48 Hours in Hamburg: The perfect two-day itinerary

A maze of canals, islands, pontoons, and bridges, Hamburg is one of the busiest port cities in Europe. With water castles side-by-side with warehouses, morning fish markets, a museum you can board, and a competitive live music scene where the Beatles first performed in clubs, there’s more to explore than just the historical harbor. We’ve paired up with a local expert to design the perfect itinerary for seeing Hamburg in two days.

  1. Day 1

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    1. Morning

      See the layers of the Elbphilharmonie (1-2 hours)

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      There’s something magical about seeing the Elbphilharmonie reflect the early morning light as the city wakes up — the architecture is as breathtaking as the performances it hosts. A 1960s red-brick warehouse, topped with a defiant, modern glass structure that resembles unfurled sails or breaking waves, a nod to its location in Hamburg’s Harbor City. You can get a ticket on the spot for free to see its Plaza, but it’s usually safer to book your spot online in advance (for €2) for busy weekends and holidays. Want to dig deeper into the building’s old and modern sides? Book a place on a guided tour to get the full story. Either way, you’ll be treated to panoramic views over the harbor and a trip up the Tube, the world’s longest escalator.
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    2. Stroll through Speicherstadt (1-2 hours)

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      The Speicherstadt district was once a free port, and its neo-Gothic warehouses are gradually being reimagined as restaurants and businesses. Today, you can still spot the occasional ship sailing to storage warehouses in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Look out for the ornate brick Wasserschloss, a moated castle (and now restaurant) with the feel of a gingerbread house — you’ll get the perfect shot from the Poggenmühle Bridge. Continue walking west and you’ll come across the equally striking Speicherstadtrathaus, the district’s town hall.

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    3. Dock and dine at the Oberhafen-Kantine (1 hour)

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      As the Speicherstadt neighborhood grows and canalside coffee shops and restaurants spring up overlooking the harbor, its history merges with the new. From fine dining to casual eats, there are plenty of options, but none more quirky and authentically reflective of Hamburg’s port history than Oberhafen-Kantine. The unique building appears as if wedged beneath the quay wall, and a century of storms and floods have shifted its foundations: now it’s known as the leaning restaurant of Hamburg. Originally, it served lunch to dock workers through ‘coffee flaps’ into the dining room, and a century on, its signature Labskaus and meatballs remain local delicacies.

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    4. Afternoon

      Discover a small world at Miniatur Wunderland (2 hours)

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      While the city is full of grand designs, Miniatur Wunderland, as its name suggests, is filled with must-sees on a smaller scale. You can travel the world in just a few footsteps, with tiny replicas of cities from Venice to Rio and the world’s largest model railway — all created by hand to include the fine details or their IRL counterparts. Book your tickets ahead and indulge your inner child with Borrower-sized trains, planes, and boats. You can also pause to see how the modelmaking team recreates iconic landscapes in the workshops and construction areas.

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    5. Dive into Hamburg’s seafaring history (1 hour)

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      A five-minute walk away, Harry’s Hafenbasar is a mind-boggling space that displays a range of curiosities brought by sailors all over the world to Hamburg’s harbor, set within a repurposed sea crane. There are countless items to take in, and you can learn even more about Hamburg’s maritime history by booking a visit to Rickmer Rickmers, an old cargo ship built in 1896. Onboard this ship-cum-museum, you can see how sailors once lived in a restored deck section that includes the officer and crew quarters, and an exhibition area with restored nautical objects and art displays

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    6. Evening

      Sashay your way through the Reeperbahn (2-3 hours)

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      End your first night in Hamburg on the flamboyant, fun-filled Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s Red Light District. Bar hop around the St Pauli neighborhood or, better yet, join a guided tour so that you don’t miss out on all of its salacious history. For an extra special experience, you can book a tour with a drag queen, who will illustrate the neighborhood’s party scene from their own, personal perspective.

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  2. Day 2

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    1. Morning

      Take in the atmosphere at the Hamburg Fish Market (1-3 hours)

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      Hamburg Fish Market sets up just in time to serve breakfast to Reeperbahn’s out-all-nighters and the rest of the city’s Sunday morning strollers, so set your alarm to see the eclectic crowd in full swing. Little has changed in almost 300 years, except the market now has long communal tables for people-watching with pastries and coffee in addition to its seafood stalls. You can discover the alleyways that surround it yourself, or join a guided tour that also includes a ride on the harbor ferry. If you stayed out late and missed the early rush, check out the street food market at Spielbudenplatz, selling every kind of cooking from Mexican to Lebanese, with live music throughout the day. Pick up a picnic and find a peaceful spot in Große Wallanlagen, a low-key green park, on your way to the next stop.

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    2. Get a breath of fresh air at the Old Botanical Garden (1.5 hours)

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      Reset from the market’s bustle with a walk through the tranquil Große Wallanlagen, a large green park where the city walls once stood, to the Old Botanical Garden, better known locally as Planten un Blomen. The 200-year-old site is home to tropical greenhouses, desert plants, 300 varieties of roses, and the largest Japanese garden in Europe. Entry to the park is free, so don’t miss this relaxing stop on your trip.

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    3. Afternoon

      Snack your way through Schanzenviertel (2–3 hours)

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      This neighborhood is the center of Hamburg’s counter culture, though in recent years a surge of gentrification has reshaped the area. Abundant with cafes, boutiques, and restaurants, this is a great place to take a walk and enjoy a traditional German ‘kaffee und kuchen’ (coffee and cake) pitstop. If you want to delve deeper into the area’s history whilst you eat, take a culinary tour that takes you around five local favorites, including Rote Flora, a former theater turned social center, where you can follow in the footsteps of the city’s revolutionaries.

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    4. Immerse yourself in centuries of art on the Art Mile (2 hours)

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      Hamburg’s Art Mile consists of five renowned art museums, with two in particular worth a visit: the Hamburger Kunsthalle and Deichtorhallen Hamburg. The Kunsthalle is one of the few museums in Germany to house art from seven different centuries; highlights include works from German Romanticism and 17th-century Dutch paintings. The Deichtorhallen, on the other hand, is focused on contemporary art and photography. A three-day gallery pass will give you access to all five museums on Art Mile, so you can browse to your heart’s content.

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    5. Evening

      Shop around in Hamburg’s Old Town (1 hour)

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      Start on Jungfernstieg, believed to have been Germany’s first paved road in 1838, and you’ll find jewelers, shoemakers, fashion boutiques, and concept stores such as Perle, where you’ll find cutting-edge design and independent labels. The Old Town, or Altstadt, is also home to St Nicholas’ Church, an abandoned cathedral ruin that serves as a reminder of the devastation of World War II. Binnenalster, a man-made lake nearby, is a great place to take a breather and get a great view of Germany's second-largest city.

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    6. See Hamburg by night (1.5 hours)

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      This city knows how to put on a show, especially from the water. By night, the mix of neo-Gothic and industrial architecture lights up and is reflected in the canals. See all the buildings you’ve admired in the past two days in a new light by booking a harbor cruise. Glide through the winding waterways on a traditional Hamburger boat known as a Barkasse. After you’ve enjoyed the sea breeze and got the best photo memories of your trip, you’ll come full circle and disembark right in front of the glowing Elbphilharmonie.

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