Hamburg Travel Guide
Get the lowdown on things to see and do in Hamburg. Check out our Hamburg travel guide for information on top Hamburg attractions.
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Germany's second largest city, and most important port, Hamburg lies about 60 miles from the North Sea Coast on the River Elbe, and is a wealthy and in many ways beautiful city that is proud of its reputation as both the greenest city in the country - on account of its many parks; and also as the best shopping city in Germany - in part due to the preponderance of low cost imported goods that flood the warehouse sized discount stores just outside the city centre.
Amongst many attractions for visitors to Hamburg, one of the most popular is the chance to visit the famous St Pauli district of the city where the nascent Beatles began their rise to international fame as the band in a variety of nightclubs. Hamburg's reputation as a musical city dates back further though, and amongst the alumni of the local music school, there are artists such as Mendelssohn, Brahms, and at least one Bach (not the most famous one though). In the 1980s, Hamburg was the centre of the burgeoning heavy metal scene across Europe, and the city still holds a number of concerts featuring local power metal bands such as Helloween, Running Wild, and Grave Digger.
The architecture in Hamburg reflects the importance of the city as a member of the Hanseatic League of cities - the major mercantile ports in Germany, and there are many impressive edifices to see as well as a number of municipal museums and parks to relax in.