Hamburg, Germany

The first time I visited Hamburg was in 2016 when I went to see and stay with an old friend from Hong Kong. It was the first time I brought my cat, Shakey, on holiday with me on board the German trains. It was also the first time I traveled in first class on the ICE thanks to an upgrade coupon, I got hooked onto first class on trains ever since and always looked for ways to get a free upgrade.

There are many that would make the case for the North Rhine-Westphalia metropolitan region is the “Berlin” of West Germany but I digress. I think Hamburg is the metropolitan city of the western part of the country with its many cultural activities, variation of museums, hub for the old guard of the German press, and international residents. Of course I also love Munich but some Germans would consider Bavaria its own country for various cultural and linguistic reasons.

Hamburg is home to Miniatur Wunderland with the world’s largest miniature railway system, the PROTOTYP Museum that houses original BMW Art Cars from 1975, fearsome Nazi-era flak towers, and the Elbe Tunnel that was considered a wonder of engineering in 1907. With so much to do there’s nom reason not to stay for a whole week and soak in all of its sights.

Music lovers can visit the house where Johann Sebastian Bach was born, historians can roam the halls of Hamburg’s museums and admire the many intricate models showing its development as a city in the Hanseatic League, and military buffs can board a Soviet submarine that was only deactivated in 2001.

Architecture nerds can admire the Chilehaus that was inspired by the shape of a ship about to set sail and the world’s largest complex of warehouses in Speicherstadt, which are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of course, tourists can go on an urban ferry so the harbour wind can blow their hair in each and every direction under the iconic Hamburg State Opera. My father told me that it’s very likely my grandfather visited these marine-related areas since he worked on a merchant vessel between China and Germany on multiple voyages.

One of the museums that you have to visit is the Hafenmuseum that details the jobs of sailors and dockworkers and their importance to the city, the museum is located on an actual decommissioned dock. The Museum für Arbiet is an expansive heavy-industry-themed museum with huge exhibits like ship engines and cranes that showcase the instrumental role that Hamburg played to the industrialisation of Germany. To a lesser extent, Hamburg’s two art museums are also regionally notable.

Other cities in the Hanseatic League include Bremen and its exclave Bremerhaven as well as the remarkably well-preserved historic city of Rostock. Having visited all of them I can safely say that Hamburg is the only place where you can eat a real hamburger.