Rainy day · Hamburg · Germany
7 things to do in Hamburg when it rains
Indoor sights that make a wet day feel planned rather than lost.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Start with Miniatur Wunderland, St. Michael's Church (Michel) and Hamburg City Hall. Together the 7 picks below take roughly 12–14 hours across 5 areas; all charge for entry. January is usually the wettest month, with about 12 rainy days.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 7
- Free entry
- 0
- Time to see them all
- 12–14 hours
- Areas
- HafenCity and Speicherstadt, Neustadt and Altstadt
Hamburg on a rainy day
Museum · HafenCity and Speicherstadt
1.Miniatur Wunderland
Plan at least three hours; the detail is enormous and children rarely want to leave.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Kids
- Rainy day
Religious site · Neustadt
2.St. Michael's Church (Michel)
Combine it with the Krameramtsstuben, a courtyard of 17th-century almshouses just around the corner.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Architecture · Altstadt
3.Hamburg City Hall
Join a guided tour of the interior; tours in English run on most days when parliament is not sitting.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Gallery · St. Georg
4.Hamburger Kunsthalle
Head straight to the Caspar David Friedrich room before it fills.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · HafenCity and Speicherstadt
5.International Maritime Museum
Start at the top floor and work down; the ship-model floors are the highlight.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
Historic site · Altstadt
6.St. Nikolai Memorial
The lift view combines well with a walk to the Deichstraße and its old merchant houses.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Views
- Rainy day
Museum · Veddel
7.BallinStadt Emigration Museum
If you are searching for ancestors, bring names and approximate dates for the research terminals.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| HafenCity and Speicherstadt | Miniatur Wunderland and International Maritime Museum | 3–4 hours + 2 hours |
| Neustadt | St. Michael's Church (Michel) | 1 hour |
| Altstadt | Hamburg City Hall and St. Nikolai Memorial | 1 hour + 1 hour |
| St. Georg | Hamburger Kunsthalle | 2–3 hours |
| Veddel | BallinStadt Emigration Museum | 2 hours |
Booking and timing
Of these 7, 3 low cost, 4 mid-priced. Book ahead for Miniatur Wunderland. The longest visit is Miniatur Wunderland; group the rest by area to save travel time.
- Miniatur Wunderland: Reserve a timed entry online, especially for weekends and school holidays.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (HafenCity and Speicherstadt): Miniatur Wunderland, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (HafenCity and Speicherstadt, Neustadt and Altstadt): International Maritime Museum → St. Michael's Church (Michel) → Hamburg City Hall, at least 4 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Altstadt and St. Georg): St. Nikolai Memorial → Hamburger Kunsthalle, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Veddel): BallinStadt Emigration Museum, at least 2 hours.
The wettest months
- January: highs of 4°C (39°F), about 12 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cold, grey and short days, but museums, concerts and cosy cafés are quiet.
- July: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 12 rainy days, busy crowds. Warmest month, ideal for the Elbe beaches, Alster boating and open-air events; showers are still common.
- August: highs of 23°C (73°F), about 12 rainy days, busy crowds. Warm and lively, with summer festivals and evenings outdoors.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Altstadt and Neustadt — City Hall, Jungfernstieg and shopping streets beside the Binnenalster
- HafenCity and Speicherstadt — Brick warehouses, canals and new waterfront architecture around the Elbphilharmonie
- St. Georg — Lange Reihe cafés, the Außenalster shore and the main station
More of Hamburg
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Hamburg?
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.