Hamburg is a city built on and around water and one of the most beautiful in Germany. The harbour; the canals; and the central Alster Lake give this metropolis a unique maritime flair.
Hamburg is the largest German sea Port. It is the most Eastern sea port in the North Sea and is an open tidal port. There are no locks on the Elbe estuary and ships of all sizes can navigate at full speed. From the entrance to the Kiel Canal, Hamburg lies another 35 miles to the southeast. Hamburg’s history as a cruise port stretches back to the 19th century, when it was a main European port of departure for transatlantic emigration.
Today, the city has returned to its transatlantic role thanks to the Queen Mary 2’s extended transatlantic crossings in Hamburg. The leisurely approach to the city centre as the cruise ship glides along the fascinating waterfront of this ancient Hanseatic League city before arriving at its mooring is a unique experience. The berth is located close to the downtown area, with all the shopping and cultural attractions of a large city. Hamburg is an elegant, rich, sophisticated and entertaining metropolis and a key element in Germany’s modern transport infrastructure. The Hanseatic city is not only Germany’s second largest city in both size and population, but also Germany‘s greenest. Parks and green spaces; waterways and woods cover almost half the area within Hamburg‘s city boundaries. The magic is in the mix, and that is what has been attracting increasing numbers of visitors to this city on the River Elbe for many years. Hamburg has a population of 1.74 million and visitors flock to its musicals, ballet, opera, theatre, film festivals and street festivals as well as to major sporting events and its many other attractions.
Hamburg offers a wide range of top-class hotels and a diverse selection of attractions just waiting to be discovered. The `BallinStadt’, a museum of emigration located close to the harbour is one of the newest on offer. As well as the International Maritime Museum Hamburg (IMMH).
The nine exhibition decks in the historic Kaispeicher / Warehouse B tell the story of explorers and conquerors, of captains and simple seamen – an expedition through 3000 years of human history. Nearly all of the sights can be reached by foot from the main hotels and the Cruise Center.
