Where to stay in Hamburg: The best places and neighbourhoods
The best areas to stay in Hamburg are the Altstadt, the old city that corresponds to the center, and the adjacent areas.
Hamburg is located in the north of Germany, right at the confluence of the rivers Alster and Bille, the second largest metropolis in Germany and one of the most unique and charming in the country.
It has no sea, but extends along the river Elbe, which flows into the sea a few kilometres away, around which the life of the city revolves, decorated with countless canals, green areas and its port.
Although the city on the Elbe was razed during the Second World War, today it can boast a great economic power (it has the highest GDP in all of Germany), of being lively, cosmopolitan and green, in fact it was declared the Ecological Capital of Europe.Although if something attracts the attention of travellers, it is the beautiful office buildings that decorate Burchardplatz.
Hamburg has more canals than Venice and Amsterdam combined, which act as a powerful magnet for lovers of sailing or paddle surfing and one of the most efficient subways in Europe.
In addition, it is the birthplace of the hamburger and can boast the neighborhood, Reeperbahn, one of the places where The Beatles began his career in the 60s in Europe.
In short, Hamburg is a place to be, which has little or nothing to do with the rest of the cities in Germany, because it surprises, exudes charm and exudes personality. If you are thinking of escaping or have booked your ticket to visit this charming and surprising German city and need information about the most recommended areas to stay in Hamburg, take note.
The best places to stay in Hamburg
Hamburg is a relatively small city, in fact it is very easy to walk around, the accommodation offer is wide and varied and it is mainly concentrated in the downtown area and the old town.
The city centre, the old town and the modern Hafencity have a wide range of hotels, but they are the most expensive in the city.In these neighbourhoods it is almost impossible to find a hotel for less than 100 euros a night.
But if you still want to stay in the centre and have everything to hand, you can always turn to a hostel, a guesthouse or a youth hostel. Although they have fewer services and a more discreet appearance, they are considerably cheaper.
The cheapest areas to stay in Hamburg are St.George, St.Pauli or Wandsbek.Travelers on a tighter budget will not only find an interesting range of hotels in these districts, but also at significantly lower prices than in the areas near the heart of the German metropolis.
For those who are looking for information on hotels or on the best areas to stay in Hamburg, we have compiled all the information on the most interesting districts.
1.Altstadt
This district is the old city; the monumental completion point where the architectural jewels of Hamburg can be found; the most outstanding monuments are the Rathaus, which houses the Parliament and the Senate, the Church of St. Gallen and the Christian Church. The tower of the St. Nikolai Church offers a breathtaking view, and the St. Petri’s tower is notable for the lion-headed handles on the west door.
The krameramtswohnungen are also here, which are typical wooden houses from the 16th century, which were used to house the merchants of yesteryear and which today provide an insight into the commercial side of the city.
In the oldest part of the metropolis you will also find the spectacular building of the City Hall, with its beautiful neo-baroque façade.This is accompanied by a long line of shops, bars, restaurants, some museums and the central station or Hauptbahnhof.
If you want to sleep close to everything, with a view to the most beautiful monuments of the city or feel the urban life of Hamburg close by, this is undoubtedly one of the best areas to sleep in Hamburg.The prices are, as in all the old areas of the other tourist destinations, higher than in other parts of the city. In fact, here the average price of hotels is 150 euros per night.
– Accommodation in Altstadt
2.Neustadt
West of the old town, in the vicinity of the Alster lake, is Neustadt.It is one of the most modern districts of the city, with numerous new buildings and offices, as well as countless shops and leisure facilities.
Although it is not as monumental as the old town, there are also some interesting buildings, such as the Church of St. Michael, one of the most beautiful in the city, whose Baroque façade is decorated with a large clock, which has served as a guide for sailors for years.
But the that calls the attention the visitors is the platform panoramic that has installed in high of said church, from where the views to the city and to port are incredible. Here also are the museum of Hamburg and the opera state
This neighbourhood is very well connected with the rest of the city by public transport.Furthermore, it is not far from the popular park Planten un Blomen and the harbour area.
It is one of the most centrally located, but also expensive, sleeping areas in Hamburg, although a little less than in the old town. In fact, for less than 100 you are unlikely to be able to find accommodation.
3.Altona
This district is located in the western part of the city. It used to be an old trading district and today it can boast of being one of the most distinguished and stately districts of this city on the water.It is full of elegant shops, green areas, refined housing, designer cafes, bars, restaurants and old buildings with neoclassical facades.
As an added attraction, this neighborhood, formerly an independent city until 1938, is located in a privileged location and offers unparalleled views of the port.
It can’t boast of being monumental, but it is home to places of interest, such as the old fischmarkt, today a large concert hall always full of people, and the fischmarkt, the Sunday fish market.
Its bohemian atmosphere, in which the young and the most hipster people are involved, and its free spirit end up shaping the essence of this neighborhood that reminds us a lot of those that can be found in Denmark.
It’s not too far from the centre to walk, but it’s excellently served by the S-3 train and the 37 bus line.
If you want to get into the more relaxed, creative and free side of the city, Altona is one of the best neighbourhoods to stay in in Hamburg.The advantage is that the average price of the hotels is slightly lower than in the more central areas of the city. If you book in advance, you can sleep in a 4-star hotel for about 90
– Accommodation in Altona
4.Wandsbek
This district, the second largest Hamburg, is divided by the river of the same name, which gives it a particular beauty and character.There are not many tourist attractions on offer, but there are some interesting ones, such as the Botanischer Sondergarten Wandsbek or the Seebek, where you can enjoy a relaxing walk to rest between visits.
It is a little further away from the heart of the city, but it is excellently connected by public transport, in particular by the bus line 36, the 1 underground line (U1) and the 1 train line.
The accommodation offer is smaller than in other parts of Hamburg, so there is not much to choose from.The advantage is that the prices are much more affordable. In fact, here you can sleep for about 70 Euro a night, provided you book in advance.
– Accommodation in Wandsbek
5.St. Pauli
St. Pauli, located in the Hamburg-Mitte district and very close to Altona, is the red-light district of the city.Not only can it boast of being the most popular in Hamburg, but also the best known in Germany.
But its streets also include some museums, such as the Sankt Pauli Museum, art galleries and several interesting places, such as the monument to Bismarck, the Prime Minister of Prussia, the highest building in the city – Heinrich Hertz Turm – or the church of St. Petersburg.
It is relatively close to the center – no more than three kilometers – and is well connected by bus lines 6 and 37.
St. Pauli has gone from being a neighbourhood that was denigrated in ancient times to being an obligatory point of visit for travellers, as it is multicultural, lively and lively.
On the other hand, it is the least advisable to stay in Hamburg for those who are travelling with their family or are looking for peace and quiet.Here you will find a good number of hotels and, contrary to what you may think, with prices quite compatible with all pockets.for about 50 you can stay in a 3-star hotel.
– Accommodation in St. Gallen Pauli
In addition to this article on where to sleep in Hamburg don’t miss these others from other German cities that are a must: Where to stay in Berlin, where to stay in Munich, where to stay in Frankfurt
6. St. Georg
This district, located in the Hamburg-Mitte district, exudes multiculturalism, diversity and contrast on every corner and is the gay district par excellence, hosting the annual Christopher Street Day parade.You can even see demonstrations everywhere: flags hanging from the balconies, traffic lights with pictograms of the same sex…
Here is the University of Applied Sciences, the second largest in the city, the Luther Alster Lake, a huge green lung where the burgers come to relax and enjoy Mother Nature, St. Mary’s Cathedral, the only religious temple in the city with two towers, and the Kunsthalle and Deichtorhallen Museums.
La Reihe is the artery that articulates St. Georg, full of shops, boutiques, bars or restaurants and brimming with animation, where lovers of shopping and nightlife can be compensated to the maximum.
In the eastern part is the Central Station, the main one of the city.But also here you can find train, subway and bus stops to get to the center, as it is about 20 minutes walk away.
If you do not want to spend a lot of money or your budget is tight, it is a good area to stay in Hamburg. In fact, you will not find it difficult to book a 3-star hotel for about 40 euros per night.
– Accommodation in St. Georg
7.Hafencity
Hafencity is located in the central district and comprises the old warehouse town, Speicherstadt, for loading and unloading of cargo ships.Today it has been greatly transformed, in fact reforms are still continuing, and it has become one of the most modern and avant-garde areas of Hamburg, but without giving up its past essence.
New buildings, parks, premises, offices… have been built, which are changing the image of the area and, therefore, that of the city.
Here, in addition, there are some places of interest, such as the Philharmonic Building, which honorably presides over the Port, the Chilehaus, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, or the Kampnagel, a huge theatre.
Another advantage of this neighbourhood is its location, as it is very close to the urban centre.It is also well connected to the city centre by train (U4) and bus (111).
If you are looking for a different, modern and cosmopolitan sleeping area in Hamburg, this is certainly a good option.In fact, the average price is around 100 euros per night.
– Accommodation in Hafencity
8.Harvestehude and Rotherbaum
These two residential areas are located west of Lake Alster.They are noted for their art nouveau buildings, for their many green areas and because the campus of the University of Hamburg is located in their streets.
They are quiet, relaxed and have a peaceful atmosphere that is far from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, making them an excellent choice for those looking for quiet areas to stay or travelling with their families.
The two neighbourhoods are a little further away from the city centre, about 20 minutes walk, but are connected by public transport, in particular by the 109 bus and U1 train lines.
The hotel offer is not too generous and the prices are not too high either. If you are farsighted, you may be able to sleep here for about 90 euros and in the low season. The rest of the time the prices are usually higher.
– Accommodation in Harvestehude and Rotherbaum
What is the best area to stay in Hamburg?
The best area to stay to enjoy a stay in Hamburg are in the old town (Altstadt) and in the surroundings of it, from where you can comfortably visit the most emblematic places of the city that gives its name to the most northern state of the Germanic country.
The second largest city in Germany, after Berlin, has a wide range of hotels located in the old town and also in the districts of Sant Georg and Neustadt .The historic centre of this cosmopolitan and “cool” city has the Rathaus Mart square as its focal point, where the town hall (Rathaus) and the beautiful Lake Alster are located.
If you are interested in knowing where to sleep in Hamburg , you may also be interested in knowing where to stay in Berlin, where to stay in Munich, where to stay in Frankfurt and where to stay in Amsterdam.
The historic centre and the surrounding districts of St. Georg and Neustadt
Also called the Venice of the North because of the canals that run through the city, Hamburg is a modern city with a bohemian flair, whose centre was severely damaged and destroyed by a fire in 1842 and by the bombings of the Second World War, the consequences of which are still felt in many buildings and monuments in the city, such as the church of St. Nicholas (Nikolaikirche), which was affected on both occasions and which now symbolises an anti-war memorial.You can go up the tower of the church by elevator without paying, and from there you have a panoramic view of Hamburg and the harbor.
Between the Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) and Gänsemarkt square is the historic center of Hamburg, the heart of which is Rathaus Mart square, presided over by the city council, a huge neo-Renaissance building built on 4.Its interior has various styles from different periods and different paintings tell the history of the city from the ninth to the twentieth century.
Touching this square is St. Peter’s Church (Hauptkirche Sankt Petri), the oldest in the city, in the vicinity of which the most picturesque Christmas market in the city takes place, and a few steps away, St. Jacobi’s, another of Hamburg’s five main evangelical churches.
And, 15 minutes walk from the town hall, opposite the St. Jacobi church, is the 18th century St. Michael’s church, the symbol of Hamburg, which is not only the most important baroque church in northern Germany, but also has the largest bell tower in the country, with dials over 24 metres in diameter.Its very high tower, 132 meters, has a panoramic platform from which you can see the port and the city.
From Rathaus Mart square you can easily reach Hamburg’s harbour (Hamburger Hafen), in a pleasant walk that includes other emblematic buildings of the city, such as Chilehaus, a 10-storey office building, an example of the “expressionism in brick”, an architectural movement from the 1920s, the Dialog im Dunkeln, a museum where visitors are guided by blind people to discover an invisible world of sounds and sensations. Further into the port, there is the Miniatur Wunderland, the largest railway model building, and the Speicherstadtmuseum, which houses rubber bullets, coffee bags and other utensils used by those who worked in this warehouse.
West of the old town is the new one, Neustadt.It is a modern neighbourhood with high standard accommodation, very close to Rathaus Mart and very well connected to the rest of the city’s points of interest, where you can also find the Hamburg State Opera, one of the main opera companies in Germany, whose origins date back to the 17th century.
And, to the east of the historic centre, there is another neighbourhood that offers tourists a variety of accommodation: Sant Georg, the city’s gay neighbourhood, where a wide range of ethnic and cultural groups live together and which is a good place to go shopping, have a coffee or visit an art gallery, such as the Kunsthalle, an art museum that houses important collections of paintings in its three buildings.
The St. Pauli quarter, the other area in the centre of Hamburg where to stay
The St. Pauli quarter (Sankt Pauli) is adjacent to the harbour and is about a 20 minute walk from the city hall and the historic centre of Hamburg.Alternative, transgressive, cultural, St. Pauli is the center of nightlife, and abounds in the most avant-garde hotels, cafes, restaurants, nightclubs and pubs to which many young people (and not so young) go every day to have fun.It is precisely in the premises of this unique neighbourhood that the Beatles’ meteoric career began to take off, and they were discovered in the Star-Club in Hamburg, a bar where the rockers performed live, which today preserves a memorial stone of the famous English quartet.
Sant Pauli is also an artistic and cultural district, where museums, galleries, theatres and other cultural institutions abound.Highlights include the St Pauli Theatres, the Schmidt Theater and the Imperial Theater and the Tui Operettenhaus, a well-known theatre where internationally renowned musicals such as Mamma Mia! and Sister Act have taken place.
In addition, there is a Blomen (plants and flowers) next to the Planten, a large park and botanical garden in Hamburg that houses the Hamburg History Museum, which, among other things, displays the history of the Beatles in the Star Club.Just 5 minutes from Planten un Blomen is the Hamburger Dom, a huge entertainment venue, and the Landgericht, Hamburg’s provincial court.
