Insider Guide to: Hamburg

Spacebase allows users to make bookings in some of the most exciting cities around the world.

To help you discover our locations, we asked our international team here in the Berlin office for their tips and recommendations. These are the cities that we here at Spacebase were born in, grew up in, worked and studied and loved in – and we’re excited to share them with you!

Let’s start with Patrick’s guide to Hamburg.

HAMBURG

Patrick, Head of Business Development

I grew up in Hamburg, German’s biggest port city. It’s not a million miles from our Spacebase offices in Berlin but I do miss the sea air and friendly locals sometimes. Here are some of my tips for how to get the most out of the city.

Neighbourhoods

• Sternschanze is scruffy, alternative and has a strong leftist tradition. There are tons of bars and unique hang-outs. Some say it’s just a mini Berlin in Hamburg, but I think that’s missing the point. There’s a street energy here you just don’t get anywhere else.
• In the heart of Hamburg, you’ll find Eimsbüttel. It’s full of tall, beautiful Altbau buildings which many Hamburgers dream of living in one day. A great place for taking a stroll or for people watching from a cafe.
• Altona used to be a working-class district but now this is where the young and creative crowd tends to hang out. I love coming to this part of town for a drink and to soak up the nightlife.

Going out

• Terrace Hill is a club located in a former bunker in St. Pauli. They often host techno parties here and also have a superb rooftop terrace.
• If you have a head for heights, go up to Clouds for one of the best views over Hamburg. You can find this elegant bar and restaurant on the 22nd-24th floors of the newly built Tanzende Türmen (Dancing Towers), a pair of skewed skyscrapers which have added a new twist to the skyline.

Things to do

• You have to check out the Reeperbahn at night. Infamous as die sündigste Meile (the most sinful mile), it’s the historic red-light district and has long been the centre for partying in the city. Here you can find all the bars and clubs you need: try Zwick St Pauli, which is full of rock memorabilia, Rosi’s bar, a Hamburg drinking institution, or Bahnhof St Pauli for (literally) underground gigs.
• Take a sailing boat out onto the Alster lake. Water has always been in Hamburg’s DNA and this stretch of calm, idyllic blue is the perfect way to enjoy a sunny day.
• Another must-see is the Elbphilharmonie (a.k.a the Elphi). Like the new airport in Berlin, it’s a new building that has brought plenty of controversy. The Elphi opened in 2017, behind schedule and massively over budget (unlike the airport, at least it opened). The finished building is only 110m tall but it was ranked as one of the 8th most expensive skyscrapers ever built, costing about 1 billion USD. Judge for yourself if the money was worth it: the huge complex has one of the most acoustically advanced concert halls in the world.

Top spaces