Hamburg – the basics

Show notes

Arriving and getting around:

• The S1 runs from Hamburg Airport to the city center every 10 minutes; it takes 25 minutes to get to the main train station.
• The three long-distance train stations Hauptbahnhof, Dammtor and Altona are also well connected to the public transport network: the Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV).
• HVV: Since the beginning of 2024, you have to buy your ticket in advance at the ticket machines or via app. You can find all the important information about tickets, timetables etc. here: https://www.hvv.de/de/de
• Uber in Hamburg: https://www.uber.com/global/de/r/cities/hamburg-hh-de/
• Cab app: https://www.free-now.com/de/fahrt/taxi-und-ride/
• Moia: https://www.moia.io/de-DE/stadt

The nicest neighborhoods are mainly west of the Alster, we recommend:

• the Schanzenviertel (… about which we have recorded our own podcast episode, listen to that too!)
• St. Pauli (especially the north around Paul-Roosen-Straße and Paulinenplatz)
• Ottensen
• Eimsbüttel
• and on the northern bank of the Alster: Eppendorf, Winterhude, Harvestehude

Our tips on the Elbe:

• Övelgönne: museum harbor and beach section
• Harbor tours from Landungsbrücken
• Travel with the HVV ferries between Övelgönne and Landungsbrücken

Our tips on the Alster:

• Excursion boats from Jungfernstieg
• Rent a canoe, e.g. at the Supper Club on the Isebek Canal: https://supperclub.de/

The aforementioned "Portuguese Quarter" can be found along Ditmar-Koel-Straße, between the Landungsbrücken and Baumwall subway stations.

You can get tickets for a concert in the Elbphilharmonie at the official ticket stores: https://www.elbphilharmonie.de/de/ticketinformationen#vorverkaufsstellen

Franzbrötchen can be found in almost every bakery in Hamburg, but Labskaus is only available in more traditional restaurants, e.g. in the crooked Oberhafenkantine (Stockmeyerstrasse 39) or in the Old Commercial Room at the Michel (Englische Planke 10).

Did you like this episode? Then please leave us a rating and a comment and follow our podcast!

On our Instagram channel @plazy.travel you can always find out when a new episode is released.

And if you want to get even more good travel tips for Hamburg that suit you and your wishes, take a look at plazy.travel. You can put together your own personal travel guide in under a minute - easily and free of charge.