3 days in Hamburg

Day by day

1. Day 1: Elbphilharmonie and Plaza and Speicherstadt

   Elbphilharmonie and Plaza, Speicherstadt and Miniatur Wunderland, then Reeperbahn and Beatles-Platz in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Elbphilharmonie and Plaza

      Herzog & de Meuron's concert hall, opened in 2017, rises in a wave of glass above a brick 1960s warehouse at the tip of HafenCity.

   2. Late morning

      Speicherstadt

      Walk it at dusk, when the warehouses are lit and the canals reflect the lights.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Fish sandwich

      Kiosks along the Landungsbrücken, the Sunday fish market and fishmongers across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Miniatur Wunderland

      The world's largest model railway fills two floors of a Speicherstadt warehouse with miniature landscapes from Hamburg and the Alps to Scandinavia, Italy and South America, including an airport where model planes take off.

   5. Evening

      Reeperbahn and Beatles-Platz

      Explore the side streets such as Hamburger Berg and Große Freiheit for live music and bars.

2. Day 2: Harbour boat tour and ferry 62 and Landungsbrücken and Old Elbe Tunnel

   Harbour boat tour and ferry 62, Landungsbrücken and Old Elbe Tunnel and Hamburg Fish Market, then Planten un Blomen in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Harbour boat tour and ferry 62

      Smaller barge tours can enter the Speicherstadt canals at high tide; larger boats cannot.

   2. Late morning

      Landungsbrücken and Old Elbe Tunnel

      The green-domed pier buildings of the Landungsbrücken are the departure point for ferries and harbour tours.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Franzbrötchen

      Every Hamburg bakery; it is rarely found outside the north of Germany.

   4. Afternoon

      Hamburg Fish Market

      Arrive early: the market winds down by mid-morning. Grab a Fischbrötchen and a coffee by the river.

   5. Evening

      Planten un Blomen

      Check the summer schedule for the water-light concerts after dark and bring a picnic.

3. Day 3: St. Michael's Church (Michel) and Hamburg City Hall

   St. Michael's Church (Michel), Hamburg City Hall and Binnenalster and Außenalster, then Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit in the evening.

   1. Morning

      St. Michael's Church (Michel)

      Hamburg's landmark Baroque church has a bright white-and-gold interior with five organs and a copper-clad tower over 130 metres high.

   2. Late morning

      Hamburg City Hall

      Join a guided tour of the interior; tours in English run on most days when parliament is not sitting.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Labskaus

      Traditional harbour restaurants around the Landungsbrücken and the Deichstraße.

   4. Afternoon

      Binnenalster and Außenalster

      The Alster river was dammed to form two lakes in the centre: the small Binnenalster beside the Jungfernstieg and the larger Außenalster, ringed by villas and parks.

   5. Evening

      Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit

      Clubs, music venues, theatres and late bars, busiest from Thursday to Saturday nights.

Before you go

• Elbphilharmonie and Plaza: Concert tickets sell out months ahead; check the official site for returns and less popular dates.
• Miniatur Wunderland: Reserve a timed entry online, especially for weekends and school holidays.

If it rains

• Swap in Hamburger Kunsthalle (St. Georg): Head straight to the Caspar David Friedrich room before it fills.
• Swap in International Maritime Museum (HafenCity and Speicherstadt): Start at the top floor and work down; the ship-model floors are the highlight.
• Swap in St. Nikolai Memorial (Altstadt): The lift view combines well with a walk to the Deichstraße and its old merchant houses.

Where to stay for this itinerary

With 3 nights, Altstadt and Neustadt keeps most of this route within easy reach. For a calmer or cheaper base, HafenCity and Speicherstadt ($$$) suits first-timers, families, culture and couples. Compare every area.

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 15–23 hours of visiting over 3 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7.5 hours in December to 17 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

More or fewer days

• One day in Hamburg
• 2 days in Hamburg

Questions travellers ask