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Things to do in HafenCity

Our most recommended things to do in HafenCity

Hamburg: 1.5-Hour Harbor and Speicherstadt Day Cruise

1. Hamburg: 1.5-Hour Harbor and Speicherstadt Day Cruise

See Hamburg’s harbor-side attractions from a unique perspective, float past impressive container ships, and discover the historic Speicherstadt District aboard a 1.5-hour cruise featuring live commentary from a German-speaking guide and an exclusive stop at the iconic Elbphilharmonie. Start your harbor adventure on land as you cross the famous "Überseebrücke" bridge to reach the pier where you will board a traditional Hamburger boat referred to as a Barkasse. Listen as your captain decides on which route the boat will take based on weather conditions, the water tides, or, if for example, a really exciting and interesting container ship or a special boat is visiting the harbor. Set off and glide into the narrow waterways of the largest warehouse district in the world known as Speicherstadt. Take in the stunning architecture of buildings standing on timber-pile foundations and oak logs. Sit back and relax as you go past Hafen City. Explore the open decks and feel the cooling sea breezes as you wait for perfect photo opportunities from the boat’s many vantage points. Cruise past rows of massive container ships as the boat makes its way into St. Pauli’s Pier and the Hamburg Port. Learn the history of the many important landmarks from your German-speaking expert guide. As your trip comes to an end, disembark right in front of the Elbphilharmonie or you can choose to get off back at where the cruise initially took off.

Hamburg: 1-Hour Harbor Cruise

2. Hamburg: 1-Hour Harbor Cruise

Discover Hamburg on a harbor cruise and admire views of the warehouse district and HafenCity. See the city with the most bridges in Europe, with approximately 2,400 structures over water, canals, channels, and docks. Climb aboard the boat and discover the many different attractions and sights in the city, depending on the tides and the day's events. Explore the historical Speicherstadt (warehouse district) with its canals, the modern HafenCity, the numerous bridges over the Elbe River, busy locks and container terminals, the Köhlbrand Bridge, and much more. Along the way, learn more about the city, its history, the incoming and outgoing ships, and anything else that interests you. Sit back and admire the views of the city on the sun deck or in the air-conditioned lounge with large panoramic windows.

Hamburg: Port of Hamburg Cruise Tour

3. Hamburg: Port of Hamburg Cruise Tour

Enjoy the unique maritime flair and colorful crowds at the Port of Hamburg on this daily cruise that loops the docks. Thanks to your guide, learn about the history of the port and the city and take an exciting ride through the locks. Discover this gateway to the world up-close onboard a little ship, equally suited to a fleet. Find out just how huge the Port of Hamburg, the second-largest port in Europe, is. Hardly another city in the world is so tied to its port; Hamburg truly developed because of it. The most important sights and the skyline are inextricably linked to it. Experience the contrast between past and present, commerce and culture, the little fishing town along the Elbe, and the state-of-the-art container complexes. You'll also learn about the sinful stretches and fish market, old cutters, and massive cruise and container ships.

Hamburg: Harbor Evening Lights Cruise

4. Hamburg: Harbor Evening Lights Cruise

Embark on a roundtrip evening cruise from the historical and romantically-illuminated Speicherstadt through the Hamburg harbor's sea of light. Enjoy a boat tour through the Speicherstadt canals and discover the highlights of Hamburg from the water. Learn about the history behind this intriguing city. See the Zollkanal, Wasserschloss, and the International Maritime Museum, and cruise along the modern HafenCity, the newest district in the Hanseatic city. See the HafenCity University, the Marco Polo Tower, the Elbe Philharmonic Hall, and the panorama of the district.  Catch a breathtaking view of St. Pauli Piers all the way to Überseebrücke with the museum ships Rickmer Rickmers and Cap San Diego. Sail through the port's sea of light again and witness the activity around the container terminals.

Hamburg: Line A Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour

5. Hamburg: Line A Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour

Enjoy a guided tour on the double-decker Line A sightseeing bus in Hamburg. Travel along the Speicherstadt (warehouse city) and harbor city to the shopping areas of the town. Gain valuable insights into the city and its history. Hop aboard with your day ticket that enables you to hop on and hop off at 20 bus stops. See the wonderful villas in Harvestehude, the Outer Alster lake, the city hall, museums, the famous Reeperbahn, and the harbor. Get information in your own language with a GPS steered audio system that offers crystal-clear narration in 11 languages via headsets. Lean back and enjoy the all-around view. In nice weather, the bus goes open top to allow you unobstructed views.

Elbphilharmonie Highlights, Plaza & Surroundings

6. Elbphilharmonie Highlights, Plaza & Surroundings

Learn about the latest landmark of Hamburg on a guided tour of the Elbphilharmonie. Get answers to any questions you have about the stunning new building in the HafenCity quarter. Hear why it took so long to build and how much it cost. Start with a walk around the building to admire its façade and learn about the area's past and new architecture. Then, go to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza via the longest curved escalator in Europe and get interesting details about the building as you take in the views of the harbor. Listen to your guide as they share anecdotes about Hamburg and its new landmark and tell you about its unique acoustics.

Hamburg: Speicherstadt, HafenCity & Elbphilharmonie Tour

7. Hamburg: Speicherstadt, HafenCity & Elbphilharmonie Tour

Discover Hamburg's UNESCO World Heritage Speicherstadt, HafenCity, and the Elbphilharmonie on a guided walking tour. Learn about these 3 iconic landmarks from your local guide as you make your way through the city. Start your activity with a guided tour through the Speicherstadt warehouse district. Discover the world's largest warehouse complex and learn about its history, including tales of smuggling and extinct professions. Next, explore the modern HafenCity with its sometimes daring construction projects. See Hamburg's largest ongoing urban development project, built in the former free port area. Here, it is easy to see how tradition and modernity can be combined. Finally, visit the iconic Elbphilharmonie. See the building from all sides as your guide gives you a detailed introduction to the new concert hall. Then, take the longest curved escalator in Europe to the viewing platform for views over the city.

Hamburg: 1.5h Grand Harbor Evening Lights Cruise

8. Hamburg: 1.5h Grand Harbor Evening Lights Cruise

Explore Hamburg’s Harbor District on a relaxing evening boat cruise with live commentary in German, and discover the most romantic scenes and Hamburg’s architectural richness from a whole new perspective. Start your evening harbor adventure at Landungsbrücken and cross the famous bridge to reach Pier 3 where you will board your barge. Set off and glide into the narrow waterways of the largest warehouse district in the world known as Speicherstadt. Take in the stunning architecture and the illuminated views of Hamburg’s port shining in beautiful blue lights. See the lights of the Elbphilharmonie, the Harbor City, the musicals, the landing bridges, the ships, and the container bridges that are destined to set a romantic atmosphere. Sail through the canals, Elbe beach and Hamburg’s famous fish market, and learn the history of the many important landmarks from your German-speaking expert guide.

Hamburg: Harbor Cruise with Wine and Cheese

9. Hamburg: Harbor Cruise with Wine and Cheese

Sit back and take in the beautiful Hamburg sunset on this guided wine and cheese harbor cruise. Relax in the calm atmosphere on board and enjoy the views of the sun setting behind the city. A dedicated server will ensure that you enjoy delicious white or red wine and a variety of locally-sourced cheese. Dine outside in warmer weather or feel cozy and warm in the heated salon during winter.   Cruise through Hamburg Harbor as your live tour guide points out the important monuments of this Hanseatic city. Learn about the docks, St. Michael's Church, the Elbphilharmonie, the new district of HafenCity, and parts of the historical Speicherstadt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Hamburg: Speicherstadt and Hafencity Guided Tour

10. Hamburg: Speicherstadt and Hafencity Guided Tour

Explore Hamburg from new Elbphilharmonie through to the historic Speicherstadt and on to the futuristic Hafencity. Enjoy a guided tour of Elbphilharmonie, this masterpiece of architecture with its abstract front is situated like a crown over the harbor and is the new landmark of the city.  Travel from the Elbphilharmonie to the Kaiser, past the Miniaturwunderland with the world's largest model railway, the old coffee roasting plant and the spice museum to the Magellan Terraces right across the Speicherstadt. Here you will follow in the footsteps of the Hanseatic merchants, the so-called Pfeffersäcken. The cathedral-like inner courtyards on the Dutch Brook make it clear that it was not the church but trade and money that determined everyday life in Hamburg.  After this journey to the past, visit the newest and most modern part of the city, Hafencity. This offers the perfect contrast to the Speicherstadt and shows with sophisticated and environmentally friendly buildings what is architecturally possible today.

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What people are saying about HafenCity

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 29,864 reviews

Very good tour, especially for people like me at the moment who are not so mobile or who have difficulty walking. Everything is explained well and in an entertaining way over the loudspeaker. And when the "voice" takes a break, the bus driver (in my case Klaus) tells a few anecdotes. I liked it and would go again.

Well organised, the guide was very funny, informative, kind. We enjoyed the tour very much.

Excellent way to go around the city and learn more about this fun city

Nice trip around main area of hamburg harbour and its iconic buildings

It was really cold outside but this was a great experience!!