The cultures are incredibly diverse everywhere. A true melting pot of not only different nationalities but also of cultures.This reflects in the shops, in the arts, in the restaurants, in the atmosphere in the street.
Our goal was to have a nice weekend as a couple's celebration of Easter. It was a get away programme that would suffer a bit having shops closed for 2 of the 3 days we would pass there. That would actually end up fine, as there are long walks to have in Hamburg with beautiful views a and so much to do.
We stayed at Novum Style Hotel in a very diverse area, with many Turkish, Arab, Syrian restaurants. The movement of people in the streets is a constant, and that made it so vibrant. The hotel had a small but cozy bedroom. We decided not to take the breakfast, as we knew we would have lots of choices around. The location is excellent as we could walk to the centre in 15 minutes, passing the impressive train station, aways so busy, and so gigantic inside. Take a coffee and stop to realize the different people around.
The busy comercial street Monckebergstrasse i a beutiful open avenue of amazing buildings with the most popular shops. The intensity of the city is mostly felt in here, where people are rushing everywhere. Time for a german beer and enjoy the nice terraces in the sun.
Although distance appear short, you end up walking a lot. We took the direction of the Townhall and it is impressive the square. The size of it is impressive. Take your time to realize the details of the building and adventure to go inside. It is impressive neo-renaissance style.
Take a sandwiche and enjoy the view in Binnenalster where hundreds of people are sitting and relaxing.
I advise to do the following route in the end of the afternoon, when the sun is almost ready to set. Head south in the direction of Elbphilharmonie building. The streets across the water canals are so nice and calm at this hour.
The Elbphilharmonie is a monster building! I did not know about it until I have seen it. It is considered one of the most advanced acoustic Concert Halls in the world. I will be back for sure to take a chance a see an orchestra show. It cost nearly 800 million euros, so I think it's not so bad to pay a ticket and realize how it sounds. Outside it is a wonder!
We took the direction of St. Pauli with the sunset.... The colors are impressive. A golden blue with a very calm and relaxed atmosphere. The city starts to glue with the water and it is quite cinematic with the metro on top of us.
St. Pauli is where a big fair is standing. A gigantic funfair and a street full of nightclubs. It is quite embarrassing, but after 15km walking, we decided to not go thru a nightclub. Next time we will!
Don't miss the urban street art of Hamburg. There is no reason to buy a museum ticket when you can just admire outside and paying no fee for amazing displays of art. The neighborhoods are around St. Pauli.
You also can't miss the boat trip that will come for cheap. The HVV ferry will cost a ticket of public transportation and will take you around a 50 minutes experience. Look for Landungsbruecken ferry number 62 and buy your ticket outside in the machines or just inside the goat. It usually crowded but it is a very small price to pay. The view is impressive and you can enjoy and rest your legs with the sea grease.
