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Travel Spotlight
Strung like a pearl approximately 70 miles down the Elbe River from its mouth at the North Sea, the elegant city of Hamburg commands a prominent position. With haunting canals lined by former warehouses weaving through the harbor front and the serene Lake Alster carving out the city center, Hamburg’s aquatic topography has justly shaped its past and present. The international port city, once a major power player in the ancient Hanseatic League, rose to affluence as a shipping, finance and media hub and cultivated a renowned arts and music culture. Despite devastation in World War II, Hamburg has been elegantly rebuilt and pockets of old-world Baroque architecture still remain intact. Exciting new constructions have debuted this past year, which juxtapose the traditional façades, such as the majestic Elbphilharmonieconcert hall designed by Herzog & de Meuron, a Zaha Hadid–designed riverfront promenade and a sleek, luxury hotel, The Fontenay
, on the shores of Lake Alster. With a rich cultural scene, world-class gastronomy and trend-setting shopping, Hamburg is poised to take the stage as one of Europe’s most dynamic cities. Here are six reasons to include the maritime metropolis on your next European itinerary.
Contact Indagare for assistance planning a trip to Hamburg. Our specialists will book you at the hotel that is right for you, plan great meals and activities, arrange behind-the-scenes tours and introduce you to our favorite guides.
Ten years in the making and costing almost $1 billion, the riverfront Elbphilharmonie debuted in early 2017. The pièce de résistance from renowned architectural duo Herzog and de Meuron has quickly become the city’s symbol and is already one of the world’s leading halls for classical music. The dramatic design echoes the city’s harmony of old and new, with a brick base that was once a 19th-century warehouse and an avant-garde, mirrored roof in the shape of a sail, which harkens to Hamburg’s longstanding maritime heritage. The former conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert, has been announced as the new head of the Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, and the institution has already drawn several of the world’s famed musicians. The interiors of the main concert hall were designed in a fluid, futuristic style with fiber walls specially crafted to optimize acoustics.
But long before this soaring edifice graced the city skyline, musical history abounded in Hamburg. Famous composers, such as Johannes Brahms, George Telemann and Carl Bach launched their illustrious careers as choir directors in the city’s most prominent churches, while the young Beatles started performing at gritty venues in the St Pauli district. Tours can be taken to trace the steps of both the classical and modern musical superstars of the city.
and Kaufrausch. For beautiful local products, don’t miss the small neighborhood of St. George, located to the east of Lake Alster. Here Koppel 66 is home to seven artisanal workshops and Kaufhaus is a charming shop for Hamburg-made gifts.
New York to Hamburg run in season (May to October), but the city is a great destination to combine with other European locales. The international airport, just 20 minutes outside of the city, conveniently connects the maritime port with the rest of the continent with numerous flights daily to hubs like London, Amsterdam and Barcelona, as well as to the Middle East. For those who wish to travel via car, Berlin is less than two hours away and Copenhagen just four, including a car ferry. Also, a flight or train ride away from Hamburg lies the sophisticated and windswept isle of Sylt, a spit of sand arced in the North Sea. A favorite summer enclave of Hamburg residents, the island boasts long stretches of pristine beach (the island is famous for its nude beaches), charming towns filled with excellent restaurants and boutiques and quaint, thatched-roof cottages.
Contact Indagare for assistance planning a trip to Hamburg. Our specialists will book you at the hotel that is right for you, plan great meals and activities, arrange behind-the-scenes tours and introduce you to our favorite guides.
We only feature hotels that we can vouch for first-hand. At many of them, Indagare members receive special amenities.
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