10 Things to Do Off the Beaten Track in Hamburg

Altonaer Balkon offers a viewpoint where you can see broad views of the Hamburg harbour and the River Elbe while chilling out after a day of seeing the sights. This spot is ideal for capturing images that are sure to be the highlight of your Instagram feed just steps away from an outstanding seafood restaurant, games and sports pitches, and green space with soft grass.

The spot is equipped with a playground for the kids, public art installations and plenty of benches to take a load off your feet. It is also the home of an iconic fisherman statue that is a popular photo spot for couples. It is located in the heart of the city centre.

The Loki Schmidt Garden Botanical of University Hamburg (Loki-Schmidt-Garten for short) is a historic botanical garden named after the wife of a former chancellor offering greenhouses, walking paths and more. The garden was established in its original locale in 1821 as the Botanischer Garten Hamburg, and in 1919 was transferred to the University of Hamburg.

The garden covers 25 hectares and is organised into 3 areas: the Systematic Garden, which offers 90 beds of plants organised in an evolutionary pattern; the Geographical Garden, which is organised in a geographic fashion; and the Plant and Man Garden, with themed spots covering everything from biblical to poisonous and medicinal plants. It’s about 45 minutes west of the city centre.

Kampnagel is an arts and cultural institution and a performance and exhibition venue located in an old converted engineering factory in the industrial district offering festivals and theatre. This is one of those spots that always has something going on. Here you might see a local musical act or internationally famous performer. You can catch a play or attend one of several festivals like the Live Art Festival or the International Summer Festival. It has been named among the most important performing arts venues for independent artists in Germany.

The venue was founded in 1984 and today boasts a rehearsal space, a restaurant, a bar, a cinema and 6 stages. It’s about 20 minutes northeast of the city centre.

Park Fiction is a grassy terrace just steps away from the Hamburg harbour that's filled with quirky items like plastic palm trees and lined with AstroTurf so it is evergreen. This spot is popular among locals and tends to get busy. Here you can find people enjoying a drink or occasional live music. It was created from the collective efforts of local residents and features skateboard and bike courses, a playground for the kids and outstanding views of the sunset over the harbour as well as an outstanding sense of community.

The park is quirky and revolutionary, a reaction to the city’s development plans. It’s in the heart of the city centre.

The Alter Elbtunnel is an important historic site in Hamburg and a point of national pride that has been featured in numerous films and runs beneath the River Elbe. Originally part of a major transportation improvement project that in the early 20th century represented a major risk, the excavation of the tunnel under the river cost several lives and many injuries. It extends for 610 metres and today is accessed by car lifts, a pedestrian lift and a staircase. It comprises 2 traffic lanes and pedestrian walkways as well as artistic tile plaques showcasing life from the early 20th century.

The tunnel is a designated cultural heritage site and has received awards for historic engineering. It’s in the city centre.

Gängeviertel is a creative space hidden right in the heart of the city centre in a neighbourhood offering quaint, narrow winding streets and lots of cultural diversity. This quirky quarter is a UNESCO Heritage Site and has survived redevelopment plans and even disease outbreaks. Today it hosts a variety of artistic and cultural events including live music, film screenings, and even drawing and art sessions.

It is nestled in an area that offers a vibrant but under-the-radar club and nightlife scene that is beloved by the local bohemian set. This is a space where you can go to see installations from local up-and-coming artists and then kick back for deep discussions on every subject under the sun.

The Blankenese Shipwrecks offer the opportunity to explore submarine wrecks and the remains of an exploded schooner that form a breakwater for the local beach. It started in 1926 when the 4-mast schooner Polstjernan suffered a sudden engine explosion and its wreckage was left along the beach as a breakwater. After World War II, scraps of submarines were added, as were the ruins of the Uwe, a barge that sank in 1975 after a catastrophic collision with a coaster.

At low tide you can walk right up to some of the wrecks to explore them. The beach itself is also scenic and relaxing with golden sands and cool waters. It’s 50 minutes west of the city centre.

The Medical Historical Museum Hamburg offers a unique, weird and sometimes scary look at medical history in Germany, including historic medical instruments, teaching models, materials and microscopes. The collection also features some more macabre exhibits such as disturbing wax models that trace the history of disease and deformity. It’s housed in a historic building on the grounds of the University of Hamburg teaching hospital and explores the development of ethics, research, therapeutic care and diagnostics throughout history.

The museum does not eschew the disturbing and complicated areas of history, and examines subjects such as Nazi eugenics in an effort to give a voice to the victims of that regime. It’s about 25 minutes north of the city centre.

The German Electron Synchrotron (Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, or DESY) is a national research centre that operates particle accelerators, engages in scientific research and provides consulting services to institutes, universities and initiatives. It is among the most revered science institutes in Germany and specialises in the development of particle accelerators and research in material science, physics, molecular biology, chemistry, medicine and geophysics, all through the application of synchrotron radiation and free-electron lasers.

Guided tours are available, during which you will get an overview of the research they do here and see things like one of the brightest X-ray light storage rings in the world. It’s about 30 minutes west of the city centre.

Jazzclub Birdland is one of Hamburg’s best hidden spots for live music, a secret delight tucked within a basement in the Eimsbüttel district. The drinks are strong and tasty, and the jazz music is top-notch. It has room for about 150 people and caters to every style of jazz from mainstream to classic, avant-garde and even karaoke. The acts on stage range from local up-and-comers to international acts. Artwork featuring famed jazz musicians lines the walls for extra atmosphere.

The overall effect is that of a 1920s speakeasy in the heart of Hamburg’s vibrant nightlife scene. The club is about 30 minutes north of the Hamburg city centre.