The Underrated German City Perfect for a Weekend Getaway

Hamburg probably isn’t on your radar as a summer destination. To be honest, its probably not on your list of potential holiday destinations at all but its the place many German’s head to when they want to take a break at home. With that in mind, and a few days to spare, I packed a weekend bag and hopped on a flight from London to the northern city to find out what we’ve all been missing out on. To my surprise I found a fun city, with elegant hotels, charming lakeside walks, plenty of greenery and a convenient transport system that made getting around a pleasure.

When you arrive at the airport, you’ll quickly see why its so close to the city. Compared to the major transport hubs in other parts of Germany, such as those in Frankfurt, Düsseldorf or Munich, Hamburg’s airport is tiny. This means there are fewer direct options for international travellers, but those airlines that do operate here are fantastic for quick arrivals and departures. I was in my hotel room about an hour after landing following a 25 minute taxi ride (about 30 euro), although the train is much cheaper if you feel comfortable getting around on public transport as soon as you arrive in a new city.

Let’s get the obvious question out of the way… yes, the hamburger does originally come from here. Sort of. Versions of meat served in slices of bread or rolls have been popular here for centuries, although local recipes often contain beef steak or sausages. German sailors travelling to America would have served up the dish in some form but no exact inventor has been recorded. You can still find burgers in Hamburg, but as a port city many dishes here actually contain seafood.

If you get up early enough you have to take a trip to the famous Hamburg Fish Market in St. Pauli. The traditional Fischmarkt is unsurprisingly close to a number of restaurants where you can try what seems like the natural ‘burger’ of the city. At Brücke 10 you can get all types of fish served in hard rolls, which seems to be the way they like it here. There are options like oily mackerel, fried white fish and even a minced octopus dish. The menus are in English too, so you won’t have too much trouble finding something to suit.

Hamburg isn’t as flashy as Munich or as outwardly trendy as Berlin, but its the subtleties that make it special. The lack of high rise buildings cluttering the skyline work in its favour, and the ridiculously short flight time from London coupled with the convenient central location of the airport mean that a true weekend getaway here is possible. You get to do more in the city in a short amount of time thanks to the lack of tourists at peak times.