CURRENT POPULATION: 1,754,000
% POP GROWTH: 1 %
CITY AREA: 755 KM2

CITY DENSITY: 2,324 INH/KM2
GDP PER CAPITA: €21,900
DIALLING CODE: +49

WITH FRIENDS
ABENDMAHL
HEIN-KÖLLISCH-PLATZ 6
TEL. 040 312 758
Situated in the heart of Kiez, the city’s entertainment district, this minute and convivial restaurant serves international cuisine to a very varied clientele.

ENTERTAINING A CLIENT
DAS SEEPFERDCHEN AM HAFEN
GROSSE ELBSTRASSE 212
TEL. 040 3861 6749
Located in the city’s docklands and popular with Hamburg’s clued-up thirtysomething scene, this stylish seafood eaterie features the freshest of the catch and white linen-covered tables accessorised with retro seats and communal benches that make for a good time. You can even sit out on the deck in the winter as it is heated from autumn through spring.

CLOSING THE DEAL
D.O.C.
JUNGFERNSTIEG 56-58
TEL. 040 3252 7652
Fêted for its location – on the banks of the Binnenalster – its superlative nouvelle Italian specialties, and its stunning new glass cube building, this oft-praised restaurant is the brainchild of Giordano Ardizzoni and Claudio Spinsanti. It is a must for visitors.

STYLE
ELBE 76
BISMARKSTRASSE, 60
TEL. 040 400 235
A stylish canalside hangout in leafy Hoheluft, Elbe 76 is a magnet for the after-work crowd, who descend into its eclectically-decorated basement. The music pulsates late into the night, following a well worn path to provide its chilled out pleasure.

RELAX
DUAL BAR.CAFÉ
SCHANZENSTRASSE 53
TEL. 040 4320 8829
At this dimly lit cafe-cum-boîte in the buzzy Schanzenviertel area, regulars and the after-work crowd relax on ancient bar stools, while tuning out to a pulsating soundtrack of deep house and Latin tunes.

MUSIC
CLUB LA NUIT
GROSSE ELBSTRASSE 145 B-D
TEL. 040 3803 7730
Decked out with bold white partitions and lowto-the-ground furnishings that recall the deck of a yacht, this bar and club hovers over the harbour and keeps the blissed out glitterati contented long into the early hours of the morning with its state-of-the-art sound system. It also has a restaurant serving an intersting menu, such as rabbit saddle and pigeon breast.

VALUE
IBIS HOTEL
HOLZDAMM 4-12 + 16
TEL. 040 248 290
Virtually abutting the Alster lake and situated ideally on an upmarket and quiet side street a few blocks from the main train terminal, the Hauptbahnhof, this budget mainstay features 165 air-conditioned rooms, Wi-fi access and four meeting rooms.

BUSINESS
LINDNER HOTEL AM MICHEL
NEANDERSTRASSE 20
TEL. 040 307 0670
Ideally located, this hotel is equidistant from both the harbour and the inner Alster Lake. With 259 up-to-the-minute rooms and suites, each with Wi-fi and state-of-the-art entertainment, as well as two restaurants, a gym, sauna, steam room and solarium, it is a firm favourite for visiting maritime executives.

BESPOKE
GALERIE-HOTEL SARAH PETERSEN
LANGE REIHE 50
TEL. 040 249 826
Featuring just five rooms, each lovingly decorated in a collection of Art Deco and Empire treasures, this 19th-century artist’s house turned hostelry is ideally located next to the Deutsche Schauspielhaus, a stone’s throw from the Alster.

Join the seaonal festivities at Hamburg’s Christmas markets or Weihnachtsmarkt (www.hamburg.de/weihnachten-hamburg), which kick off the first week of December. Said to be the best in Germany, they feature stalls selling sausages, corn on the cob and thick soups – plus mulled wine. The largest market takes place in front of city hall, with a smaller one in Gänsemarkt and another three on Mönckebergstrasse.

The Michaeliskirche (www.st-michaelis.de) is northern Germany’s largest Baroque church and the city’s most prominent landmark. Completed in 1661, the current structure is a reconstruction of an early 19th-century mock-up. It features a 433ft spire, known locally as Michel, which has the largest clock face in Germany. The tower can be reached by stair or a lift for awe-inspiring views.

Holding another great Christmas market, Lübeck is a must-visit in December. Located 65km north of Hamburg, and accessible by train and car, this UNESCO World Heritage site, which features one of Europe’s largest preserved Old Towns, is anchored by the 12th-century Rathaus and speckled with 15th- and 16th-century houses and towering steeples. The city was home to Thomas Mann, but it is now known for marzipan.

With the second-largest Airbus factory in the world, Hamburg is Germany’s aviation capital. It puts the finishing touches on everything from the A319 to the Airbus A380.

WORDS BY FARHAD HEYDARI