Hamburg in Three Acts

Drop your bags at your hotel in the Altstadt or Jungfernstieg area — both put you within easy walking distance of the day's main sights.

The neo-Renaissance Rathaus is an unmistakable opening statement: its 112-metre tower lords over the Rathausmarkt and the grand interior — 647 rooms — rewards a guided tour. The market square in front is a fine place to get your bearings.

From the Rathaus it's a short walk north to the Außenalster, Hamburg's great urban lake. Follow the promenade south along the western shore for skyline views, sailing dinghies, and the kind of unhurried afternoon pace the city does best.

A Franco-German bistro in the Altstadt that keeps things precise and unfussy. Perfect for a first evening in the city when you want something satisfying without ceremony.

Hamburg's legendary jazz bar has been swinging since 1959. Live sets most evenings — check what's on and settle in with something from the long drinks list. A proper Altstadt closer.

The Michel is Hamburg's most beloved building — a Baroque masterpiece with a copper tower you can climb for panoramic views over the rooftops to the Elbe. Go early before the crowds arrive and take the stairs.

Cross into the Speicherstadt for lunch at Schönes Leben, where the brick canal-warehouse setting makes every meal feel like an event. A natural bridge between the Michel and the afternoon's port adventures.

The Elbphilharmonie's wave-form silhouette announces HafenCity's ambitions, but the Speicherstadt behind it is the real draw: seven storeys of rust-red brick warehouses straddling the Fleet canals, now packed with museums and ateliers. Miniatur Wunderland — the world's largest model railway — lives here too, an absurdly detailed miniature planet that takes a good two hours to orbit.

The Landungsbrücken pontoon piers are where Hamburg feels its age — massive liners, harbour ferries, and the smell of salt and diesel. Stroll the length of the piers and watch the river traffic; it's as Hamburg as it gets.

Moored right at the Landungsbrücken, this 1896 windjammer is now a floating museum. Go below decks into the engine room and officer's quarters — the scale of a working tall ship is always surprising.

A Portuguese restaurant on St. Pauli that fits the neighbourhood's maritime mood perfectly. Good fish, warm rooms, and a wine list that leans Atlantic.

Wind down back in the Speicherstadt at the Miniatur Wunderland Bistro — a relaxed spot for a late drink with the canal reflections outside doing all the atmospheric heavy lifting.

One of the great German art museums, the Kunsthalle spans Old Masters to contemporary work across three interconnected buildings. The Caspar David Friedrich rooms alone justify the morning.

A market-restaurant hybrid in HafenCity that champions regional and seasonal produce from local farmers and fishers. The daily lunch offer is exactly the kind of thing you wish every city had.

Set inside a handsome 1930 water tower in Stadtpark, the Hamburg Planetarium runs immersive dome shows on astronomy, space travel, and the night sky. A beautifully unlikely afternoon detour into the cosmos.

Head into one of Hamburg's residential neighbourhoods for an unplanned hour or two — independent bookshops, bakeries, canal bridges, and the domestic rhythm of a city that isn't performing for tourists.

A Thai restaurant in HafenCity with a reputation for clean, confident cooking. A bright contrast to two days of northern European hearth food.

Close out Hamburg properly: the Tower Bar perches high above the city with the kind of view that makes three days feel like a beginning rather than an end. Order something with bubbles.