Located in the north of the country off the Elbe River and the North Sea, Hamburg is one of Germany’s great cities. Hamburg’s rich maritime history, eclectic architecture, canals, world-class museums, vibrant nightlife, and shopping options make it an irresistible tourist destination. If you’ve got only one day in Hamburg, we’ve got you well covered with our itinerary. Read on to discover how to see the must-see sights of Hamburg in one day.
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Table of Contents
- 1 Is One Day Enough in Hamburg?
- 2 How to Get Around During Your One Day in Hamburg
- 3 Is the Hamburg Card/Hamburg City Pass Worth It For One Day?
- 4 Your One Day in Hamburg Itinerary
- 5 Where to Stay in Hamburg
- 6 Extending Your Stay
Is One Day Enough in Hamburg?
One day in Hamburg can’t possibly be sufficient to fully experience the myriad wonders of the city. However, if 24 hours in Hamburg is all you have, you can cover the major sights, indulge in some local delicacies, and get a quick overview of the city.
How to Get Around During Your One Day in Hamburg
Hamburg is a pedestrian-friendly city and wandering on foot remains the best way to explore Hamburg and discover its many hidden gems.
However, since Hamburg is pretty big and the attractions are spread out, it’s not feasible to just walk everywhere when you just have one day in Hamburg. The best way to get around Hamburg is by the well-functioning public transportation system.
Hamburg’s excellent and easy-to-use public transport includes the U-Bahn (subway), the S-Bahn (trains), buses as well as a range of boats and ships. All the major attractions in Hamburg are easily reached by public transport, and switching from one form of transport to another is very seamless.
A single ticket in Hamburg costs 3.50 EUR. A day ticket costs 6,40 EUR (if you start after 09:00) and is a good option if you plan on making several journeys during your one day in Hamburg. You can also opt for a 24-hour Hamburg ticket which costs 8.20 EUR.
Public transport tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines found in all U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations, as well as at centrally located bus stops. You can also purchase tickets online or via the “hvv” app.
Make use of the very useful intermodal Journey Planner for getting around Hamburg with public transport.
If you are visiting Hamburg in the warmer months, getting around on a bicycle is also a good alternative and a fun way to see the city. Hamburg is a very bicycle-friendly city, and many streets have dedicated bike lanes.
The terrain of Hamburg is rather flat, allowing for easy and relaxed transport. The easiest way to rent a bicycle in Hamburg is by signing up for StadtRAD, the city’s bike-sharing system which has service points all over the city.
StadtRAD is free for the first 30 minutes, after that, your trip will cost 10 cents per minute or 15 EUR per day.
In case you’re interested in seeing the highlights of Hamburg on bike, check out this excellent Hamburg Bicycle Tour.
If you’re not up for a long walk or cycle around Hamburg, you could also get around on a scuddy/segway, which can cover a larger area than a walk-around. The feeling of gliding around the streets, added to the fact that it’s so simple to use makes a scuddy/segway so fun to ride.
In case you’re interested in seeing the highlights of Hamburg on scuddy/segway, check out this excellent Hamburg Scuddy Tour.
You probably won’t need to use taxis at all during your 24 hours in Hamburg since the city is so well served by public transport.
However, should you want to use a taxi, you can hail a taxi on the street, order one online or by telephone, or pick up one at one of the numerous taxi ranks located strategically across the city. Hansa Taxi is one of the companies you can check out if you want to travel by taxi.
Is the Hamburg Card/Hamburg City Pass Worth It For One Day?
For sightseeing in Hamburg, the two most common travel passes that allow you to access the most important attractions/museums for free or at a discounted rate, as well as free access to public transportation are the Hamburg Card and the Hamburg City Pass.
The Hamburg Card offers unlimited travel on all public transport in Hamburg and offers discounts at more than 150 attractions, restaurants, and theaters.
On the other hand, the Hamburg City Pass is more of an all-inclusive pass that not only offers unlimited travel on all public transport but also offers free admission to the most popular museums and sights in Hamburg.
If you have to invest in one, I would personally recommend getting the City Pass as it is really good value for money and gives you a lot of options.
Ultimately, whether the Hamburg Card/Hamburg City Pass is worth buying and truly cost-effective depends on your needs and interests and the range of sightseeing activities you have planned.
Your One Day in Hamburg Itinerary
For this ‘one day in Hamburg’ itinerary, I have included some of the major attractions and sights in the city. It, of course, isn’t possible to explore all of Hamburg’s major sights in just one day.
For your convenience, this post includes a free map that highlights the main points of interest in Hamburg for one day. You can find the addresses of the attractions by clicking on the icons in the map.
Obviously, everyone travels at a different pace so feel free to choose the destinations according to your own pace. The earlier you start your day the more time you’ll have to see the attractions.
Below I have compiled a list of the best things to see in Hamburg over the course of one day:
- Cake for Breakfast
- Town Hall
- Speicherstadt
- Deichstrasse
- Elbphilharmonie
- St. Michael’s Church
- St. Pauli Landing Bridges
- Hamburg Boat Tour
- Elbtunnel
- Hamburg Delicacies
- Kunsthalle Hamburg
- Dinner in the Reeperbahn
1. Cake for Breakfast
You’ll require a good dose of coffee and some grub for your day of sightseeing in Hamburg. Public Coffee Roasters is a cozy cafe that makes fresh brews and offers tasty croissants and cheesecakes.
2. Hamburg Town Hall
The Hamburg Town Hall is definitely one of the must-see attractions in Hamburg. Nothing was held back when constructing this majestic edifice between 1886-1897. It is home to Hamburg’s senate and parliament.
The town hall is distinguished by its beautiful copper roof, which along with its ornate facade that is adorned with sculptures of German emperors, gives it a very unique appearance. The building has a staggering 647 rooms and is built atop 4,000 oak piles sunk into the ground.
It’s possible to even take a guided tour (5 EUR) of the Hamburg Town Hall and learn about the city’s intriguing past while going through some lofty staterooms.
However, I wouldn’t recommend taking a tour of the Town Hall if you’re only in Hamburg for a day.
Fun Fact
Hamburg’s cityscape is primarily dominated by buildings dating from the 19th and 20th centuries with only a few older buildings still standing today. This is due to the enormous destruction caused by the Great Fire of 1842 and the flurry of bombs that rained on the city during World War II. A smaller factor is that Hamburg natives have always preferred tearing down old buildings and replacing them with new ones.
3. Jungfernstieg & Binnenalster
Jungfernstieg is a waterfront promenade that is nestled between Binnenalster and the Town Hall. It was the first street to be paved in Germany in 1838.
In the old days, rich families used to bring their unmarried daughters (Jungfern in German) for a stroll in search of a prospective groom. Thus, it acquired the name ‘Jungfernstieg’.
Given that Hamburg is home to the highest concentration of millionaires in Germany, it’s easy this place has so many designer boutiques. Fortunately for people like us, there are more affordable options here, in the Alsterhaus department store or the Europa Passage shopping mall.
The Binnenalster (Inner Alster) is the smaller part of the Alster Lakes and is one of the best places to view Hamburg’s cityscape. The lakes are actually part of the river Alster and are separated from each other by the Kennedy Bridge.
The Binnenalster is situated a short stroll from Hamburg’s main shopping area and the central station. It also has a water fountain that spouts water around 40 meters in the air.
Small sailboats and rowboats, hired from yards on the shores of the Alster, are very much a part of the summer scene. It is a perfect place to unwind during sightseeing.
- Click here to book a sightseeing canal tour along the Alster Lakes
Take a relaxed stroll along the water or sit down on one of the several benches to take in the magnificent scenery.
4. Kontorhaus District & Chile House
The Kontorhaus district lies around Burchardplatz, between Mönckebergstraße and Speicherstadt. The district developed in the early 20th century with office buildings being built in a brick expressionist manner.
The Kontorhaus district is an essential part of Hamburg’s DNA and along with the Speicherstadt, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2015.
Some of the prominent buildings here are Sprinkenhof, Miramarhaus, Mohlenhof, and Montanhof.
The most notable building in the Kontorhaus district is the Chile House (Chilehaus), largely due to its unique shape, which is said to resemble a ship’s bow.
Constructed between 1922 and 1924, Chile House became a symbol of Brick Expressionism architecture and Hamburg’s economic revival post World War I. Nearly 5 million bricks were used to build the Chile House!
It derives its name from a German merchant, Henry Barens Sloman, who became extremely wealthy in the saltpeter trade with Chile, and who also commissioned the building.
5. Speicherstadt
The Speicherstadt is the world’s largest contiguous warehouse complex. It consists of 17 buildings, each seven to eight stories high, standing on timber-pile foundations and oak logs.
The district was constructed between 1883 and 1927 to build a free zone to transfer goods without paying customs. It has more than 300,000 square meters of storage area.
The warehouses were in use until recently and stored goods such as coffee, tea, cocoa, spices, tobacco, and oriental carpets.
A lot of these buildings are now functioning offices or residential spaces. Together with the nearby Kontorhaus district, the Speicherstadt was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list in 2015.
I really liked the Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romanesque red-brick outer facade of the buildings here which features richly ornamented brickwork.
Take some time to walk around the Speicherstadt as this place feels like a miniature city itself. The Speicherstadt is interspersed with bridges and picturesque canals known as fleets, which sets the scene for some instagrammable pictures.
6. Deichstrasse & Nikolaifleet
Deichstrasse is one of the few surviving streets in Hamburg’s Old Town and the oldest remaining one. Ironically, it was here that in 1842 the Great Fire of Hamburg, which eventually destroyed much of the Old Town, is said to have broken out.
This former 14th-century merchant street is a throwback to ‘Old Hamburg’ and provides a peek into the city’s Hanseatic past.
The buildings here date from the 17th-19th centuries and were chiefly occupied by merchants who lived and worked here. These multi-story, half-timbered houses have a Baroque facade, many have now been fabulously restored and are home to several restaurants.
Fun Fact
The Hanseatic League was an alliance of trading guilds that established a trade monopoly along the coast of Northern Europe in the Middle Ages. By joining the Hanseatic League, Hamburg’s fortunes flourished and it became the leading German trading and warehousing city between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.
Bordering Deichstrasse is one of Hamburg’s most famous canals, Nikolaifleet. Hamburg has a total of 22 canals weaving and twisting their way through the inner city.
We saw several other canals in Hamburg like Brooksfleet and Mönkedammfleet, but in our opinion, Nikolaifleet is definitely the prettiest one.
It used to be the main river mouth where the waters of the Alster flowed into the Elbe River. The gentle curve of Nikolaifleet and the backside of the buildings on Deichstrasse provides yet another postcard-perfect view.
Fun Fact
The word fleet comes from the medieval German word “fleten”, which was used to describe the flow of water. However, unlike the canals, the fleets were originally dependent on the tide, and their water level fluctuated with the tide. Many of the fleets were gone in the 19th century and in the existent ones, locks regulate the level of water today.
7. Elbphilharmonie
The Elbphilharmonie or “Elphi” is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Hamburg and certainly the most intriguing one. It is a concert hall encased in glass and set upon a former cocoa brick warehouse and is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the city’s bustling harbor.
The building is visible from far nearly anywhere around the harbor. With its curved windows and white-tiled crested roof, the Elbphilharmonie dynamically contrasts with its sturdy, utilitarian brick foundation, evoking a ship in full sail.
It’s interesting to visit and see from the inside but if you’re short on time you have to at least see in from the outside.
If you’re interested in visiting the building, you can take this fantastic guided tour of the interior of the Elbphilharmonie to learn some intriguing facts about the building and enjoy some most beautiful views of Hamburg over the harbor.
8. Church of St. Michael
There are several prominent churches in Hamburg. The most famous one is the Church of St. Michael (Hauptkirche St. Michaelis) and is the one you shouldn’t miss.
Fondly referred to by Hamburg locals as ‘Der Michel’, this 132-meter behemoth is probably the city’s most famous architectural landmark. The church was originally constructed in 1647 and has undergone several renovations.
The sumptuous interior features some amazing organs and a marble pulpit. We thought this was pretty impressive for a Protestant church since they are normally so barren.
If you’re up for an athletic challenge you can climb the 450-odd steps to the viewing platform or take the elevator as we did. From here you can enjoy a sweeping panorama of Hamburg.
If, however, you’re not fond of heights you can descend to the vast 17th-century crypt that lies beneath the church and contains the remains of 2400 people, including some of Hamburg’s most influential residents.
St. Michael’s Church is open daily, year-round. The opening hours of St. Michael’s Church are 09:00-19:30 (May-September), 09:00-18:30 (April & October), and 10:00-17:30 (November-March).
Entrance to the church is free but if you want to go to the observation deck it costs 6 EUR.
9. St. Pauli Landing Bridges
No day of sightseeing in Hamburg would be complete without paying a visit to the iconic St. Pauli Landing Bridges (Landungsbrücken), undoubtedly one of the best things to do in Hamburg.
The Landing Bridges comprise ten floating pontoons, measuring 700 meters in total. The long passenger hall, which forms part of the complex, was built in 1907–09.
The Landing Bridges initially served as a place for steamships to dock before heading overseas. Today, the complex consists of Art Nouveau reception halls with archways to the pontoon, two corner towers, and cupolas.
New pontoons were added after the complex suffered heavy damage during World War II.
The buskers, souvenir stands, and boat companies touting their tours create a colorful hustle and bustle. Numerous restaurants, bars, and food kiosks are also found along the St. Pauli Landing Bridges.
10. Hamburg Boat Tour
Even if you’re just spending one day in Hamburg, a boat tour is a must-do. Hamburg is a port city at heart and the city’s character has been traditionally defined by its waterways.
Even today, the Port of Hamburg is the third-busiest port in Europe (after Rotterdam and Antwerp). Take a boat tour to experience Hamburg’s harbor and waterside districts.
It is the best way to get close to the docks, massive containers, hulking cranes, and the enormous freighters. The live commentary on board is insightful and entertaining.
Many of Hamburg’s harbor cruises depart from the St. Pauli Landing Bridges. There are plenty of options to choose from. Two good ones I can recommend are:
- Hamburg Harbor Cruise (1 hr)
- Port of Hamburg Cruise (2 hrs)
11. Old Elbtunnel (Alter Elbtunnel)
One of the best things to do during your one day in Hamburg is paying a visit to the Old Elbtunnel aka the St. Pauli Elbtunnel. It is a famous pedestrian and vehicle tunnel in Hamburg.
It was constructed in 1911 as a means to lessen commuting problems for thousands of harbor workers. The tunnel reaches a depth of 24 meters and at 426.5 meters it is the longest river tunnel in the world.
It is still used by thousands of pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists as the quickest route under the Elbe. It takes less than 10 minutes to walk from one side to the other.
I really loved how the interior walls of the tunnel are filled with carvings of nautical motifs and vintage signage. Entry is free for pedestrians round the clock.
Fun Fact
Hamburg is Germany’s most important media city. It is home to more than 13,000 companies in the industry. Popular German language publications like DIE ZEIT and DER SPIEGEL have their headquarters in Hamburg. Many successful films have used Hamburg as a backdrop such as ‘Hanna’ and ‘The Odessa File’.
12.Grab some Hamburg Delicacies
Your 1 day Hamburg itinerary wouldn’t be complete without sampling some local delicacies.
While Hamburg has some great cuisine, the standouts are Fischbrötchen & Franzbrötchen. These are two foods you have to try when visiting the city and are sure to stimulate your taste buds.
Fischbrötchen
One food you absolutely have to try in Hamburg is fischbrötchen, a simple bun sandwich that is prepared with fish (traditionally with pickled or soused herring) and topped with onions, pickles, and remoulade. Other kinds of seafood like mackerel, shrimp, crab, and salmon can also be used.
Being a seafood lover, I gobbled several fischbrötchen during our stay in Hamburg and would recommend the traditional herring one because it is simply divine!
Some of the best places to have the fischbrötchen are Brücke 10, Fischbrötchen König by the St. Pali Piers, near the harbor. Fiscbrötchen goes down perfectly with some great German beer!
Franzbrötchen
Franzbrötchen is a heavenly pastry, baked with butter and cinnamon that is ubiquitous in Hamburg’s bakeries.
Sugar and cinnamon are traditionally only used, but sometimes ingredients such as marzipan, chocolate, or raisins are added. Just thinking of that crunchy coating makes me hungry.
13. Kunsthalle Hamburg
When spending 24 hours in Hamburg a visit to the Kunsthalle, one of the best art museums in Germany, is a must. This amazing museum was one of the highlights of our Hamburg trip.
Its superb permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, and artworks span over 700 years of art history. The various collections are arranged in chronological order across three buildings, all of which are connected.
The museum’s Old Masters Collection and 19th-century artworks are some of the best we’ve seen. Stalwarts from those eras such as Goya, Manet, Monet, Rembrandt, Canaletto, and Van Gogh are on exhibition here.
Jacky’s a big fan of 19th-century French Impressionism so she was chuffed with the collection here. The collection also includes some noteworthy German Romanticist paintings by Caspar David Friedrich, Philipp Otto Runge, and Max Liebermann.
Four of the highlights of the Kunsthalle are Philipp Otto Runge’s beautiful Morning, Edouard Manet’s empathetic Nana, and Caspar David Friedrich’s dramatic Wanderer above the Sea of Fog and The Polar Sea.
Don’t forget to check out the outstanding altarpiece painted for St. Peter’s Church in 1379 by Master Bertram, Hamburg’s first painter known by name.
The Kunsthalle’s modern art and contemporary art collection are top-notch. Among the venerable collection, you’ll come across canvases by 20th-century greats such as Munch, Beuys, Picasso, Kirchner, Dix, Kandinsky, Warhol, Klee, and Francis Bacon.
The Kunsthalle Hamburg is open Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00-18:00 (until 21:00 on Thursday). The entrance costs 14 EUR and is totally worth the price of admission.
A quick tour of the museum can be done in 90-120 minutes, but art connoisseurs can easily spend a whole day (or two) admiring the entire collection.
14. Reeperbahn & Beatles Square
Finish your one day in Hamburg by heading to the Reeperbahn, Europe’s most famous entertainment and gambling hub, which lies in the St. Pauli district.
The Reeperbahn and some of its side streets are home to Europe’s biggest red-light district. This has led the area to be infamously dubbed as “The World’s Most Sinful Mile” and “Kiez.”
Though commercialized sex thrives in many cities, Hamburg has triumphed better than virtually all other places at converting it into a tourist attraction.
Fun Fact
The name “Reeperbahn” actually stems from the old Low German word Reep meaning “heavy rope”. In the 18th century, thick hemp ropes were produced here for sailing ships in the Hamburg docks.
Hamburg’s first theater opened on the Reeperbahn in 1842, and from there, there was no looking back into any manner of debauchery. Since the 1940s, many entertainment venues opened their doors, including many strip clubs and sex shops.
You don’t have to worry about whether the Reeperbahn is safe as the area is naturally heavily policed. On the corner of Reeperbahn and Davidstraße is the Davidwache, the most famous police station in Germany.
Herbertstraße is the most notorious street around the Reeperbahn where sex workers sitting in plate-glass windows display their ‘charms’ to window shoppers. This street is sealed off by a barrier and is usually off-limits to females.
Make sure to take a stroll down the neon-heavy Grosse Freiheit, which recalls the area’s swinging Sixties vibe, popularized during The Beatles’ stint. The street’s name – Great Freedom – refers to a liberal area of free trade and religion in the seventeenth century, rather than loose morals.
Reeperbahn and the district that it is located in (St. Pauli) have so much more to offer than eroticism though and there are several other attractions here.
For example, Reeperbahn has now become Germany’s answer to Broadway and is home to a slew of theaters and playhouses such as the St. Pauli Theater and the Schmidt Theater.
To get a better insight into this intriguing neighborhood, you can opt for this excellent .
Reeperbahn is not as sleazy as it used to be and has garnered a more reputable image of late. The sex industry is still around but the area has undergone gentrification over the years.
Nowadays, dive bars and flophouses sit beside trendy eateries and design hotels. We even saw several families strolling with their kids here.
At the end of Reeperbahn, you can find the Beatles Platz, life-size steel silhouettes of the Fab Four made to resemble a vinyl record. It was here in the clubs just off the Reeperbahn that the Beatles polished their act, playing 12-hour-long gigs in front of drunken revelers.
Although the statues are rather plain looking during the day, they present a good photo op when they’re lit up at night.
History 101: Beatles in Hamburg
St. Pauli is also known as the area where the Beatles famously refined their act in the early 1960s playing in clubs just off the street, playing 12-hour-long gigs in front of drunken revelers, sailors, prostitutes, and hooligans. This association with the city purportedly led John Lennon to say “I was born in Liverpool, but I grew up in Hamburg.” The Beatles first arrived in Hamburg in August 1960 having been signed by Bruno Koschmider, a nightclub owner and entrepreneur with a dodgy history. Their first gig was at Koschmider’s Indra Club and they initially stayed in a couple of windowless rooms in the back of the Bambi Kino cinema. Over the next two and a half years, the Fab Four visited Hamburg five times and played almost 300 concerts in the city. You can still visit some places where they performed, including the Kaiserkeller (Grosse Freiheit 36), Indra (Grosse Freiheit 64) and Top Ten Club (Reeperbahn 136). Five life-size steel silhouettes made to resemble a vinyl record at Beatles Platz pays homage to the original five Beatles.
15. Dinner in the Reeperbahn
Cap off your one day of sightseeing in Hamburg by treating yourself to a great dinner. Luckily, the Reeperbahn has an array of fantastic restaurants offering a wide variety of cuisine.
You can check out Freudenhaus St. Pauli for some traditional North German fare or Man Wah for authentic Chinese cuisine.
Try the Labskaus (a traditional seaman’s stew that is made of finely chopped salted beef, potatoes, red beetroots, and other kinds of vegetables, such as celery and leek, as well as salted herring) if you go to the former.
Where to Stay in Hamburg
The great thing about Hamburg is how easily it can be navigated by public transport, especially by metro. It’s a good idea to stay anywhere on the metro line (i.e. a 5-minute walk from the nearest metro station).
We stayed in the up-and-coming district of St. Georg which is a fun mix of immigrant culture and a growing LGBTQ scene.
Hostel: Generator Hostel, a great choice right next to the Central railway station
Budget: Motel One Hamburg-Alster, an unpretentious choice in the St. Georg district
Mid-range: Hotel Europäischer Hof Hamburg, an excellent choice within 2 minutes of the Central railway station
Splurge: SIDE Design Hotel, a sumptuous top-choice pick near Jungfernstieg and the Alster Lakes
Extending Your Stay
If you have any more time to spare than 24 hours in Hamburg, we strongly recommend that you stay for a little longer. It will give you a chance to check out more of the city’s beautiful harbor, excellent museums, and bohemian quarters.
You May Also Like
→ One day in Hamburg not enough? Check out our weekend itinerary!
→ Got an extra day in Hamburg? Take a day trip to the historic town of Lubeck!
Now, what do you think? How would you spend one day in Hamburg? Is Hamburg on your bucket list? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
Mihir
Hello there, fellow globetrotters! I’m Mihir, a passionate travel blogger with an insatiable wanderlust. My journey across the world is fueled by curiosity and a hunger for unique experiences. As a travel writer, photographer, and adventurer, I’ve explored more than 35 countries, aiming to provide readers with a distinctive glimpse of our diverse world. Join me as I blend captivating storytelling with stunning visuals, guiding you through hidden gems and cultural treasures. Besides traveling, my other loves are my beloved cats, architecture, art, craft beer, classic movies, history, and Australian Rules Football (Go Dons!).
