Where to Stay in Hamburg: Our Top Hotel Recommendations

The Best Neighborhoods to Stay in Hamburg on a Map

Hamburg, with just under 1.8 million residents, is the second-largest city in Germany. Despite its size, it’s really easy to get around — the subway connects you well to most parts of the city.

That said, some neighborhoods are simply better suited for a Hamburg stay than others. It really comes down to what you want to do while you’re there.

We’ve divided this hotel guide into four sections so you can find the perfect place to stay in Hamburg for every occasion and every budget. We’ve personally selected all the hotels so they meet our own standards.

Extra tip: When visiting Hamburg for a city trip, most people look for a hotel as centrally located as possible. You can find more options in our article on boutique hotels in Hamburg. However, if you value a quiet location away from the tourist crowds or are looking for a more upscale hotel, the area around the Außenalster is worth considering. You’ll find plenty of those in our article on luxury hotels in Hamburg (which is why we’ve left that neighborhood out here).

Classic: Hotels in Hamburg’s City Center

Hamburg’s city center is a great choice for accommodation if you’re visiting Hamburg for the first time and want short distances to Hamburg’s top attractions.

The city center includes the area around the Binnenalster, where some of the best and most expensive hotels in the city are located. Among other options, you can stay at the famous Atlantic Hotel. With a bit of luck, you might even run into Udo Lindenberg there — he’s been living at the Atlantic for nearly 25 years.

The area around the main train station, as well as the shopping streets near Mönckebergstraße and Gänsemarkt, also belong to Hamburg’s city center.

Advantages of a hotel in Hamburg’s city center:

• Many attractions are within walking distance
• Excellent transit connections, as all subway lines run through the city center
• Plenty of shopping options
• Some of the most famous hotels in the city are located here

Disadvantages of a hotel in Hamburg’s city center:

• Room prices are higher than in other districts
• The city center doesn’t have much going on in the evenings

Our Hotel Recommendations in Hamburg’s City Center

Staying in the city center isn’t cheap. You’ll rarely find anything under 100 euros per night, at least not hotels with a private bathroom. In the mid-range category and especially at the upper end, though, you’ll have a really wide selection right in the center.

We especially recommend the Henri Hotel. Its location right in the heart of things is perfect for sightseeing, and there are plenty of transit stations nearby. There’s also a small spa area where you can unwind in the evenings.

Modern and Stylish: Hotels in the HafenCity

The HafenCity is a completely new neighborhood that was only officially established in 2008.

The area is considered the largest urban development project in Europe. Fans of modern architecture will be thoroughly impressed — the world’s most renowned architects really got to let their creativity run wild here.

In recent years, a number of brand-new hotels have opened in the area, standing out in particular for their modern and stylish design.

The HafenCity also borders directly on the city center, the Speicherstadt, and the Port of Hamburg. This means many top highlights are just moments away. If you want to take a harbor cruise in Hamburg, you can easily walk to the departure points from your hotel.

Advantages of a hotel in the HafenCity:

• Many new and modern hotels
• The Elbphilharmonie, Speicherstadt, and harbor are within walking distance

Disadvantages of a hotel in the HafenCity:

• Since everything is still quite new, some corners lack charm and character
• Very limited selection of hotels

Our Hotel Recommendations in the HafenCity

So far, there are barely more than a handful of hotels in the HafenCity. The ones that do exist, however, are consistently excellent.

Our personal pick is the 25hours Hotel. The 25hours hotels win us over with their individual design, tailored to each city, and the HafenCity location looks fantastic. We also recommend it if you’re traveling to Hamburg with kids. It’s not a proper family hotel, but kids will love the quirky designs.

A truly special place to stay is the Westin Hamburg. It occupies probably the most extraordinary spot in the city: inside the Elbphilharmonie building, with a fantastic view over the Port of Hamburg and the Elbe. You can also walk to Miniatur Wunderland in just five minutes.

For Night Owls: Hotels in St. Pauli

If you want to dive headfirst into Hamburg’s nightlife, there’s really only one answer for where to stay in Hamburg: St. Pauli.

The Kiez has a very large selection of hotels, and the overall price level here is lower than in the HafenCity or the city center. If you’re watching your budget closely, St. Pauli also offers a great selection of hostels.

The most well-known nearby attractions are of course the Reeperbahn and the Old Elbe Tunnel.

Advantages of a hotel in St. Pauli:

• There are many hotels across all price ranges
• There’s always something happening in the area — you definitely won’t get bored here in the evenings
• Good transit connections

Disadvantages of a hotel in St. Pauli:

• It can get quite noisy at times
• The city center is not within walking distance

Our Hotel Recommendations in St. Pauli

In St. Pauli you’ll find some of the most individual and characterful hotels in all of Hamburg. We highly recommend the Chez Ronny. It could well be the lodging in Hamburg with the most eccentric design — the complete opposite of large hotel chains.

By the way, you’ll find the bar with the best view in the city at the Empire Riverside Hotel. Access to the 20up Bar often comes with long wait times — but not for hotel guests. The Empire Riverside is one of the more upscale options in St. Pauli.

Extra: Hotels for a Musical Visit

Hamburg is the musical capital of Germany. Planning to catch a show while you’re in town?

This section has everything you need to find the best Hamburg neighborhood to stay in during your musical visit.

Stage Theater im Hamburger Hafen: The Lion King

The musical The Lion King is performed at the Stage Theater im Hamburger Hafen. The harbor ferry takes you from the Landungsbrücken directly to the theater in just a few minutes. Seriously, it’s a very cool venue for a musical!

The musical Tina Turner is performed at the Stage Operettenhaus on Spielbudenplatz on the opposite side of the Elbe. Here you’re in the heart of St. Pauli (also near the Landungsbrücken).

One affordable yet super stylish option is the Hotel Stella Maris. It’s located right at the Landungsbrücken, so after the show you’ll be back at the hotel in just a few minutes.

For a slightly more upscale stay, we recommend the design hotel Empire Riverside, which we already mentioned in the St. Pauli section. It’s also located right at the Port of Hamburg.

Theater Neue Flora in Altona

The Neue Flora musical theater is located in the Altona-Nord neighborhood.

Right next to the theater is the Boston Hotel. The rooms are modern, and our personal highlight is the crackling fireplace in the lounge on cold winter days.

Otherwise there are hardly any hotels in the immediate vicinity, but most places to stay in the St. Pauli neighborhood are still reachable on foot. One affordable option is the Superbude Hostel, which already appears in our St. Pauli recommendations. You can reach the Neue Flora in ten minutes on foot.