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Germany : Hamburg - September 2009

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Summer may be on the wane, but there’s still lots going on in Hamburg. The beach clubs by the River Elbe will be open as long as the sun is shining and, regardless of the weather, the city’s annual Reeperbahn Festival rolls into town later this month, bringing with it Editors, Dinosaur Jr, Phantom/ Ghost and Fight Like Apes, among others. Stuart Forster heads down there

Getting around

Hamburg Airport is 9km north-west of the city.

Bus: Coaches to the centre depart every 15 minutes from 6am to 7pm, then at 20-minute intervals until 11pm. Single tickets cost €5
Train: The airport doesn’t have a direct rail connection to the city centre. The nearest station is at Ohlsdorf, served by the S1 and S11 trains and U1 underground line. A single ticket is €2,60 and the journey takes 20 minutes.
Taxi: The journey to the city centre takes 20 minutes and costs about €16.
Tourist information: The main office is at Sankt Pauli Landungsbrücken, between bridges 4 and 5 (tel. , hamburgtourism. de).

ST PAULI

This area is famed for its nightlife, but September will be a busy month even by its own bustling standards, with the Reeperbahn Festival setting up camp from 24 to 26 September.

Sleep soundly – Room 308 at the A&O Hamburg Reeperbahn (154 Reeperbahn, tel. , stern-hamburg.de, rooms from €24) is ideally placed for a night on the town.

Culture vultures – The Reeperbahn Festival (reeperbahnfestival.com) is one for music lovers who like to get close to bands and see new talent. The gigs will be held in 20 clubs, bars and theatres on and around St Pauli’s main thoroughfare.

Must eat – For a quality culinary experience, head to the award-winning restaurant Jolie (42 Clemens-Schultz- Strasse, tel. ). Look out for the value three-course menus aimed at theatregoers. The goat’s cheese crêpe starter and organic roast beef served with savoy cabbage main course are divine.

Must drink – Order a pilsner at one of the streetside tables at Vic’s Brasserie & Bar (1 Millerntorplatz). If the weather turns nasty, get a seat in the atrium.

Dance the night away – Things tend to get going long after midnight at Molotow (5 Spielbudenplatz), a small but atmospheric nightclub that hosts regular live gigs throughout the year.

PORTUGUESE QUARTER

The seafaring Portuguese have long been settled in this district close to Hamburg’s port. According to local legend, the seamen’s wives first opened restaurants to earn money while their husbands were at sea, and the tradition lives on.

Must eat – One of several restaurants in the district, O Pescador (17 Ditmar- Koel-Strasse, tel. ) offers Mediterranean-style streetside dining, as well as indoor seating. The seafood spaghetti is a good choice.

Must drink – Brazilian restaurant Panthera Rodizio (3 Ditmar-Koel- Strasse) has an atmospheric bar that serves a good range of excellent cocktails. If you fancy trying something a bit different from a caipirinha, try a sugar-laced mulata (gold rum, crème de cacao and lime).

SCHANZENVIERTEL

This district has established itself as a leading light in Hamburg’s alternative scene. It bristles with bars, cafés and stylish independent shops.

Sleep soundly – Once a Mont Blanc factory, Schanzenstern (12 Bartelsstrasse, tel. , schanzenstern.de, rooms from €38,50) offers 11 single and double rooms. The south-facing rooms on the fourth to six floors have fine views of the port.

Must drink – Yoko Mono Café-Bar (41 Marktstrasse), a lounge bar with a DJ, is a good place to shoot pool and have a restorative coffee.

Shop til you drop – Elternhaus (29 Marktstrasse) sells trendy T-shirts and accessories with snappy slogans.

NEUSTADT

Serious shoppers can spend hours – and small fortunes – in the fashion houses on ABC-Strasse. But it’s the district’s grand architecture that attracts many sightseers.

Sleep soundly – The four-star Lindner Hotel am Michel (20 Neanderstrasse, tel. , lindner.de, rooms from €127) has 259 rooms done out in elegant neutrals, with lots of cool linen and warm woods.

Culture vultures – For a view of the city skyline, visit the 109m viewing platform at Hauptkirche St Michaelis (1 Englische Planke). It’s especially enchanting in the early evening.

Must eat – Established in 1795, Rauch’s Restaurant within the Old Commercial Room (10 Englische Planke, 6319) is one of the city’s oldest restaurants. It serves great steaks but specialises in seafood. Anyone who eats the Hamburg speciality labskaus (corned beef with potatoes, herring and beetroot) gets a VIP certificate.

Compiled by Stuart Forster