International Student Accommodation - Go Live It

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The City

With a population of around 1.7 million people, Hamburg is the second biggest city in Germany.  Its official name is Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and is a Stadt Staat, so all governmental politics take place within the city. The SPD have current control over Hamburg and Ole Von Beust has just been re-elected as Bürgermeister.

Hamburg’s economy is mostly based around the harbour, which is not just a tourist spot, but the second biggest port in Europe.  It is not uncommon to see huge sea going ships docked in the harbour as it is deep water.  Other industries in Hamburg include media, with around half of all Germany’s newspapers being published in the city, as well as Stern and Der Spiegel.  There is also a Blohm + Voss shipyard. 

The harbour can be described as Hamburg’s “Tourist Trap” as there are many shops selling delightful wares such as ships in bottles and pirate memorabilia, and it’s impossible to walk alongside the water without hearing people advertising Stadtrundfahrt (bus tours around the city) or Hafenrundfahrt (boat tours around the harbour).  However, many of these tours are good value (around €10 for a 1.5 hour trip through the harbour and Speicherstadt) with informative commentary from tour guides.  They are most likely to be in German though, so if you’re with non German speakers it may be best to ask at the tourist information kiosk at Hauptbahnhof for English tours.  Other tourist spots include the Rathaus, various churches dotted around the city, the “Museum Mile”, the many theatres and the Reeperbahn.

The centre of the city is around Jungfernstieg, which is just by the Binnenalster lake.  The impressive town hall is just around the corner with the Rathausmarkt providing a good area for photo opportunities.  This space is excellently utilised at Christmas time for one of the markets, which even has Father Christmas flying through the air with his reindeer!  There are also tours of the town hall on most days, which don’t cost very much.  It is, however, free just to go inside and have a look around the main entrance hall.

The main shopping area of Hamburg is called Mönckeberg Straße, although there are many other shopping precincts around the Jungfernstieg area for example the Europa Passage, which is a short walk from the Rathaus.  Shops range from cheapish (C&A) to the more exclusive, like the boutiques along the Alster Arcaden.

Transport

Transport in Hamburg is excellent.  Run by the HVV, there are three U-Bahn lines, six S-Bahn lines, many bus routes and even ferry buses.  Unless you live in the suburbs at the very end of a line, there is usually no need to ever take a taxi.  The price of monthly tickets depends largely on what “Ring” you go into, i.e. how far away from the centre you will travel.  If you want a ticket that entitles you to travel within Großbereich Hamburg (the city limits), it will cost around €65 with student discount.  Two rings (up to Langenhorn Markt) costs around €54.  There are various other tickets you can buy ranging from short journey, extension (if you are going to travel further than your monthly ticket), 9-hour/all day ticket (about €5) to a three day ticket.  The three day ticket is great for visitors and costs around €15 and allows the user to go on all public transport within the city limits.  Most trains go every five minutes in rush hour, although around midnight you may have to wait forty minutes.  Public transport runs through the night on Fridays and Saturdays.

Things to do in Hamburg

Hagenbecks Tierpark– the zoo! Fun for all the family (as well as students!) and not too expensive to get in. There is also an aquarium – if you want to go there too you can buy a joint ticket from the kiosk. The zoo hosts elephant rides in the summer, but you can feed the animals all year round.

Hamburg Dungeons– similar to the attraction in London, the Hamburg Dungeons tell visitors about the dark history of the city. Everything is in German and at times quite hard to understand, so be ready to translate if you’re taking non-German speakers!

St Nikolai– this church is left destroyed as a memorial to all those who died in Hamburg during WWII. You can go up the tower for €3, and the views are well worth the money.

St Michel– this church is a famous landmark in the city, as sailors would see it as they sailed into the harbour and thus knew they were finally home. You can climb the spire or take the lift.

Things to do near to Hamburg

The cities of Bremen, Lübeck and Kiel are but a short train ride away, so it is a good idea to take advantage of the group train tickets and take a visit. Denmark is also not too far from Hamburg (just above Schleswig Holstein), so if you have the chance to go, definitely take it.

Food and Drink

There are lots of tasty restaurants to eat at in Hamburg, including a lot of ice cream kiosks!  If you’re looking for excellent ice cream sundaes, then the Gelateria on the second floor of the Europa Passage is a definite recommendation. 

In most restaurants a main meal with drink and dessert will, on average, cost about €15.  There are lots of Italian restaurants in Hamburg and most of them are very good.  The bottom floor of the Europa Passage is excellent for take away food, with kiosks ranging from currywurst to curry.  You can find many tasty restaurants in the Reeperbahn – don’t be put off by the location!  Most places will have their menu out for passers by to look at, so just see what they do and go in if you fancy it.

Like most Germans, the Hamburgers love their Kaffee und Kuchen. Even when everything is closed on a Sunday, there will be loads of people milling around the cafés just having a little sit down and cup of coffee. The Gelateria at on the second floor of the Europa Passage do very tasty ice cream cake and panini as well as the fancy ice creams. Other places to go include the café on the top floor of the department store Alsterhaus, Die Rösterei on Mönckebergstraße. If you’re planning on going a little bit out of the centre, then Eisdeerns (www.eisdeerns.de) in Fuhlsbüttel is an absolute must. It’s a family run (handmade) ice cream café and also does sandwiches, soup and various other seasonal items.

If you’re looking for a snack on the go, stop at a Ditsch. They sell Bretzels, Pizza, Stangen (which are basically a large long roll with various toppings) as well as coffee and drinks, so are a cheap and easy alternative when you don’t have time to stop and sit down. Other bakery type kiosks include Le Crobag, Hansebäcker Junge and Kamps.

Restaurants;

Block House- there's quite a few dotted around Hamburg and do mostly steak and meat dishes. Very tasty but some of the steaks are a big pricey.

Vic's- near to St.Pauli U-Bahn, this restaurants has a huge range of dishes from pasta to salads to schnitzel. Reasonably well priced and has a big screen TV to watch football, if that’s what you like!

Tex-Mex- located literally right next to Vic’s. This restaurants says “real American food” but it has a mix really – fajitas, burgers and burritos are all very tasty from here, and not too expensive.

Casa Nostra- On Lange Reihe (a little walk away from Hauptbahnhof), this value for money Italian is good for dinner or lunch – weekdays there is a €5.90 lunch menu with which you get salad, soup, main dish and ice cream – bargain!

Out on the Town

The Reeperbahn is one of Hamburg’s famous tourist spots, as well as being (supposedly!) the place to be on a Saturday night.  As well as the many sex shops and shows, there are also lots of bars and clubs in St. Pauli, ranging from the small and dingy pub to big nightclub.  Where you go in the area all depends on your personal taste, so it’s best just to have a little walk around and decide for yourself.  Große Freiheit is the most famous road of the Reeperbahn, with the famous “Grosse Freiheit 36” club and live music venue. 

Sternschanze is where the students mostly hang out and is full of bars and restaurants.  With good bars including Oma’s Apotheke and Mellow Moods. There are lots and lots of bars in this area, so it’s easier to just pop along and see what takes your fancy.

Clubs and bars; Saturday nights are always busy in St. Pauli. Most restaurants do a range of alcoholic drinks so you can always stay in there after you’ve eaten. Other places in the area to go include:

Herz Blut St.Pauli; quite swish inside, but with a nice selection of food and cocktails. (www.herzblut-st-pauli.de).

Thomas Read’s- Irish pub with live music on several days throughout the week. Friendly staff and a tasty cocktail list! (www.thomasread.com).

Grosse Freiheit 36 – not just a gig venue, but with different themed nights throughout the month. (www.grossefreiheit36.de).

Halo- for those who like their techno (www.haloclubbing.de).

If you’re looking for a more cultural night out, then there are lots of theatres in Hamburg showing opera to musicals.  Hamburg is also a popular destination for bands to play, so browse the posters at the railway station for upcoming events! There are so many places to go it’s impossible to just recommend a few!!

Annual Events

Three times a year the “Hamburger Dom” comes to the city.  It’s not a big cathedral, but in fact the largest “Volksfest” in the north of Germany.  Basically, it’s a massive funfair with rides and lots of tasty food.  It comes at Christmas, Easter and in the summer and is open for a month at a time.  Every Friday there is a big firework display so if you’re in Hamburg when the Dom is, definitely go there!

Christmas Markets- the Hamburgers celebrate Christmas in style with around eight markets taking place around the city. Whether you like Glühwein or Kakao, it’s great fun just to walk around the stalls sipping a hot drink (and you can keep the cup!). As Hamburg is not too far from Lübeck and Bremen, I can recommend you take a little trip on the train and visit the markets there – at least you’ll be able to extend your collection of Weihnachtsmarkt mugs! The main one is in the Rathausmarkt as previously mentioned, but there are other ones along the Alster and in St. Pauli (named Santa Pauli!).

The boring stuff

To view information about Bank Accounts & Money transfers, Internet & Telephone, Health and other general information, visit our Germany homepage.

Guide written by Sarah Goodyear, English language assistant, Hamburg, 2007/2008.

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:: sarahgoodyear | 27 Feb 2008

Hamburg is a great city and a really great place for students to live. Okay, it's one of (if not the most) the most expensive cities in Germany, but you get used to it. The city centre has many shops ranging from C&A to high class boutiques, so there's plenty of places to satisfy whatever sized budget you have. Hamburg also has about a millio...