Hamburg

Federal Republic of Germany | Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Germany

English

Deutschland

Germany

Region:

Central Europe

Area:

357 022 km²

Ranked 63 out of 195

Population:

83 190 000

Ranked 18 out of 235

Urbanization:

78 %

Ranked 53 out of 194

Capital:

Berlin

Population: 4 473 000

Largest City:

Berlin

Population: 4 473 000

Major Cities:

Berlin
Hamburg
Cologne
Munich
Frankfurt

Economy & Development:

Human Development Index:

Very High

Ranked 6 out of 189

Inequality-Adjusted HDI:

Very High

Ranked 10 out of 189

GDP (PPP) Per Capita:

$53 919

Ranked 26 out of 225

Democracy & Freedom:

Democracy Index:

Full Democracy

Ranked 14 out of 167

Freedom House:

Free

94 points out of 100 possible

Press Freedom:

Satisfactory

Ranked 16 out of 180

Economic Freedom:

Most Free

Ranked 20 out of 162

National Identity:

Independence Since:

1871

Independence From:

German City-States

National Day:

3rd of October

What Is Celebrated On The National Day:

The unification between East and West Germany, which was formally in effect on the 3rd of October 1990. In Germany, the day is known as "Tag der Deutschen Einheit" (German Unity Day). The date was chosen as National Day ahead of the 9th of November, the day when the Berlin Wall was torn down, and which is a more symbolic day in the Unification process, because the 9th of November was also the date of the Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass) in 1938.

Facts & Codes:

Driving Side:

Right

Time Zone:

UTC +1 (CET)

Summer Time: UTC +2 (CEST)

Country Calling Code:

+ 49

Country Code:

ISO 3166

German State | Deutsche Bundesland

Hamburg

English / German

Region:

Northern Germany

Area:

755 km²

Ranked 15 out of 16

Population:

1 852 000

Ranked 13 out of 16

Population Share:

2 %

Of National Population

Capital:

Hamburg

Population: 5 107 000

Largest City:

Hamburg

Population: 5 107 000

Major Cities:

Information:

GDP Per Capita::

$78 900

Higher than national average

Climate:

Oceanic Climate

Köppen: Cfb

Time Zone:

UTC +1 (CET)

Summer: UTC +2 (CEST)

HafenCity

Gentrified Industrial Area

Jungfernstieg

Waterfront

Reeperbahn

Famous Street

Flughafen Hamburg

IATA Code:

HAM

ICAO Code:

EDDH

Passenger Volumes:

Distance:

9 km / 5 mi (N)

Located In:

Fuhlsbüttel

Named After:

Former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt

Information:

Hamburg Airport is the fifth-largest airport in Germany and serves, apart from Hamburg proper, also most of the North-Western part of the country such as Bremen and Schleswig-Holstein. Most of the destinations are within Europe, with only a handful of intercontinental routes.

Transfer To/From:

It's very convinient to travel to/from this airport. The S1 S-Bahn line has a station underneath the terminal building. Departures are every ten minutes and it takes less than 30 minutes to the city center. When I visited in the summer of 2022 there were some construction work along this route so I had to change line at Barmbek. Even with this change it was one of the better airport connections I've encountered.

Currency:

Euro

Code:

EUR

Subunit:

Cent

Symbol:

€

Cash Or Credit:

Cash is King in Germany! It always amazes me that a country that is so technologically advanced in just about everything else is still using mostly cash and doesn't even offer cards as an option in many stores. It was however much better when I visited in 2021 than during my previous trips in 2017 and 2019. In just those two years it changed a lot, and it was now at least possible to pay by card in most medium-sized stores. There were however still places where I was not able to use my card, so you still need to bring paper cash.

Even in 2022, I faced some issues, but by now card payment is available at most places. Bring cash, but you don't have to bring as much as before. And in most cases, you could just go somewhere else instead of using cash. Most tourist attractions are now accepting card payments, something that was not the norm just five years ago.

Good To Know:

Local Language:

German

Language Family:

Germanic (Indo-European)

Writing System:

Latin Alphabet

What About English?

Germans previously had a reputation for not being so good at English. Today, this is completely false and nothing could be further from the truth. Germany has by far the highest proficiency in English of the major non-native-speaking countries in Europe. Only the much smaller Scandinavian and Benelux countries are better. If English is your only language, you won't have to worry about language in Germany. There is a slight generational difference though. The older generation might not always be able to help you out, but young people almost always speak more or less perfect English.

- Germany Is Closed On Sundays

It is good to know that almost all of Germany closes down on Sundays. Stores are not allowed to be open on Sundays! They are allowed to be open on four Sundays during the year, and most of them will choose to keep open during the Christmas season. Restaurants are allowed to be open, and so do tourist attractions and certain stores that cater specifically to tourists (such as souvenir shops). Those are more or less the only exceptions. Not even Supermarkets are open, so plan your purchases well and make sure to buy everything you need on Saturday already if you plan on staying over a Sunday.

Nordsee

Origin:

Founded:

Type of Food:

1896

Did I Try:

Yes

My Score:

4 / 5

About:

A German chain that serves seafood. The company was founded in 1896 in Bremerhaven to supply seafood from the North Sea to the residents of Bremen. The literal translation of the name is "North Sea". In the 1960s the current chain was developed when they, in addition to the original fresh seafood menu, also added a more fast-food-like menu with fried products.

Comment:

They have two menus. One menu consists of more a restaurant type of seafood that is served on plates, and which is arguable of higher quality. The other menu, which is the one I like better, consists of typical fast-food items such as fried shrimp or fish served with fries in paper boxes. I can highly recommend visiting this chain if you're looking for a quick meal.

One of the largest cities in Europe, yet I've never considered traveling there. So when I had expiring airline points I decided to book a trip and give the city a chance. I didn't know much about the sights and what to do. It turned out that there's not that much to do and see actually.

Do I Recommend You To Visit?

No. Hamburg was not a city that I fell in love with and I can't recommend it as a tourist destination.

Will I Come Back Again?

No.

Weather During My Stay:

The first day was sunny and very hot. It became a little bit cloudier during the later part of my stay. But in general, I had great weather during my visit so I can't blame the weather for not liking the city.

Best:

Jungfernstieg was nice, especially in the evenings.

Not As Good:

For a city of its size, I truly feel that Hamburg is lacking in tourist sights.