Germany - Moving to Hamburg - HELP!

Hello,

My Husband, myself, and our dog will be moving to Hamburg next weekend for a year. We'll be staying in the Marriott while looking for an apartment. Any suggestions on where to eat, what to see/do, anything we need to know? I won't have a car, but my husband will. For the first couple of weeks I'd like to get settled and get to know Hamburg before we travel too far (plus we need a dog sitter/kennel too)

If anyone has any advice on moving to Germany in general from the US, I'll take it! :)

Thank you!

I live in germany and hamburg is a great city. Don't need a car. Marriott is close to the center. Close to the main lake. Lots of good restaurants and shopping. Enjoy!

Everything I've heard about Hamburg is all positive, we're really excited! I can't wrap my head around not needing a car. Living in Houston you must have a car, I'm going to have to remember what walking is like again : )

As others have said you don't really need a car in Hamburg... in fact in some parts of Hamburg you really don't want one because you'll never find anywhere to park it!

Public transport in Hamburg is excellent - as is the norm in Germany it's an integrated system, i.e., there are different operators but they have a joint ticketing system; you just buy one ticket at the start of your journey and it covers the entire journey regardless of what modes of transport you use (including river ferries!). You can also buy day passes.

The web site for the Hamburg public transport system is at www.hvv.de (the "English" button is near the bottom of the page)

Have a good trip over - and do come back and ask more questions when you've arrived!

If anyone has any advice on moving to Germany in general from the US, I'll take it! :)


You need to get a German checking account (Girokonto) as soon as possible. For example to pay your rent for an apartment landlords expect the money to be transferred to their bank account every month. Also for utilities (water, electricity, gas, phone) you need a German bank account where the companies can deduct the money from. No sending checks around in Germany.

Large bank groups are:
Sparkasse
Volksbank
Postbank
Commerzbank
Deutsche Bank

Another difference to the US is who pays the realtor when looking for an apartment. The one who looks for the apartment pays the fee not the one who offers the apartment
.

Thanks for all the tips!

I was thinking of going with Deutschbank as they're part of a larger group of banks that seems to have many locations throughout Germany. But are there locations of that group all over Europe? My concern is that I want a bank that will have locations in many countries so we're covered when we travel. Citi said they only have ATMS in Germany? I've heard HSBC is a good choice for Europe overall but how about while in Germany?

We have a relocation agent through his company and she's sent us many apartment listings, they all seem really nice. We're both in our mid-twenties, young professional types. Are there any neighborhoods in Hamburg that are for young professionals? I'd like to be within walking distance of grocery, bars, cafes, etc. The neighborhood needs to be safe enough that I could walk the dog by myself and any time if I need. Our agent has said great things most areas of the city. She has sent us a few in St. George and Altona. She sort of steered us away from St. Pauli but it seems like it might be fun? Any thoughts?


Thanks!

within euro zone, you would not need any other bank. pay for free with german credit cards allover €-land, ATMs are easyv - even in smaller places. HSBC doesn't have a very large network, so eventually, you'll have to deal with (in Germany sometimes hefty) ATM fees, charged by your bank.

Sparkasse has one of the best network in Germany - that´s what I'd use. Escpecially HaSpa - Hamburg Sparkasse ranks among the best banks in Germany.

Deutsche Bank is probably the most expansive one. Sparkasse are also nation wide. Only advantage with Deutsche Bank is that you can withdraw money for free at atms of the follwing banks

Bank Of America,USA
Barclays, UK
BNP Paribas, France
Scotiabank, Canada
Westpac, Australia
TEB, Turkey

My Sparkasse charges me 6€ if I use the debit card overseas which is in my opinion okay.

Eppendorf is a very nice area of Hamburg. The most popular, hip and trendy area is at the moment the Schanzenviertel.

Surprised nobody mentioned that having a dog in Germany is not a problem, but there are quite a few rules that you don't have in the US (and certainly not down South).

Mandatory registration, pet passports, mandatory micro-chips, mandatory 3rd party liability insurance ($1.2million worth of cover!!), landlord written approval (if even permitted in the building), leash laws, muzzles for certain breeds, banned from playgrounds, etc....

Well-behaved dogs are welcome in most restaurants and shops in Europe, but as a general rule (this is a general comment based on 20yrs experience and as a definite average) the lower level of what a US resident considers to be well-behaved would get you fined or thrown out of places in Europe.

Kennels with any space will be very hard to find due to summer school holidays. I would strongly suggest you leave the dog behind until you are settled. Living for weeks in a downtown European hotel with a dog is a real pain, especially since you are going to very busy looking at places to live, visting various government offices (registration as residents, registration of the dog, work permit, etc).

Everything which has been said should be of great help. A few more things.

Hamburg is pretty safe in most parts of town around the clock and the entire city should be safer then any American big city. Especially walking with a dog, nobody would ever attack you :p Find the apartment in a place that is convenient for your needs which should also consider the daily commute for your husband. Hamburg is not that small, the commute can easily eat up plenty of time.

As far as having a car: in Germany, car sharing companies are rising in each city. In my opinion, one doesn't really need a car in the big cities but if it is more convenient to take the car from time to time, just use regular rental agencies or do the car sharing thing. Companies like Car2go, etc. charge you by the minute and cars can be parked anywhere in the city in a legal spot.

As far as the dog, dog sitters and all the facilities you have in the US for animals are not that common but you will find them. In general, Germany is a very animal friendly country.

Don't forget to register your dog, a metal identification disk has to be attached to the dog's collar to prove that annual dog license fee has been paid (in Hamburg: 90 EUR/year for a non-fighting dog).

Hip and centrally located quarters for young-professionals are Altona, Eimsbuettel, Winterhude, Barmbek-Süd, Eppendorf.
The rental market is pretty tight these days so allow yourself some time to find the right neighborhood and flat. Since you have no history there it might be a bit difficult, a letter from your employer stating your income is really a help in finding the right accommodation. The cost of move in may be a bit shocking for expats: 2 month realtor fee, 3 month security deposit, and often putting in a kitchen.
Most of the landlords prefer tenants for several years, so you should also opt for short-term accommodation (Google: "Wohnen auf Zeit in Hamburg").

Just run your preferred search engine and you'll find tons of expatriate blogs, toytowngermany is also a good source: http://www.toytowngermany.com/lofi/index.php/t52658.html

Have a wonderful time. I lived in Hamburg (well in a suburb) for 5 years and loved it. Enjoy this fall and the Christmas markets. I remember when the first Starbucks went in. I think I burst into tears I was so excited