Unique in Europe over the last few years, the port of Hamburg has rapidly become an exciting tourist destination. The best way to get to know the port is by taking a boat tour with a skipper who will regale you with fascinating tales about the harbour. The port is home to HafenCity – Europe’s biggest city-centre building project. But the port and the river Elbe, whose beaches feel almost Caribbean in summer, are not the only reasons why Hamburg is such a special destination. The Alster lake, surrounded by green spaces in the heart of the city, is an oasis of calm and tranquillity – and another feature exclusive to Hamburg.
Hamburg’s cultural scene: Diverse and entertaining
Choice and world-class entertainment are the hallmarks of the cultural scene in Hamburg. The city has no less than three state theatres and around 40 privately run playhouses. Hamburg is also known as the Musical Capital within Germany and Europe. Disney’s Tarzan can be seen here, and Sister Act will start in December 2010, which are just a few of the cultural highlights in Hamburg.
But classical music lovers also have plenty to look forward to. The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, currently under construction on the banks of the river Elbe, is set to become one of the world’s top philharmonic halls. It is already regarded as Hamburg’s new signature landmark and in future this stunning piece of architecture will attract the world’s top classical musicians.
Shopping in Hamburg: From the luxurious to the alternative
Thanks to its history of international trade, Hamburg is now a shopping Mecca for visitors from all over the world. The city centre with its elegant arcades and boulevards has plenty of places providing retail therapy, from chic boutiques to charming antique shops, exclusive jewellers, designer furniture stores and inviting delicatessens. The trends of tomorrow can also be spotted around Hamburg in up-and-coming districts such as Schanzenviertel, Karolinenviertel, Ottensen and St. Georg.
The Hamburg experience
Locals as well as visitors to Hamburg get together to have fun in the clubs, discos, bars, cafés on the Reeperbahn; the “street of sin” with its erotic establishments is now also a melting pot of influences, trends and styles. It is located in St. Pauli, which is where nightlife in Hamburg is at its most electrifying.
North Germany’s biggest fair, the “Dom”, is held three times a year in Hamburg. Thousands of people come to the city every May, when the annual Hamburg Port Anniversary is celebrated. Some of the biggest sailing ships are arriving at the port. Once a year, the Cherry Blossom Festival is celebrated around the Alster Lake, being a magical thank-you from the Japanese community for the city’s hanseatic hospitality. A few times a year, one of the biggest cruise ships these days, Queen Mary 2, appears in the Hamburg port – attracting thousands of spectators. The Cruise Days are held every second year since 2008, welcoming some of the most amazing cruise ships in the port.
Meanwhile the whole harbour is illuminated as sparkling blue scenery, which is known as the Blue Port.
Hamburg is also known for the Sunday fish market, the Fleetinsel Festival as well as a host of Christmas markets and other events during the festive season.
HafenCity: Europe’s biggest intra-urban development project
HafenCity’s development is setting new European standards: a thriving 155 hectare city centre district is being created to accommodate a variety of uses including residential buildings, business, office, and retail space as well as cultural and leisure facilities. The unmistakable maritime character of the HafenCity will be given by the port and the River Elbe. There will be a high quality living environment with enormous international appeal due to numerous parks and squares. The cultural highlight will certainly be the Elbe Philharmonic hall, being built upon an old warehouse. The “Überseequartier” will be the heart of the HafenCity, offering a lot of tourist highlights as well as a large-scale aquarium and science centre, cinemas, and the already existing Cruise Centre.
Hamburg for meetings, conferences and trade fairs
Hamburg is becoming increasingly popular as a venue for meetings and conferences. More than 70,000 events are held in the city each year and they attract 1.7 million participants. The Exhibition Centre and the Congress Centre Hamburg, one of the top conference venues in Europe, are great settings, but there are many other attractive and unique event locations in Hamburg; also a great variety of premium hotels for conferences and meetings. The first port of call for event planners is Hamburg Convention Bureau GmbH (HCB), a one-stop advice centre with direct access to the city’s event service providers and excellent contacts to the meeting industry. No wonder more and more major companies are choosing Hamburg, with its broad range of products and services, as the ideal location for their event.
Hamburg: Attractive for business and the environment
The Hanseatic City is one of the top economic locations in Germany and Europe. Most of the Top 500 German enterprises are based in Hamburg. Many world-known brands have made their way from Hamburg into the world, such as Hansaplast and Nivea, Mont Blanc, Airbus and the OTTO mail-order company, reflecting the characteristic strength of the industrial location of the Hamburg Region. More than 120,000 enterprises are registered at the Chamber of Commerce. Over 15,000 companies out of these are in the media sector, which brings Hamburg to the forefront of this sector.
The city of Hamburg is also taking the lead when it comes to climate protection, renewable energy and sustainable urban development. In terms of ecology, Hamburg focuses on sustainability and width instead of single projects. The standards the city is setting in terms of ecology were responsible for the nomination as the European Green Capital 2011. Meanwhile, more than 600 companies are active in renewables in the city, making it a model for climate protection.
