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A Night in Hamburg - Photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

Last week had me stay a night in Hamburg. I love Hamburg, always have. The people here are a completely different mentality to the ones around my home area. But despite their rather rough and direct exterior, I do get on well with them. And as for Hamburg? It is just a beautiful city with a very relaxed atmosphere. In recent years I have only occasionally visited for work though. But whenever I do have a night in Hamburgon my work agenda, I am really looking forward to it. As these always turn out to be rather special. From visits to the Hamburg Christmas market, to a spontaneous concert at the (then newly opened) Elbphilharmonie.

My trip actually started with an early morning flight to Cologne, followed by a long car journey to my meeting. And ultimately a train journey from Göttingen to Hamburg. So not quite as straight forward as I would have liked.

As I arrived in Hamburg, I quickly checked into my hotel and was ready to go and meet my friends. They moved to Hamburg a couple of months ago, so it was a good opportunity for me to finally meet up with them again.

 

A night in Hamburg: Where did I stay?

To have a hotel that was fairly central and within easy reach of both the main train station (where I arrived) and the airport (where I departed the next morning), I opted for the Hotel Hafen Hamburg*. Which is located right opposite Hamburg Harbour (as the name suggests, Hafen means Harbour in German).

(*just to be clear, this is not a sponsored post. I did not receive any incentive to write about this hotel)

I had stayed in Hotel Hafen Hamburg a couple of years ago on a weekend with friends.  I fondly remembered it as a rather grand hotel, so was really looking forward to staying there again.

And whilst I very much enjoyed the stay, I must say that clearly expectations have changed over the years. Don’t get me wrong, the hotel is still a really nice hotel and I’d happily stay there again. But it didn’t feel quite as luxurious any more as it did all those years ago. I am afraid that is what 6+ years of business travel does to you. Nowadays I look at hotels differently. It is more about convenience, suitable work desks and quick internet than about design or grandeur. And since there was a proper heatwave that week, I would have killed for an A/C unit in my room. As for the breakfast I so fondly remembered from my previous stay? I didn’t have it this time. As it wasn’t included in my booking and I knew I would only have a quick breakfast before dashing off, I couldn’t quite justify paying 20 Euros for the full hotel breakfast. But if you were to visit for a weekend, rather than just a single night in Hamburg, I would very much recommend it (at least if it is still as good as it was all those years ago).

The evening started with dinner and drinks at Strandpauli. A beach bar / restaurant down by the water. With it being a very hot day, the place was packed. Meaning we only managed to find a table inside. But at almost 40 degrees, indoors in the shade was probably the most sensible option anyway.

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

After dinner we went for a little walk and for the first time ever, I went down to the Old Elbtunnel. I had heard of the Elbtunnel before and had seen photos. But I had never actually been down there. And I wasn’t aware that it was located right opposite my hotel.

So down we went to explore it a little. If you haven’t been, I would recommend you go and check it out. But to be absolutely honest, we went down, had a look around, took some photos and went back up again. We didn’t actually walk to the other end.

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

After that, we continued our walk towards the Elbphilharmonie but didn’t actually go all the way.

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a LivingA night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

As the main focus that evening was a catch up with my friends, rather than a full sightseeing tour of Hamburg, we decided to call it a day and go for drinks instead. And since it was almost time for sunset, we opted for the Tower Bar in the Hafen Hamburg. What shall I say? You do get a very nice view over the harbour from there (but if your friend is really scared of heights, sitting right by the window might not be the best option ever).

A Night in Hamburg: the next morning

As I had a little time the next morning (I wasn’t being picked up before 9), I decided to get up early and go for a run.

Extra early, so it wouldn’t be too hot. And so that I could enjoy Hamburg before all the tourists arrive.

A short run along the harbour towards the Elbphilharmonie, then through the Speicherstadt (the old dock buildings) and gradually back towards the hotel.

Not the biggest tour ever. But a very picturesque route, especially with the morning light and the almost empty streets.

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

A night in Hamburg - a photographic tour of Hamburg Harbour - Travel for a Living

As you might have noticed, this is only a very brief glimpse of what Hamburg has to offer. And even if you were to only spend one night in Hamburg, you could probably see a lot more. But as this wasn’t a Hamburg sightseeing trip, I didn’t have the ambition to see it all. But I am happy to come back and explore more another time. Maybe even bring Mr T and make a weekend of it again.

Have you been to Hamburg? Did you like it?

A night in Hamburg - A photographic tour of Hamburg Hafen - Travel for a Living

A night in Hamburg - A photographic tour of Hamburg Hafen - Travel for a Living

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