Hannah Goes To Hamburg | Travel Blog

Last weekend I jetted off to Hamburg to spend 3 days eating, drinking and being merry with one of my favourite people Ellie.

I say jetted, we Ryanaired it. So at 6.40 am we took off surrounded by the standard passengers, plus a group of drunken lads in Christmas fancy dress. Lucky us, we got to sit behind a guy dressed as Santa while he ordered cans of cider and tried to win Ellie over for 60p.

And so our adventure began…

I’m not sure whether Ryanair had some kind of bloggers discount but SO many people I follow have visited Hamburg recently. This made me even more excited to go because I’d read so many amazing things about it, and seen such pretty photos (I’ll link their blog posts down below, no comparing though!)

Normally when I go away I plan exactly what we are going to do and see. While I had a rough idea of sights and attractions, the main thing I wanted to do was enjoy being off work, eat as much German market food as I could and get drunk on mulled wine. I didn’t feel any anxiety about this trip and for the first time in ages I could let go and have fun!

FYI I now have a proper camera yay! But please bear with me while I play around with it. This trip was its first outing and I wish the pictures had come out better but there ya go.

So what did we do?

We wandered

Sometimes it’s just nice to walk around somewhere new and explore it without the pressure of having to find somewhere in particular. Ellie and I wandered around and found a few things that we actually wanted to see anyway, so that was good, but all in all it was nice exploring and getting to know the city.

Hamburg is a fishing town, so there are lots of boats, ports and of course rivers. Although we didn’t try any of the local delicacies, the fish was so prominent that they even sold it at the Christmas markets next to the Bratwurts.

We also found St Michaelis Church but because there were carol services all day due to the time of year we couldn’t go inside and explore.

We visited the authentic German Markets

As we went in December, the Christmas theme dominated our trip. You can’t go to Germany in December if you don’t want to have the Christmas spirit thrust upon you!

Hamburg has a few different types of German market. The largest one is called Weihnachtsmarkt and is located in the heart of the shopping district – Rathaus. The green painted stalls are very traditional and it has beautiful lights and décor. There was even a miniature train and a Santa that flies over the market every few hours. Although we didn’t see him…

We stumbled upon another market called Winterwald, which roughly means winter forest. Tucked away between the shops it had more of a relaxed vibe. It’s also where I discovered Krapfen (deep fried dough balls with icing sugar, oh my gawd you should go to Germany just for these badboys) and trust me they were not krap!

We also visited the adult German market located in the red-light district in St Pauli. Although it was a little tamer than I imagined. The drinks were cheaper and slightly stronger, and I think I saw some inflatable willies, but other than that I wasn’t overly shocked. I also saw quite a lot of children around, not sure if that’s ok?

We walked under a river

The Elbe tunnel is a 426 m (1,398 ft) long tunnel which is 24 m (80 ft) beneath the surface. It connects central Hamburg with the docks on the south side of the river Elbe and is the fastest way to reach the other side of the river. The tunnel was created in 1911 and was used as an air-raid shelter in the war, as well as hosting art exhibitions and even races. It’s as beautiful as it is practical; a lovely piece of the past.

We made weird and wonderful friends

It’s Saturday night in Hamburg, what else were we meant to do then get drunk on red wine and vodka? What started off as sharing a bottle of red wine over some great chat turned into downing vodka shots and chanting ENGLAND with some hilarious German characters. Yeah we did that. Who doesn’t love English wearing Christmas decorations on their heads?

We found a miniature wonderland

If it’s a rainy day in Hamburg, which it could well be, I highly suggest that you visit the miniature wunderland next to the Hamburg Dungeon and the Port Authority. It’s basically a huge exhibition of models cities from all over the world. It takes a couple of hours to walk around it all, especially if you are hungover and struggling to move around.

I didn’t think I would be that impressed but the detail was phenomenal! There are also some rude nude figurines….

I absolutely loved my Hamburg trip and I would definitely recommend going there for a weekend away if you want somewhere new to explore. It was cheap, cheerful and interesting!

Check out these girl’s amazing posts about their time in Hamburg:

Tamsin: The Ultimate Guide to Christmas Markets 

Lily: 9 Reasons why Hamburg should be top of your Winter City Breaks

And check out my girl Ellie’s blog