Hamburg

Hamburg's most original market for fish, fruit and vegetables, junk shops and much more is a must for... both night owls and early risers. From 5 am on Sunday morning (2 hours later in the winter), housewives and star chefs jostle around the booths, side-by-side with the overnight in-crowd and tourists. However, the market is closed again by half-past nine. In the recently renovated old fish market hall fish is still traded every night, a total of around 32,000 tonnes of fresh fish a year. Today, however, the fresh fish is delivered to Altona in refridgerated trucks as the fishing cutters stopped docking in Altona fishing harbour in the 1980s. Legendary originals such as “Aal-Trude” (Eel Trudy) chop the heads off the fish before the eyes of astonished tourists, and garnish their work with saucy expressions. more

Lovingly known as "Michel" by the people of Hamburg, the Protestant-Lutheran church of St Michaelis is... the most famous church in the city and a real landmark. Seamen returning to their home port after months on the high seas could spot the characteristic 132 m (433 ft) Baroque tower from afar. The most important Baroque church in northern Germany - it was rebuilt after a fire in 1906 - is consecrated to Archangel Michael, who shimmers above the main portal in the form of a large bronze sculpture. In the bright, airy interior, what strikes you is the magnificent 20 m (65 ft) altar which dates back to 1910. It is made of valuable marble. Above the door in the main entrance, the light floods through a large art nouveau window made by a Berlin design studio. Another must is a trip down into the crypt vaults, where there is a small exhibition of interesting information about the church and which, every Friday, is the venue for "FreitagNachtMusik". You can also head up into the tower: A lift takes visitors to a viewing platform at 82 m (270 ft) from where there is a magnificent view over the city, the Elbe and the surrounding area. more

With the opening in July 2007 of the "BallinStadt - Port of Dreams", a spacious museum complex in Hamburg... Veddel, the city has added a new attraction to its list. In 1900, the director of the HAPAG boatyard, Albert Ballin, had a proper city of emigrants built on the Veddel. i.e. mass accommodation for emigrants seeking a better future in America. Between 1850 and 1939, 5 million people left Germany via Hamburg harbour. Three of the original brick halls which were originally communal areas and dormitories have been reconstructed and tell the story of the emigrants, from their departure to their arrival in New York - all using state-of-the-art technology. The museum also features changing special exhibitions and a family research area which makes lists of all the passengers from 1850 to 1934 available to everyone in electronic format. more