Northern Germany has its unique beauty, culture and charms, and the city that stands out in this region is certainly Hamburg. This important port city has attractions for all tastes: museums, stores with famous international brands, great restaurants, urban center, and proximity to charming little towns.
In addition to attracting travelers who are embarking and disembarking on cruises in the ports of Kiel, Warnemünde and the city of Hamburg itself, it is possible to take a day trip on the high-speed trains that depart from Berlin.
However, we strongly recommend staying for at least two days in Hamburg, to get to know a little about this cosmopolitan city, once essential for the development of not only Germany, but today one of the country's financial centers. In this post we will indicate five unmissable attractions for visitors to Hamburg.
Internationales Maritimes Museum (Hamburg International Maritime Museum)
As it is a port city, the museum's theme has a close connection with Hamburg. Located in Speicherstadt and founded in 2008, after a partnership with the city hall with Mr. Peter Tamm, a great enthusiast of the naval theme, who comes from a traditional family, and from a young age cultivated the hobby of collecting replicas of boats. Over the years, contributions from other collectors and friends resulted in a brilliant collection available for viewing.
The museum has a wide variety of exhibitions, where each floor has a theme, such as miniatures, uniforms, oceanography. In addition to offering guided tours with different themes, the museum has a navigation simulator. If you're not sure which museum to visit in Hamburg, this is certainly a great option. See our interview with Mr. Damián, museum historian.
Speicherstadt
One of the best-known scenes in Hamburg are the traditional warehouses, with red brick facades, built in the 19th century, with the initial purpose of housing the goods that passed through the port of Hamburg. However, with the advent of containers, warehouses became obsolete for this use, and today they are part of the city's daily life in another way.
Currently, many companies have offices and rooms in these warehouses, in addition to housing museums, such as the Internationales Maritimes Museum that we saw previously and the Miniatur Wunderland that we will see later.
The Speicherstadt region is a great option for a pleasant walk, with stops at interesting points, such as those mentioned in the post, getting to know the bridges and canals that bathe this historic place. Ah, a stop at the Kaffermuseum Burg to learn about the history of coffee and try one at the on-site coffee maker is recommended.
miniature wonderland
Also located in the Speicherstadt, this attraction is the most visited in Hamburg, even purchasing tickets in advance is valid, especially during periods of high demand. Despite being considered a model railroad museum (the largest in the world), the environment takes us to a magical world, where everything is incredibly small.
At Miniatur Wunderland, visitors will experience the world in miniature, literally. There are different scenarios with attractions and landscapes from all over the world, from a replica of the Vesuvius volcano in Italy to the city of Hamburg itself.
The wealth of details is truly impressive, and surprising for both adults and children, a great tour option for families or even travelers on an individual tour.
Neuengamme concentration camp memorial
Many travelers come to Germany with the expectation of knowing a little more, getting to know places of historical importance not only for the country, especially those involving wars, with an emphasis on World Wars I and II. For these travelers, Hamburg has very interesting places in its region, such as the tank museum, bunkers and also, different from what many imagine, a concentration camp.
Located in the Neuengamme district, about 30 minutes by car, you can see the Memorial of the concentration camp in this city, like most of the attractions on this theme in Germany, we seek to emphasize the educational nature of this sad episode experienced in the past , being a tour that will stimulate visitor awareness.
It is possible to schedule guided tours at the Memorial, and entry for individual visits is free. Remembering that the attraction is not recommended for children under 12 years old.
Fish: typical food
Fish is certainly a major player in northern German cuisine, especially in Hamburg. Due to social and regional issues, this food has long been part of Hamburgers' meals. Among them, two dishes with this ingredient stand out: Pannfisch and Fischbrotchen.
The first is basically made up of pieces of fish, cooked in a frying pan and accompanied by potatoes (a prominent ingredient in German cuisine) covered in a sauce that varies.
The Fischbrotchen is a fish sandwich. Marinated herring is generally used, with bread, onion, lettuce and sauce, which may vary according to the restaurant.
In addition to these attractions and tips, Hamburg has much more to offer, including in its region, where you can easily discover charming cities on the Fairytale Route in a quick train journey!
