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We always find we enjoy a place more when we know someone in the area. Getting a local outlook on a city brings to life so much more than just simply going to a city to experience what it offers. When we visited Hamburg, we got just that. A true local outlook on what Hamburg offers, and a real show of the highlights and secrets of the city. So here are 10 things to do in Hamburg Germany from a locals perspective.
When Jason did an Erasmus (study abroad) program in Finland back in 2011, he met Juri. We’ve stayed in contact since, and Juri even went to Jason’s bachelor party… just so happening to be in Oregon at the same time! So, when our European road trip took us through the northern bit of Germany, we knew we wanted to pay Juri a visit. Visiting Juri in Hamburg was a dream! Cycling around the city, eating at the best local places, and just enjoying a typical day off in the eyes of a local was the icing on the cake to visiting an old friend!
5 Things To See While Visiting Hamburg
Cycling around the city was the best way to really explore every nook and cranny and get to take in all the feels of Hamburg city life. We visited all these places in just one day, and can honestly say, each stop makes for the perfect visit to Hamburg.
The Planetarium
This place is gold! I mean, just the elevator ride in itself is really cool, but the views from the Planetarium are amazing! You can see all over the city of Hamburg, don’t miss visiting the Planetarium! And to top it off, going to the top of the Planetarium is free, so it’s perfect for people even on a budget!
Hamburg Park
This park is absolutely massive and makes you feel like you’re not in the city! It’s actually where the Planetarium is located too! Filled with loads of people running, cycling, and walking their dogs, this is the place to be to escape city life. There are small cafes scattered through the park, water features and ponds, and loads of plants too! And.. it’s called Hamburger Park on our map, so what’s not to love!
Traveler’s Tip… Grab a pizza from Teigfabrik (listed below) and enjoy a picnic in this park! It’s the absolute perfect place to simply relax!
Picnic Viewpoint Over The Harbor
You know how we said we like exploring with a local sometimes better than on our own. This local secret is exactly why. Most people around were enjoying a beer or two while overlooking the harbor, but we simply enjoyed our Franzbrotchens here instead (part of our food to try in Hamburg below). Sit here and watch one of Europe’s busiest harbors while enjoying one of Hamburg’s delicacies!
Visit Hamburg’s Theater | Kaistudio
Typically visiting a theatre isn’t our thing. I mean after all aren’t they just big buildings!? But no.. Hamburg’s theatre is massive and really pretty too! As a plus, it sits right on the water, making it a great place to cycle to!
Visit The Rich
Apparently, while we were in Hamburg, there was a huge political convention going on, and there were police everywhere. But, this brought us to a really pretty part of Hamburg, thanks again to our local guide! 😉 Juri told us that President Trump was going to be visiting Hamburg, and even showed us where he would be staying!
This was a super rich area of Hamburg, and the homes on the water are quite the sight to see!
5 Things To Eat And Drink While Visiting Hamburg
While there’s a time and place for eating local cuisine, hello bratwurst and sauerkraut, there’s more to Germany than just those two bits. And we were quite happy when Juri was just as excited to eat something other than bratwurst during our visit! Here’s the local’s guide to what to eat and drink in Hamburg.. or at least a few places you should check out 😉
Hamburg Lemonade And Soda
Talk about delicious! Not only do these drinks look cute in their great glass bottles, but they are sooo good too! You can get them at restaurants, or just pop into a grocery store and grab one there! Trust us, these aren’t your typical drinks, and it’s great to try something that’s made local! The photo below is of the cola, but the mate tea and lemonade are to die for!
Hamburg Pizza
Not your typical German delicacy, but hey, sometimes you just need a bit of pizza in your life, and Teigfabrik is where to get it! Over near the Planetarium, this little pizza joint is a hole in the wall style restaurant serving up some killer pizza!
Locally Made Ice Cream
Lines were out the door the first couple times we cycled by this place, but we finally were able to get in later in the evening. Delzepich Eis ice cream shop is again just a small pop in pop out place, famous with the locals, and great ice cream too! Don’t be afraid to try some of their unique flavors!
Health Foodies Unite
We actually visited this place so we could get some work done, and simply chose it for some good coffee. But like our typical work dates turn out… we had to get some food too, and man, we’ve literally been dreaming about this food since visiting Hamburg. Spajz offers good quality food without all the added junk that is simply just delicious! If you’re looking for something extra tasty, that’s actually good for your body, definitely eat at Spajz!
Local Pastry | Franzbrotchen
On our ride over to the harbor, Juri insisted on stopping in a wee bakery to grab a treat for us! And what a treat it was. He came out with three Franzbrotchens, German style cinnamon rolls! He said they weren’t the best he’s ever had, but man they were delicious in our eyes! Don’t leave Hamburg without trying one!
Traveler’s Tip…Grab a Franzbrotchen for a snack and enjoy it at the picnic site listed above looking over the busy harbor!
Major shout out to our dear friend Juri who made our time visiting Hamburg something not to forget. If you’ve visited Hamburg and think there’s more to the city than what we saw, let us and other readers know in the comments below!
Getting Around Hamburg
Driving in Hamburg | If you’re driving in Hamburg, do know that it’s one of the cities in Germany with the low emissions zone rules. So, you’ll need to have one of these stickers to be able to drive in Hamburg.
Cycling in Hamburg | In our opinion, this is the best way to visit Hamburg! Hamburg is an extremely cycle friendly place, and a really flat city, so it’s not too hard to cycle around. If you don’t have your own bike, you can rent a city bike here.
Public Transport in Hamburg | If you don’t fancy cycling around, public transport can get you to most parts of the city, though we’re not sure how reliable it is, as we simply rode our bikes everywhere.
Where To Stay In Hamburg
AirBnB | AirBnB is one of the best ways to visit a city. You stay in people’s actual homes, with or without them there, and get to experience what it would feel like to live in a flat in Hamburg! It’s also generally cheaper than staying at a hotel!
Hotels | If staying in someone’s home doesn’t tickle your fancy, search here for current pricing and availability for hotels in Hamburg.
Wild Camping | Not sure you could actually say it’s wild camping, but more so overnight parking in Hamburg, but we found it completely fine to just park in the neighborhoods of Hamburg and crash for a night. It’s no real bother if you’re completely stealth about it and have a toilet or park near a porta potty!
Recommended Gear For Visiting Hamburg
Camera | All our photos in this post were taken using this camera. While we don’t recommend a big fatty camera for everyone, if you’re into photography and want to have more ability to play with your photos, we can totally recommend this one. We typically shoot using this lens, though, for our wide-angle shots, we use this one.
Camera Strap| This strap is the bomb! There’s nothing more annoying than having a strap around your camera when you don’t need it, so we totally recommend this one for the easy snap on and off of the camera! Comfortable to wear while you need a strap, and easy to take off when you don’t!
Everyday Back Pack | Talk about comfy, stealth, organized, and even waterproof. Hello, Peak Design Everyday Pack. We both have one of these backpacks and use it for our carryon for flights, as well as just every day walking around cities or going to work at a café! It’s super comfortable too, one thing we both absolutely love!
Map App | Everywhere in this post can be found using this offline map app. It’s free to download, and doesn’t use data… and you can even pin all these places on the map for your visit to Hamburg! Talk about making traveling easy!
Water Bottle | Not only was this bottle created in our home state of Oregon, but it’s also the best water bottle around. It can keep drinks hot for 6+ hours and cold for 24! With so many different colors, sizes, and designs, you can customize it to exactly your liking!
