Northern Hamburg

Northern Hamburg includes the lake of Aussenalster, the city's airport and a lot of greenery in-between.

Get in

If you are arriving in Hamburg by plane, you'll most likely land at Fuhlsbüttel Airport, some 8 km north of downtown Hamburg. The airport is connected to Hamburg's urban rail network by the S1 line.

Several S- and U-bahn lines go up to northern Hamburg, although the southern part of the area this guide comprises are accessible by foot from central Hamburg and St. Georg. The AKN railway connects the northwestern parts of the city directly to Altona.

See

Elephant feeding in the Hagenbeck Zoo

• 1 Hamburg Stadtpark. Has a pretty good Planetarium situated in an old water tower in the middle of the park. (updated Mar 2015)
• 2 Alsterpark. Inaugurated in 1952. The part west of the Alster is called Alstervorland, the one east Alterpark. (updated Mar 2015)
• 3 Eimsbüttler Park. Also known as "Weiher", this former forest and current park has survived both world wars and still offers green pastures rround the Weiher lake together with a playground, swimmingpool and a café. (updated Jun 2019)
• 4 Tierpark Hagenbeck, Lokstedter Grenzstraße 2 (U2 to stop "Hagenbecks Tierpark"), ☏ +49 40 5300330, info@hagenbeck.de. Daily 09:00-18:00. Hamburg's Zoo. The collection began in 1863 with animals that belonged to Carl Hagenbeck Sr. (1810–1887), a fishmonger who became an amateur animal collector. The park itself was founded by Carl Hagenbeck Jr. in 1907. It is known for being the first zoo to use open enclosures surrounded by moats, rather than barred cages, to better approximate animals' natural environments. Adults: €20, children 4–16 years: €15, family: €60-70, with Tropen-Aquarium: €30, children: €21, family: €85-98. (updated Jul 2017)
• 5 Friedhof Ohlsdorf (Ohlsdorf Cemetery). One of the world's biggest graveyards. (updated Mar 2015)
• 6 Imam-Ali-Mosque. Biggest of all mosques in Hamburg. Centre of the religious and cultural life of the huge Iranian community. The Imams of Hamburg happen to have played important roles in Iran's religious and political everyday life since their installation in the 1950s. (updated Mar 2015)

• 7 Museum für Völkerkunde (Museum of Ethnology), Rothenbaumchaussee 64. (updated Mar 2015)

Eppendorf

8 Eppendorf is the oldest "Dorf" (town) of Hamburg. In Eppendorf you will find a lot of well cared-for 19th-century houses making the quarter an eye-catcher.

As a good alternative to the city centre you will find in Eppendorf a nice collection of shops - a lot of them very individual. Focus is on clothes and shoes.

Do

The Ernst Deutsch Theater

• 1 Alster Cruise. The obvious thing to do is to take a ride around the Alster on one of the leisure boats and enjoy the greenery and elegant buildings around it. (updated Jun 2017)
• 2 Ernst-Deutsch-Theater. The Ernst-Deutsch-Theater has been an established part of the Hamburg theatre scene since 1951. Today, it is the largest privately operated playhouse in Germany. (updated Mar 2015)
• 3 The English Theatre of Hamburg. The English Theatre of Hamburg performs from September through June, giving eight performances per week.  
• 4 The Hamburg Players, ☏ +49 40 713 13 99. Hamburg's oldest English-language theatre group giving three shows a year at the Theater in der Marschnerstraße.  

Buy

Northern Hamburg does not provide the shopping opportunities that the city centre or St. Pauli do. Corner shops provide all the necessities with a few regular specialty shops in between, and there are some suburban shopping centres, designed for car-driving customers, such as the 1 Nedderfeld Center.

• 2 Isemarkt. Every Tuesday and Friday 08:00-14:00. Europe's longest open market, under the U3 subway driveway between Hoheluftbrücke and Eppendorfer Baum between the two lanes of the Isestraße. (updated Jun 2019)

Eat

Budget

• 1 Der Etrusker, Grindelhof 45 (Hallerstraße (U1)), ☏ +49 40 4101305. Sailt 12:00 - 00:00. Small and quite crowded Italian restaurant in the "Grindel" district near the university. Excellent Italian classics (pizza, pasta, etc.) for reasonable money. A lot of Italian restaurants as alternative to the left and right if you don't get a table. For dinner: make sure your are early (before 7pm) or make a reservation (only by phone). 
• 2 La Monella, Hallerplatz 12 (Hallerstraße (U1)), ☏ +49 40 - 45 61 62. M-F 12:00-15:00 & 18:00-23:00, Sa 18:00-23:00. Hamburg's first vegetarian Italian restaurant. Small menu with Italian standards. Daily menu with dishes made of regional ingredients. Good place for a very delicious vegetarian lunch on a budget. Dinner slightly overpriced. 

Mid-range

• 3 Alster Cliff, Fährdamm 13 (On the west side of the Außen-Alster), ☏ +49 40 442719. Nice place to stop for coffee and cake or a meal with a good view on the Alster lake. Lunch food (salad, pizza, pasta) are of average quality and above average price. 
• 4 La Mirabelle, Bundesstraße 15. French cuisine, fresh four or five course meal, changing daily, including wine at approximately €55. (updated Mar 2015)
• 5 Restaurant Kalliopea, Neue Wöhr 14 (close to S1 station Neue Wöhr), ☏ +49 40 6310596, fax: +49 40 18055240, Kalliopea@web.de. Traditional Greek food. Mains ~€15. (updated Mar 2015)

Drink

Light art in the district of Winterhude

• 1 ZaZa-Bar, Mühlenkamp 10 (Winterhude district), ☏ +40 40 27880135. Small bar in a trendy neighbourhood that serves good drinks and has an interesting crowd of customers: some shoppers that celebrate their latest fashions, office workers that cool down, night owls that warm up, and quite few people who live in the area and just drop in for a drink. Has chairs outside. Happy Hour from 5PM-9PM and all night on Mondays. (updated Mar 2015)
• 2 Logo, Grindelallee 5. Concert location. (updated Mar 2015)
• 3 Down Under, Rindellallee 1, ☏ +49 40 457017. Australian-themed bar with lots of cocktails (€5-10), burgers (chicken burger €6, beef burger €8, ostrich burger €9.50), chicken wings (also all you can eat on Tuesdays). (updated Mar 2015)

Sleep

Budget

Camping

• 1 Camping Buchholz, Kieler Straße 374 (Stellingen), ☏ +49 40 5404532. All year round. (updated Mar 2015)
• 2 Knaus Campingpark (formerly known as Campingplatz Schnelsen-Nord), Wunderbrunnen 2, ☏ +49 4075594225. From April to October. (updated Mar 2015)

Mid-range

• 3 Courtyard Hamburg Airport, Flughafenstraße 47, ☏ +49 40 5310 20. The traditional country manor-style Courtyard close to the airport. 
• 4 Lindner Park Hotel Hagenbeck, Hagenbeckstr. 150. A 4-star hotel less than 3 km from the Hamburger Sportveiren. A comfortable hotel, convenient for football fans, featuring a fitness room and sauna. (updated Mar 2015)
• 5 Dorint Hotel Hamburg Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 72, 20251 Hamburg, ☏ +49 40 570150-0, info.hamburg@dorint.com. The hotel offers 195 rooms including 14 suites and has direct connection to the adjoining university hospital. from €129 per room/night. (updated Sep 2017)

Splurge

• 6 Grand Elysee, Rothenbaumchaussee 10. Despite not being affiliated with any of the American hotel chains, Hamburg's largest hotel of over 500 rooms tries to emulate the 1990s American idea of a luxury hotel. The hotel serves a large on-site conference centre and features extensive spa and wellness facilities. (updated Mar 2015)

• 7 The Fontenay, Fontenay 10, ☏ +49 40 60 56 60 50, fax: +49 40 60 56 60 58 88, info@thefontenay.de, concierge@thefontenay.deMULTIPLE-EMAIL. Upscale hotel opened in 2018. 

Cope

• 1 Fitness Studio City Nord, Überseering 5-15, ☏ +49 40 632 33 66. M W F 07:30-22:00, Tu Th 10:00-22:00, Sa Su 09:00-19:00. One of the oldest fitness centres in Hamburg (in business since 1986). Price for one day: €15. (updated Oct 2019)