Hamburg’s urban shore: city of contrast & the world’s home away from home

Hamburg’s urban shore: city of contrast & the world’s home away from home

HAMBURG, GERMANY - 03/28/2018 — Hamburg is a trending city, and this has been the case since well before the spectacular opening of the Elbphilharmonie. The city on the River Elbe is hugely popular among international guests and residents alike, which has also been confirmed by various city rankings from around the world. The New York Times, for instance, praises the summer feeling to be experienced on the Elbe beach, while Lonely Planet recommends Hamburg’s restaurant and nightlife scene, ranking it among the top ten cities for 2018. And these are but a few declarations of love for Hamburg. What they all have in common: an understanding that life in Hamburg is shaped by contrast, for this city is both raw and beautiful. At www.hamburg-travel.com/urbanshore visitors can get a foretaste of Hamburg’s unique urban shore. And all those looking to explore Hamburg’s maritime side in person can book the “Maritime Hamburg” package deal, which includes two overnight stays in Hamburg, with prices starting from €116. 

Finally, spring is in the air, and temperatures in Northern Germany are rising. Maritime Hamburg is preparing for the summer season with a number of contrasting highlights along the banks of the River Elbe. These include e.g. the renowned Elbjazz festival in the heart of Hamburg’s port; the Hafengeburtstag, the world's biggest port festival with that special cruise liner atmosphere; cool beach clubs on the water and the hustle and bustle at Europe's second largest container port; the elegant green Blankenese neighbourhood and the creative scene of the St Pauli district; the new Elbphilharmonie with its classical concerts and world-class architecture; the MS Dockville, the young, wild art and music festival on the Elbe island of Wilhelmsburg; the Speicherstadt UNESCO World Heritage site; the innovative HafenCity Hamburg district as well as star-studded restaurants elevated along the Elbe banks and hearty take-away fish rolls down at the St Pauli Landungsbrücken. These are the contrasts that make up the summer along Hamburg's urban shore. A life between Hanseatic tradition and creative modernism, between home feeling and wanderlust, between the raw and the beautiful. Life on the water means that everything is continuously in motion, and yet serenity and peacefulness prevail.

The special Hamburg feeling to be experienced at Hamburg’s urban shore has also been captured by a 90-second film available. The film tells an engaging story of two contrasting elements that rely on each other. In addition, a further six interactive 360° videos as well as a great choice of maritime specials available online are setting the scene for the upcoming summer in Hamburg. The main film, the 360° videos, as well as many exciting photos and stories can be found on the Internet page www.hamburg-travel.com/urbanshore or by using the hash tag #urbanshore.

Rich in contrast: Hamburg’s culinary scene

Nights along the Elbe banks are just as contrasting and include anything from elegant and experimental to innovative and puristic – with eleven Michelin-starred restaurants; extravagant crossover cuisine by creative up-and-coming St Pauli chefs; with food trucks on the Spielbudenplatz; THE BIG BBQ festival at the Fischmarkt square (14 to 16 June 2018) – or simply with a mouth-watering fish roll right at the port.

For example, at his Seven Seas restaurant, star chef and host Karlheinz Hauser and his team celebrate the art of cooking and fine dining with dishes such as scallop Ceviche, fillet of sole sousvide, and Loup de Mer Eau de Moule, leaving nothing to be desired by any fish lover. On quite a different note, the legendary “Brücke 10” fish take-away at the St Pauli Landungsbrücken supplies its guests, many of them regulars, with fresh fish rolls and a cool bottle of Astra beer – the priceless view of the container port included.

Celebrations on the Elbe: Hafengeburtstag, Elbjazz, and Dockville

Taking place from 10 to 13 May 2018, Hafengeburtstag Hamburg is the world’s biggest port festival. More than one million guests from near and far will be celebrating right on the waterfront, with more than 300 participating ships and as many as eleven cruise liners, which will be warmly welcomed as part of the festival.

Port cranes and cargo vessels also serve as the backdrop for quite a different event: guests to the Elbjazz Festival (1 to 2 June 2018) will be able to enjoy first-class jazz concerts at venues such as the eminent Blohm + Voss shipyard and the Elbphilharmonie concert hall. This year’s line-up includes Kasami Washington, Kat Frankie, Gogo Penguin as well as other international stars. During the event, there will be barges commuting between the different venues, allowing guests to experience excellent live jazz performances amidst a unique maritime setting.

Quite a different scenario awaits you at the Dockville festival on the Elbe island of Wilhelmsburg: decidedly fresh and bold, this art and music festival (17 to 19 August 2018) will be pulling a cool crowd with artists such as ALT-J, Fink, Honne, and Everything.

Speicherstadt and HafenCity: World Heritage meets state-of-the-art building design

Between Hamburg’s old town and its port, visitors can experience a unique interplay of tradition and modernity. On 150 hectares of former port land, an entirely new urban quarter is currently taking shape: HafenCity Hamburg. With its innovative residential and office buildings and its spacious public terraces, it serves as a prime example for urban living in the 21st century. Only a few metres away from here, and just beside the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg's new landmark, you will find the historic Speicherstadt warehouse district with its many canals, beautiful brick façades, bowed bridges and picturesque views. The Speicherstadt and the adjacent Kontorhaus district with Chilehaus have been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2015. The world's largest contiguous warehouse complex is home to a number of museums, among them the Speicherstadtmuseum and the Miniatur Wunderland model railway – Germany’s most popular international tourist attraction. Most recently, the Miniatur Wunderland presented their latest attraction: a miniature replica of the lagoon city of Venice.

Tradition meets modernity: a maritime summer weekend in Hamburg

Why not experience Hamburg’s urban shore first-hand and take advantage of the “Maritime Hamburg” package deal. Starting at €116 per person, the package includes two overnight stays in a hotel including breakfast, one guided city tour by bus, one harbour boat trip along the River Elbe, a one-hour boat trip on the Alster Lake as well as one Hamburg CARD for three days of free travel by bus, underground and port ferry. The package can be booked at www.hamburg-tourismus.de/maritim and by calling our hotline on +49 40 300 51 720.

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Company Name: Hamburg Tourismus GmbH
Full Name: Florian Schleinig
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Website: www.hamburg-tourismus.de