This weblog accommodates affiliate hyperlinks and is a member of the Amazon Companies LLC Associates Program. For those who make a purchase order utilizing certainly one of these hyperlinks, I could earn a small fee at no further value to you. This helps hold this content material free.
What are you able to do with 24 hours in Hamburg? Quite a bit, it seems! Sam and I kicked off our current journey to Germany within the northern port metropolis of Hamburg, and whereas we solely had one full day to discover, we hit the bottom working able to eat, see and do as a lot as doable.
After a stable night time’s relaxation, we appeared to have kicked the jet lag, and we spent our day exploring the red-brick warehouses of Speicherstadt, touring the port by boat, consuming our fill of pickled herring, having fun with town views from Elbphilharmonie Plaza, collaborating in a chocolate-making workshop and an entire lot extra.
So if an action-packed day appears like your concept of a great time, learn on for our 1-day itinerary to Hamburg!
24 Hours in Hamburg: A One Day Itinerary
Discover Speicherstadt on foot
We kicked off our morning in Hamburg with a stroll by way of Speicherstadt. That is the most important warehouse district on the earth, however I guarantee you it’s way more magical than its title suggests; after I say warehouses, I’m speaking about Neo-Gothic red-brick constructions that stand on timber foundations alongside the canals.
Speicherstadt is positioned in Hamburg’s port space inside the HafenCity quarter, and it’s in all probability the picture that involves thoughts whenever you hear town’s title.
The buildings right here date from 1883 to 1927 and they’re artistic endeavors. These warehouses have towers, alcoves and cranes that have been as soon as used for loading items on and off boats.
It’s no shock that Speicherstadt can be listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site.
This Hamburg Strolling Tour explores the Speicherstadt District, the Outdated City and the Elbe River, so it’s a pleasant introduction to town.
We spent the morning crisscrossing the neighbourhood and wandering down again lanes with cameras in hand. It was a stroll and not using a explicit vacation spot in thoughts, however that’s how we take pleasure in experiencing a brand new metropolis.
Our favorite discover of the day was the Espresso Plaza, the place I acquired Mr. Espresso Fanatic to pose in entrance of the roasted espresso bean.
Attempt a pickled herring sandwich
Then we went in quest of meals! Being the foodies that we’re, Sam and I have been very excited to strive the Fischbrötchen.
This can be a conventional dish that’s highly regarded in Northern Germany resulting from its proximity to the North Sea and Baltic Sea.
The dish consists of fish on a bun (sometimes herring) with numerous toppings that may embody onions, pickles and numerous sauces.
We tried those at Brücke 10 on St Pauli Landungsbrücken, which got here extremely beneficial.
We ended up ordering two totally different interpretations of the dish: Sam acquired the basic pickled herring on a bun which is named the Bismarck, and I selected the fried and marinated herring generally known as the Brathering.
Each herrings have been served with white onions on a freshly baked bun. The sandwiches have been scrumptious and made for a superb meal on the go on a busy day of sightseeing.
Stroll throughout the Outdated Elbe Tunnel
The Elbe Tunnel first opened in 1911 as each a pedestrian and automobile tunnel that allowed folks to get to the opposite facet of the Elbe River.
The occasion was an enormous sensation because it basically linked central Hamburg with the docks and shipyard space, making the commute to work in one of many world’s largest harbours a lot simpler.
Right here you had these two 6-meter diameter tubes buried 24 meters beneath the floor and working 426 meters in size. How handy!
Right this moment, the Outdated Elbe Tunnel remains to be in use by each locals and guests.
As a way to attain the tunnel, you’ll be able to take the spiralling stairs or trip the previous elevators with their rattling picket doorways.
It truly is an expertise, and whereas we technically didn’t must get to the opposite facet of the Elbe, we nonetheless loved strolling throughout.
Take a ship tour of the Port of Hamburg
One other exercise that we did in Hamburg was to take a tour of the port. There are quite a few tour operators to select from, so that you’ll have plenty of choices relying in your price range and the way lengthy you wish to be out on the water.
We ended up doing the basic 1-hour tour with Barkassen-Meyer. They’ve one each day departure in English from April to October; in any other case, the commentary is in German, however they do provide you with a booklet that has info on all of the landmarks alongside the route.
This tour lets you see some main metropolis landmarks from the water and in addition expertise a working port.
It was wonderful to see how the enormous cargo ships have been loaded with containers proper in entrance of our eyes. I felt tiny as we cruised previous.
A substitute for the boat tour is to trip ferry #72, which does a triangular circuit from Landungsbrücken Brücke 1 to Arningstraße to Elbphilharmonie.
You gained’t get to listen to any historical past or see the working port up shut and private, however when you simply need a style of being out on the water, then it’s very nice sitting on the highest deck and doing a loop or two.
For one thing rather less conventional, this Hamburg crusing journey aboard a two-masted picket sailboat is a novel approach to soak up the sights.
Be a part of a chocolate-making workshop
One of many funnest actions we did in Hamburg was take a chocolate-making workshop at Chocoversum.
That is Hamburg’s very personal chocolate museum, and over the course of 90 minutes, we acquired to listen to a short historical past of chocolate-making and make some chocolate of our personal. We have been significantly excited for the latter!
As soon as contained in the chocolate laboratory, we have been tasked with creating our dream chocolate bar. We might select between milk chocolate or darkish chocolate, and add a complete of three particular elements (any extra and it will overwhelm the chocolate bar).
I made a milk chocolate bar with roasted coconut, cranberries and amarettini. In the meantime, Sam made a milk chocolate bar that includes sugar-coated ginger bits, coconut and white chocolate chips.
We then left our chocolate bars to chill within the fridge whereas we continued with the remainder of our guided tour by way of Chocoversum.
Alongside the way in which, we acquired to strive the cacao bean as soon as it’s been roasted, and we additionally acquired to pattern chocolate at totally different levels of manufacturing. It was a extremely enjoyable interactive expertise and one which I feel can work for each adults and kids.
Attending to take the sweets residence as a memento was a very nice contact…even when we ate them earlier than going again residence to Canada.
Go up the Elbphilarmonie Plaza
Later that night, we went to the Elbphilarmonie, which is a large live performance corridor positioned in Hamburg’s HafenCity quarter.
The constructing combines a glass construction that sits atop a former brick warehouse. Some say the construction is supposed to resemble a hoisted sail, whereas others say it’s a wave and even an iceberg.
I feel the interpretation of a hoisted sail could be very becoming given Hamburg’s historical past as one of many world’s main ports.
Whereas we didn’t get to attend a live performance, we did make it as much as the statement deck, generally known as the Elbphilarmonie Plaza, which is positioned on the eighth flooring.
You’ll be able to stroll the total perimeter of the deck for 360-degree views of town; you’ll be able to look out over the port, watch because the cranes proceed to develop HafenCity, peep the steeples within the metropolis centre, and get an concept of how unfold out Hamburg actually is.
We went at sundown and whereas it was a bit of bit overcast, we nonetheless loved the expertise.
Go to Miniatur Wunderland
Although our go to to Hamburg could have been transient, we knew we couldn’t miss visiting one of many metropolis’s most famed points of interest, Miniatur Wunderland!
It’s sort of exhausting to explain this place, however think about a scale mannequin of the world with a concentrate on transportation. The truth is, Miniatur Wunderland is residence to the most important mannequin railway on the earth!
Inside you’ll discover 15,715 meters of prepare tracks that recreate epic prepare journeys throughout Europe, there’s a miniature airport full with LED lights that simulate take-offs and landings, after which you’ve got these unimaginable scenes of vacation locations throughout Europe – all in miniature scale!
My favorite half was watching the trains journey by way of the Alps – it made me wish to hop on a prepare and see these locations in actual life and life-sized!
Earlier than visiting, I sort of thought this place was only for households with youngsters, however I used to be shocked by how a lot I loved it.
Have dinner at NENI Hamburg
We ended our 24 hours in Hamburg with dinner at NENI Hamburg, an Israeli restaurant positioned within the Altes Hafenamt Resort.
I ordered their Jerusalem platter which had a mattress of hummus with dollops of tahini, drizzled olive oil, chunks of roast hen, crimson and inexperienced peppers, and pita bread. It was a feast of a meal and I loved each final chew.
In the meantime, Sam couldn’t go away Hamburg with out attempting a hamburger, so he acquired a burger with a twist! He ordered the pulled beef burger braised in maple syrup and served on a brioche bun with cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, pickled chilli and a facet of spicy candy potato fries with mango aioli.
A really memorable dinner!
Spend the night time at Resort Altes Hafenamt
Throughout our keep in Hamburg, we stayed on the 25hours Resort Altes Hafenamt.
The resort is positioned in a historic Neo-Gothic, red-brick constructing that was previously the Port Authority Constructing, and it additionally occurs to be the oldest constructing in HafenCity.
One of the best a part of the keep was being located inside strolling distance of Speicherstadt.
This, in my view, is the perfect neighbourhood for anybody visiting town since you are surrounded by Hamburg’s historic red-brick buildings and you actually get a way of this being a port metropolis with the various bridges, canals, and all of the boat exercise within the harbour.
And that concludes our 24 hours in Hamburg! As you’ll be able to see there’s fairly a bit to do within the metropolis, and whereas we solely scratched the floor, we have been fairly proud of the whole lot we managed to expertise with one full day within the metropolis.
This was an awesome introduction to Hamburg and we nonetheless have loads left to see on a future go to to Germany.
Subsequent up is our day journey to Lüneburg, which is a brilliant straightforward vacation spot to go to from Hamburg.
This journey was made doable in partnership with the German Nationwide Vacationer Board and Hamburg Ahoi.
