Hamburg Hotels and Restaurants

Cap San Diego

ABOVE: Looking for a room with a pier or harbor view? Book a stateroom on the museum ship Cap San Diego.

Hotels

Hotel by the Alster Hamburg has more than 300 hotels, pensions, hostels, and other lodgings, with nearly 45,000 guest beds. If you're looking for a place to stay, you're likely to have plenty of options--although it never hurts to book ahead, especially during summer and around holidays such as Christmas and Easter. Conventions, trade shows, and other events can also affect occupancy rates.

Hamburg Tourismus has an online "Search & Booking" form that you can use to find hotel rooms and packages. Venere, our booking partner, is another good source of competitively-priced rooms. (See Venere's Hamburg Hotels listings, most of which include reviews by guests.)

We recommend staying in the city center, if you can. Hotels between the Binnenalster and the harbor are likely to be especially convenient, with St. Pauli being a good choice if you plan to go clubbing until the wee hours.

Specific hotels worth mentioning include the luxurious and legendary Viere Jahrezeiten (now part of the Fairmont chain), the perfectly-situated Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg (inset photo), and the museum ship Cap San Diego (see photo at top of page), a retired freighter from the 1960s that offers staterooms with private facilities--including the former captain's suite--at surprisingly reasonable rates.

If you're looking for a hostel, try the Youth Hostel Hamburg "Auf dem Stintfang," a Hostelling International affiliate in the city center. The hostel has a view of the harbor and is within walking distance of the Reeperbahn nightlife district.

For other alternative lodgings, see "More Accomodations" on the Hamburg Tourismus Web site or the Hamburg Holiday Rentals pages of our booking partner, HomeAway, which offers furnished apartments (and a few cottages) in the city and countryside.

Restaurants

Restaurant food Hamburg offers food for every taste, from McDonald's to Michelin-starred restaurants. The tourist office's "Eating & Drinking in Hamburg" pages offer a helpful introduction to the local gastronomic scene, along with partner discount offers.

For an excellent dinner in a modern but warm atmosphere, I can personally recommend the Restaurant River Kasematten or the Bistro am Fleet at the Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg.

Don't miss out on the chance to enjoy local dishes such as Labskaus or Hamburg's beloved Franzbrötchen sweet rolls. A good place to try Hamburger cuisine (as opposed to a hamburger) is the café at the Ballinstadt Emigration Museum, which has tasty stick-to-the-ribs specialties at reasonable prices.

Finally, no visit to Germany (and especially to Hamburg, which has many citizens of Turkish descent) is complete without at least one meal from a Döner Kebab eat-in or take-out shop. Qype.co.uk has member reviews of Kebab shops in and around Hamburg.

Next page: Transportation, tourist information

In this Hamburg city guide:

Hamburg City Guide - Introduction

Sightseeing

Museums, attractions

Culture, entertainment

Shopping

Hotels, restaurants

Transportation, tourist information

Sightseeing Boats and Harbor Tours

Ballinstadt Emigration Museum

Hempel's Beatles Tour