Hamburg Walking Tour: History and Highlights from an Ancient Port City

Trace Hamburg’s modest beginnings from a waypoint on an 8th century pilgrims’ route to one of the world's largest ports. On this walking tour, I’ll show you a few lesser-known corners of the city, along with its main sightseeing spots, including the Speicherstadt warehouses which were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. You’ll also hear about the imperial politics that shaped the intricate workings of this commercial hub.

Our tour begins outside the beautiful town hall, where you’ll notice how its statues of kaisers and laborers are symbolically arranged to represent Hamburg’s status as a sovereign city state. Walking down 400-year-old Steinstraße’s stone paving, you’ll find out why this section of an ancient pilgrimage route was named ‘Stone Street.’ You’ll have an opportunity to visit pilgrims' churches, like St Peters and St James, and learn about the treasures hidden within their walls. You’ll then make your way through Hamburg's old slums, to arrive at the Speicherstadt (the city’s historical port) and hear how tax policies forcibly removed roughly 20,000 people from their beautiful medieval homes, and ultimately shaped the city’s modern layout. En route, I’ll point out remnants of the great fire of 1842 and tell you how this resilient city rebounded from epidemics - including a cholera outbreak just fifty years later. It’s not all hardship and suffering. On this tour, you can look forward to:

• Seeing the Chilehaus, the office building shaped like a boat and designed by the famous architect Fritz Höger
• Learning how chocolate is made in the city that imported 760 million Euros of cocoa in 2021, and maybe even pausing the tour to sample a few sweet treats at Chocoversum
• Hearing some of the creative methods smugglers used to get tax-free goods into the main city and past Speicherstadt’s old customs offices
• Taking in Wasserschloss, a building with a restaurant and souvenir shop that was once the residence of engineers who serviced the city’s warehouses
• Relaxing at Hamburg’s Coffee Exchange, at the heart of the harbour where more imported coffee arrives by sea than anywhere in the world
• Discovering the city’s medieval past

Along the way, I’ll also point out plenty of places to stop for shopping, food, good coffee, and great photo opportunities! Give yourself at least an hour to get the most out of this tour, or take it all in at your own pace. Enjoy discovering Hamburg’s roots and finding out how it became the city it is today!