It’s been a long time since I had a city break so I chose Hamburg and Lubeck, two very different north German cities. Hamburg seemed very modern and almost anonymous whilst Lubeck is probably one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited.
| Holiday Ratings | |
| Recommended days | 4 |
| Budget | £ |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Travel to Hamburg
Flights were a lot more expensive than a few years ago and travel choices were a lot more limited too. I chose to fly BA to Hamburg which did mean driving to Heathrow but it was a lot cheaper than flying Bristol to Berlin and then getting the train. It’ll be nice when there is a bit more stability again and travel is more open and available to everyone. Whether it is caused by Putin’s war in Ukraine or bad planning by airlines or covid the effect is that travel is largely beyond the reach of normal people and limited to the rich, that are usually the ones protesting against environmental damage.
I had left the hotel for the airport before breakfast and then saw the BA email saying that due to ‘technical difficulties’ they wouldn’t be serving food on the flight so my tummy was rumbling by the time I arrived in Hamburg! The airport was tiny and we seemed to be the only flight so I went straight through passport control and got on the train for the city.
It was then that I checked my phone and Nat told me that you needed a face mask for the plane. A mild panic ensued until I found a mask in the depths of my coat pocket, amongst all the poo bags! The train was pleasant and quick and I followed my map to my hotel. The area around the train station was not pleasant and seemed like a migrant holding camp with a park area full of people and a couple of police overseeing them.
Check in was lovely at the hotel and I was able to get to my room at 11 which meant I could dump my coat and bag before meeting Nat. This involved another walk back to the train station to realise that my mask was in my coat back at the hotel. What a muppet! I eventually found a shop that sold masks (if they are compulsory you’d think they would be easier to buy?) and waited for the train, having missed the one I intended. I was in rather a savage mood by the time I met Nat, which wasn’t a good way to start this city break in Hamburg.
Cafe and a harbour cruise
Natalya tried to placate me with cake at the cafe we met at which helped a little and we had a chat and went over plans. I had done almost no research on Hamburg and hers seemed limited to places that served good coffee. The harbourside was busy and nice to walk around but not overly scenic, or not the bit we were in at least.
We chose a cruise – basically the first one we saw that only lasted an hour – and got on the boat. We then realised that the commentary was German only so at least that meant we didn’t have to concentrate! I was also damned cold as I had left my coat behind.
The opera house was a modern design and very striking, we saw a Soviet Foxtrot class submarine – now a museum – there were a couple of German navy frigates but most of the huge port area seemed to be taken up with container ships from China. These ships really were huge and the volume of trade through the port must be phenomenal.
I read that morning that the German premier had just approved a deal to let China buy a 25% stake in the port. The apparent intention was to win influence through political and economic dialog. Like that worked so well with Putin. Sad that no lessons are learned about appeasement and money conquers all.
Hamburg Cafe and Church
Well that kind of exertion meant we needed to recover and warm up with a cafe visit. Natalya had Cafe Melt on her list which was near the harbour so off we trotted. It was a bit of a tourist trap but it was a nice place to people watch and the food was filling and quick which ticked my two main boxes. Scrambled egg on toast really is a good comfort food!
One of the few sights on my list was St Michael’s church and the viewing tower. We paid the fee to two very jolly women and took the lift to the top. The views were impressive but it merely confirmed my (probably prejudiced) opinion that there really isn’t much history to see in Hamburg. The buildings were pretty much universally modern and the fact it was a grey day didn’t help much either. After doing a circuit of the platform we left and went in to the church itself.
The church is a late eighteenth century creation and was wonderfully light and airy. Being a Protestant church, the interior decor was very understated which added to the appeal. We spent about twenty minutes listening to the organ recitals and it was lovely to see a church that is actually in use, rather than being just a museum.
Hamburg Cafe and Town Hall
To give us a break from sightseeing, Natalya chose another cafe for us to visit and this was the best so far. Erste Liebe Bar had fabulous service, some superb cakes and coffee that even I could taste was better than normal. After this replenishment we visited another historical area of Hamburg around the much rebuilt Town Hall.
This area was quite pretty although power restrictions due to the Ukraine war meant that none of the public buildings were illuminated at night and the city fountain was also off. We parted company there, Nat to go home and get her bag and I took the train back to the main station and the walk to the hotel felt even dodgier in the dark. Natalya then met me in the hotel and we had a chilled evening in the bar before bed.
Off to Lubeck and the Holstentor Gate
After an excellent breakfast we checked out of the hotel and walked back to the station, again, leaving Hamburg for the next part of our city break, to Lubeck. The train journey was excellent and took about 40 minutes, through pretty much universally flat terrain. Lubeck station was relatively small and as soon as we left we saw statues of Wilhelm I and Bismark so I knew my historic needs would be satiated here!
The walk towards the old city (an island surrounded by the river Trave) then bought us to one of the two surviving city gateways, the Holstentor Gate. This was one of four entrances to the old city, each entrance having multiple layers of gateways as the city expanded and the walls were rebuilt. The Holstentor is one of the four that were built to guard the western entrance to the city. The others, along with the walls themselves, were demolished by the city council in the nineteenth century – a story familiar to the inhabitants of Bristol and their historically minded cheapskate council!
The Holstentor Gate had a very different facade, depending on which way you faced. As an attacker, approaching from where the new city is, the walls were almost solid with just gun holes visible. From the opposite direction, the old city, the tower sported huge windows and looked quite decorative. It should be said that the authenticity of the nineteenth and twentieth century renovations have been questioned!
Lubeck hotel and a cafe
After passing through the gate we continued on to our hotel in the old city. I had splashed out a bit on this one and we had the suite at the CityLine Klassik Altstadt Hotel which gave us lots of space and nice views over the old city. Although we obviously didn’t get to stay there long as we had to go out to a cafe and start our sightseeing. Natalya had found a specialty coffee roastery to visit – Cycle Roasters – so that was our first stop and, for a change, she was impressed both with the coffee itself and with the knowledge of the barista. I thought it tasted ok too.
Walking the Circuit of the River Trave
In a laughable attempt to orientate ourselves to the city we decided to walk a circuit along the outer river path. The day was grey and overcast but the path was lovely, there were joggers, cyclists and dog walkers. The old brick buildings had a lot of Dutch influence and there were wooden sailing ships lining the banks.
Known as the city of seven spires due to the churches that dominate the skyline Lubeck was the prime city of the Hanseatic trading league and a bastion of Protestantism in the wars of religion that devastated Germany in the seventeenth century. The town has been largely restored after bombing in WW2 destroyed a lot of the historic centre, which took nearly 50 years to do and is now the largest UNESCO heritage site in Germany.
St Peter’s Church and a cafe
We stopped at St Peter’s church, one of the seven massive brick built churches in the town – and they really are massive, or possibly just seem so as there are no other tall buildings to challenge them. The ladies on the ticket desk were wonderfully chatty and we took the lift to the viewing platform.
Instead of glass there is a wide grille around the windows so it is a lot easier to take photos than some other attractions. The church itself is heavily restored after WW2 and seems it has yet to find a new purpose. There was some sort of art exhibit inside but it wasn’t really clear what it was about. The walls were all a stark white although there were occasional traces of painted decoration but I’m not sure if that was original.
The cafe we went to next, Niederegger Arkadencafe, was a bit of a tourist trap but in a lovely location on the square with a fantastic cake selection and friendly and professional staff so it kinda ticks all the boxes. We had marzipan coffee – very sweet, even I couldn’t finish it! The cakes were lovely too and the difficulty was limiting ourselves to just two. Lubeck claims to have invented marzipan, although this is disputed, but it is certainly a big local industry.
Marienkirche Lubeck, without a cafe stop!
This is a huge church but it’s crammed into the streets nearby so it’s difficult to get an idea of the scale. It was also only five minutes walk from St Peter’s so it gives an idea of church attendance in its heyday. Inside the church is vast – apparently the largest brick built vault in the world. The interior is whitewashed and then decorated but in a very understated way.
There are a few small chapels to the side, an interesting altarpiece (I think), a recreated astronomical clock and World War 1 memorial. It was the only church we had to pay to enter but the upkeep must be horrendous so it wasn’t unreasonable.
Dining in Lubeck
After the Marienkirche we went back to the hotel and relaxed for an hour or so before going out for food. There are a huge number of restaurants in Lubeck Altstadt but the choices for a vegan were a lot more limited. Nat chose the Buddha Bowl but when we arrived – before 17:30 – it was already full. A nice thing about Germany is they like to have dinner early, none of this going out for a meal at 10PM lark!
We walked further along the street and then found a Vietnamese place, cunningly called Ha Noi Yum, which had both spaces and vegan options. It was a nice meal and very quick so we were done in less than an hour. Their definition of “slightly spicy” was somewhat different to mine though!
We did some more walking in the old town but the churches and other attractions were all unlit so it was pretty dull although the streets were busy with people in the bars and restaurants. As always, it was nice to see coffee shops open in the evening so you could stop for a relaxing drink and cake rather than just being pubs in the UK. It was also getting cold so we got back to the hotel by 19:30 and just had a yakking evening.
Morning Walk
The next morning I had intended to do a sunrise walk but, frankly, couldn’t be bothered. We didn’t wake until gone 7 so we had breakfast at 8 and Natalya stayed in the hotel to relax and I went out for a walk. Unlike the day before, the weather was glorious – beautiful blue sky and a lovely crisp and cold morning.
I walked a three quarter circuit of the city but had to cut it short to get back to the hotel and check out. The pathways and parks were lovely to walk through and the views were amazing, certainly the best part of the day. If I could speak German it’d be somewhere I’d consider retiring to.
We then checked out of the hotel, stopped for another specialty coffee for Little Miss Addict and then walked to the train station. My knee was really playing up after all the walking so it was really more of a hobble and seemed a lot further than it had yesterday. It was a nice train journey back to Hamburg and then a walk to our hotel.
We went out for dinner in the evening and actually had a healthy meal and we even found a sugar free/keto place and had cake there, very nice and good to see. The evening and next morning were just spent relaxing, sorting photos for me and gym for Nat before getting back on the train to the airport.
Thoughts
Germany is lovely to visit, as well as the prevalence of English the people just seem friendly and genuinely pleased you are visiting. Hamburg was ok for a city break but as a base, rather than a destination – I’d have liked to have seen the small canals and warehouse district but that was our own fault for just getting on the first cruise we saw. If I went again I would stay in the centre, near the harbour rather than the business district.
Lubeck was just fabulous. It is an ideal weekend destination as we didn’t get to see everything in one night but the extra day would have been plenty to see it all without being rushed. If we’d have gone in a fortnights time the Christmas markets would have been on but I had a lovely time and it was great to see Nat.