Germany - Hamburg or Berlin?

I am going to a conference in Goettingen in April and will have a free day before returning home (will save them a bundle with a Saturday night stay-over). The folks there have told me that both Hamburg or Berlin are two hour train rides away.

I have been to Berlin before. ^^

Have not been to Hamburg. So my question, please, is whether Hamburg is a good place for a day trip. Someone I know (can't remember who) was a bit down on Hamburg, but the stuff I got from Wikitravel makes it seem interesting.

Hamburg worth a day trip? Or go back to Berlin? (Or ???)

Thanks for any help.

Hamburg worth a day trip?

Yes, absolutely. In my opinion one of the nicest German cities. Don't miss the little ferry boat (public transport, hence included in HVV tickets) departing from Landungsbrücken, e.g. to Finkenwerder. See http://www.hadag.de/e_hafenfaehren.php

Also, in case you haven't heard of it, check http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/. Be careful, it is really easy to spend countless hours in there and miss everything else. ;)

Other than that I guess there is quite good information on the web and lists for "what to do with one day in Hamburg" - if you have any further questions feel free to ask.

Both cities are definitely worth a visit. I'm based in Hamburg so if you would like to meet (and I'm in town) I could play the tourist guide for a few hours.
From the main train station you can do an extensive walking tour.
Sights include: Moenckebergstrasse, the Alster, Karoviertel, Schanzenviertel, St. Pauli, Landungsbruecken, Fischmarkt, Speicherstadt (historic part of the harbor with storage facilities). As mentioned by Zeehe the boat trip is also nice. Minatur Wunderland is bound to open a Hamburg airport model later this year:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dM7oXKmYiGU

Hannover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg. Kassel....

Just to name a few others closer to Göttingen.

Hannover, Hildesheim, Magdeburg. Kassel....

Just to name a few others closer to Göttingen.

Given the choice between Hamburg on the one hand or Hildesheim/Kassel on the other I think Hamburg wins heads down!

Given the choice between Hamburg on the one hand or Hildesheim/Kassel on the other I think Hamburg wins heads down!

Sure, given the travel time one could judge differently. Kassel is perfect for a day, whereas Hamburg requires at least two or three days.

Darling - does this not depend a bit upon what you want to do and what interests you? Berlin never bores me - I liked Hamburg very much but for the things that interest me it would be Berlin of the two that you mention.

Flying Lawyer is a mine of information and I am sure that if you tell us what you like he will tell you the best option.

I loved Berlin, but if you've never seen Hamburg before it's definitely worth a visit.

For one day definitely Hamburg, should be enough to see the important things. Berlin is so much bigger and I would wait for the next opportunity to spend about 2 or 3 days there.

Another alternative, if you have even the slightest interest in automobiles, is to skip both cities and go to the Autostadt in Wolfsburg. Book a room at the on-property Ritz-Carlton, walk to all the car-oriented exhibits, then treat yourself yourself to a great dinner in the RC"s Aqua restaurant - Aqua has 3 Michelin Stars and it was just announced last Monday that the restaurant won another San Pellegrino award as one of the 50 best restaurants in the world.

The ICE train station to take you to the city of your return trip is immediately adjacent to the Autostadt complex.

http://www.autostadt.de/en/home/

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Wolfsburg/Default.htm

http://www.theworlds50best.com/awards/1-50-winners/aqua

http://www.restaurant-aqua.com/