The perfect day away in Hamburg, we show you where to go and what to do!
At the end of the 19th century Hamburg was the biggest coffee trader in the world due to its major harbour, from that moment on the city grew its love for coffee. This makes it safe to say that a good cup of coffee is not hard to find, which is just perfect when you catch an early flight or ride there for the day like we did! We figured since we had to be there for a business meeting we might as well make the most of it and stay and explore for the rest of the day.
One of our ultimate favourite coffee houses is the Nord Coast Coffee Roastery, they have taken on the "coffee is an art-form" attitude and that definitely shows in the quality of each cup of coffee they poor. And another great thing worth mentioning is that sustainable farming and fair trade business are values preached by the roastery. They even donate 50 cents for every kilo of roasted coffee sold to social projects in the countries of origin.
In addition their location is not too shabby either, the Deichstraße is the oldest remaining street of the inner-city Hamburg also known as the Altstadt. The canal-side view in the back of the coffeehouse showcases the lovely architecture of some of the most historic buildings in town.
From there it is a short and lovely walk to the harbour, which leads through the Speicherstadt, the world's largest contiguous warehouse complex! The Speicherstadt has their own take on the Pont des Arts in Paris that is also known as the Love Bridge. Get a great view over the harbour by paying a visit to the impressive Elbphilharmonie, the new opera house of Hamburg. You can get a free ticket up the escalators and walk around the building on its 360-degree-view balcony.
Strolling further through Hamburg, do not forget to pass by Mutterland and get yourself one of the delicious and typical Hamburger Franzbrötchen. A Franzbrötchen is a sweet pastry, baked with butter and cinnamon that is usually served as a breakfast pastry.
Talking about food, if you are visiting on a Sunday you can go on an early morning visit to the Altona fish market. As this market has been open for business for over 300 years it has definitely become one of Hamburgs' landmarks. Do note; even though it is a Sunday morning the marketers will be outyelling each other for your attention, making it a loud and verbose event.
All in all we say Hamburg is definitely one to put on your must-visit list!
