Here Are the 7 Most Exciting Routes Through Hamburg

It's amazing how many ways there are to explore Hamburg: When looking for city tours, you'll find an incredible variety of inspiring options - from the classic city tour to graffiti walks to the Reeperbahn tour with a drag queen.

We're presenting seven beautiful, exciting, and delightful ways to discover or get to know the Hanseatic city even better. These include some routes that you can explore on your own, as well as tips and inspiration for guided walks in Hamburg.

Every Sunday starting at 5:30 AM, about 70,000 visitors gather by the Elbe - despite its inconvenient opening hours: The fish market is a highlight for both tourists and locals, especially because of its loud market criers. You can buy not only fish but also fruits, flowers, clothing, and souvenirs.

If you're up very early, you can start your walk at the Hamburg Dammtor heading towards the boathouses of the rowing clubs Favorite Hammonia and Germania. You'll already be by the water and can continue towards the Alsterpark, a beautiful park with ancient trees, art objects, and a fitness trail. The path continues towards the Eichenpark.

After strolling around the fish market, the day usually really begins. Treat yourself to a fish sandwich for breakfast and move on past the famous Schellfischposten pub to the Dockland.

This futuristic ship-shaped office building with its observation deck is a perfect place to enjoy the morning view over the city and the harbor. From Dockland, you can climb up to the Altona Balcony Park - and you've already completed your morning exercise.

A harbor tour is always wonderful and exciting. Hamburg is one of the largest container ports in Europe - something many landlubbers only truly understand during a port tour.

On most barge tours, you'll head to the fish market, container terminals, and the Köhlbrand Bridge. You'll see the different shipping companies and, of course, countless ships: cruise ships, sailing ships, cargo ships. You also have a beautiful view of the Elbphilharmonie and sail through the historic Warehouse District, which with its brick buildings is unique and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

A tip for those who have seen the harbor in daylight: A special experience is a tour after dark. Then you can gaze at the illuminated harbor and enjoy the Warehouse District in a romantic evening atmosphere. This is also exciting for companions who have already done a classic harbor tour.

You can undertake a beautiful self-guided walk through the Staircase District in Hamburg's upscale Blankenese neighborhood. You should have some stamina, as - as the name suggests - the area involves going up and down, with a total of over 5,000 steps.

Blankenese is far from bustling city life. You can reach the district, for example, with the S1 S-Bahn line. Bus rides are also fun as they offer a nice view of the villas on Elbchaussee.

From Blankenese station, it's a short walk to the Staircase District. Once there, you can explore the steep paths, the Op'n Kamp and many other stairs, and the charming, winding alleys with white villas.

One destination on your tour can be the Süllberg, from which you have a great view over the Elbe. You will discover many beautiful corners, picturesque half-timbered houses, and dreamy gardens. In sunny weather, the Staircase District feels like a small vacation island.

You can end your stair climbing at the Elbe beach in Blankenese. Would you like to learn more about the history and residents of the Staircase District? Guided tours are also offered in serene Blankenese.

Sex & Crime Tour, Pub Crawl, Night Watchman Tour - there are so many adventurous walks across the Reeperbahn. For those who want to really get to know Hamburg's red-light district, there's a huge selection of iconic tours. Here it makes sense and is fun to be taken by the hand and guided through the most famous pubs, clubs, and sex shops.

Along the way, you'll hear anecdotes about the Davidwache police station, Herbertstraße, and the rest of the quarters. You'll learn about local legends, boxing legends, and the Jack the Ripper of Hamburg. But everyday life, prostitution, police work, and the issues are also discussed.

Especially popular are the guided tours with insiders like drag queen Olivia Jones. You also have the chance to meet other red-light experts like bouncers, bodyguards, or other drag queens.

In addition to Olivia Jones, nowadays other queens also offer drag tours over the Reeperbahn. If you prefer to venture out alone at night, you can also check out the famous red-light hotspots like the Boxer's Pub 'Ritze', the Davidwache, and 'Große Freiheit' on your own. Yet, a guided tour offers even greater entertainment value.

Aside from the fish sandwich, the Franzbrötchen is Hamburg's most famous specialty, but there's much more. Hamburg is well set up when it comes to culinary tours: beer tasting in St. Pauli, coffee tasting in the Warehouse District, or a culinary tour over the Sternschanze - if you want to experience Hamburg from a delicious perspective, you're spoiled for choice.

The advantage of a food tour: You get good recommendations for a restaurant visit, learn about the history and flair of various districts, and return to the hotel full.

It's quite a distance, but manageable: About ten kilometers long is the loop around the Outer Alster. You can start at the Hamburg Dammtor heading towards the rowing clubs Favorite Hammonia and Germania. You'll already be near the water and can proceed towards the Alsterpark, a beautiful park with old trees, art objects, and a fitness trail. Continue heading towards Eichenpark.

You can make a small detour along Bellevue Street to the charming Rondeel Canal. Along Rondeelteich, villas stand side by side, including the colorful Villa Kunterbunt, No. 29, where Udo Lindenberg, Otto Waalkes and others lived in a famous shared apartment in the 1970s.

Via Bellevue Street, it's back and into the second half of the tour, heading towards Park Schöne Aussicht. Highlights on the way back to Dammtor include the Alsterwiese Schwanenwik and the Atlantic Hotel. You can also take a break at one of the waterfront cafés.

Prefer to move a little faster? You can explore Hamburg by bike, even if you've left yours at home. Rent one of the red Hamburg city bikes. You can register via an app, choose the right tariff, and get going.

The app also provides an overview of the stations where you can park and rent bikes. In some places, as a cyclist, you need to be extra cautious due to traffic. So, only ride if you are comfortable with cycling regularly and navigating safely in urban environments.

Otherwise, the bike paths along the Alster or Elbe may be more suitable for you. There are also beautiful routes around Hamburg.