HAMBURG - HOTEL ZONES

City Center

Hamburg`s city center (also known as the downtown district or Central Hamburg) is located south of Alster Lake. One of the area`s major arteries is the Neuer Jungfernstieg which contains the Colonnaden, a popular street lined with various shops, cafes, designer boutiques and jewelry stores.

The city center is also home of the modern opera house, Hamburgische Staatsoper; the Hamburger Kunsthalle museum, with numerous pieces from the German Romantic period; the Laeiszhalle, which is where the Hamburg Philharmonic and the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra play; and the neo-Renaissance Rathaus government building.

This area was heavily destroyed during World War II, so many of the buildings here have been constructed after the war, but many red-brick historic 19th-century warehouses, city mansions and historic landmarks have been restored and now house many big businesses of the city.

HafenCity

The HafenCity is Hamburg`s newest quarter and a major city regeneration project where old warehouses which used to be part of Hamburg`s free zone port have been converted into offices, hotels, trendy shops, museums, upscale residential areas, and more. At the heart of HafenCity is Hamburg`s the Elbphilharmonie, a massive concert hall built on top of an old warehouse building.

St. Georg

The area of St Georg, situated between the main train station and Lake Alster, is considered to be Hamburg`s gay and alternative district. Filled with gay-friendly nightclubs and cafes, it is also home of the yearly Christopher Street Day parade (LGBT Celebration). In the heart of the district, you will find numerous ethnic restaurants and cafes representing almost every cuisine imaginable.

St. Pauli

This is perhaps the area most associated with Hamburg that offers an interesting mix of culture, sleaze, sport and entertainment of many forms. Reeperbahn is the most famous street in this area, Europe`s longest party street, filled with countless entertainment venues ranging from local pubs, strip shows, music theater, nightclubs and everything in between. This street doesn`t start getting lively until close to midnight and goes on until the wee hours, a true 24 hour environment. You will see all walks of life in this area, and some perhaps a bit intimidating. Although it is by no means as unsafe as many other European cities, keep your wits about you while partying on these streets. Once the party winds down in St. Pauli on a Sunday morning you can head to the fish market on Landungsbruecken, where the party keeps going until about 9am!