Megan has spent the last decade working as a journalist, using her digital quill as a passport to far-flung countries and experiences. While working across a spread of magazine titles, she learnt how to do yoga on the beach in Mauritius, caught fresh fish with villagers in Vietnam and visited the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, always with a passion for the people and stories that bring these locations to life. While Megan is keen to see as much of the world as possible, her heart truly lies in city breaks, where she loves to sit outside cafes, people watch and pretend that she lives there, even if just for the weekend. Last year, she took her fantasy to the next level, moving to Hamburg, Germany, and officially going freelance. Over the last 18 months, she’s combed the city for creative networks, small businesses and interesting food concepts, often getting to know her surroundings through the cafe and boutique owners and recurring friendly faces. She’s so happy to be able to share some of her favourite spots – and the wonderful people that create them – as well as snippets of Hamburg’s impressive history and architecture. She hopes that you’ll recognise what Germany’s Hanseatic city has to offer, a place sometimes overlooked for luxurious Munich or edgy Berlin, but actually brimming with its own personality and charm.
Moin moin!
Let’s start your trip to Hamburg with this fond greeting, unique to this region of Germany, and you’ll be sounding like a local in no time. So, what do you need to know about Hamburg? This city has everything from the historic old town in the centre, the luxe area of Eppendorf filled with designer boutiques and chi-chi coffee shops, and down by the harbour, you’ll find the Schanze and St Pauli, with vegan restaurants, design stores and quirky bars. While those who know Hamburg love its many personalities, tourists tend to associate it with the Reeperbahn’s red light district, likening it to a lesser-visited Amsterdam. Through my indie-focused guide, I hope you’ll experience the real Hamburg which is bursting with small businesses, specifically around the creative quarter of Karovietel. In classic German style, the streets are tagged with graffiti, but beneath you’ll find artsy concept stores, galleries and exhibitions and a huge vintage offering, much-loved by locals. While the 25hours Hotel in HafenCity is near must-see attractions like the Elbphilharmonie and canal district, there’s plenty more to discover below the Alster Lake, so let this guide scooch you over a little and lift the lid on some eclectic neighbourhoods.
XO Seafoodbar
There’s plenty of reasons to recommend this contemporary seafood joint in edgy St Pauli. First up, Hamburg is known for its waterways so seafood is the way to go. XO Seafoodbar offers an experimental menu (try the signature pasta crab), paired with fantastic service and cool interiors. Second, the location: you’ll find the restaurant in a small nook, where diners sit outside and give the whole street a buzz. So, once you’ve finished dinner you could head to a nearby cocktail bar or even a club for dancing. Third; XO is part of the Haebel group which is known for having some of the best venues in town, including the eponymous haebel which boasts a Michelin Star just across the street, and the nearby hipster Kiosque bakery and wine bar.
Flohschanze
Hamburg is known for its markets, so make sure you visit one while in town. Some of my favourites include the early morning Sunday fish market near the harbour and the farmer’s Isemarkt in the leafy Eppendorf district, but the most regular, come rain or shine, is the Flohschanze. It’s in a great spot, connecting the artsy Karoviertel and buzzy Schanze, attracting a large crowd every Saturday from 8am until 4pm. It’s loosely thought of as a flea market, but alongside big oil paintings, antique furniture and silverware, you can also find second-hand clothes, refurbished bikes and small makers, selling homemade ornaments. The market is set around the old slaughterhouse, now converted into shops and a music venue, with small cafes to grab a drink as you wander. In an old school way, it’s always a good idea to have cash in Hamburg as there’s still many shops that don’t yet have card machines, but at the market it’s essential.
The Space//
Take a short walk out of the centre and you’ll find THE SPACE / /, an exhibition complex spanning two huge rooms with soaring ceilings, boasting an effortlessly cool, industrial vibe. Artists Sarice Brudet and Temorscha Zoltani founded the project together, which launched in 2022. They imagined a place where creators could share their works, as well as form discussions and partake in events around a common theme of self reflection. Through the ever-changing displays, the curators hope to explore how we as individuals are shaped by society, the influence of technology and the importance of returning to nature in our now digitally-infused lives. If you have a chance to plan ahead, do check out what THE SPACE / / has going on while you’re in Hamburg, via their website or Instagram, as buzzy opening nights and events happen regularly.
Karoviertel
Walk through Planten un Blomen and you’ll find yourself in Karoviertel, the creative quarter. These streets are filled with pokey vintage stores, book shops and indie eateries, so it’s my favourite place to get lost. From a colourful candle to a new skateboard, handmade jewellery or vinyl records, it’s the place for unique gifts (which can also be to yourself!). My biggest tip is to visit the concept store HUMAN NEST which brings together vintage curation, homeware, ceramics and wellness products from an environmentally conscious perspective, favouring natural products in earthy tones and materials. It’s absolutely Instagram worthy and features a mix of German designers and pieces sourced from around the world, which locals love. On this street, you should also check out Rotkäppchen with its retro-style hat designs, and Café by Dokuwa, a Japanese coffee bar which does a mean matcha latte to go.
Planten un Blomen
Planten un Blomen is the horticultural pride of Hamburg, an impressive park close to the city’s shopping district with its own Japanese garden (the largest in Europe), tropical greenhouse, 300 rose varieties, multiple water features and even a herb trail. Come rain or shine, winter or summer, there’s always something to do here thanks to the sweet cafes dotted throughout, all-year perennial gardens and seasonal events. Planten un Blomen has roots as far back as the 1820s but over the decades has been continuously developed. In the warmer months, come by in the evening with a picnic blanket and a bottle of wine to watch the 10pm light show which happens daily at the central water fountain, while in the winter, there’s nothing quite as magical as the open-air ice rink which always draws a crowd.
COLLAB Bar
Finish a perfect day in Hamburg with an expertly mixed cocktail from COLLAB Bar. As the name suggests, COLLAB brings together innovative food and drink concepts through partnerships with other small businesses, creating limited-edition menus and offering short-run residencies in their kitchen space. So, you can always count on something different to snack on. The space is atmospheric and intimate, with a Scandinavian aesthetic and design-led menus that offer an alcohol rating for those who would rather stay off the strong stuff. Co-founder Chloé Merz (who, by the way, is a big deal in the industry having won multiple awards) calls this approach ‘equal drinking’ and with considered, ingredient-focused recipes, makes ordering a non-alcoholic cocktail just as thrilling. For example, the Peaches & Dreams brings together fermented peaches with verjus, soda and non-alcoholic vermouth, for a bright and acidic twist. Sit outside and soak up the energy of St Pauli – it’s the kind of cool, little bar that everyone wishes they knew about in a new city.
faible & failure
My favourite store in Hamburg is faible & failure, a sustainable knitwear brand owned by independent designer Isabelle Mann. Founded in 2019, faible & failure has become a staple of the community, with Isabelle’s work featured in independent magazines, on German TV and often partaking in pop-ups with other business owners in the city. The store itself is beautiful, featuring classically Hamburgian flooring covered in floral motifs, while the walls display colourful canvas’ from local artists like Laura Ginnis and dried flowers dangle from the ceiling. Here, Isabelle sells her hand-made pieces with knitted silk hair bows from €35 and camisoles and shirts made from upcycled, vintage tablecloths from €55, so it’s the perfect place to pick up something special from your trip. From Isabelle’s Thursday-night knit clubs (anyone is welcome to come along) to the other designers she shares the space with, faible & failure offers an instant connection to Hamburg’s creative community.
Photoautomat
Just seconds from the Flohschanze is an attraction with a cult following, an analogue photobooth from the 1960s. Renovated by a small group of vintage photography enthusiasts based in Berlin, the photobooth project started 20 years ago and has kept going to this day – much to the delight of locals and tourists alike. Now, the project exists in Cologne, Dresden, Vienna and Florence and has continued to expand thanks to the machine’s authentic, mechanical workings which produce gorgeously rich, black and white photos, which take up to six minutes to develop on the spot. You can pay with card, and each time you’ll get four, passport-style photos in a horizontal strip – with a better finish than any app on your phone can manage. If you’re just visiting, I think this is a wonderful way to capture a moment in time and feels really personal to Hamburg.
Teikei Cafe
A trendy little spot, locals know Teikei for its al fresco tables which takeover the street in both directions, dressed up in white tablecloths laden with stylish silverware and sculptural floral arrangements. Inside is gorgeous, too, with displays of fresh produce, cakes and specialty coffee. Oh, and one more thing that’ll catch your attention – the staff are always immaculately dressed, so you’ll probably get some fashion tips alongside your lunch. On the menu, expect contemporary choices that also nod to German staples like sauerkraut and ‘abendbrot’ which literally translates to bread dinner, and sums up the feeling when you don’t want a heavy meal, and would prefer to pick at freshly baked bread, slices of cheese and perhaps a pickle or two. It’s a very German thing to do! The team at Teikei are also passionate about delivering quality, fairly traded coffee to your cup, working with farmers in Mexico to ensure they are paid a proper wage, the coffee is created in a sustainable way, and transported to Europe using environmentally friendly ships just once a year. If coffee is your thing, you’ll love trying the different blends and techniques here.
Mellin Passage
After a hearty 25hours breakfast at the hotel, head into Hamburg’s city centre to get the lay of the land. Like many old European cities, Hamburg is full of unmissable, historic features and while most of my ‘perfect day’ focuses on the creative quarter, to really appreciate Hamburg you need to start here. Personally, my favourite relic is the Mellin Passage, which is the oldest shopping arcade in the city, built in 1864. This tiny walkway features a hand-painted, Art Nouveau fresco, as well as views out to the canal-side Alsterarkaden, said to be inspired by Venetian architecture. The Mellin Passage offers quality over quantity, occupied only by heritage brands and luxury goods. Felix Judd, for example, is a must-visit; a specialist, antiquities bookshop selling cult art books and rare first editions since 1923.
