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Around Hamburg
In addition to the Wunderland I spent a lot of time just walking around. The weather was gorgeous, sunny, 70s, no humidity. And since the city is so far north the sun didn’t set until nearly 10PM and it was still twilight at 11. There are several large churches whose spires you can see from far away. St. Michael’s has a nice observation deck with views over the city. You can walk all the way up or take the fast elevator. The ruins of St. Nikolai are preserved as a memorial to the War. It was bombed and destroyed during WWII and was not rebuilt like most other buildings in the city. They also have an elevator up the tower but the view isn’t as good as St. Michael’s because there’s a big scaffolding covering one side of the tower.

The Hamburg city museum is quite worthwhile. It does a good job explaining the history of the city. Most exhibits are explained in German and English. They also have audio tours. The location is right near the St. Pauli U-bahn and the big botanical garden park.

Remains of St. Nikolai Church


St. Michael’s Church


view over the city from St. Michael’s Church tower


Interiors St. Michael’s









I took the tour of the Rathaus (City Hall) on Sunday morning. They have tours in English every hour at :15 past. The tour lasts about an hour and shows you all of the grand ceremonial rooms. The city hall was built in the 1880s and 1890s after much of the city was destroyed by a big fire in 1842. So the city hall is quite modern. It was built with electric light and steam heating for example. And it is full of allegorical symbols. Our guide did a nice job explaining everything. Well worth the 2 euros to me (half price thanks to the Hamburg card). The outside of the building is very impressive as well with its giant clock tower. There’s a nice fountain in the courtyard at the rear.