TRAVEL >
The best of Hamburg
Written by: Milan Duda
Photo www.isifa.com
Germany's second largest city is definitely
not only one of Europe's most diverse ports with a thriving
industry and trade center, it's also home to hundreds
of parks and gardens, and romantic canals that reminds
one of Amsterdam or Venice. Hamburg has even more bridges
than those two destinations put together, and a cultural
scene to rival either one. You'll definitely need more
than one day to explore this "green city".
Bohumil Prùša
chief of representation for Czech Republic and Slovakia
Hafen Hamburg Marketing
Favorite hotel:
Radisson-SAS Hotel, Marseiller Strasse 2, www.radissonsas.com,
tel.: +4940 350 20
- hotel with a fantastic view of the city and its own "Yes,
I can!" philosophy
Favorite restaurant:
Fischerhaus, Fischmarkt 14, St. Pauli, tel.: +4940 314 053,
www.restaurant-fischerhaus.de/
The multicultural characteristic of the city is reflected in
a wide range of ethnic restaurants. I like coming back to this
one.
Favorite night spot:
Not the famous Reeperbahn, whose zenith is already past, but
the highest situated Cocktailbar "Top of Town" in
the Radisson hotel.
Favorite shop:
I don't like shopping, even though Mönckeberg Strasse is the
biggest "European shopping street".
Favorite attraction:
Hafengeburtstag - birthday celebrations of the Hamburg port
take place on the first May weekend, and this is a breathtaking
show, highly recommended. Of course, you can't forget the traditional
Fischmarkt - every Sunday from 7 to 10 am.
Best-kept secret:
Hamburg is the biggest "Czech" port, as well as a
very interesting fair and congress city.
Advice:
As is true for golf, there is no bad weather in Hamburg - only
badly dressed tourists. |
Zuzana
Synková
chief of the CzechTrade office in Hamburg
Favorite hotel:
Maritim Hotel Reichshof; Kirchenallee 34-36, tel.: +4940
248 330 www.maritim.de - downtown
Kempinski Hotel Atlantic; An der Alster 72-79, tel.: +4940
288 80 www.kempinski.com - for rich clients
Favorite restaurant:
Schifferbörse; Kirchenallee 46, tel.: +4940 245 240 - rybí
restaurace, fish restaurant, ship interior, www.schifferboerse-hh.de
Krameramtsstuben; Krayenkamp 10, tel.: +4940 365 800 - traditional
hamburger cuisine www.krameramtsstuben.de
Saliba; Leverkusenstraße 54, tel.: +4940 858071 - excellent
Syrian restaurant, www.saliba.de
Favorite night spot:
Plenty of bars and clubs can be found on the famed Reeperbahn
street.
www.hamburg.citysam.de/reeperbahn.htm
Favorite shops:
Laventenhaus, Bleichenhof, Hanseviertel - arcades Jil Sander,
Milchstraße 8, tel.: +49 40 55302173 - boutique of the fashion
designer originally from Hamburg
Mönckebergstraße a Poststraße - Downtown shopping avenues.
Luxury shops in Neuer Wall street
Oblíbené atrakce:
The port Hamburger Hafen - unambiguously.
Alster - A lake in the middle of the city. Pleasure cruises
along the lake and neighboring canals.
"
Miniatur Wunderland" - one of the largest model-railways
in the world
Best-kept secret:
Fabrik - www.fabrik.de - It is definitely worthwile to visit "Fabrik" (real
former factory, 150 years old, which serves as a cultural
center since the 1970s) in Altona district, where many concerts,
theater performances and exhibitions take place. Sometimes
Czech bands also appear here.
|
Imrich Lelkes
sales manager, Maersk Agency
Favorite hotel:
Hotel Madison - www.madisonhotel.de
- huge and exclusively equipped fitness center that is
free for hotel guests
Favorite restaurant:
Fischereihafen Restaurant, Grosse Elbstrasse, tel.: +4940
381 816,
www.fischereihafen-restaurant-hamburg.de
- Fresh fish are guaranteed and they prepare them very
well! The view from the windows and the terrace on the
old harbour is self-evident.
Favorite night spot:
Bars on Reeperbahn - there may be too many of them.
Favorite shop: Aladin Center, Reeperbahn 89, tel. +4940
311 893,
www.aladin-center.de/Impressum.html
- they are open until 10 pm
Favorite attractions:
Boat trip on Elbe.
Best-kept secret:
It is still possible nowadays to experience the early morning
vibe of the traditional fish markets. It is necessary to
wake up at 6 am, but it's worth the effort.
Advice:
- If possible, plan your trip (at least extended weekend)
from May to October, otherwise bad and annoying weather
might susprise you. Stay out of doubtful individuals on
Reeprbahn in the late night hours. On the other hand, Hamburg
is very secure city and no one gets in troubles as long
as he does not provoke them. |
|
Basic facts
Area: 755 sq. km
Population: 1.7 million
Telephone Area Code: +4940
Time zone: GMT + 1
Electricity: 220 V, 50 Hz, standard European two-pin
plugs
Currency: EUR 1 = CZK 30 = USD 1.22
|
|
Where on the web?
For further information, we suggest the following websites dedicated
to Hamburg:
www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/europe/hamburg/ - traditional
and quality guide offering exhausting information.
www.wordtravels.com/Cities/Germany/Hamburg - Besides basic tourist
information package also car hire or accommodation booking system.
http://international.hamburg.de - official web pages for travellers
coming to Hamburg in many language variations including Czech.
www.hafen-hamburg.de/ - all important data about Hamburg port,
including Czech version.
www.hamburg-tourism.de - Complete and well aranged service for
tourists.
|
Prices
· Daily public transport ticket: EUR 5,50
· Lunch or dinner in traditional restaurant: EUR
15,00
· Theater or musical ticket: EUR 20 - 80
· Taxi: EUR 2,00 + 1 km/EUR 1,50
· Sight-seeing tour around the port: EUR 8,00
· Groceries:
- Fresh bread: EUR 2,00
- 0,5 l milk: EUR 0,50
- 1.5-l mineral water: EUR 0,25 - 1,00
- 0.3-l glass of beer in restaurant: EUR 2,00
- Cup of coffee: EUR 2,50
|
|
HIGHLIGHTS
· You'll find the famous Altona fish market between Hexenberg
and Grosse Elbstrasse, where you can buy just about anything. The
greatest variety is always available on Sunday mornings. On the
other hand, at night Reeperbahn, a street in the St. Paul zone,
is very lively. Hawsers (reeper) for ships used to be made there,
but today it's the domain of night clubs, as well as prostitutes
and blue entertainment. The private Erotic Art Museum is worth
seeing.
· The oldest complex of department stores in the world, Speicherstadt,
is over a hundred years old and today is mainly a tourist attraction.
The complex of red brick buildings is now home to interesting museums
and open air theaters, as well as stores.
· Hamburg's Kunsthalle, on Glockengiesserwall, should definitely
be visited by all art lovers. In its extensive gallery you can
see works of modern art alongside medieval creations. Kunsthalle
often features non-permanent exhibitions whose goal is to present
new art forms.
Overview
· Hamburg was founded in 810 by Charlemagne, and it gradually
became northern Germany's most important port, controlling trade
in the Baltic and North Seas from the 13th to the 15th centuries.
The historical center was destroyed in 1842 by a huge fire, and
later by bombardments in WWII.
· For centuries Hamburg has been the major port for the Czech
lands, and in 1919 a Czech port was even set up in it. In the 19th
century Hamburg's port served as a gateway to the world for millions
of emigrants.
· Hamburg is Germany's most diversified cultural metropolis, boasting
six music stages, 31 theaters, 10 cabarets, and 50 state and private
museums. In addition to a wide array of sports and music programs,
there are 4,000 restaurants. |
