one of the best examples of baroque architecture in Germany. It is a protestant building but the stunning details and opelanceness will likely impress even most catholic followers. It is also home to 5 beautiful sounding organs, including the echo organ located in the ceiling of the church

To get a great view of the city from up above you can also go up the steeple. from 106 metres above the ground you can see the whole city, from the lovely alster lakes in the north to the ports in the south. It only costs 5€ (discounts for students are available) and there is a lift you can take to the top, or for the brave ones, you can also take the stairs if you want.

As well as the steeple, one can also visit the crypt of the church where many famous people have been buried, for example, Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach, One of Johann Sebastian Bach’s 20 children, known as the “Hamburg Bach”. He was the church organist and music director from 1768 till his death in 1788. Many of his works are still performed in the Church today and even an Organ is dedicated to him.

Today, you can enjoy their organ concert every day at 12 o’clock which lasts about 20-30 minutes and is free to listen to. Of course, they do ask for donations for the upkeep and maintenance of the church so please feel free to give a euro or two on the way out so everyone can enjoy this stunningly beautiful church in the future.

The impressive Town Hall

Just a 7 minute walk from the central station is the gem of the city, its town hall or Rathaus in German. Completed in 1897, it is an amazing example of Neo-Renaissance architecture and the home today of the city’s parlement, senate and mayor’s office. The ploritha of details put into the town hall make it an outstanding building and a wonderful photo motiv.

Tours of the inside are also offered. They cost around 5€/person and it takes about 45 minutes. You will see some of the most impressive rooms of the town hall with its many ornaments, paintings, wood-crafts, statues, reliefs, among many other things symbolically important to the city.

Also be sure to take a look at the back courtyard of the town Hall with the hygia fountain. It is as beautiful as the front side. Also, located just behind the town hall is also the stock exchange of the city. Visitors are welcome to visit the museum and Hamburg Welcome Center inside.

The immense Art Hall (Kunsthalle)

If you are an art lover or not, the Kunsthalle is an incredible place to discover some renowned artists from Germany and all of Europe. Not only do they have a collection of paintings but also display ever changing galleries from important European artists.

The museum is split into four different topics: Old Masters, 19th century art, modern art and contemporary art with hundreds of relevant artists’ work on display. This museum is large so make sure you plan enough time to do it justice.

Entrance price is only 14€ (discounts for students and free entry for children) and it is open 10:00 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. (Thursdays till 7:30 p.m.) and the entrance for the library is free of charge. Also, for a small extra price, public tours are offered inside the museum or headset tours are also on demand.

The Landungsbrücken

What better way to see the harbour than the Landungsbrücken, the historic port of departure for millions of immigrants to the new world! This is a great place to see some historic museum ships like the Rickmer Rickmers, stroll along the waterfront and catch a ferry to see the city from the Elbe river.

You can also be charmed by the ticket sellers of the harbour boat tours every meter or two with their catchy phrases and engage in an enjoyable tour throughout the Speicherstadt and container terminals. Have you ever seen a modern day mega container ship up close? How on earth can they store 23 thousand containers on board at once? Well till you get up and personal to one you might doubt, but astounding afterwards, it might not be so difficult to imagine.

A quick visit to Captain Black (Kapitan Schwarz) in the middle of the parking lot at Landungsbrücken Nr. 6 for a quick snack, a traditional fish roll (Fischbrötchen), and then to the Old Elbe-Tunnel. A tunnel first completed in 1911 that takes you to the other side of the Elbe river for some wonderful views of the city. The best thing is, it is for free! Either take the stairs or the traditional lifts originally built for horse and buggies. Yes, that is why they are so tall, to make room for the horse whips while going through the tunnel.

Throughout the tunnel you will also enjoy the historic tiles with reliefs of lobsters, fish, and tall sailing boats. An added bonus is that you can cool off in the tunnel during the hot summer days. The tunnel has been recently renovated so it is easily accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists.

Fish Market (Fischmarkt)

One of the most vibrant markets in all of Germany, Hamburg’s Fish Market is also something worthwhile while visiting the City. With Hundreds of stands located all along the Elbe river, You can buy anything that is nailed or bolted down. The fish market happens once a week, every Sunday from 5:00 a.m. till 9:30 a.m. It is early but definitely worth a visit.

But the traditional thing to buy are tropical fruit baskets for 10€ a piece. For insiders, the secret to haggling here is not to try and get things cheaper but rather more stuff for your money. It is typical that, for example, the fruit basket sellers will just keep filling and filling the basket with fruits until someone buys it for 10€… so an auctioneer’s patience is sometimes helpful here.

If you are not looking for fruit, there are a lot of other things you can buy at the fish market, from chocolate, sweets, food, to fresh fish, smoked eels, clothing and souvigners.

A lot of people go out on Saturday night, party the whole night through and when the sun starts coming up in the morning they go to the fish market where the partying keeps on going. You can listen and dance to live musik in the main auction hall and enjoy a nice fish roll (Fischbrötchen) and a morning beer to start the day off.

The main thing though that the fish market is known for are the market yellers! People yelling into the market putting on a show so you will buy their stuff. Many times they have very cheeky sayings to draw your attention and will be throwing samples through the air. So don’t get hit by a flying fish.

The Miniature Wunderland

Hamburg’s Nr. 1 Tourist attraction and Germany’s top rated museum is in the heart of the Speicherstadt (historic warehouse district). It is the Miniature Wonderland and boasts to be the largest miniature railway train set in the world. It opened its doors in 2001 and has been growing ever since. Now they have even built a bridge across the historical warehouse canal to expand even further into a neighboring warehouse.

With over 1,000 trains, 9,000 automobiles and 260,000 figures this place is meant to be just as amazing as spectacular. There are varying countries that are represented with their newest start being Monaco with a full functioning race track.

Also there is the Scandinavian ports with ships docking. If you are coming in on a cruise ship, be sure to keep an eye out for if they have a miniature ship of yours. The highlight of the Miniature Wonderland though is their full functioning airport with airports landing and taking off throughout the world. If you are lucky, you might even see the Millenial Falcon fly by!

Day and night time are simulated every 10 minutes and with over 385,000 miniature LED lights, you are sure to get some great miniature landscape photos. The best thing is that they even have a miniature Hamburg including all of its highlights.

Entrance costs 20€ per Person with discounts for children, seniors and handicapped persons. But be sure to book a time online because you can easily wait sometimes up to 8 hours in the que just to get in. If you book a time online though, you can go straight in without waiting in line.

St.Pauli, the Reeperbahn

 

For a good night out St.Pauli is the place to visit and the main street in St.Pauli is the infamous Reeperbahn! With hundreds of clubs and bars you can find whatever music style you want to enjoy the night away.

Some bars literally never close in St.Pauli but most tend to open at around 8:00 p.m. while it is still a bit quiet. The real partying starts at around 10:00-11:00 p.m. and goes every night open end. From DJs, live bands, karaoke, Konzerts and playback, you can dance till your heart stops. Notorious clubs such as the Mojo, Molotov, Kaiserkeller among others offer local and international bands for a more than fair price.

Being in the red light district, you can also find top notch strip tease for both men and women. The Dollhouse probably being one of the most famous of them where you can pay the stripers with dollhouse dollars. Be warned though, there are strip-tease clubs that are entrance free but will con and rip you off with exorbitantly expensive drinks. As a rule of thumb, any strip tease club that has free entrance is a no-go Tourist trap!

Also, one street over from the Reeperbahn is the F.C. St.Pauli football stadium. Be sure to visit their fan shop for iconic memorabilia from this world renowned club. Although they are still in the 2nd German football league, they are widely known for their tolerant and inclusive spirit towards LGBTQ community, feminists, punks, socially disadvantaged people, and everyone else that is open to other people and alternative lifestyles.

An insider tip for St.Pauli is the “Twenty-Up” bar in the Empire Riverside Hotel. On the twentieth floor is a cocktail bar with an outstanding view of the Harbour. Especially at night time it is worth a visit to see the lights of the ports. There is a dress-code, so no sneakers, jogging pants or hoodies are allowed.

The Chocoversum chocolate museum

If you are a chocolate lover, and let’s be honest, who is not, then a visit to the Chocoversum is a dream come true. Not only does this museum show you every process of making chocolate, but you get to smell and taste your way through each and every step, starting with a fresh cocoa pod to the finished product.

This museum is run by Hachez, a European renowned Chocolatier and uses real historic machines to make their delicious chocolates. Visiting the museum you have to take a mandatory tour, because they are making real chocolate inside. On the 90 minute Tour, you will learn about the plantations process, drying and roasting of the beans, transport methods, and refinement of this wonderful food. and at the end you even get to make your own chocolate bar to either take home for later or give as a present to friends or family.

Located in the UNESCO world heritage area of the Kontorhaus quarter, directly across from the historic Chilehaus, it is a perfect atmosphere for the cozy museum. And because Hamburg is the largest importer of cocoa in Europe, it has a fitting place here in the city.