(Please note that this is not a sponsored article and I do not receive any kind of incentive from the companies or products mentioned below. So just relax, read on, and find out how to make the best of your trip to Hamburg’s port.)
I arrived in Hamburg by train on May 10th for the annual anniversary celebrations of the city’s famous port. From the moment I stepped out of the Überseeallee underground station near my hotel, I was struck by the overwhelming harbor atmosphere in the air. In front of me, the Elbe stretched out lazily, oblivious of the crowds that had already started gathering for the opening ship parade of the 829th port birthday. On the opposite shore, silhouettes of dock cranes hovered over giant container ships and moved about busily to load and unload them with almost motherly care, unexpected from this most austere of all machines.
I stood there for a few minutes to look around and then crossed the street to the 25 Hours Hafen City Hotel. The hotel is worth mentioning, as it perfectly fits into the atmosphere of the city. Parts of shipping containers, crates and ship ropes are the main design features of the lobby. Three very industrially looking elevators take the guest up to the “cabins”. Upon entering the cabin, you are greeted with large windows that illuminate the arty wallpaper with quirky motifs of historical maritime events and iconic personalities. The vintage-style desk in the room looks like an old trunk and on top of it sits a globe that doubles up as a night lamp. Next to the bed, a little niche is cut into the wall to look like a port hole and it houses the reading light.
The best features of the room though, were two large windows looking out to the cruise ship terminals right in front of me. In the following days, I would wake up in the morning to a full view of the Queen Elizabeth. Beat that.
With my head buzzing with impressions from the first half hour, I left the hotel and took off along the river towards the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken to check out what Hamburg’s port had to offer. Endless food and drink stalls covered the entire promenade.
The air was filled with a dizzying mixture of smells – fried seafood, sausages, beer, pommes frites, waffles, popcorn, cotton candy, and sugar-coated almonds. Families walked around eating and watching the ships enter the Elbe.
Groups of German and Russian sailors in uniforms hurried past the beer stalls before heading back to their ships. I could hear the commentator’s voice through the loudspeakers, announcing which ship was about to enter the harbor and what was special about it.
At this point, I was so overwhelmed by everything happening around me, I wished somebody had provided me with a list of must-dos and must-sees. As there are so many things going on, and so little time to fit it all in, I decided that an overview of the main attractions would be useful for future first-time visitors.
So, here is what I thought was a must see/do during the Harbor Birthday:
1. Walk along the St.Pauli Landungsbrücken
The Landungsbrücken are the main docking piers for the boats that do the harbor tours. Start your walk from the Überseeallee, pass the Elbphilharmonie building and the docking piers, and walk all the way to the Altona cruise ship terminals. The Altona cruise terminal offers a great spot for your best ever photo of the harbor and the cruise ships, especially during sunsets. You can also climb the stairs to the roof of the Altona Cruise Centre building and enjoy the panorama from above. When I got there in the evening on May 10th, I was lucky enough to catch the Mein Schiff 1 docked there and was able to take some close-ups with my camera. Like really close-up…
If you hang around long enough, like me, you can also watch the ship lift its mooring ropes and sail away towards its next destination.
2. Watch the Einlaufparade, the opening ceremony of the celebrations
The best place to do this is either from a boat on the river or from the St. Pauli piers. The harbor welcomes ships participating in the celebration from all over the world. The ships enter the harbor one by one, accompanied by the national anthems of their port of registry.
3. Walk through the old Elbe tunnel
A set of long and steep stairs leads down to an old brick tunnel that runs all the way under the Elbe. For those afraid of heights or not in the mood for long walks, there are old elevators that can take you up or down. The tunnel can be crossed on foot, by bike, or even by car. I would suggest walking all the way to the opposite shore for an up-close look at the servicing dry docks and the cruise terminals. I happened to walk straight into the AIDAperla when I crossed to the other shore. The large merchant ships docked there don’t disappoint either.
4. Take a boat tour around the harbor
Tickets are sold directly on-site at the St. Pauli piers. The boats usually have both indoor and an outdoor space and offer drinks and information about the harbor.
The best part about the harbor tour is that the boats pass by some of the largest container ships in the world from a very close distance. Chances are, unless you are working in the industry or have booked a crossing on a container ship, you will never get a chance to see one this close up. Trust me, sitting there in a tiny boat and looking at these ships from below is an unforgettable experience!
If I could pick one thing from all the harbor has to offer, it would definitely be the container port tour!
While I liked the container port tour best, there are a number of other interesting boat tours you can do, including a tour on the last remaining coal-fired steam icebreaker Elbe, a tour on the vintage Mississippi Queen paddle boat or on a traditional Windjammer with sails.
5. Watch a ship christening ceremony
Every year, a new ship gets christened during the Harbor Birthday. This year it was Mein Schiff 1 of the German TUI Cruises. I bought a ticket to watch the event from a boat on the river and did not regret my choice. Being in the actual river is a totally different feeling than just walking along its banks. The boat moves together with the other boats and ships, accompanied by dramatic music from the loudspeakers on the Elbe, making you feel a part of the action. Our boat anchored right in front of where Mein Schiff 1 was docked, so we had an unobstructed view of the festivities and the fireworks. This boat tour was also combined with a night harbor tour, which was a spectacular visual experience on its own.
6. Watch the AIDA fireworks
AIDA Cruises are a main sponsor of the Harbor Birthday and they host a huge firework display and light show, usually on the third night of the festivities. Hundreds of boats gather around one of the AIDA cruise ships (this year it was the AIDAperla), and sound their horns while the whole night sky turns pink, blue, red and golden from the fireworks. Again, the best place to watch the fireworks is from a boat or from the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken.
7. Wake up early and wait for a ship to arrive
Believe you me, I’m not an early riser, but I didn’t fly all the way to Hamburg to sleep late and queue up for soft-boiled eggs and bad coffee at a hotel breakfast. Neither should you. Instead, check the harbor arrivals online and head to the docks around 5:30am to welcome one of the big cruise ships arriving for the port’s birthday. My reward – the Queen Elizabeth.
It was one of life’s solemn moments when this Cunard queen entered the quiet, sleepy harbor. Her bow peeked out slowly and then, little by little, her entire hull and superstructure appeared as she moved quietly towards her dock. She then made a 180°C turn with her bow thrusters and finally docked around 6:30am. I could almost reach out and break off a barnacle from the hull as a souvenir. Almost…
8. Visit the open ships
Some of the ships in the harbor host open days when visitors can board and tour the ship. You can check the participating ships in the Harbor Birthday App. One of the ships this year was the Russian STS Sedov, a four-masted barque with a black steel hull and white sails.
She is famous for being the largest traditional sailing ship in the world for nearly 80 years and now serves as a training vessel for students of the universities of Murmansk, Saint Petersburg and Arkhangelsk.
Two more Russian sail ships, the Mir and the Kruzenshtern, as well as the German three-master Alexander von Humboldt II, were open for day visits. If you want to visit the ships, make sure you get there around 10am, as the lines can get quite long in the afternoon. I arrived at 1pm and the line was already quite discouraging.
9. Visit the museum ships and the submarine museum
There are several ships and a U-434 submarine docked as museums. I visited the Cap San Diego cargo ship, which serves as a museum most of the time, but it is still fully operational and sails several times a year. All areas of the ship are open to visitors and because it is still operational, everything is still in place and well maintained. I spent about one hour touring all the levels of the engine room and another hour touring the rest of the ship.
I found it particularly exciting that you were free to walk along the narrow space along the shaft of the ship, all the way back to the ship’s stern. If you arrive early, there is not a soul down there, except the occasional maintenance guy, and you have all the facilities to yourself. Unfortunately, I did not have time to enter any of the other museum ships and the submarine, but they looked interesting from the outside and I will definitely visit them next time.
10. Book a day aboard an operational cruise ship
Some cruise lines, such as Cunard and AIDA, offer day visits for those who are interested in visiting a cruise ship for fun or are considering booking a cruise but want to see the ship first. I booked a day on the Queen Elizabeth, which included a tour of the decks, cabins, SPA and pool areas, dining areas and a full lunch at the Britannia restaurant. The tour was a great experience and I would definitely recommend doing it before booking a full cruise. I also booked a SPA afternoon on the AIDAsol, mainly because the other day tours of the ship were all booked out. This option was restricted to staying within the SPA area but it was nevertheless enjoyable as the view from the sun deck was breathtaking and the staff on board were very friendly.
If you are looking for something more exciting than your usual hotel SPA, you should check this out! It is worth noting, that some of the ships also offer family days where parents can take their children on a tour of the ship.
11. Try the traditional Hamburg harbor food
You’ve got to try the Backfisch, the Fischbrötchen and the Flammlachs. If you are not a big fan of fish… well, you should still try them and you will become one!
12. Watch the Auslaufparade
If you stick around for the last day, find a good spot on either side of the Elbe to watch the closing parade of the Harbor Birthday. The ships depart one by one, sounding their horns, and sail away into the sunset. The parade is a perfect ending to the three-day celebration, which leaves you full of dreams and promises to come back next year.
Have you also attended the Hamburg Port Anniversary? Share your experience and recommendations in the comments below!
The Shipyard