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football: 2006 FIFA World Cup™ Hamburg |
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Football World CupHamburg:
The city of Hamburg is situated at three rivers, the Alster, the Bille and the Elbe. The city centre is beautifully situated around two artificial lakes, the Aubenalster and the Binnenalster, which are formed by the river Alster.
Trivia: The countless beautiful canals in Hamburg are crossed by over 2300 bridges - that's more than Amsterdam (1200) and Venice (400) have together.
Transport I Hotels I Car Hire I Entertainment I Food I Sport I Stadium I Tourist Tips I History Transportation:
Though large cities in Germany normally only have a one letter prefix (e.g. B for Berlin), Hamburg's vehicle licence plate prefix is "HH" (Hansestadt Hamburg, English: Hanseatic City Hamburg), which underlines Hamburg's historic roots. Like in most larger German cities, the local public transport is organised by a Verkehrsverbund, basically a joint venture of all public transport companies servicing the area. In and around Hamburg, it's the HVV (Hamburger Verkehrsverbund). Tickets sold by one HVV company are accepted by all other HVV companies.
In addition to the U- and S-Bahn a third company operates three lines in the outskirts of Hamburg. Finally, regional trains of Germany's major railway company Deutsche Bahn AG may be used with a HVV public transport ticket, too. The regional trains only stop at three main stations in Hamburg's centre and at stations on the far ends of the HVV area, outside Hamburg. Recently a fast train service connected Hamburg to the capital city of Germany, Berlin. Another rather unique means of transportation are 5 ferry lines along the river Elbe. While mainly needed by Hamburg citizens and dock workers they can also be used for sightseeing tours at the (relatively) low fees of a HVV public transport ticket. Getting There:Airport: Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel (HAM) British Airways and Lufthansa fly direct from London daily, and the city is also served by low cost airlines. Please contact our Flight Department for information about schedules, availability and pricing, on 01903 883228.
Hotels:5 Star Options:
4 Star Options:
3 Star Options:
Car Hire:Please contact Stuart Stamp on 01903 832888 or email us with your requirements. Click here to see rates online.
Entertainment:The St Pauli neighbourhood located on the city's western side provides an incredible collection of nightlife opportunities, particularly on the infamous Reeperbahn.
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Hamburg is Germany's second largest city (after Berlin) and, with the Hamburg Harbour, its principal port.
The most significant economic basis for Hamburg in the past centuries has been (and still is) its harbour, which ranks at number 2 in Europe and number 9 worldwide with transshipments of 7 million standard container units (TEU) and 115 million tons of goods in 2004. International trade is also the reason for the large number of consulates in the city.
Hamburg is connected by four Autobahns (motorways) and is the most important railway junction on the route to Northern Europe. Hamburg's international airport is Hamburg Airport, which is the oldest airport in Germany still in operation.
During rush hours nine local railway lines carry the major part of public transport in and around Hamburg. Three lines belong to the so-called U-Bahn system, the rest to the S-Bahn. Even though U-Bahn is short for Untergrundbahn (underground, subway) and S-Bahn for Schnellbahn (fast railways), the difference in naming is mostly historical; today, both systems run electric trains on tracks partly over- as well as underground. Elderly citizens actually still call the underground Hochbahn ("elevated railway"), since parts of the U-Bahn system run elevated on iron viaducts over the streets.
To find out what's happening in Hamburg, pick up a copy of Hamburger Vorschau for 1.30 Euros. Published once a month, it's available at various tourist offices, most hotels, and most newsstands.
Although Hamburg is jokingly said to be the birthplace of the hamburger, this is just a myth. The hamburger was named after Hamburg. Original Hamburg dishes are "Birnen, Bohnen und Speck" (green runner beans cooked with pears and bacon), "Aalsuppe" (Often mistaken to be German for "eel soup", however the name probably comes from the Low Saxon "aalens", meaning "all" - anything could be in it, but not necessarily eel. Today eel is often included to meet the expectations of unsuspecting diners. "Bratkartoffeln" (fried potatoes), "Finkenwerder Scholle" (fried plaice), Pannfisch (fried fish), Rote Grütze (something similar to summer pudding consisting mainly of red berries) and "Labskaus" (a strange looking combination of corned beef, mashed potatoes and beet root with a name oddly similar to Liverpool's lobscouse).
Hamburg is home of Hamburger SV and FC St. Pauli. Hamburger SV (HSV) is the only football club to have played in the 1. Bundesliga (premier league) in every season since the league's formation in 1963. In 1983, HSV won the European Cup by beating Juventus Turin 1:0 in Athens. The best known players to have played for HSV are Uwe Seeler, Franz Beckenbauer and Kevin Keegan.
Home ground of SV Hamburg and inaugurated for the Germany v Greece international in 2000 the new stadium was constructed on the site of SV Hamburg's old Volksparkstadion ground. The pitch was rotated and the stands completely rebuilt at an estimated cost of 97 million Euros, with a 45,442 seating capacity. 
A typical Hamburg visit includes a tour of the city hall (Rathaus) and the grand church St. Michaelis (called the Michel), and visiting the old warehouse district (Speicherstadt) and the harbour promenade (Landungsbrucken). 
The city takes its name from the first permanent building on the site, a fort that Charlemagne ordered built as a defence against Slavic incursion. The fort went up in 808 on some rocky ground in a marsh between the Alster and the Elbe. It was named Hamma Burg, where the "burg" means "fort." |