I always knew Hamburg was a port city, but I never realized, before this trip, that it’s actually built up around the river Elbe and lies around 100km from the North Sea. And yet, it very much feels like a seaport. The skies are vast. There is water everywhere. You have the canals of the Warehouse District and the inland lakes made by the river Alster and then you have the Elbe which is so wide and busy with traffic that it feels like the sea. We only had 48 hours here; short and sweet. But it’s gonna be good.
Saturday in HAMBURG✈️
Milan Bergamo to Hamburg. As the flight was super early on Saturday morning, like 6:35, we slept over at BGY AIRPORT HOTEL just nearby and literally trotted over to Departures in 10 minutes. Isn’t it great waking up early and knowing you have a new city to visit!?
The flight takes 1hr 50 minutes so one episode of your latest favourite Netflix series plus some reading should be enough! After we landed we took the train to the Neustadt area of Hamburg to check-in at our hotel.
HOTEL: SCANDIC HAMBURG EMPORIO at Dammtorwall 19, Neustadt, Hamburg.
We liked this hotel for many reasons: the design and decor is great; the staff are
welcoming. And we were lucky to be able to check-in immediately even though it was only 9:30am and could go upstairs and freshen up and have a cup of tea before heading out again.
Breakfast at STADTBACKEREI AM GANSEMARKT (City bakery at the Goose Market). You’ll find a wide selection of tempting sweet pastries and savoury rolls and sandwiches. It’s clean and the price is good. In Germany you’ll find truly elevated sandwiches made with different types of bread, salty butter and topped with fine folds of cheese and cooked meats or fish. Don’t hold back. Take a selection and share.
ALTSTADT (The Old Town)
We wandered down to the historic centre where you can see churches and the Rathaus (City Hall).
SPEICHERSTADT (The Warehouse District)
This area is made up of canals lined with red brick warehouses. They were built on wooden piles in the last century, in the same way that the city of Venice was created. The warehouses once stored the commodities like coffee, tea, cocoa and spices.
The ancestors of all those flavorful items we still love today. You can take endless cool photos from the bridges with the reflections of the sky and warehouses shimmering on the water.
Rathaus
ELBPHILHARMONIE at Platz dear Deutschen Einheit.
This striking, modern auditorium gleams over the Elbe river and reflects the water on its pane glass windows. Even if you can’t see a concert there, you can still buy a ticket to go inside. On the top level there’s an outdoor viewing platform which gives you a full 360 degree view over the water and the city, too. It’s windy up there so after a few photos we went inside to the brass and teal-coloured BLICK BAR to warm up and take a break.
Blick Bar
For lunch we wanted to try a typical North German snack, the fischbröchten (fish bread roll), so we went down by the harbour at St. Paul’s Jetty. There are many places where can stop and buy a roll and a beer. Walk along and see which one you fancy. It’s informal and they have seating outside so you can sit facing the water, all wrapped up inside your jacket and eat with the locals.
St. Paul’s Jetty
The rolls are usually made with pickled herring and white onions with extras like pickles, lettuce and remoulade sauce which is like a mayonnaise enhanced with mustard, pepper, capers etc for more zing!
For dinner we had fish and chips at Schifferbôrse Restaurant at Kirkenallee 46, St. Georg District means shipping exchange traditional German food and some international dishes so there’s something for everyone.
It’s dark inside with wood panelling creating private alcoves and we were literally falling asleep as this long day, which started in Milan at 4am, was now drawing to a close.
Sunday in HAMBURG
Invigorating bike ride to Steilshoop. We borrowed bikes from the hotel and headed out on the cycle path for 10km to take part in a local race.
Late lunch at SALIBA for Syrian fine dining.
A great location under the arcades in front of the water and looking over to the Rathaus City Hall. My vegetarian dish of falafel with salad and tahini sauce was beautifully presented. We also had the chicken marinated with seven spices, served with humus. Recommended if you like Middle Eastern cuisine.
We spent the next few hours in the bar of our hotel before our journey to the airport and took the time to have a coffee, edit photos and review our stay in Hamburg. Was it worth it? Absolutely! We walked loads, had a bike ride, tried new food and spent quality time together.
casaalison 
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