★ No Red Herring
If you're looking for a true Hamburg delicacy, you can't go more local than the Fischbrötchen, a classic sandwich piled with herring (think Bismarck or matjes), onions, pickles, and a sauce (think remoulade or horseradish). You'll find versions at Brücke 10, Kleine Haie Große Fische, with Goedekens Kombüse being voted the best fish sandwich multiple years. If you're looking for a twist on the dish, Underdocks is known locally for reinventing the original staple.

★ Green Light
For a taste of Hamburg's famous nightlife, many visitors head to the Reeperbahn in the St. Pauli district. Known historically as the city's entertainment mile, it's where The Beatles played some of their earliest European gigs in the 1960s and where you can now find a lively mix of music venues, theaters, cabarets, and bars. The annual Reeperbahn Festival draws music industry professionals from around the world, turning the area into a buzzing hub of live performances. While the area also has a red-light reputation, most visitors come for the vibrant cultural scene, making it a memorable stop for those looking to unwind after a long day of meetings.

★ Fab Four
Speaking of The Beatles, many say that Hamburg helped the band get their start since many “unknowns” could get steady work there. The band played more than 250 nights across clubs that include the Indra Musikclub, Kaiserkeller, Top Ten, and Star-Club. The Indra and Kaiserkeller continue to host live music, and the former Top Ten Club space now operates as Molotow, though it has changed names many times. Star-Club was lost to a fire, but a small commemorative plaque remains to mark its contribution to music history. If you don't have time to catch a show and are a Beatles fan, however, you can visit Beatles-Platz (translation: Beatles Square), at the crossroads of Reeperbahn and Große Freiheit.

★ Where's the Warehouse?
Built between 1883 and 1927, Hamburg's Speicherstadt, constructed on a timber-pile foundation, is the world's largest warehouse complex. The name Speicherstadt translates to “City of Warehouses,” a nod to its role as a bustling free port for goods like tea, coffee, and spices. Today, its Neo-Gothic red brick buildings are a huge tourist draw that houses attractions such as Miniatur Wunderland, the Guinness World Record holder for the largest model railway system in the world, and the Deutsches Zollmuseum (German Customs Museum), which chronicles the history of the goods, traders, and travelers that once flowed through this district.

RANDOM FUN FACT:

Hamburg has 2,500 bridges, the most of any city in the world. It even beats Amsterdam and Venice.