Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide
Page 88
By Ferry
Köln-Düsseldorfer. (0221 2088318 www.k-d.com Boats leave from the dock in the Altstadt halfway between the Deutzer and Hohenzollern bridges. Offers trips up and down the Rhein. A trip all the way to the end at Mainz is €52.50, with return €58.50. Trips to Bonn €12.80/€14.90. Students ½-price with ID. 1hr. panoramic cruises up and down the Rhein along the Köln area €7.80 per person. 2hr. afternoon cruises €11.10. 1hr. panoramic cruises daily Apr-Oct at 10:30am, noon, 2, and 6pm. 2hr. afternoon cruises leave at 3:30pm.)
By Gondola
Kölner Seilbahn sells gondolas trips on the Rhein from the Zoo to the Theinpark across the river. (Rhiehlerstr. 180, U18: Zoo/Flora. 0221 547 4184 www.koelner-seilbahn.de €4, children ages 4-12 €2.40; round trip €6/3.50. Open Apr-Oct daily 10am-6pm.)
By Bike
Kölner Fahrradverleih rents bikes. (Makmannsgasse, in the Altstadt. 0171 629 87 96 www.koelnerfahrradverleih.de €2 per hr., €10 per day, €40 per week. Open daily 10am-6pm.)
By Car
Ride Share: CityNetz Mitfahrzentrale. (Maximinenstr. 2. 0221 19444 Open M-F 9am-6pm, Sa-Su 10am-2pm.) U70, U74, U75, U76, U77, U78, U79, Tram 706, 713, or 715: Heinrich-Heine-Allee. $ Novels from €1.50. h Open Tu-Su 10am-8pm.)
hamburg
040
Hamburg is a city of paradoxes. One of the most historic port cities in northern Europe, Hamburg is over 100km from the North Sea. A city of old money, beautiful churches, and an extravagantly ornate Rathaus are mere miles away from camps of the homeless and unemployed set up under stone bridges. Some of Germany’s renowned orchestras and symphonies share a 3km radius with the unapologetically trashy strip joints and erotic shops on the infamous Reeperbahn. The only constant is the Elbe, tying Hamburg to the world. Massive commercial ships and a crane-studded industrial district just across the Elbe from Hamburg bring global products and people. Portugese and Turkish immigrants coalesce in the west, in Altona and Schanzeenviertel, and tapas bars and falafel stands stand side-by-side with Irish pubs and German breweries. Hamburg’s notable Altstadt, recognizable by its mammoth churches and towering spires, is split by canals, streams, and bridges at every bend. A total of 2,479 bridges connect Hamburg, out-bridging Venice.
Any visitor will note the tragedies left by the Great Fire of 1842 and the devastating Allied WWII bombing. In a single night in July of 1943, air raids simultaneously leveled the city and killed over 50,000 tenants in the crowded buildings lining the waterfront. As a result, many of the architectural masterpieces that once filled the city are lost. Fortunately, a massive 1960s reconstruction effort restored many of Hamburg’s beloved buildings, including the Große Michaeliskirche, an aqua-blue and gold-gilded oceanic masterpiece of a church. In shocking contrast to this opulence are the coal-black ruins of St. Nikolai, whose dark Gothic spire is a reminder of the cost of war. Despite it’s cautioning remembrances, Hamburg has seen changes like the St. Georg district, which today is home to a flourishing gay community. And, of course, Hamburg is incomplete without the Beatles. The music legends performed here pre-fame, and so the city has become a magnet for independent musical artists.
ORIENTATION
Hamburg lies on the northern bank of the Elbe river, 100km south of the North Sea. The city’s Altstadt, full of old buildings and mazes of canals, lies north of the Elbe and south of the Alster lakes. Of the two Alster lakes, Binnenalster, the much smaller of the two, is located in the heart of the Altstadt, bordered by Jungfernstieg to the south and Ballindamm to the West. The much larger Außenalster, popular for sailing in the summer and skating in the winter, is slightly further north, just separated from the Binnenalster by the Kennedybrücke. Five beautiful churches, whose spires spear the Hamburg skyline, outline Hamburg’s Altstadt. Anchoring the center of the Altstadt is the palacial Rathaus, the ornate town hall, and Rathaus market, home to political protests and farmers’ markets alike. Alsterfleet canal bisects the downtown area and separates Altstadt on the eastern bank from the Neustadt on the west. The city’s best museums, galleries, and theaters are located within these two districts.
The Hauptbahnhof lies at the eastern edge of the city center, along Steintorwall. Starting from the Kirchenallee exit of the Hauptbahnhof, Hamburg’s unofficial gay district, St. Georg, follows the Lange Reihe eastward, where quiet cafes populate the streets. Outside the Hauptbahnhof’s main exit on Sheintorwall is the Kunstmelle (Art Mile), a row of museums extending southward from the Alster lakes to the banks of the Elbe. Perpendicular to Seintorwall, Mönickebergstraße, Hamburg’s most famous shopping street, runs westward to the Rathause, which connects the city center to the train station. The Neustadt’s Hanseviertel, between Rathausmarkt and Gänsemarkt, is full of shops, galleries, and auction houses. Hanseviertel is striped with canals, giving the area a Venetian glamour.
Just south of the Rathaus, St. Pauli houses large stretches of walkways along the industrial Elbe, the Landungsbrücke, and the weekly Hamburg fischmarkt. Also in St. Pauli is the infamous Reeperbahn, running parallel to the river, packed with strip joints and erotic shops. To the north of St. Pauli, students and academics inhabit the Dammtor district, home to Hamburg’s university and the Planten un Blomen botanical gardens. The city’s wealthiest neighborhoods, including Winterhunde and Harvesthude, are just opposite Dammtor on the shores of the lake. Farther west, Schanzenviertel is a more liberal community of students, artists, and sizable immigrant populations. Here, rows of street-art-covered restaurants and a busy late-night bar scene impart the area’s new-found edge. On the westernmost side of Hamburg, Altona celebrates with a nightlife and restaurant scene similar to Schanzenviertel. The area was an independent city ruled by Denmark in the 17th century before eventually being absorbed by Hamburg. Altona’s pedestrian zone, the Ottenser Hauptstrasse, runs west from the Altona station. To the far east of Hamburg lies one of the city’s most important, if distant sights. The former concentration camp, KZ Neuengamme, is now a memorial to victims of forced labor in World War II. On the extreme opposite side of the city past Altona, Klein-Flottbek has two of Hamburg’s most beautiful museums, set in the scenic Jenisch Park along the Elbe.
For details on Hamburg map, click here
ACCOMMODATIONS
INSTANT SLEEP
Max-Brauer-Allee 27
HOSTEL
040 43 18 23 10 www.instantsleep.de
Bright, spotless dorms, colorful murals, and personal lockers in every room for safety ensure what the name promises. The real highlight, which causes more staying up than the opposite, is the common room complete with foosball table, hammocks, benches, and a comfortable loft for lounging. A young backpacking crowd gathers here every morning and evening for socializing.
U3, S11, S21, or S31: Sternschanze. Sheets included. Free Wi-Fi and Internet at guest terminals. Dorms €16.50; singles €31; doubles €45; triples €62. Reception W-Sa 8am-2am, Su-Tu 8am-11pm. Check-in 3-8pm; call ahead if you’re arriving outside these hours. Check-out 11am.
SCHANZENSTERN ÜBERNACHTUNGS-UND GASTHAUS
Bartelsstr. 12
HOSTEL
040 439 84 41 www.schanzenstern.de
In the middle of the upbeat Schanzenviertel, this guesthouse has bright, hotel-like rooms on the upper floors of a converted pen factory. Big windows look out over the red-tiled rooftops of Hamburg, and the hostel shares a block with an independent film theater. The hostel owns a laid-back adjoining cafe with a shady courtyard and porch swings. All showers ensuite.
U3, S11, S21, or S31: Sternschanze. Breakfast €4.50-6.50. Laundry €5. Sheets included. Free Internet terminals for guests, Wi-Fi €2 per hr. Dorms €19; singles €38.50; doubles €54; triples €64; quads €78; quints €95. Reception 6:30am-2am. Check-out 11am.
SCHANZENSTERN ALTONA
Kleiner Rainstr. 24-26
HOSTEL
040 39 91 91 91 www.schanzenstern-altona.dess
On a quiet residential street, this bright hostel is filled with light from the common area’s full wall o
f windows looking over the adjacent courtyard. Spacious rooms with pine beds and ensuite baths.
S1, S2, S3, S11 or S31: Altona. Wi-Fi €2 per hr., Internet on guest terminals free. Sheets included. Breakfast €6.50. Dorms €19; singles €44; doubles €59-69; triples €74; quads €84; apartments €79-100. Reception 7am-11pm. Check-out 11am.
SIGHTS
PLANTEN UN BLOMEN
Next to the Hamburg Messe.
BOTANICAL GARDEN
040 428 23 21 25 www.plantenunblomen.hamburg.de
This perfect mix of manicured gardens, tranquil lily-pad laden ponds, and wide expanses of grassy lawns is enjoyed by newspaper readers, picnickers and sun worshippers alike. Wander for miles through scenic paths overgrown with lavender bushes, or sit on white wooden chairs under the shade of towering chestnut trees. Planten un Blomen also contains the largest Japanese Garden in Europe, a rose garden with over 300 varieties of blooms, and a botanical garden with an exotic variety of plants. Children or the young at heart can play on three playgrounds,a water slide, trampoline, minigolf, or water-jet soccer. For the more serious Harry Potter enthusiast, a giant, though inanimate chess set is the arena of many a blood-thirsty competition. Daily performances by groups ranging from Irish step dancers to Hamburg’s police choir fill the outdoor Musikpavillion at 3pm from May to September. The nightly Wasserlichtkonzerte draws crowds to the lake with choreographed fountains and underwater lights.
S21 or S31: Dammtor. Open May-Sept 7am-11pm, Oct-Apr 7am-8pm. Japanese Garden open Mar-Oct M-F 9am-4:45pm, Sa-Su 10am-5:45pm; Nov-Feb M-F 9am-3:45pm, Sa-Su 10am-3:45pm. Wasserlichtkonzerte May-Aug. nightly 10pm, Sept. 9pm.
MUSEUM FÜR KUNST UND GEWERBE
Steintorpl. 1
MUSEUM
040 42 81 34 www.mkg-hamburg.de
This museum of applied arts sets the tone for it’s collection with a hammock hanging between two fake palms in a plexiglass bubble suspended above the entrance. Quirky Art Nouveau pieces will have you asking, “Is this art?,” but enjoying the absurdity of foam cactuses all the same. More conventional and equally impressive are the extensive photography exhibits on the first floor, featuring post-war German photographers. Another hall contains over 430 historical keyboard instruments including harpsichords, clavichords, and hammer-klaviers all the way up to the modern piano, and another exhibit traces the history of porcelain through region, which an expansive array of Asian pottery.
Walk 1 block south from the Hauptbahnhof. €8, students €5, children under 18 free. Open Tu-Su 11am-6pm, Th from 11am-9pm.
HAMBURGER KUNSTHALLE (HALL OF ART)
Glockengielßerwall
ART MUSEUM
040 428 13 12 09 www.hamburger-kunsthalle.de
It would take days to fully appreciate all the world-class art displayed in the expansive Kunsthalle, one of the best art museums in Germany. The collection is organized chronologically. Old Masters and 19th century work is on the upper levels, prints and drawings downstairs, and a contemporary art collection is in the adjacent Galerie der Gegenwart. An impressive French Impressionist and German Realist collection is a can’t-miss, especially the gigantic Renoir canvases. The revolving exhibitions in the Galerie der Gegenwart are one of the museum’s biggest highlights.
Turn right from the “Sitalerstr./City” exit of the Hauptbahnhof and cross the street. The Kunsthalle is identifiable by its domed ceiling. €10, €5 students, under 18 free. Open Tu-W 10am-6pm, Th 10am-9pm, F-Su 10am-6pm.
RATHAUS
Accessible from Bergerstr.
TOWN HALL
040 428 31 24 70
With more rooms than Buckingham Palace, the 1897 Hamburg Rathaus, which replaced the one that was burned down in the Great Fire of 1842, is an ornate stone-carved monument to Hamburg’s long history as a wealthy port city. Its lavish chambers, accessible only through a worthwhile guided tour, are furnished with expansive murals and mind-blowingly designed chandeliers. The building still serves as the seat of both city and state government, while the Rathausmarkt out front hosts a slew of festivities, from political demonstrations to medieval fairs.
U3: Rathaus. Tours €3. Only accessible on a tour. English tours run M-F at 11:15am, 1:15pm and 3:15pm, Sa 11:15 and 1:15, and Su 11:15am, 1:15pm, 3:15pm, and 5:15pm. Tours don’t run on days that the state government convenes, so call ahead.
DEICHTORHALLEN HAMBURG
Deichtorstr. 1-2
ART MUSEUM
040 32 10 30 www.deichtorhallen.de
Hamburg’s contemporary art scene thrives in these two former fruit markets, which house rotating photography, painting, sculpture and film installations. The south hall features photography, while the north hall divides its attention among several creative mediums. Both halls are worth the trip, but check ahead to find what exhibit you’ll be visiting—some are more “experimental” than others.
U1: Steinstr. Follow signs from the U-Bahn station. Each building €7, students €5, families €9.50. Combination ticket to both halls €12/8/16.50, or €4.50 Tu after 4pm. Under 18 free. Open Tu-Su 11am-6pm.
FISCHMARKT
Große Elbstraße 137
FISH MARKET
040 38 01 21 www.fischmarkt-hamburg.de
A Hamburg tradition since 1703, the Su morning Fishmarkt is an anarchic mix of vocal vendors hawking fish, produce, flowers, and clothing. Early risers mix with Reeperbahn partyers fresh from a long night out at clubs and bars. Make yourself the least conventional breakfast you’ll ever have: fish and beer just as the sun’s coming up. Everything’s delicious and cheap. Bands of all genres entertain shoppers with loud rock music from the stages of the beautiful three-story brick and stained-glass fish auction hall, but the real action is outside.
S1, S3 or U3: Landugsbrücken. Open Apr-Oct Su 5-9:30am, Nov-Mar Su 7-9:30am.
OUTSIDE CENTRAL HAMBURG
Hamburg’s sights are fascinating and varied, but many of the most unique attractions are located away from the city center; making it to one of these can carve out a good chunk of your day.
KZ-GEDENKSTÄTTE NEUENGAMME
Jean-Dolidier-Weg 75
CONCENTRATION CAMP
040 428 13 15 00 www.kz-gedenkstaette-neuengamme.de
Between 1938 and 1945, this camp held 110,000 people as forced laborers. Close to half the occupants died from overwork or execution. Walk around the camp buildings, from the cafeteria to the dorms to the work-camps, and the thoughtful, well-presented and heart-wrenching exhibits of Neuengamme’s former prisoners. Several paths lead from the meticulously labeled multilingual main exhibition, which features recorded stories from survivors, and a series of red photo albums, each detailing the life of one of Neuengamme’s victims. Outside, follow a path through to the brick-making factory, labor barracks, and war memorials.
S21: Bergedorf (about 20min.), then bus #227 or #327: KZ-Gedenkstätte, Aussellung (about 35min.). Buses leave the train station and the camp every 30min., Su every 2hr. Free. Museum and memorial open Apr-Sept M-F 9:30am-4pm, Sa-Su noon-7pm; Oct-Mar M-F 9:30am-4pm, Sa-Su noon-5pm. Paths open 24hr. Tours in German Su noon and 2:30pm.
FOOD
LA SEPIA
Schulterblatt 36
SEAFOOD
040 432 24 84 www.la-sepia.de
This Spanish and Portuguese restaurant serves some of the most affordable and generously served seafood in town. See your meal prepared in front of you fresh from the harbor. The lunch special (€4-6) is a steal; try the grilled salmon, served with potato soup and a heaping side of (more!) potatoes and vegetables.
U3,S11, S21, or S31: Sternschanze. Entrees €7.50-22. Open daily noon-3am.
HATARI PFÄLZER CANTINA
Schanzenstr. 2
GERMAN
040 43 20 88 66
This eclectic restaurant is decorated with Chinese dragons and hunting trophies. A young student crowd flocks here for hamburgers (€7.30-7.90) and people watching on this busy street corner. Hatari also serves German specialties, including the misleadingly-named
French pizza, a Bavarian dish of thin cooked dough spread with cream and piled with toppings.
U3 or S11, S21, or S31 to “Sternschanze.” Entrees from €7. Open noon-late.
HIN & VEG
Schulterblatt 16
VEGETARIAN
040 594 534 02
If you’ve been holding back on trying the meat-heavy German classics, this is your chance to fill up on some Deutschland staples served up by an Indian owner. Hin & Veg is a completely meat-free restaurant that serves up vegetarian versions of currywurst (€3) and döner (€4), all with vegan sauces.
U3, S11, S21, or S31: Sternschanze. South Asian specialties €5.50-8.50. Open M-Th 11:30am-11:30pm, F-Sa 11:30am-midnight, Su 12:30pm-10pm.