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Hamburg Nightlife

Nightlife of a wide and exiting variety is one of Hamburg’s key cultural ingredients. Much is concentrated in the St Pauli district, with most action in and around the Reeperbahn. Although notorious for its sex trade, the Reeperbahn these days is regarded as a historic part of the city’s cultural identity, with an edgy cache that’s bought a variety of distinctly non-sleazy cabaret shows and theatres, music bars and trendy nightclubs into the famous street.

Another central nightlife area in Hamburg is the bohemian Schanzenviertel district, while good places for bars and pubs are Lange Reihe street and Grossneumarkt square. To find out what's on in Hamburg, pick up a free copy of the monthly English-language Hamburg Guide, available from several hotels and shopping malls, or go online (www.hamburg-guide.de). Also see the events section on www.hamburg-tourism.de.

Bars in Hamburg

Amphore

With a superb view of the Elbe River and harbour spread out below, this bar is about the outdoor space, and makes the perfect spot for an early sundowner. Sit and unwind with a cocktail after a hard day’s exploring Hamburg, and enjoy the twinkling lights on the river at this small friendly café/bar. The place almost certainly gets busy later on with an affluent crowd of locals who frequently fill out the downstairs club space.

Hafenstrasse 140, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 317 9388.
Website: www.cafe-amphore.de

Bar Hamburg

Virtually next door to the Reeperbahn, Hamburg’s famous red-light district, Bar Hamburg is one of the chicest bars in northern Germany. Not only the premier destination for the city's rich and beautiful, it’s also the preferred hangout, when in town, of international A-listers, from Claudia Schiffer to Robert de Niro. The bar serves a refreshing array of over 90 cocktails, so kick back with one in the comfortable upholstery and survey the scene before hitting the dance floor where Hamburg's favourite DJs pipe lounge and house music that keeps the vibe upbeat, but always ineffably cool.

Rautenbergstrasse 6, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 2805 4880.
Website: www.barhamburg.com

Gröninger Privatbrauerei

Of course, this being Germany, beer flows through Hamburg like the waters of the Elbe, and here at the Gröninger Privatbrauerei, in the heart of the Old Town, they’ve been making their own since 1750. This is a no-frills traditional brewpub, and as such attracts an authentic clientele comprised of young locals, old fishermen and beer connoisseurs from everywhere. All can be found in this red-tiled cellar bar, where the large brewing coppers are on display, supping sweet yet potent beer, which can be bought here by the glass, the mug – or the barrel!

Willy-Brandt-Strasse 47, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 5701 05100.
Website: www.groeninger-hamburg.de

Clubs in Hamburg

Bar Rossi

Set in the heart of the Schanzenvierte district, renowned for its bohemian vibe and indie-chic residents, this happy and happening club/bar is a magnet for the beautiful people who know the scene. Decked out in a decadent 1970s style that’s as knowingly hip and plushly upholstered as the regular clientele, the top-end DJs here mainly spin a mix of ambient techno and drum and bass while a bevy of beauties (of both sexes) comfortably sip their cocktails in the subdued lighting before putting their moves on, both by the bar and on the dancefloor.

Max-Brauer Allee 279, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 4325 4639.
Website: www.bar-rossi.de

Blankenese Kiez Internat

As a libertarian city, Hamburg takes its nightlife seriously, and that’s proved by the quality, profusion and variety of its nightclubs. Blankenese Kiez Internat, popularly known as BKI, is a nightclub just of the Reeperbahn with a sealed reputation for rocking parties. Clubbers come here for one reason, a crowded dancefloor that still has enough room to properly cut loose. A profusion of musical styles and genres get regular play here, but it’s the big techno nights that the locals put their party clothes on for.

Grosse Freiheit 10, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 2022 9087.
Website: www.bki-hamburg.de

Golden Pudel Club

For a more intimate clubbing experience in Hamburg, the Golden Pudel Club is small but perfectly formed. It has also become something of an institution in recent years within the local hip-hop and alternative scenes. The name alone would probably scare off most out-of-towners if it was in the Reeperbahn, but situated as it is near the famous Fischmarkt, this subterranean venue has a vibe all of its own, especially when the city’s students pack in like sardines for the weekend sets.

Fischmarkt 27, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 3197 9930.
Website: www.pudel.com

Live Music in Hamburg

Cotton Club

Another legendary venue on Hamburg’s music scene, Cotton Club is the oldest and most esteemed jazz club in the city. As such, its regular program is a showcase bulging with some of the best exponents of trad, ragtime and Dixieland jazz from around the world. Music usually starts around 2030. The club has a cosy, intimate atmosphere and an old-fashioned style that should keep traditional jazz lovers coming back time and time again.

Alter Steinweg 10, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 343 878.
Website: www.cotton-club.de

Grosse Freiheit 36

Musically, live performance is what it’s all about in Hamburg, with a venue to suit every genre and every band, from the touring stadium-fillers to the local garage acts. The now world-famous Grosse Freiheit 36 (easy to find as the name is simply the venue’s address) isn’t just at the epicentre of this culture; it’s a living part of its history! Now regarded as an institution for over four decades, this club has staged acts on a near-nightly basis and always in the true ‘anything goes’ Hamburg spirit. This is where the Beatles got up to do their thing in their earliest days, and it’s still a favourite venue for big-name indie acts from both sides of the pond. In fact, for most German music lovers, Grosse Freiheit 36 is simply a national treasure.

Grosse Freiheit 36, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 317 7780.
Website: www.grossefreiheit36.de

Prinzenbar

Once you get to the other side of the rather grimy, non-descript door leading into this tucked-away little venue, you’ll find yourself transported to a galleried room with a small bar, all set beneath a high barrel-vaulted ceiling and walls decorated in amazingly ornate, stuccoed mouldings. It’s a unique space in Hamburg to enjoy a usually jammed gig, as the enthusiastic locals always seem happy to rock out beneath the plaster cherubs – no matter who’s playing on the eclectic mix of dance, rock and folk.

Kastanienallee 20, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 3178 8345.
Website: www.prinzenbar.net

Classical Music in Hamburg

Laeiszhalle (Hamburg Concert Hall)

Easily recognizable from its beautiful neo-baroque facade, this is one of the most charming concert halls in Germany. Built in the early 1900s, this venue is home to both the Hamburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Opera, who jointly perform a famous series of philharmonic concerts here each year. This is also the venue for the highly regarded Hamburg Music Festival, and outside the classical repertoire, this hall has also played host to a wide variety of musicians, from Bob Marley to Queen.

Johannes-Brahms-Platz 1, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 357 6660.
Website: www.elbphilharmonie.de/laeiszhalle.en

Theatre in Hamburg

Deutsches Schauspielhaus

This theatre, located in the St Georg quarter of Hamburg, has an audience capacity of 1,192 seats, officially making it the largest theatre in Germany. Fortunately the quality comes in proportion to the dimensions here, with an acclaimed ensemble who perform an eclectic variety of both classic and contemporary plays, the latter of which has been the focus here for the past decade, to much critical acclaim.

Kirchenallee 39, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 248 713.
Website: www.schauspielhaus.de

Culture in Hamburg

Fabrik

This amazing cultural venue in Hamburg was once a machine factory. Today, the galleried floors and steel-girder architecture of its interior space play a big part of what makes this such a special and unique location both aesthetically and acoustically. With a capacity for around 1,200 standing or 500 seated, this perfect mid-sized venue has an atmosphere all of its own and a program which, depending on the night, can involve musical theatre, stand-up, rock or world-music concerts.

Barnerstrasse 36, Hamburg
Tel: (040) 391 070.
Website: www.fabrik.de

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