Hamburg - the best city in Germany

I've been bouncing around a lot of different ex-pat sites lately, everything from forums to blogs to travel sites, and I keep hearing consistenty positive reviews about the city of Hamburg from people who have lived there for a couple of years.

I contrast this to reviews of Sweden (except Goteborg), Denmark, the Netherlands, and certain cities in Germany such as Frankfurt, where the reviews are decidedly negative for the most part.

I was curious why Hamburg is widely liked by long-term ex-pats, and if any of you have lived there before?

Thanks.

Can't really comment on Hamburg as I haven't been there since I was 14, but if you do go there I hope you don't like mountains.

Frankfurt I can comment on, and as most people would agree, it's miserable.

Hamburg is a really nice city, I would live there, but as for whether its the best city in Germany, this is a personal thing, and everyones opinion will be different. All I can say is, if you want to live in Hamburg, go for it, and don't post on a Munich web site !

Hamburg does have a great night life !

Hamburg the best city in Germany? No.

dammit, beaten to it. what he said.

Depends what you like. It's like Berlin only smaller. The people are very open towards strangers, but it rains a lot! The weather is probably the worst in the whole of Germany. I felt very at home there, but disliked the weather. It is a beautiful but expensive city. The Alster is great!

Spent the last 25 years there and it beats any other German city by lengths. I agree about the weather but don't think a bit of rain does us any harm. Especially not if you're from Merseyside anyway. And my first summer here wasn't really any different to be honest. Every thing else is just brilliant, the River Elbe, the Fish market, the docks, the districts, the Alster twin lakes, the bridges, the night life, the architecture, the green spaces, the housing and living standards, the fruit-growing areas and the old farmhouses, the brick-built warehose complex called Speicherstadt, the harbour, the non-stop maritime hustle-and-bustle, the lively shopping streets, the hospitality, the shopping arcades (not just for bad weather), the historic sites etc. etc. etc. - probably also the most British city in Germany. See it!

I spent 6 yrs in HH and loved it. Not quite as cosmopolitan as Berlin, London or Paris, but large enough to be far from provincial. Comparing it to Berlin is a bit analogous to Los Angeles/S.F., Toronto/Montreal, or Madrid/Barcelona...large enough to be cultured, small enough to be (reasonably) friendly. Yes, the weather sucks, but that's true for most of Germany. HH has a good music scene...more live musicians than Berlin, which is a bigger club/DJ scene. Personally, I prefer HH to Muenchen, but I'm sure others will disagree.

I've been here for nearly 2 years and I don't think I can express it as eliquently as Didsbury's Daftest, but I found this on the web and its seems to ring true:

Wolfgang Borchert, who was born here, once stated:

"Oh Hamburg! It's more than a heap of stones, roofs, windows, beds, streets, bridges and streetlights! It's
more than factory chimneys and cars blowing their horns - more than the screeching of seagulls, noise from the streetcars and the thundering of the railway - it's more than ships sirens, cranes than creak, curses and dancing music - oh, it is so much more!"

He was right. Hamburg just has an air about it - on the one-hand, it's the epitome of a metropolis and on the other hand, it has a cosiness and elegance about it. It is idyllic, mundane, hectic and cosy all at the same time, but never boring.

I instantly felt at home here and feel it shares a lot of characterisitics with Manchester(UK): Down-to-earth people, a relaxed attitude and good nightlife, not to mention the weather.

I could quite easily see myself living here for a lot longer.

And I would love to be still living there, best German city I know. Munichs a definate second though...completely different but certainly has it's own wonderful style and atmosphere.

Yeh, but any mountains near Hamburg?

Ever been to the Strandperle bar, sat on the banks of the river Elbe and watched the container ships pass by? Who needs mountains?

Umm.. you ever been to the Alps?

I think a lot of what I was alluding to were the cultural aspects of the city...not always something you can tangibly define, but there are a handful of (term used loosely here) "secondary" cities like Hamburg, SF, Montreal and yes, Manchester, which may not be as "world-class" as their big-cousin rivals, but have something special about them. HH is a seaport town, and some (only some) old seaport towns have a certain flair about them. And yeah, it's a really visually appealing city...all the different neighborhoods really =feel= like neighborhoods. As to mountains, okay, it's lacking...you want mountains, head south. (Though personally I'm more fond of Freiburg than Munich.) Hamburg's got water...lots of it...more canals than Venice, I've read somewhere. It's pretty tough to find a city with close access to beaches =and= mountains (other than maybe L.A., but that's due to drop into the Pacific soon...)

Yes, actually. But it depends a lot on what you're looking for.

Quick test for you:
A ) I enjoy wearing my designer outfit to the beergarden and having a decent job/salary; I like parks and Italy and skiing.
B ) I write like poetry and I want to start a revolution in the music biz but till then I teach English for 10 eur per hour and boy, did I have to fight to get that job. Never mind, great bars, cheap booze, bizarre people...
C ) I don't know what I like. But I like to have it all on offer. Culture high and low. Dress up, dress down, don't dress at all. A river that smells of salt. I'm looking for variety.

A's for Munich
B's for Berlin
C's for Hamburg

Have lived in each city for a minimum of 5 years so it isn't hearsay.

Take your pick.

C is Munich - except for the river smelling of salt. A certainly isn't Munich - but I've only lived here 14 years, what do I know

Lived in Hamburg for 3 years and it is a great city, lots of culture ( both low and high), great river and harbour, people very unpretentious unlike some of our Bavarian brethren.

Get rid of the bloody tramps that are everywhere, the litter that is even more prevalent than the tramps, build some decent beer gardens AND most of all ! import Bavarian helles instead of the Jever piss and it would be a good northern alternative to Munich

Litter everywhere? You spent too much time on the Reeps, Dave *g*

Seriously - it is not such a huge problem, but maybe I just don't notice it anymore...
Was quite shocked about litter really being lit(t)erally everywhere in Manchester, though (but still think Manchester is a phantastic city).

Think you know some places where you can get an Augustiner or a Maß in Hamburg, eh?
Hey, we even found a store that sells Augustiner, and 249 other brands of beer

For me Hamburg is the one and only city to be in Germany, mainly because auf the (as mentioned) unpretentious, down-to-earth people, that's more important to me than beer gardens (although we do have quite a few, but maybe not decent compared to Munich)
I like it that Hamburg is so green, I even like the weather, there's always at least a soft breeze, and you can smell the water...

Just sitting in the office, with a lovely view of the Rathaus, Finnegan's Wake just round the corner for a beer after work, an apartment with view of Hagenbeck's Tierpark - I'm happy here

It may not be hearsay but it is crass overgeneralisation to the point that it no longer reflects reality.

I've also heard good things about Hamburg but never been there

Nope, but at work I can look at them all day long. That's enough for the time being.

You call Helles a decent brew? Even Astra tastes better, or Holsten, or "eine Flasche Flens" ... and if you're looking for a nice beergarden try Zollenspieker Fährhaus - although 'Strandperle' beats everything if you ask me.

Those were the days, used to work next door it seems (Alter Wall). And used to live next door as well - in Eppendorf (flats still available, hint hint, nudge nudge...). Don't get me wrong though, there is also plenty of variety and quality here in Munich...prefer it here these days (oh my God - did I really just say that?).

Many people feel Hamburg is like a British City-Similar Culture maybe with the Docks, Fishing, Market and the big warehouses being converted to flats and offices like many of the British citys like London, Hull, Southampton, Bristol, Liverpool,Newcastle etc

Hamburg maybe doesnt have the snobbery of Munich or Frankfurt and is more down to earth being a Port rather than a centre of Finance or High tec industries like Frankfurt and Munich are.

Oh, there's quite a few snobby people in Hamburg, and of course the port is the heart of the city, the gear-wheel, but there's plenty of finance and high tec industry as well - and quite a lot of money. Hamburg is the city with the most Millionaires in Germany (think it still is...but am not 100% sure).
Have only been in Munich for a short stay, didn't really feel Muchich people are extremely snobby, but very grumpy. And they STARE at you!!! On the train I always asked my bf if I have some black dots in my face or so, because they were STARING!!! grmpf.

I‘ve been travelling back and forth every single month to Hamburg from my home in Cheltenham for over a year now and I am utterly addicted to the city. I am in the process of completing my CELTA teaching qualification and will then be moving to Hamburg (in the next few months)
I also have the feeling that I am famous because of all the ‘Voss' industries around...
...my surname being Voss, and my grandparents originating in and around Hamburg it‘s almost as if I‘m coming home.
It‘s a great city -my favourite in Germany- and I‘m looking forward to living here ^^

Even my best mate who lives in Hamburg says Munich beats the pants off it - better , faster , cleaner transport system - LOT less crime etc etc. Comes down bout 6 times a year to verify that fact - I've visited him 3x - it's ok - actually I prefer Hannover more cos folks there a bit friendlier (Munich's Achilles heel) but for all things that the Germans do well Munich ohne zweifel.

hamburg somehow feels like the least german of german cities to me. i don't mean that german cities are bad for being german, but i think hamburg is the most unique german city and i love it. i love the harbour and watching the big ships coming and going from all over the world.

walking around hamburg i sometimes feel a fantastic and mysterious middle eastern vibe that i don't feel anywhere else like berlin, frankfurt or munich, or any other large german cities (something that reaches much deeper than simply having a lot of döner shops and turkish markets). hamburg is definately a fun place and my favorite city in germany.

And at the moment the sun is even shining - even if there is a howling wind.

hi hem,

i read somewhere once that hamburg actually gets more hours of sunshine per year than munich does (although thats like comparing which city gets colder, novosibirsk or omsk). i like the location of munich better because of the mountains and the proximity to italy. but for the attractions you find inside the city, hamburg definately wins.

You find this a plus point? Wait till the second week of Oktoberfest and tell me that.

I guess Hamburg potentially gets more sunshine hours than Munich due to being further north
(at least for half the year). On other hand in Winter there are the blue shies over Munich with snow on ground whilst we get low clouds & freezin fog

I would assume that in the Spring/autumn seasons that the weather is far better down South.

Still VERY strong winds up here although hardly any rain today.

Hi there everyone. Just registered and thought i would give you all my opinion on Hamburg.
Been here for 31 yrs now and still as lonley as i was at the beginning.
Hamburg is a beautiful city, but the *Hamburger* arnt so keen to keep up friendship with foriegners.
We* my husband and i* have seen so many friends come and go. They are all nice and chatty at the beginning, but that doesnt seem to last long.
They are very reluctant to speak english, although most can.
In 1975 when i came over as a young *Mothers help* i was very shocked at people not answering us on the streets when we asked for directions. When i spoke to the Fam i lived with about this the lady said *typisch Hamburger* today i know what she meant

I'm not a person for chopping and changing so here i met my hubby and here he wanted to stay, and i got kind of stuck with him and accept life as it is.
I found work in 1977 the yr hubby and i got married and still work for the same company, although the payment is absolutely crap... less than 10€ an hr. but it was the only work i could find in my trade* sewing machinist* ... and as i said im not one for chopping and changing. GG

I have friends from other parts of Germany, Berlin,Düssedorf,Hessen,Essen to mention just a few. Some of these ppl are very good friends. We meet once a yr in the Walsrode Bird Park.
1 good friend we have here in Hamburg, is a young lad of 29 and we met him here on the net. He is the only person here in Hamburg that would help if and when needed. Since hubby became seriously ill so called good friends turned their backs, this young guy didn't.

Ok i think i moaned enough... sorry if i ruined anyones expectations about Hamburg... but i just wrote how i feel

At least beautiful weather in Hamburg today.
It has been promised for yesterday as well but we got 10/10 clag...

I have lived here for 25 years and I am still trying to get out.
Meet up are doing a good job of getting people together. The challenge in HH is wanting to meet people a second time. HH has a weird effect on you
robert

Just read reply from 10th sept. sorry too few people want to help. But that is HH. I can only offer books food transport and heavy lifting.
robert

The biggest differences I have found here are:

1. The strong division of work and home. Very few people here socialize with the people they work with (expats excepted). Compared to the UK, when you'd all go out together straight after work for example.

2. People will talk to you in the street/outside but it's very difficult to get to the stage where you can just pop around for a tea/coffee and a chat in the house. Very different to the UK or some other countries for that matter.

All i can tell you is tonight some ehemalige colleagues turned up at our agency pissup in the Schottenhammel and more promised for the weekend do at the Hofbraeu.

Ask yourself, would there ever be lots of Bayers travelling in the opposite direction specifically to get to Hamburg ?

Come on Dave, that's not fair. Hamburg doesn't have the world's biggest & best beer fest, or any beer fest for that matter.

p.s. Do you have any spare vouchers for next weekend?

I have been to Hamburg and it is a fantastic place. When we first decided to move to Germany it was a choice of Munich or Hamburg.

We decided upon Munich as it snows a lot here, winters are longer and it is only 2.5 hours to our place in Austria.

Hamburg is an interesting place and imo seems to be slightly more vibrant than Munich. Still, we chose Munich because of the aforementioned reasons, but if we still have a soft spot for Hamburg.

I was in M for five years . If I had the choice it would be M . HH has the advantageof water but it is ciold socially which we are trying to change.

I lived here for 2 years now and I love it. It's got everything I need and it's pretty easy to integrate with the locals. I really don't want to think about living anywhere else.

Some "integrate" more than others though Mat

Well, I think Hamburg is a great and beautiful place.The only trouble is I live in the most boring part of it:Harburg, with its ugly town centre!Quick to get out of here, though, and into green and pleasant pastures!

@john g - I dissagree fuhlsbüttel is the most boring !! Boy am I glad we are going to move. It is also a bad place to shop...rotten/sad/tired fruit and veg. Lots of green area though.
Hamburg in general is great for me, I am so much happier to be here after Munich.

I was just there for several days I was working in Eppendorf and thought the area looked fantastic but residential. Great city, like Munich...but nothing around it. Like most of Northern Germany.

Yeah - trouble with HH is that you are a long way from almost anywhere...
Still, I've lived here approx 25 years (thanks to N. German girl...)

And Husum is a great place to eat fish (thats where her parents live...)

Ähemm.
Cheeky monkey.


Husum is also great in spring, with the Krokus-Blüte. Beautiful.

I'm in Friedrichstadt at least twice a year, beautiful little town.
We usually have fish in Norder-Meldorf on the way back. Yummi!

There's lots of nice things to do around Hamburg.
We might not have mountains, but I don't give a f*** about mountains, I prefer water

I am in Hamburg right now. What an amazing city. I was on the top floor of the Gruner + Jahr building for a meeting today, the view of the harbor is just incredible and the city is so much more than I expected! Love it!!

I could imagine leaving Munich for Hamburg if weather wasn't such a big deal for me. There is not enough sunshine in Munich for me, so I might not manage so well in Hamburg. I spent some time chatting with an older gentleman in a café here today. He said that he had always lived around Hamburg (he was in his 70s). He made one funny comment, which was, "ah yes, this people in Hamburg are always trying to be like the British, the upper class British, that is." I didn't ask him to expound but considering his well mannered behaviour, intellectual development, shined shoes, attire, manner of speech and excellent table manners I assumed he was more than capable of distinguishing between the classes or at the very least, his older age and experience warrented my respect so I didn't even think of challenging him

I would like to come back here in the summer for a long weekend.