With the weather in a schizophrenic state such as it seems to be in the autumn, it’s a must to have a few ideas up your sleeve. I understand this is quite a normal pattern for this time of year so let’s don our rain jacket & gather the brollies. We are hitting the streets and plan to find some gems. The best things to do in Hamburg on a rainy day you ask? This is what I found.
Possibly the most photographed area of the city is this large historical warehouse district, the largest in the world! It is in fact a UNESCO World Heritage Site, full of red brick industrial buildings that line both sides of the labyrinth of canals. Visitors can spend hours here, wandering along the water, crossing any number of bridges. Can you believe that Hamburg has more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined.
Much of the maritime equipment, such as cranes have been preserved. Floating in the water are barges and boats, both historical and modern. Its no wonder when you Google ‘Hamburg’, almost every photo that pops up initially is of this incredibly picturesque and special area.
Elbphilharmonie
Situated at the end of one finger, between two canals is the massive Elbphilharmonie built in 2017. This unique concert hall was a bit of a challenge to construct and ended up way way way over budget. The foundation is a solid brick structure and resting on top is a superstructure covered in windows. One thousand of these have a unique and special curve and each cost €5,200 to clean!
Currently free to enter (this is supposed to change in October 2026 to €5), visitors can ride the 82-metre curved escalator. This is the longest escalator in Europe. At the top, one arrives at the viewing platform, the break where the building changes from brick to glass. A walking path traverses is way around all four sides of the Elbphilharmonie providing a 360-degree view of Hamburg and the rivers.
Elbtunnel
One of the coolest things to see in the city, is the old Elbtunnel built in 1911. The two circular tunnels are 6 metres in diameter and connect the city with the dockyards by going underneath the Elbe River. It was a true miracle at the time of its construction and was used for both vehicles and pedestrians. There are four large elevators on either end of the tubes, bringing cars and passengers from underground to the surface. Today its pedestrians and bikes only, no cars.
Enter from the large round building in St Pauli right near the river for the most amazing view down to the bottom. Then follow the staircase and admire the historical decoration and tile as you descend. Once at the bottom walk thru the tube to the other side, it doesn’t take as long as expected, perhaps 10 minutes or so.
Brickwork
Having worked up a real appetite now, let’s head back into the downtown core, for there are a few astonishing buildings to see and a traditional feast to be had. The first building is called Chilehaus. Located in the Kontorhaus District, this massive brick structure was built in 1924 and takes the shape of a ship’s prow. The curious name? That is a result of the shipping tycoon Henry Sloman who amassed his fortune by trading saltpepper from Chile.
Directly across from Chilehaus is the Sprinkenhof building, once the largest office building in Europe. Constructed in three phases between 1920 and 1943, it is the façade that is truly striking. With a diamond shaped brick pattern alternating with white windows, there are thousands of ceramic inserts. These depict economic, trade and transportation motifs of the time.
Food
Needing to sample the local fare, its right here at ‘Im Sprinkenhof’ that we enter into a world of traditional wood décor. This pub is full of charming German details and we feel right at home and cozy in the old booth. Already knowing what we want to try, both dishes show up on the daily special. My daughter chooses the ‘Riesencurrywurst’ mit pommes frites and I have selected the ‘Schnitzel’. We have of course ordered a glass of German lager and will share the plates of food.
Before long our drinks and then meals arrive. The food is piping hot and much plainer than I had anticipated. I’m told by my daughter not to expect much flavour here in Germany, and she has been right on so far. 🤣 Oh dear. The schnitzel I can only compare with what I most recently had in Austria and well, there really is no comparison. Where that one was crisp and full of flavour, this one is bland, soggy and has way too much oil.
The currywurst is a long sausage, with a very very sweet curry sauce, absolutely no bite or kick and not even warm to the tongue. For all of this I pay over €40 with tax. If would have been an alright price if the food was good.
Never mind, you win some and lose some and having this precious time with my daughter is more than enough. Now its time to dash back out into the grey skies and cool weather. Let’s hope it doesn’t start to rain before we can find our next venue. With bookshops, thrift stores, café’s and bakeries aplenty, we are not at a loss for places to duck into and explore.
