HafenCity Hamburg

The port city of Hamburg has joined Berlin as a hot destination over the past few years with clued-up travellers heading there for weekend breaks. In fact, you could say that Germany’s second largest city has it all – beautiful beaches and lakes, world-class museums, designer shopping and a thriving restaurant and cafe scene.

With the recent opening of the spectacular Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Chanel’s Métiers d’art Paris-Hamburg 2017/18 Show and many new design hotels, there’s no better time to check out Hamburg.

To tempt you further, here is a mini guide to this stylish Hanseatic city…

SEE

Alster Lake Tour

If you happen to be in Hamburg when the weather is fine, you absolutely MUST take an Alster Lake Tour. Separated into two lakes by the Kennedy and Lombard bridges, the smaller Inner Alster is lined by majestic buildings around the Jungfernstieg. The Outer Alster is surrounded by public parks, upscale hotels and spectacular mansions with impressively-manicured private gardens.

The tour takes you far up the Outer Alster towards Winterhude, where you can marvel at the charming canals and sail alongside paddle boarders and rowers. A particularly good time to visit is in May when the Japanese community of Hamburg hosts the Cherry Blossom Festival, covering the Outer Alster in an abundance of pink blooms.

Deichtorhallen

Hamburg’s Deichtorhallen form one of Europe’s largest exhibition centres for contemporary art and photography, separated into two unique spaces. Located between the city centre and modern HafenCity, the two historic buildings date back to the early 1910s and have been beautifully renovated.

During our visit, we saw the fantastic exhibition, Proof: Francisco Goya, Sergei Eisenstein, Robert Longo, which was expertly curated and worked so well in this breathtaking venue.

Elbphilharmonie

Hamburg’s famous Elbphilharmonie, overlooking the River Elbe from HafenCity, is one of the largest and most acoustically advanced concert halls in the world. Built just last year, it’s the tallest inhabited building in Hamburg and its striking design reflects its maritime location, resembling a hoisted sail or a water wave.

It’s the place to enjoy performances by leading classical artists, from local jazz ensembles to international philharmonic orchestras. It also has panoramic views of the city from an observation deck in the Elbphilharmonie Plaza.

Speicherstadt

HafenCity’s historic Speicherstadt is the largest warehouse district in the world, characterised by its stunning Neo-Gothic, red-brick buildings and tranquil canals. Its regeneration began almost a decade ago and in 2015, it was awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The picturesque quarter is home to museums including the Deutsches Zollmuseum and Miniatur Wunderland, as well as cute cafes and shops.

Reeperbahn

Tell anyone that you’re going to Hamburg and they’ll suggest that you brave the Reeperbahn. The Beatles played in the music bars of this buzzing strip, but it’s most prominently known as Europe’s largest red light district and nightlife hub. Given its musical legacy, you might have visions of a neon-hued, bohemian playground. In reality, within just one block, we’d witnessed a drunken punter have his wallet stolen in plain sight, ageing punks smoking crack, numerous fights and sweaty dad dancing in some pretty uncool disco bars.

However, the next afternoon, the Reeperbahn was a lot calmer and we crossed it without apprehension when strolling through St. Pauli. It’s also worth mentioning that culture can be found on the ‘Kiez’ at a number of theatres, music halls and clubs. If you want to experience the Reeperbahn, simply have your wits about you and plan which part you want to see because it’s a long street to navigate if you’re just there to see the sculptures at Beatles-platz!

EAT

a.mora

The Alster lake is lined with elegant restaurants and lounges on each landing where you can watch the sailboats and enjoy the scenery. a.mora, next to the Atlantic station, is a stylish spot for a light breakfast, freshly-cooked waffles or sundowner cocktails. They do really good traditional German cakes too!

Mutterland

Gourmet delicatessen Mutterland is the place to find the finest German produce in a cosy, chic setting. Refuel with coffee and exquisite pastries or indulge in traditional specialities in the day-time brasserie.

LuiCella’s

I’m not ashamed to say that we queued for over 30 minutes at LuiCella’s and it was definitely worth the wait. The ice cream at this bijou St. Pauli parlour is 100% natural and comes in interesting, seasonal flavours such tonka raspberry, blackcurrant lassi and even avocado.

We loved our scoops of lavender lemonade, strawberry milk and Franzbrötchen (German cinnamon sweetbread), as well as the free rainbow sprinkles.

Brücke 10

The only way to round off a stroll around the Port of Hamburg is with a classic fish sandwich. There are many vendors along the seafront, but most notable is Das Fischbrötchen-Restaurant Brücke 10 right beside the St. Pauli Piers. This popular shack only serves sandwiches with the freshest fish and seafood in crusty bread rolls that are baked on-site throughout the day. Go for peppered mackerel, brown shrimp, North Sea crab, herring or the more adventurous rollmops.

We really enjoyed the simple fried fish with remoulade and the hot smoked salmon – cheap and tasty eats at under 5 Euros each.

Hatari The Corner

If you’re out late in St.Pauli and in the mood for a really good organic burger, head to Hatari The Corner. This local institution is best described as an indie bar meets rustic canteen with a crowd-pleaser menu of flatbread pizzas, Mexican bowls, healthy vegans dishes and morning pancakes and eggs. Best of all, it’s open until 1am every night and good for people spotting in this fun part of town.

Hans im Gluck

We stumbled across Hans im Gluck by accident when looking for a quick Sunday lunch fix near the Rathaus and it turned out to be a good find. This cheerful burger-grill bar brand was established in Munich in 2010 and now has restaurants in most German cities. Its speciality is burgers (including vegetarian and vegan) made using well-sourced ingredients with a choice of sauces, as well as cocktails.

Go for the Hen flame-grilled chicken burger oozing with avocado cream, orange mustard sauce and sprouts with a side of Sweet potato fries – it’s comfort food heaven. Lavender lemonade, served in a glass jar, is delicious and refreshing too.

NENI

On our last night in Hamburg, we enjoyed an indulgent dinner at NENI, the cool ‘Balagan-style’ restaurant by chef Haya Molcho at the 25hours Hotel Hamburg Altes Hafenamt. It’s one of the most popular restaurants in HafenCity and has a relaxed vibe with stylish interiors inspired by a Middle Eastern bazaar.

We feasted on Baba ganoush and rustic Sweet potato with roasted almonds and crème fraîche, followed by the most delicious NENI-style kebab with Har Bracha tahina, parsley, baharat, grilled vegetables and pita bread. We also loved the moreish Jerusalem teller with tender grilled strips of chicken with spices, fresh herbs, humus, Har Bracha tahina, bell pepper, onion and pita bread.

Hamburg is a destination that really surprised me with its elegant architecture, outdoors feel and arty neighbourhoods. I can’t wait to return and explore the idyllic beaches of nearby Blankenese.

Have you been to Hamburg? What would be top of your Hamburg ‘to do’ list?

All photos by Chérie City

When visiting the Hanseatic port city of Hamburg, what could be more appropriate than staying at a hotel inspired by seafaring? 25hours Hotel Hamburg HafenCity is a cool design hotel overlooking the harbour from an island on the Elbe river in the downtown HafenCity quarter.

It occupies a prime spot in the newly-developed Überseequartier and is surrounded by neighbourhood restaurants, cafes and shops. In fact, its sister hotel 25hours Hotel Hamburg Altes Hafenamt is literally behind it, so you can make use of the amenities at both.

Design

I’ve always been intrigued by the 25hours Hotels brand – with hip, individually-designed hotels across Germany, Austria and Switzerland – and this is certainly one of its most quirky properties. It has the industrial feel of a shipping warehouse with a sociable open-plan lobby, cargo box lobby and Mare Kiosk with a curated selection of books, bric-a-brac, snacks and drinks.

Also on the ground floor is Heimat Küche+Bar (meaning ‘home’ in German), offering a new interpretation of Hamburg’s traditional dishes such as Swabian cheese spätzle, fried fish and veal meatballs, using fresh ingredients sourced from the region.

The Room

Check-in was friendly and attentive and we swiftly got settled in to our M cabin+ (the second room category up) on the sixth floor. This cosy room has been designed with maritime nomads in mind and has a Wes Anderson vibe with a travel-themed illustrated wall, sailor’s rope ladder and shaggy carpet.

Room features include an open wardrobe, large flat screen TV and a sea chest incorporating a writing desk with electrical plugs, minibar, magazines and a logbook filled with poems from the sea. The queen-size bed was comfortable with high-quality linen, fun embroidered cushions and bedside shelved nooks.

The bathroom was small but well-appointed, with an illustrated pin-up girl wall mural, brown tiling, powerful rainfall shower, fluffy towels and simple natural bathroom products by German eco brand Stop the Water While Using Me!

The Club Level is a calm space where guests can chill out and read or listen to music. There is also a no-nonsense traditional Finnish Harbour Sauna and a boxing punching bag rather than a high-tech gym on the 6th floor with panoramic views of the harbour.

Dinner at NENI

That evening, we had booked dinner at NENI, the restaurant at the 25hours Hotel Hamburg Altes Hafenamt, as we’d had a great meal at its sister restaurant in Berlin a few years ago. NENI is a hip ‘Balagan-style’ restaurant by chef Haya Molcho that began in Berlin and now has restaurants in the 25hours Hotels in Hamburg, Munich, Frankfurt, Cologne, Vienna and Zurich. It’s one of the most popular restaurants in HafenCity and has a cosy, colourful vibe like a Middle Eastern bazaar with an open kitchen and outdoor seating too.

We started with a smoky, moreish Baba ganoush and rustic Sweet potato with roasted almonds, crème fraîche and rocket spinach salad with citrus vinaigrette.

Our main courses were enormous and very satisfying. From the robata grill, we tried the NENI-style kebab – succulent home-made beef-lamb kebab with Har Bracha tahina, parsley, baharat, grilled vegetables and pita bread. Another hit was the Jerusalem teller with tender grilled strips of chicken with spices, fresh herbs, humus, Har Bracha tahina, bell pepper, onion and pita bread.

The chicken had just the right level of spice and there was a generous amount of velvety humus, plus plenty of fluffy pita bread to scoop it all up. If only we’d found some room for dessert, as the Knafeh and Halva looked pretty tempting.

Breakfast

In the morning, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s Heimat Küche+Bar. The generous breakfast buffet had everything you need to start the day well – mini pastries, freshly-baked rolls, cereal, yoghurt, porridge with cinnamon sugar and excellent scrambled eggs and bacon. All items were high quality and I liked the special touches such as pots of loose-leaf tea and a wide choice of jams, nut butters and seeds to sprinkle on top. It’s definitely worth adding breakfast to your stay, as Heimat Küche+Bar is a destination restaurant in the area.

Location

To help you explore Hamburg, you can test-drive a MINI for free and rent bikes from the shop next door, and try a cycling tour curated by bike professionals for the hotel. The hotel is also conveniently close to the iconic Elbphilharmonie concert hall, National Maritime Museum and the Speicherstadt redbrick warehouse district, which was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

25hours Hotel Hamburg HafenCity takes an imaginative spin on a modern lifestyle hotel with plenty of cool design features but also comfort and high standards. Its HafenCity location is peaceful compared to boisterous St Pauli and it’s easy to get to the city’s main attractions (as well as the cruise ship terminal). Following such a great stay, I’m keen to check out more of the 25hours Hotels, especially the upcoming opening in Paris.

Discover the best places to eat, drink and see in my guide on the Top Things to do in Hamburg.

For more information and booking, visit: www.25hours-hotels.com

Chérie City was a guest of 25hours Hotel Hamburg Hafencity