📝 About the Author: Matthias
What to do in Hamburg? You’ll find the answer to this question here in this article. I’ll tell you the best indoor and outdoor Hamburg activities in the city and the surrounding area. Whether alone, as a couple or in a group. From visits to musicals and spa experiences to crazy activities like a tour of the Reeperbahn, there’s something for everyone – even if it’s raining.
As I live in Hamburg myself, I regularly try out various Hamburg activities. And there are always new things to do, because the city really has a lot to offer. So save this article and come back later.
Hamburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but also one where it often rains: That’s why many of the Hamburg activities presented here are also an option in bad weather.
You will find a good mix of activities in my list:
- Hamburg activities that you can do even when it rains
- indoor and outdoor activities
- Düsseldorf things to do for couples and dates
- Hamburg activities for families with children
- great ideas for team events and bachelor parties (BPs)
- leisure activities and games that you can also do alone
- many of these Düsseldorf activities are also great for gifts for birthdays, Christmas, weddings, etc.
In this article i am linking to the websites of the places where you can find more information about the specific Hamburg activity. Many of them also have English websites, but not all. In those cases, very likely someone there will still be able to communicate in English with you if you call the place for example. You can also use the translate option in your Browser to display all the website info in English.
But enough introductory words. Now let’s go straight to the Hamburg activities:
1. Reeperbahn – Hamburgs famous Red Light district
Of course. A visit to the Reeperbahn at night is the ultimate attraction in Hamburg because the Reeperbahn is the city’s legendary red light district which has many stories to tell. There are a lot of disreputable bars and clubs here, but also cool pubs.
The best way to find out where it’s at is on a guided tour, preferably with a local guide who can show you the most infamous and historic places on the sinful mile.
There are many other providers of Reeperbahn tours, which are all quite similar but differ in small details. For example, you can also take tours with drag queens. All the tours on this list are top tours. You can’t go wrong with your selection.
- Reeperbahn “Lust & Laster” tour
- Sex and Crime in St. Pauli Tour for Ages 18+
- Learn all about Germany’s most famous drag queen on this Reeperbahn Tour
- Reeperbahn tour for adults
2. Elbphilharmonie – breathtaking concert venue
The Elphi, as the world-famous concert hall is affectionately known by the people of Hamburg, is always worth a visit. The panoramic view of the city and the harbor from the plaza is not only always fantastic, but also free of charge. However, you still need tickets, as only a limited number of visitors can take the large escalator to the 37-metre-high platform at any one time. You can get these either on site at the ticket counters. However, you can play it safe with a Plaza ticket booked online.
If you would like to find out more about the Elbphilharmonie, a guided tour is also worthwhile. Here are a few selected providers:
- Elphi – Plaza – guided tour with Störtebeker beer (1 hour)
- Elphi Plaza and HafenCity culinary – The Food Tour (3 hours)
You should definitely book at least one concert in the Elbphilharmonie. The concerts in the large hall with its 2150 seats are particularly great. The hall is built according to the vineyard principle, with the orchestra in the middle and the seats arranged on different terraces towards the top. The design ensures special acoustics, which were the brainchild of the well-known Japanese acoustic designer Yasuhisa Toyota:
3. Speicherstadt & Harbour District
Hamburg is a maritime city with a long tradition. So what could be more natural than exploring the city by water? If you walk along the Elbe, someone will try to sell you a boat tour every 10 meters. It’s worth listening to the cool slogans of the boat tour sellers, but you can also get a ticket in advance.
With this tour, you not only explore the Speicherstadt, but you can also see the large freighters up close in the port of Hamburg. There are several providers with different duration for this tour. All of them have German tour Guides but offer Audio Guides in English and other languages:
- 1.5-hour harbor and warehouse district tour
- 1-hour harbor tour with a steamship
- 2-hour XXL harbor tour through the port of Hamburg
Another special feature are the tours after sunset, when you explore the city in the dark and the lights of the buildings are reflected in the water. Unfortunately those are only available with German Tour Guides:
4. Hop-on hop-off city tour
You can explore many of the best sights on a hop-on hop-off bus tour. An English audio guide is also available for this tour.
These typical double-decker buses actually travel through almost every major city. The cool thing about such a tour is not only that you get information on the bus, but also that you can simply get off at one of the 20 stops at any time if you like it somewhere. Later, you can simply get back on the next bus with the same day ticket.
5. Musical
Hamburg is the best-known city for visiting musicals in Germany. The Lion King and the Ice Queen are absolute perennial favorites.
Here you can find tickets to the most popular shows:
Those Musicals are in German, but there is a lot of Singing and a amazing show effects. You will have a good time, even though you won’t understand much – especially if you are a hardcore Disney Fan.
Both venues are on the other side of the Elbe. Transfer by ferry across the river is therefore included in the price.
There are always other cool musical performances in the new Flora, the St. Pauli Theater, the Inselpark Arena or the Operettenhaus. The following other musicals are currently being performed in Hamburg or will soon be coming to the Hanseatic city:
- Disney’s Hercules (from €59.99 per person)
- & JULIA (from €56.99 per person)
- MJ – The Michael Jackson Musical (from €49.99 per person)
- Footloose – The Musical (from €39.90 per person)
- Beauty and the Beast (from €34.70 per person)
- GREASE – The Hit Musical (from €39.90 per person)
You can make a note of the following new musicals for later:
- ROCK OF AGES (March 12, 2025 – May 24, 2025)
- Disney in Concert (From May 2025)
- Disneys Musical TARZAN – Hamburg (From Fall 2025)
- all you need is love! – The Beatles-Musical (June 11, 2025 – July 27, 2025)
- The CHER Show – The musical about the goddess of pop (from December 2025)
If you’re looking for a hotel close to the venue, I recommend one near Landungsbrücken/Brücke 1, as this is where the ferry, which is included in the ticket price, departs from. Just a stone’s throw away are the Hotel Hafentor, the Hotel Hafen Hamburg, from whose Tower Bar you also have a fantastic view of Hamburg and the harbor, and the hostel Jugendherberge Hamburg Auf dem Stintfang for those on a slightly smaller budget.
There are always other musical performances at the Neue Flora, or at the Operettenhaus.
6. Guided brewery tour or brewery tour
Hamburg also has plenty of beers that need to be tapped. The city has some cool breweries that are typical of the region and deeply rooted in their neighborhoods. From tropical craft beer to classic pilsner, you’ll find everything in Hamburg.
Why not book a brewery tour with an expert who will take you to the secret beer hotspots of Hamburg. There are a number of different providers of such tours:
A visit to the following breweries is also worthwhile without a tour:
- Ratsherrn – This is probably Hamburg’s most popular beer. The brewery is located on the Schanzen-Höfe in the middle of the Schanzenviertel and you can enjoy the different Ratsherrn varieties in the cozy beer garden. Guided tours of the brewery are also available.
- Überquell – You can get pizza and beer at the Überquell brewery right next to Hamburg’s fish market. You can choose one of 7 regularly brewed beers or one of the seasonal and limited beers. Tip: Order the sample set, where you can try out 5 different beers. There are also guided tours of the brewery workshops.
- Astra – This beer from St. Pauli is probably also known beyond the region. On a brewery tour with beer sommelier Dani and her team through the Astra St. Pauli microbrewery, you will learn all about brewing, beer and Astra.
7. Chocolate Museum – Chocoversum
Did you know? Germans eat about 1.5 to 2 bars of chocolate per week.
You can find out this and many more exciting facts during a 90-minute tour with a personal guide in the Chocoversum.
The tour begins with a tempting tasting session at the milk chocolate fountain – a sweet prelude to what is yet to come. From there, you will be immersed in various rooms that trace the entire journey of chocolate:
- from cocoa cultivation…
- …to global trade…
- …and the elaborate production process.
At every step of the chocolate production process, you can of course also smell and taste.
Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Everyone really loves it!
The highlight: after the first 30 minutes or so, you can create your own chocolate in the chocolate workshop – with all kinds of ingredients, from sprinkles to wasabi. The bar of chocolate is then stored in the fridge and at the end of the tour you can take it with you.
8. SUP, kayak, canoe, pedal boat or rowing boat
Did you know? Hamburg is the city with the to topticularly worth exploring the Outer Alster – by kayak or rowing boat.
Many locals often bring their own inflatable boats or other water-suitable vehicles. However, there are also numerous rental stations where you can hire kayaks, SUPs, rowing boats and the like.
SUP rental stations:
Pedal boats, rowing boats, kayaks, canoes:
Special features:
Tipp: Especially on the weekends in summer on a sunny day, many people will have the same idea. But if you arrive early at the rental stations, right after they open, then you won’t have any problems.
9. Dialog in the dark – experience the worl like a blind person
Sharpen your senses with the dialog in the dark. During a guided tour with a blind person, you will find out what it’s like not to be able to see in everyday life. In a kind of parkour, you will do all sorts of exciting things that are fun but also really give you a different perspective on the world of blind people.
You can book your dialog in the dark tour here (also available in English).
Also cool is the Dinner in the Dark, which you can book with the same provider. As the name suggests, you will be served dinner in the dark. You’ll have to find out what you’re actually being served without your eyesight, which is super exciting. But don’t worry: there’s nothing disgusting about it.
10. Hot rod tour
How about speeding through Hamburg at 14 hp and checking out all the sights? If so, this street karting tour with a guide, where you get to sit behind the wheel of a street kart and do just that, is perfect for you. It doesn’t just sound like a lot of fun, it is.
But you can also do it with small hot rods. You can book a ticket for this here. The meeting point is at the Hamburg Landungsbrücken, in the “StrandPauli” car park, at St. Pauli Hafenstraße 89. You can drive between 10:00 – 18:00 (2 hours longer in summer).
To participate, you only need a valid class 3/B driver’s license. Helmets are provided free of charge.
11. Indoor Escape room
Escape rooms have been a popular activity for young and old for years, especially for team events. You are locked in a room with a group and have to solve various puzzles and find hidden objects together in a limited amount of time in order to win.
There is a very large selection of escape room providers in Hamburg. Most of them offer several rooms with different stories and adventures (also in English). Some are even on a ship.
- teamescape
- Hidden in Hamburg (Auf dem Schiff)
- Skurrilllum
- Fluchtweg Hamburg
- Adventurerooms Hamburg
- teambreakout
- Opolum
- Deadline Escape
- ESCRoom
12. Outdoor Escape Games
The popular escape games are not only available indoors, but also outdoors. The whole thing is basically like a scavenger hunt. You are told the starting point and have to solve various puzzles using a tablet or an app. This is a fun way to get to know the city.
Here, too, you can choose from a number of providers:
13. Museum
Even when it’s raining, which is not uncommon in Hamburg, you’re sure to find a great Hamburg activity. A visit to a museum is a particularly good idea, and there are quite a few amazing ones in Hamburg. Whether you like nature, art, technology or just chocolate – there is definitely something for everyone in the selection of museums.
- Spicey’s Spice Museum – here you can immerse yourself in the world of spices (Enlish Audio Guides available).
- Cap San Diego – impressive ship from 1961 on which you can explore all areas of the ship (Only in German)
- Chocoversum – everything about chocolate
- Speicherstadtmuseum – learn all about the old trading days of this district in a warehouse from 1888
- International Maritime Museum – 3000 years of shipping history on 9 exhibition decks
- Museum of Illusions – In this museum, nothing is as it seems
- Museum of Hamburg History – From the beginnings to the gateway to the world, you can learn all about Hamburg’s development over the centuries here
- Altona Museum – Museum about the the westernmost district of Hamburg
- Hamburger Kunsthalle – Changing exhibitions
- Deichtorhallen – Museum for international, modern art & photography
- Panoptikum – Germany’s oldest wax museum with historical personalities and celebrities of today.
- Museum of Nature – Fascinating animal specimens on 2000 m²
Are you a fan of art exhibitions? Then the 3-day pass for art exhibitions and galleries is definitely for you. It includes admission to 5 different exhibitions. The Deichtorhallen and the Hamburger Kunsthalle are also included.
Incidentally, on Reformation Day, many of Hamburg’s museums are free of charge (more information: Seeforfree).
14. Miniature wonderland
This is one of Germany´s most famous and most visited sight ever. Here you will feel like Gulliver on his travels through Lilliput. However, the whole world is on display in Miniaturwunderland. From Italy to Rio de Janeiro to the fictitious Knuffingen, you will find numerous lovingly designed miniature worlds here.
And in between, the little trains keep running through the area. In fact, the Miniaturwunderland is the largest model railroad in the world. You definitely shouldn’t miss it, even if you’re not a model train fan.
15. Hamburg Dungeon
The Hamburg Dungeon takes you into the dark past of the Hanseatic city. Here, actors portray events such as the Black Plague, the Great Fire or the Inquisition – and it gets pretty spooky in the process. You will encounter pirates, ghosts and hair-raising characters from times long past.
16. Wine tasting or a wine seminar
OK. Hamburg is not really known for its great vineyards. But as a city of commerce, you can still find wines from all over the world here. But even the German wines are worth tasting. The best way to do this is on a guided wine and food tasting tour (available in several languages), for example, where you can taste 4-6 wines from German wineries and also book traditional appetizers or a full menu with a dessert and wine.
If you want to learn more about wine itself, then a wine seminar in Hamburg is a great option. Here is a selection of providers:
- Badisches Weinhaus Michael Hamburg
- Weinladen St. Pauli
- Villa Verde
- Rindchen’s Weinkontor
- Vineyard Weinbar
17. Coffee roastery
Hamburg also stands for coffee tradition. After all, coffee is one of the main import goods in Germany and Hamburg is an important transshipment point for coffee beans. So it makes sense to open coffee roasting plants right at the source, so to speak. And there are several of them all over the city. Here is a small selection:
- Kopiba – Deathpresso – the first coffee roastery in Hamburg’s Schanzenviertel district.
- Speicherstadt Kaffeerösterei – Very well-known specialty roastery with a focus on single-origin coffees and fine coffee blends
- Kaffeemuseum Burg – Museum and roastery in Eppendorf
- Torrefaktum – Best coffee roastery of the year 2022 (according to Feinschmecker magazine)
- Carroux Caffee
- Northcoast Coffee
18. Beaches in and around Hamburg
Yes, there are beaches in Hamburg where you can enjoy the sun in summer and a walk in winter. You will mainly find them along the Elbe river.
The best known beach is probably the Elbstrand in Övelgönne around the restaurant “Strandperle” to the boulder “Alter Schwede”.
The Falkensteiner Ufer is also very popular with beachgoers. In addition to a sandy beach, there is also a campsite.
In general, however, you should be very careful when swimming in the Elbe. The current can get very strong very quickly here, which some people often underestimate.
A little further south-east in Hamburg are the sand dunes called Boberger Dünen with the Boberg Lake. Due to the shifting sand dunes here, you can get a bit of a beach feeling at the lake.
If you want to take a day trip, you can also get to Lübeck relatively easily by regional train and from there on to Travemünde and Timmendorfer Strand, directly on the Baltic Sea. The journey takes about an hour and 15 minutes.
19. Second Hand Shopping
You can go shopping almost anywhere in Hamburg. But sustainable shopping is only possible in certain stores. A few of the coolest ones are listed here:
- mano a mano e.K. – Cool little store where you are greeted by the trusting pet dog. There is clothing for women, men and children as well as jewelry.
- Klamottensen – exclusively second-hand clothing for women.
- Männersache Hamburg – As the name suggests, only for men’s clothing; many expensive brands and designer fashion from Italy at reasonable prices in the range.
- Kilo Shop – Second hand clothing from the German Red Cross. Sold by weight.
- Second Schanze – Second hand store in Eimsbüttel
- Humana – Very large store, also with branded clothing and with several locations in Hamburg
20. Ice cream parlor
There are certainly many really cool ice cream parlors in Hamburg. But personally, I think the Eiskantine is one of the best. They regularly come up with new flavors that you don’t find often anywhere else. I think the milk flavors are always the best here. But they also have fruity flavors.
The Wilhelmsburger Eisdealer in Wilhelmsburg district is also one of my favorites. They make their ice cream fresh every day, with a huge range of cool flavors. Just thinking about the Greek yogurt ice cream with rhubarb makes my mouth water.
21. Parcours und Freerunning
Die Halle in Hamburg’s Oberhafen district is one of the meeting places for the Hamburg parkour scene. A 600 m² parkour park has been set up here with a pole frame, foampit, airtrack, fitness area and course room.
You can register for courses here or come to the free training.
22. Bike parks (mountain bike and BMX)
If you fancy some bike action, there are a few bike parks scattered around Hamburg:
- Volkspark Altona bike facility – off-road track with steep ramps and sharp bends in the middle of the Volkspark forest
- Cyclocross-Land – Facility especially for children in the north-east of Hamburg
- BMX Race Track Hamburg – BMX facility for club members
23. Black light mini golf
Germany’s largest black light adventure world awaits you in the “Schwarzlichtvierte” (which literally means black light district). There is mini golf, a virtual reality experience and a course through laser beams as well as a snack bar.
24. Minigolf
Black light minigolf is too much fun for you? Then normal minigolf will certainly do. Because it’s a great activity for young and old. There are lots of courses all over the city, so here is just a small selection:
- Miniature golf in Volkspark Hamburg – in the middle of the forest, right next to the mountain bike trail
- Miniature golf in the city park (Stadtpark)
- Miniature golf course in Hamburg Horn – in the middle of the Horner Rennbahn
- Miniature golf Planten un Blomen – the miniature golf course in the middle of one of the most famous parks in
- Crazy Miniature Golf in Hammer Park – outdoor miniature golf with colorful holes and sculptures
- Miniature golf Öjendorfer Park Hamburg – miniature golf in nature right next to the Öjendorf lake
25. Paintball
There are 2 paintball facilities in Hamburg:
- City Paintball – Indoor paintball hall in Bramfeld
- Paintball Movieland – 7 themed paintball fields just outside Hamburg
26. Laser tag
In laser tag, you run through an area with laser-firing markers and try to hit your opponents as often as possible. It’s a bit like paintball, but without the pain of getting hit.
There are various indoor facilities all over Hamburg:
27. Frau Hedi party boat
Drinking a beer to relaxed music is not necessarily anything special. But drinking a beer to relaxed music on a small party boat sailing across the Elbe – that’s more like it.
That’s exactly what Frau Hedi offers. The small boat has a bar and a DJ and sails on different routes along the harbor (and has been doing so for almost 20 years). There are also events and even readings here from time to time.
28. Table football
You can find table football in lots of pubs in Hamburg, especially on Hamburger Berg in St. Pauli and on Sternschanze.
My favorites:
- The foosball table in the Goldfischglas – good foosball table (no smoking here)
- The foosball table in the Katze
- The foosball table in the Barbarabar
- Vivo Bar – in addition to televisions and a large screen for watching football, there are also 3 good foosball tables and 2 billiards tables.
- Kick & Company: traditional bar with 3 foosball tables, darts and 2 pool tables
Sometimes foosball tables are also available in combination with bowling or billiards or in larger arcade halls. Have a look at the next 3 Hamburg activities.
29. Arcade games and VR-games
If you want to play really cool arcade games, you unfortunately have to leave Hamburg. There is no large arcade hall in Hamburg like you would expect to find in a city with over a million inhabitants.
But right on the northern border in Norderstedt in the Action Arena you can let the arcade buttons and sticks glow.
A fairly new gaming center is G4metime in Bramfeld. Here you can rent one of nine gaming rooms spread over 500 m² in the facility. For example, there is a room (Sonic) with four high-quality racing rigs or rooms with PCs for a LAN party (Sage and Jinx). VR experiences are also on offer.
Rcadia GaminZone on Reeperbahn is also really cool. There are full-motion racing simulators that make driving a car feel like the real thing. You can also play a virtual reality shooter here with VR-Tower Tag.
The playable museum of the Retro Games Club is pretty cool and feels a bit like a journey back in time to your childhood. Here you will find over 500 games from the last 50 years that you can play yourself on various computers and consoles, from Super Nintendo to Commodore C64, everything is there. Nostalgia is guaranteed.
If the trip to Bremen is not too far for you, the Planet Arcade is also a great option.
30. Bowling and skittles
You can simply let the ball roll in some of the larger bowling alleys in Hamburg. These often also have billiard tables and other fun and arcade games on offer.
- Glide Bowling – In Wandsbek with 24 bowling lanes, 4 bowling alleys and 4 billiard tables
- Glide Bowling 44 – Northern Germany’s largest bowling center with 44 bowling lanes, 2 club rooms, billiards, air field hockey and video games
- U.S. Fun Bowling – 28 lanes in US style with fast food restaurant.
31. Billiards and darts
There are also a number of separate facilities for billiards and darts throughout the city:
- Queue Billiard Pub – billiards and darts
- Q-Pub Billardcafé – 18 well-maintained billiard tables and 5 dart boards (plus four table football tables, including a mega table football table)
- Sunset Billiards – 2 facilities: 1 in Hoheluft and 1 in Wandsbek
- B7 Billiards and Cocktails – Sisha smoking plus 21 pool tables, 2 snooker tables and 1 carom table
- Café Kö Hamburg – Steeldart, e-darts and billiards
- Trio Hamburg – 30 pool & 9 snooker tables over 2 floors, plus cocktails and a 250 m² roof terrace
32. Hamburg’s animal and wildlife parks
These zoos and open-air enclosures are an exciting Hamburg activity, especially for families with children.
- Hagenbecker Tierpark – large enclosure with elephant enclosure, orangutan and kangaroo house and lots more.
- Niendorfer Gehege Wildlife Park – 3-hectare fallow deer enclosure with circular path and wooden platform for observation.
- Hirschpark deer park – deer and other fallow deer in the beautiful deer park.
- Klövensteen game reserve – many different animals such as roe deer, mouflon, fallow deer, sika deer, red deer and wild boar live in this reserve in the west of Hamburg.
33. Hamburg’s most beautiful parks
Hamburg is considered the greenest bigger city in Germany. No wonder, because there really are many parks and green spaces here, where you are sure to find your retreat in the middle of the busy city:
- Planten und Bloomen
- Loki-Schmidt Botanical Garden
- City Park
- People’s Park
- Jenisch Park
- Deer Park
- Ohlsdorf Cemetery
- Wilhelmsburg Island Park
34. Art house movie theater
Large cinemas show only the blockbusters and are often overcrowded. But the exciting films with lots of dramaturgy and thought-provoking content are usually not shown there. So it’s a good thing that there are plenty of smaller art-house cinemas in Hamburg – for real film fans who want cinema away from the boring mainstream. Also most of these cinemas offer som eof the movies in its Original version with subtitles (OmU)
- Metropolis
- Passage Cinema
- Magazine Filmkunst
- Studio Kino
- Kinderfilmring – Cinema for children
- B-Movie
- Zeise Cinemas
- Abaton
- 3001 Kino
- Lichtmess
35. Theater or opera
If you like theater and opera, you’ll get your money’s worth in Hamburg. However, most of the theater performances are in German.
Theater in Hamburg:
- Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg
- Hamburger Kammerspiele
- Harry Potter Theater
- Ernst Deutsch Theater
- Thalia Theater (Once a monthoffers surtitles in English)
- Allee Theater
- Altonaer Theater
- Ohnsorg Theater
- The English Theater Hamburg (in English)
Opera in Hamburg:
36. Cabaret
Cabaret is performed in somewhat smaller venues and is usually a little more socially critical.
37. Varieté Theater
Variety is like normal theater, but with much more artistry, dance, acrobatics, magic and music.
- Pulverfass – Variety & travesty show on the Reeperbahn
- Bunny Burlesque – Travestieshow mit Olivia Jones, Germanys most famous Drag Queen
- Varieté im Hansa Theater – for over 125 years
- Mahoin (Former Albers Ahoi) – Music in sailor pants.
38. Hard Rock Café
There are often long queues outside the popular Hard Rock Café on Hamburg’s Landungsbrücken. Especially for guests who also want to eat something here.
But be smart and get a “skip the line” ticket for the Hard Rock Café in advance.
39. Trampoline park
Jump yourself happy
The Jumphouse is probably one of the favorite places for children of bouncing age. Here the little ones can burn off all their energy with all kinds of cool activities – there are basketball hoops, somersault areas, climbing courses, arcade games and lots more. The Jumphouse has 2 facilities – one in Poppenbüttel and one in Stellingen.
Another option is the Rabatzz! In addition to lots of trampolines, there are also all kinds of climbing facilities, slides, arcade games and a bull riding machine.
By the way: both trampoline and play parks are not just for children. They can also be booked separately for adults, e.g. for team events.
Another option for jumping around and having fun is the Sprungraum trampoline facility, the most modern trampoline park in Germany covering over 5000 m².
40. Aquarium
Fish are not only found in the Elbe, but also in the Hagenbeck tropical aquarium. Here you can immerse yourself in a colorful, dazzling underwater world that has plenty to offer for young and old. On 8,000 m² you can observe over 350 different species, such as sharks in the large shark atoll, vicious crocodiles or poisonous snakes.
41. Skiing or Snowboarding
Hamburg is not necessarily known for its snow-covered mountains with ski slopes. However, there are plenty of opportunities for fun on the slopes in the northern coastal region:
- Snowdome Bispingen – 300 meter long and up to 100 meter wide slope in the Lüneburg Heath
- Alpincenter Hamburg-Wittenburg – Located in the east of Hamburg on the A24 motorway, this indoor ski slope is 330 meters long and 50 meters wide.
42. Water ski or wakeboard
You can also ski and board in a liquid state. There are several water ski facilities in the city and the surrounding area:
- Waterski and Wakeboard Hamburg – facility on Lake Neuländer See south of the Elbe in Harburg
- Cable Sport Arena Pinneberg – somewhat smaller facility, perfect for learning to wakeboard or waterski
- Spotz – wakeboard park in Norderstedt
43. Swimming
If you want to go swimming in Hamburg, you definitely can’t avoid the name Bäderland. The Bäderland pools are located all over the city. There are 25 of them in total.
You can also enjoy a good swim in one of the 5 pools (including a heated outdoor pool) at Aspria Uhlenhorst, a large fitness facility.
In the aqua world of the Badebucht, you can swim laps in the 25-metre-long sports pool and let your children let off steam in the adventure pool. There are also sauna and wellness facilities.
There are also bathing lakes and bathing spots on the Elbe in the Hamburg area:
- Allermöher See bathing area, Nord-spitze
- Boberger See (sandy beach)
- Bredenbek Pond (A bit outside of the city in the north near Ahrensburg)
44. Wellness in the spa and sauna
Hamburg’s Bäderländer not only offer indoor swimming pools and pools, but also 10 varied sauna landscapes.
The Meridian Spa and Fitness is also a top address for wellness in Hamburg. There are a total of 5 locations in Hamburg where you can enjoy a sauna or steam bath, pool or beauty and wellness treatments.
A Balinese wellness oasis awaits you at the Vabali Spa. The wellness facility is 36,000 m² in size and offers everything your wellness heart desires.
Oriental pampering awaits at Das Hammam. Here you can enjoy a typical hammam treatment in the marble bath followed by a scrub, cloud foam and massage – depending on your preference.
The Aspria Uhlenhorst also has a great spa area, for which you can buy a day spa ticket even if you are not a member of the large fitness facility.
Many hotels in Hamburg also have their own spas and relaxation areas. This is a great option for couples in particular to do something romantic. Book at least one overnight stay and enjoy the various wellness areas.
- GRAND ELYSEE Hamburg – 5-star hotel with a 1,000 m² wellness area with indoor pool, saunas, whirlpool and fitness room.
- Westin Hamburg – 20-meter indoor pool, 6 treatment rooms, 1 Finnish sauna (90 degrees) and 1 bio sauna (70 degrees)
- Silver Whirlpool Suite – accommodation with a private pool.
45. Planetarium
Hamburg’s planetarium is located in the city park. There is a viewing platform on the very top of the roof and the planetarium offers changing shows, some of which are also great for children aged 6 and over. You can see all the shows here and book a ticket directly.
46. Climbing park
Hamburg offers plenty of climbing facilities, not just for little climbers but also for big ones:
- HanseRock high ropes course – 5 courses and 7 rope slides.
- Kilimanschanzo – in the middle of Florapark on the Schanze, you can climb on an old bunker.
- Flashh – bouldering facility with over 200 boulder routes on an area of 1300 m².
47. Hamburger Dom fair
The Hamburger Dom is a funfair with lots of rides, food stalls and other attractions. It takes place 3 times a year for one month at a time:
- Winter Dom: Usually November to December
- Frühling Dom: Usually March to April
- Sommer Dom: Usually July to August
There is always a family day with discounts on Wednesdays.
48. Virtual reality experience
VR systems are becoming increasingly popular. In Hamburg, there are already several places where you can immerse yourself in virtual worlds and experience adventures.
The difference to VR experiences at home is that here you have sensors all over your body, making the experience feel even more real – almost a bit like the Holodeck in Star Trek.
At Sandbox VR, you can play the games of the well-known Korean series Squid Game. But there are also many other worlds for 2 to 6 players.
In the spaced-out free-roaming experience rooms of Yullbe, you can play various single- and multiplayer adventures in virtual reality.
- There are five 10-minute single-player adventures (Yullbe Go)
- and then there are also the 30-minute multiplayer experiences with up to 6 players, including a journey through the miniature wonderland in small.
You get a backpack with a virtual reality helmet and sensors on your hands and feet, and then walk through one of the free roaming rooms.
At VRHQ, you can book a full two hours and play all VR games in a group together. For example, there is a flight over Hamburg and virtual laser tag against each other.
49. Christmas market
Hamburg is also worth a visit at Christmas. There are many different Christmas markets in different parts of the city, which also start and end on different days. Each of them has a different theme and differently designed stalls.
Some of the Christmas markets are within walking distance of each other, so you can visit them one after the other in one go. My tip in this order: Hanseatic Christmas – Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz – Historic Christmas Market – White Magic – Gänsemarkt.
Historic Christmas market
- Where? At City Hall
- Open: November 25th to December 23rd, 2024
- Stalls: 80 stalls with red roofs and lots of arts and crafts
The largest and most famous Christmas market is the historic market at Hamburg City Hall. There are always extremely many people at the market organized by Roncalli – around 3 million people visit the market every year. A special feature here is Santa Claus, who flies over the visitors three times a day. The stalls all have red roofs and there is a beautiful carousel from 1927 in the middle.
White Magic
- Where? At the Jungfernstieg
- Open: November 18 to December 23, 2024
- Stalls: White pagoda tents
Right next to the town hall on Jungfernstieg, you will find the next Christmas market, whose white color scheme is reminiscent of snow, ice and winter.
Gänsemarkt Christmas market
- Where? At Gänsemarkt around the Lessing Monument
- Open (2023): November 18 to December 23, 2024
- Stalls: Gingerbread
The Christmas market at Gänsemarkt looks like a small gingerbread village. There are all kinds of different stalls here selling arts and crafts, health products and, of course, Christmas sweets and food. Every Thursday and Friday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm, there is a themed evening with music.
Hanseatic Christmas
- Where? In Spitalerstraße
- Open from November 21 to December 28, 2024
- Stalls: Traditional Hanseatic brickwork-style stalls
A classic Christmas market in the middle of the Gründerzeit houses. There are plenty of arts and crafts and Christmas delicacies.
Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz
- Where? On Gerhart-Hauptmann-Platz
- Open: November 21 to December 23, 2024
- Stalls: nostalgic half-timbered
The market’s landmarks are the large Christmas tree, a nativity scene and a nostalgic carousel.
StrandPauli Winter Market
- Where? St. Pauli Hafenstraße
- Open: November 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025
- Stalls: Beach bar in winter mode and Christmas atmosphere
From November until the following year, this is probably the longest market open throughout the winter. It is less about Christmas and more about mulled wine and après-ski – just without the skis. Events and activities also take place in a large Alpine-style ski hut.
Santa Pauli – Christmas market on the Reeperbahn
- Where? Spielbudenplatz on the Reeperbahn
- Open from: November 11 to December 23, 2024
- Stalls: Stages with live shows and normal Christmas
The Christmas spirit at the Reeperbahn Christmas market is also conveyed by the male and female strippers who perform here in live shows every Thursday to Saturday at 9:30 p.m., 10:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. In addition, there are the typical Christmas delicacies that you can also find at other
Christmas markets. Fleetinsel Christmas market
- Where? At the Stadthausbrücke
- Open from: November 21 to December 23, 2024
- Stalls: maritime flair thanks to two vintage sailing boats bathed in Christmas lights
Ottensen Christmas market
- Where? In front of the Mercado Altona next to Altona Central Station
- Open from: November 21 to December 23
- Stalls: 40 huts
A classic Christmas market with authentic huts, the Ottensen market is in front of the Mercado. It has a focus on families, so there is also the dwarf hut, for example, where children up to 12 years of age can sell homemade or baked goods without paying a stall fee.
There are also other Christmas markets in other districts:
- St. Georg – Winterpride (gay and lesbian Christmas market): November 16 to December 22, 2024
- Blankenese Christmas market: November 29 to December 22,
- Barmbek Christmas market: November 14 to December 30,
- Christmas market St. Petri at the Petrikirche: 21.11 to 28.12.2024
- Christmas market Bergedorf in front of the Bergedorfer Schloss: 29.11 to 22.12.2024
- Christmas market Eppendorf: 14.11. to 30.12.2024
- Christmas market HafenCity: Nov. 20 to Dec. 30, 2024
- Christmas market Eimsbüttel: Nov. 14 to Dec. 30,
50. Ice skating
There are several places in Hamburg where you can go ice skating in winter:
- Eis Arena Hamburg in the Planten un Blomen park – ice surface of 4,300 m² – one of the largest ice surfaces in Europe
- Eisland Hamburg in Farmsen – 1,800 m² ice surface
- Q.Beyond Arena – 1,800 m² ice surface – public ice skating every Saturday and Sunday from December to February
- Ice rink Stellingen – artificial ice rink with 1800 m² ice surface
51. Curling
In the Rindermarkthalle and at StrandPauli, you can try your hand at curling every winter.
You should book a rink in advance. You can do this online here. Two teams play against each other on each lane. A team consists of up to 4 people.
There is also curling in the Q.Beyond Arena.
52. Winter Spectacle
The name is no exaggeration: the Winter Spectacle has been taking place at the Bahrenfeld trotting track for several years now and is a mixture of fair, circus and food court with a winter touch. Children will love the spectacle, but adults won’t miss out either.
The highlight is the 70-minute show in the ring with live music, acrobats, dancers, clowns, fire artists and much more. The show is also different every year, so it’s worth coming back.
The Food Court and the show are in tents and well heated. Some of the fairground stalls can even be used for free.
53. Christmas Garden Hamburg
Once a year, the Loki Schmidt Botanical Garden is transformed into a sea of lights. Between mid-November and mid-January, you can marvel at the many illuminated figures along a circular route and experience magical moments.
The whole thing is called Christmas Garden and opens every day during this time from 4:30 pm.
54. Attend a soccer match
Hamburg not only has 2 teams in the second national league (soon to be the first, I’m sure ;) ), but also lots of clubs in individual parts of the city that play high-quality football.
But let’s start with the city’s grandees:
- HSV – for 55 years HSV was in the first Bundesliga without interruption, longer than any other club. But even in the second division, the stadium, which can hold up to 57,000 spectators, offers plenty of action. You can book tickets here.
- St. Pauli – Although HSV attracts more visitors to the stadium and is also historically more successful, the club with the skull and crossbones is more popular with many Hamburgers. Tickets for the games are available here.
There are also a number of other soccer clubs that don’t play too badly and may one day be in the top flight. For example, there is Teutonia Ottensen, which plays in the Regionalliga Nord. The Eimsbüttel Gymnastics Association (ETV) also plays in the fourth division north. And let’s not forget Altona 93 – one of the city’s most traditional clubs, founded in 1893.
55. Eat the Film: Enjoy a culinary experience
Do you know the feeling? You watch a movie in which something delicious is served and suddenly your mouth starts watering and you want to try the dish in the movie yourself.
Well at Eat the Film you can do just that.
It’s a restaurant and bar that combines food and movies. You watch a movie here, and everything that is shown in the movie is also served on the table. The movie Ratatouille is currently on the menu and you can book tickets online on the website.
56. Golf: driving range
There are several courses in Hamburg where you can simply hire a golf club and a few golf balls and then practice your swing on the driving range – By the way: this is also a great way to reduce frustration.
- Golf Lounge Resort: Here you can book one of many tee mats directly online (including rental clubs).
- Golf range: 100 partially covered teeing grounds (special offers for an annual range fee)
- Golf arena at Golf Gut Glinde: driving range and large short game area for practicing
- Wentorf-Reinbeker Golf-Club e.V.: Driving range with 4 covered teeing grounds and more than 20 outdoor stands (for members and guests only)
57. 3D trick art
Make sure you have your smartphone with a camera at the 3D Trick Art Museum. Because here you can marvel at numerous so-called 3D trick pictures by Japanese artist Masashi Hattori. These are pictures drawn on objects, which then appear 3-dimensional from a very specific angle. Each picture has a photo spot from which you can take a photo from exactly the right perspective.
The trick pictures are spread out in such a way that you can try out a lot of things here and run around, which is particularly popular with families with small children.
58. Go-kart
There is actually only one real karting track on the outskirts of Hamburg – Mega Kart near the airport in Norderstedt. This is an indoor karting track with electric karts. There are even twin karts that fit 2 people at the same time.
59. Flea markets in Hamburg
If you are looking for unique treasures, love vintage items and enjoy haggling over the best price, then you should not miss Hamburg’s flea markets. Just browsing is an activity in itself.
The most famous and largest regular flea market in Hamburg is the Flohschanze on Feldstraße, opposite the bunker. It takes place here every Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. I myself love browsing through the many historical maps here.
The rooftop flea market on the roof of the Galeria Karstadt department store on Osterstraße in Eimsbüttel is also a really cool flea market. You can not only find second-hand treasures here, but also enjoy the view over the block. There is usually also street food. However, this flea market only takes place on selected days of the year. It’s best to check the website for the latest dates.
A neighborhood flea market and a bicycle flea market take place once a month and several times a year at the HausDrei cultural center. You can find the dates here.
On certain days of the year, the Altona flea market, the night flea market at the Rinderhofhalle, and the flea market on Heiligengeistfeld also take place.
Many more flea markets with current dates can be found here.
60. Axe throwing
This new trend sport from the USA is relatively popular for team building. With the Woodcutter, there is also a facility in Hamburg where you can book one of 12 lanes and throw an axe wildly like a crazy hillbilly. Beer is available at the bar. Beer and axe throwing – a great combination for anyone who likes to don a red-checked shirt.
If all this sounds a bit too dangerous for you, don’t worry. So-called Axe Masters will teach you how to throw the axe and make sure that everyone follows the rules. Each team also has its own lane.
61. Barista and knife-sharpening courses
The Manufactum store in the Chilehaus in Hamburg not only offers high-quality and unusual products, but you can also learn how to sharpen knives properly or get basic knowledge about how to prepare coffee properly in a barista course.
Further Hamburg activities
Of course there are many more Hamburg activities. So here is a small additional selection:
- The ultimate sex, drugs and hotdog tour
- Sightseeing tour with the Scuddy
- Reeperbahn: Panik City – Udo Lindenberg’s multimedia experience
- Hamburg: Ice cream workshop
- Hamburg: 1-hour Airbus A320 flight simulator private tour
And if you’ve been living in Hamburg for a while and have already checked out everything on this list of Hamburg activities, here are a few more Hamburg insider tips:
As you can see, there are lots of great Hamburg activities to experience. I try to update the list here all the time. Which of the Hamburg activities have you already tried? Are there any other Hamburg activities that belong here? Help me out and write your tip in the comments!
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