Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There is a wide selection of tours available on the Alster boats, including a one-
hour trip along its shoreline, a tour of the city's canal system, a bridge tour where
you'll see a sampling of the city's 2,400 bridges, and a twilight tour. A guided tour of
the
Inner and Outer Alster
operates every half hour, 1000 to 1800; tour duration,
about 50 minutes. Tickets: €12.00 adults, €6.00 children; Hamburg-CARD holders
receive a discount. Even in winter the Alster boats cruise the lake for the popular
“punch” cruises. To inquire, visit the
Alster-Touristik office
on the quay where the
boats depart (
Tel:
357 4240). Brochures are also available in all of the Hamburg
tourist offices.
Take a ride on the
Hamburger Hummelbahn.
Hamburg-CARD holders get a
substantial discount.
Hummel
is German for “bumble bee,” and this amazing form
of transportation literally “buzzes” all over town. The train does not run on tracks.
Its open platforms are ideal for photographing. It's a fun trip.
Prefer a frightening one? Visit 2,000 years of terror and pain at the
Hamburg
Dungeon
(€23.95 adults; €19 children younger than age 14. Children must be ac-
companied by an adult, and it might be better to not bring them at all. Perhaps a
gruesome souvenir would suffice instead).
Hours:
1000-1800 daily.
Tel:
(040) 3600
5520;
www.thedungeons.com/hamburg
.
(€5 discount by ordering online.)
If you are in Hamburg on a Sunday, reserve a good part of the day for a visit
to the
Fischmarkt
(fish market). Dating from about 1703, it is the oldest licensed
market in Hamburg. Fish? Well, fish have become incidental to the market's activ-
ities; freshly caught fish, however, are still sold any day of the week from fishing
boats at the city's pier.
On Sunday mornings, the pubs scattered around the fish market area draw
crowds of early risers and late-night revelers alike. Take in the Sunday-morning
auction activities held in the
Fischauktionshalle
(fish auction hall). The auction
hall opens promptly at 0500 (0700 in winter) and lasts only until 1000, so hurry.
Following the auction, treat yourself to a jazz breakfast right in the Fischauktion-
shalle.
Shopping is an international pastime, and Hamburg is a wonderful place to pur-
sue such interests. No city on the Continent has so many covered shopping ar-
cades. As a jumping-off place, start at the
Jungfernstieg,
where the white ferries
depart for water tours of the Alster Lake. Here, you will find covered arcades where
shoppers may stroll regardless of the weather. For big department-store shopping,
head for
Monckebergstrasse,
directly east from the
Rathaus,
Hamburg's city hall.
Or get off to a flying start right after arriving by train in Hamburg at the
Wandel-
halle,
the covered mall above the train platforms in the Hauptbahnhof.
A unique memory will be a visit to the
Speicherstadt,
built in the late 19th cen-
tury. This historic warehouse complex was built during the growth of the free port
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