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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: Line A Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour

4. 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.

Hamburg: Harbor Evening Lights Cruise

5. 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.

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: 1-Hour Harbor Cruise

9. Hamburg: 1-Hour Harbor Cruise

Embark on a harbor cruise of Hamburg and listen closely to live German narration as you pass the Speicherstadt district, HafenCity, Köhlbrand Bridge, Elbe Philharmonic Hall, and more. See the most iconic of the city's 2,400 structures crossing over the waterways, canals, and harbor basin. Climb aboard the boat and explore the various attractions of the city, depending on the tide and the time of day. Along the way, learn interesting facts about the city and its history as well as the incoming and outgoing ships. Simply sit back and enjoy the fantastic views from the water. Admire the historical Speicherstadt (warehouse district) with its narrow waterways, the modern HafenCity, the numerous bridges over the Elbe River, busy locks and container terminals, the large Blohm and Voss shipyard, and the Köhlbrand Bridge. Finally, finish your tour and disembark at the departure point.

Hamburg: 1.5-Hour Evening Harbor and Speicherstadt Cruise

10. Hamburg: 1.5-Hour Evening Harbor and Speicherstadt Cruise

Admire Hamburg’s harbor-side attractions sparkling at night, marvel at the illuminated Speicherstadt District, and see impressive container ships up-close aboard a 1.5-hour evening cruise featuring live commentary from a German-speaking guide and an exclusive stop at the iconic Elbphilharmonie. Start your nighttime 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 beautifully lit up. 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 shining 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.

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What people are saying about HafenCity

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 29,509 reviews

The boat we were on was wonderfully heated, were allowed in before the time. Seen a lot, enthusiastic captain (Marco). In the end sailed longer than the hour and a half that was on the ticket. An explanation was given in German, but we could still follow something….

The city tour was fun and you learned a lot of interesting facts about the individual stations. What's also great is that this is a day ticket and you can get off at one station and then get back on later. Was very informative.

The city tour was never boring. Of course there is something to admire around every corner in Hamburg. And the bus driver rounded things off perfectly. Torben always had a little insider tip for us and was very funny

Excellent sightseeing tour, 1.5 hours, not long, but there is an idea of the city. Sometimes the sound was only in one earpiece, but if you twist the headphone plug in the jack, then everything will work out.

We had a typical Hamburg driver who kept telling nice stories.