The Port of Hamburg is the second largest port in all of Europe and includes a cruise port, a commercial container port, and historic jetties. The port is also home to a bustling sunday fish market and it is an excellent place to see some of Hamburg’s most exciting architecture, including the Elbphilharmonie concert hall in HafenCity.
After enjoying the view, explore the Speicherstadt warehouse district, which is made up of stunning brick buildings from the turn of the 20th century that now house cafés, shops, and other attractions. You can see the port on many bike tours, walking tours, and sunset tours or the city, or on hop-on, hop-off bus tours.
Some tours of the port show you the area from both the land and the water by pairing a harbor tour with a short cruise.
Only some areas of the port are wheelchair accessible.
To really get a sense of the size of the port, see it from the air on a flightseeing tour of the city.
The Port of Hamburg is located south of the St. Pauli district. Parking in the area is limited but the port can be reached easily via public transportation: take the S-Bahn or U-Bahn trains to Landungsbrücke station or a ferry to the St. Pauli-Landungsbrücken stop. You can also visit on a tour that includes transportation.
The most popular time of year to visit Hamburg is during the summer. You can also opt to time your visit to coincide with the Reeperbahn Festival, one of the city’s top music festivals, which takes place in September. The city also hosts a famous Christmas market that draws visitors from around the world.
For centuries, sailors arriving at the Port of Hamburg have made a beeline for the Reeperbahn, the main street in the red light district in St. Pauli. Today, the area still has strip clubs, but it is also a popular tourist destination with upmarket restaurants and theaters. Take a tour of the area to learn about a different side of the city’s history and to see where the Beatles played in the early 1960s.