The famous Hamburg neighbourhoods of Hafencity and Speicherstadt

We had a great day in the amazing Hamburg neighbourhoods of Hafencity and Speicherstadt. 

There was some light rain as we set out in the morning. This was in contrast to yesterday’s sunshine when we explored Hamburg’s Chilihaus, Rathaus and of course the Reeperbahn.

Hafencity

We started our day in Hafencity, Hamburg’s vibrant forward thinking neighbourhood. After a light breakfast in Wildes Fräulein we had a look around.

There were some really quirky buildings around this waterfront area, including the Marco Polo Tower and Uberseeboulevard.

Elbphilharmonie Hamburg

We continued walking through Hafencity to Elbphilharmonie. Opened in 2017 it’s made of red brick and glass. The brick section was originally a warehouse.

This is an awe-inspiring building that dominates Hafencity. This concert hall is one of the largest and also the most acoustically advanced in the world.

We were surprised that it was free to enter and we made our way up the longest escalator in Europe. It’s 82 metres long and has bubble style artwork along the way.

The escalator leads to a plaza and the concert halls. Around the edge of the building is a viewing balcony which boasts amazing views of Hamburg and the river Elbe.

Harry’s Hamburger Hafenbasar

With the sun finally coming out for us, we boarded what appeared to be a boat bar for a drink overlooking the waterfront.

It turned out to be a lot more than that. Not only was it a boat bar, but there was a random independent museum downstairs called Harry’s Hamburger Hafenbasar.

This small museum contained curiosities gathered by sailors from their voyages around the world over the years. The collection included sculptures from Africa and Asia. Hayley’s favourite display was the shrunken heads. Could she be a secret witch doctor?

Pickled herring sandwich

Just a few feet away from the museum we came across a fish sandwich kiosk. They say you can’t come to Hamburg and not try this delicacy, so who was I to argue?

I opted for a pickled herring sandwich with raw onions. I didn’t expect it would be bloody delicious, but it was! Hayley wasn’t brave enough to try one, so she bought a bratwurst instead. What a chicken!

Speicherstadt

Next it was time to stroll over from Hafencity to the neighbourhood of Speicherstadt.

Speicherstadt is the old warehouse district of Hamburg. It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

These seven story red brick warehouses seemingly rise out of the canals below them. We found an amazing viewpoint to really appreciate the view.

The warehouses run for quite a distance too. As well as housing businesses, there were a number of cafes and bars here.

Binnenalster Lake

We then walked to Binnenalster, known in English as the Inner Alster Lake. It is one of two artificial lakes in Hamburg formed by the river Alster.

As we walked along the lake we could feel the spray from the Alster Fountain. Even though it was quite a distance from the banks.

Quite a lot of people were sitting on the banks of the lakes, probably because it’s a bank holiday Monday in Germany.

St. Pauli Landungsbrücken

Before our evening meal, we had a walk along the waterfront by the St. Pauli Lansing bridges.

Obviously this is where city boat trips set sail from. The promenade next to it is full of buskers, bars and cafes.

Blockbräu

For our evening meal, we made our way to Blockbräu, a German restaurant in Landungsbrücken. It brews its own beer on-site.

I opted for crisp roast suckling pig with sauerkraut and mashed potato. It was very tasty and the beer washed it down nicely.

We have one more day in Hamburg tomorrow and can’t wait to discover more of this city.

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1 Comment

  1. Inspiration from a Jack. You should become the new manager

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