Harbour & St. Pauli Tour
What awaits you
- Gate to the World: Landungsbrücken
- Largest port in Germany and it´s dramatic challenges
- squatters’ homes: Hafenstrasse
- The famous Reeperbahn
- Beatles Square: how and where the Beatles became famous
- Pubs, bars and clubs: hidden, smoky, infamous
- The most famous police station in Germany: Davidwache
Pay what you think is fair
English or German
Duration 2 hours
Starts next to the
Hard Rock Café
Ends at Davidwache
Book Your Free Tour
Impressions
Highlights
Discover the variety of Hamburg´s old red-light district of St. Pauli, its ties to the river and the harbor, its small side streets are home to artists, anarchists, political activists, dreamers, misfits, hookers, punks, refugees, retired sailors, failed musicians, coming stars, and enjoy the place where The Beatles had their breakthrough on this free walking tour! Tours run in both English and German and are delivered by our #1 rated professional Hamburg tour guides. The Highlights are:
- The Landungsbrücken
- the importance of the port and it´s dramatic challenges
- the Fish Market: how a fish auction turns into a party
- low tides; high tides; storm tides: the next tide will be coming!
- squatters’ homes: Hafenstrasse
- The famous Reeperbahn (a great intro into the area before you return to party later).
- Große Freiheit, Beatles square: how and where the Beatles became famous in the 60s
- Pubs, bars and clubs: hidden, smoky, infamous
- where the nightlife prospers: Hans-Albers-Platz, Herbertstraße, Davidwache
This tour is barrier-free.
Disclaimer
Participation in tours which are promoted by Robin and the Tourguides is on a purely voluntary basis. Neither Robin and the Tourguides nor the self-employed freelance guides who are the providers of the tours promoted by Robin and the Tourguides, will be held responsible in any way for injuries to body or property incurred during tours. The tour guides reserve the right to deny participation in any tour, to any person, for any reason. Thank you for your understanding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are free tours?
Free tours do not have a fixed price that you have to pay. You are welcome to join the tours regardless of your budget. At the end of the tour the guests are free to decide about a fair price they want to pay the guide for the tour. All our guides will accept an amount that you feel is fair.
Who pays the guide?
Unlike what many think, we are not paid by the city of Hamburg. We are an independent private company and we do not receive money or compensation from any organisations.
The money from the guide’s guests is all that he/she earns for the tour. The guide has to pay a fixed amount per guest to the company for advertising, administration, etc… The guide then keeps what is left after tax deduction.
For most of us being a tour guide is our main job. We do this full time. That is why we appreciate when guests honor our work accordingly.
Can you live with what you earn as guides?
This depends, of course, on how much our guests give us at the end of the free tour. 🙂 All our guides are freelancers that have to pay taxes, health care, pension funds, and on top of that, their living costs. We gladly take everyone with a low budget on our tours but the free tour system is only feasible if everyone who can afford it honours the guides’ work accordingly. We appreciate every contribution given!
I didn't have the time to register! / Registration didn't work!
Don’t worry! We are nice people and will try to take you on the tour nevertheless. 🙂 In most cases, this will also work out well.
We are a group. Can we join a free tour?
Yes you can – if you are no more than 7 persons. Groups larger than 7 persons have to book a private tour with us.
To book a private tour please click here.
Do your free tours take place today?
Yes they do, even if the weather is bad. We might cancel a tour if there’s a pandemic or an earthquake around, though.
If you can book it on this website then it takes place!
Where and when do the tours start?
The Historic City Center Tour starts daily at 11 am in front of the main entrance of the Town Hall (Rathaus). The Harbour and St. Pauli Tour starts daily at 2 pm at Landungsbrücken, bridge No. 5 next to the Hard Rock Café.
How do I recognize the guide?
Our guides will be holding a bright yellow umbrella at the meeting point.
What should I bring to the tour?
Please, dress well according to the weather! This means: if the weather is hot, bring lots of water and sunscreen. If the weather is cold and rainy, bring plenty of warm clothes! Two hours in the cold actually feels much colder than you would think! Hamburg is also a windy city so don’t buy cheap umbrellas for €3 because they will only last 5 minutes.
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Historic City Centre – Free Tour
This tour is a perfect opportunity to get acquainted with the beauty and charm Hamburg has to offer. It incorporates the all around aspects to get to know the city and what the city has to offer.