Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [601]
HafenCity will be connected to the Hauptbahnhof and several other central transport hubs when the new U-Bahn line (U4) opens in late 2011.
You can pick up brochures (in German and English) and check out detailed architectural models and installations at the HafenCity InfoCenter ( 3690 1799; www.hafencity.com; Am Sandtorkai 30; admission free; 10am-6pm Tue, Wed & Fri-Sun, to 8pm Thu May-Sep), which also has a cafe. The centre offers a program of free guided tours through the evolving district.
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Port of Hamburg
Sprawling over 75 sq km (12% of Hamburg’s entire surface area), each year some 12,000 ships deliver and take on some 70 million tonnes of goods at Hamburg’s huge port.
Climbing the steps above the Landungsbrücken U-/S-Bahn station to the Stintfang stone balcony offers an interesting snapshot, while dozens of port and Elbe River cruises, starting at the St Pauli Harbour Landungsbrücken, put you right in the middle of the action.
Operators at the Landungsbrücken include the following:
Abicht ( 317 8220; www.abicht.de; Brücke 1; 1hr tour adult/child €12/6; English-language tours noon Apr-Oct) Also offers Saturday evening tours taking you past the illuminated warehouses (departure times vary according to tides).
Hadag ( 311 7070; www.hadag.de; Brücke 2; adult/under 16yr 1hr tour incl audioguide €11/5; up to 4 times daily year-round) Has a Lower Elbe service (Click here), too.
Maritime Circle Line ( 2849 3963; www.maritime-circle-line.de; Brücke 10 adult/under 15yr €8/5; 3-5 times daily) Harbour shuttle service connecting Hamburg’s maritime cultural attractions. The entire loop takes around 95 minutes; you can hop on or off at any of its stops.
At the piers, you’ll also find the 1886 three-masted steel windjammer Rickmer Rickmers ( 319 5959; www.rickmer-rickmers.de; Brücke 1; adult/child €3/2; 10am-6pm), now a museum ship and restaurant. The nearby 10,000-tonne Cap San Diego ( 364 209; adult/child €6/2.50) hosts some interesting temporary exhibitions on immigration and shipping.
Near the landing piers, the grey structure topped by a copper cupola is the entrance to the St Pauli Elbtunnel (1911), a twinset of 426m-long passageways with original tiling beneath the Elbe River. It’s still used by vehicles (from 5.30am to 8pm Monday to Friday) and pedestrians and bicycles (24 hours), although most cars take the New Elbe Tunnel further west.
Northeast of the landing piers, the St Michaeliskirche (Map; 3767 8100; www.st-michaelis.de, in German; Englische Planke 1a; adult/under 16yr tower €3/2, tower & crypt €5/3; 9am-7.30pm May-Oct, 10am-5.30pm Nov-Apr), or ‘Der Michel’ as it’s commonly called, is one of Hamburg’s most recognisable landmarks and northern Germany’s largest Protestant baroque church. Ascending the tower’s steps (or catching the lift) rewards with great panoramas across the canals.
Below St Michaeliskirche, in an alley off Krayenkamp 10, are the Krameramtswohnungen (Map), a row of tiny half-timbered houses from the 17th century that, for nearly 200 years, were almshouses for the widows of members of the Guild of Small Shopkeepers. Today they house shops and restaurants, plus a little summer-only museum.
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Reeperbahn
Even those not interested in strip shows usually pay a quick trip to the red-light Reeperbahn to see what the fuss is all about. Sure, it’s tamer than the Amsterdam scene (which is itself becoming tamer), but it’s still Europe’s biggest. Long established as a party place for incoming sailors, crowds of thousands start to stream in from around 4pm, cruising the rip-roaring collection of bars, sex clubs, variety acts, pubs and cafes collectively known as the ‘Kiez’.
Just north of the S-Bahn station is the Grosse Freiheit (literally ‘great freedom’) street, with its bright lights, dark doorways and live sex shows. Doormen try to lure the passing crowd into strip clubs; if you’re interested, check the conditions