Hamburg flights and travel guide

Hamburg is Germany’s second biggest city and a melting pot for international students. With nine institutions and more than 70,000 students, cheap flights to Hamburg are filled with eager learners waiting to leave their mark on Germany. A vacation in Hamburg might be filled with students, but it’s also primed with history and culture.

Lined with parks, canals and modern buildings, Hamburg provides the perfect meeting place for Germany travelers. A couple of days in Hamburg and you’ll rediscover Germany at its finest– classic, simple and always entertaining. Take a stroll through one of Hamburg’s 1,400 parks and gardens or mingle with the locals at one of Hamburg’s late-night cafes. You might be surprised to learn that Hamburg is one of the greenest cities in Europe – in fact, Hamburg residents and visitors are some of the most committed to eco-friendly living.

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Hamburg climate

Hamburg is an ideal destination for travelers who don't mind a bit of precipitation: With winds blowing westward from the North Sea, a few rain clouds hover over Hamburg in the summer and ice storms hit the city in winter. Though temperatures remain cool courtesy of the wet weather, spring time in Hamburg is a delight for visitors who flock to the city's parks to see the lush greenery and blooming flora. The fullest flights to Hamburg arrive towards the end of spring and throughout the summer, when rain is less frequent and northern Germany basks in the sun.

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Best Time to Fly to Hamburg

You may need an umbrella regardless of what time of year you book your flight to Hamburg.

Peak Season:

Hamburg flights tend to fill up quick in the sunnier seasons of spring and summer with visitors who would rather leave their rain gear at home. Though high tourist season lasts from May through mid-October, a slew of festivals scheduled especially between the months of May and August make for Hamburg's busiest time of year.

Off-Peak Season:

Though winter temperatures can drop to a frigid 28 degrees F, January, February and March are the best times to find cheap flights to Hamburg. The cold and common snow storms make for great ice skating in the city parks and along the banks of the Elbe River, and hotel rates are lower in the winter months.

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Getting around Hamburg

From Hamburg’s airport you can hop on the S-Bahn (local train) to Central Station (Hauptbahnhof), which runs every 10 minutes. Hamburg Bus Lines take visitors downtown and to the suburbs. A taxi will take around 30 minutes to get you downtown. Trains, subways, harbor ferries and buses can take you around central Hamburg easily. To get around downtown, take the U-Bahn (subway). Take the S-Bahn (trains) to get out to the suburbs. The two services are connected. Buy bus tickets at Automats and railway ticket counters, and you’ll get a great view of the city in return. For unlimited travel, as well as discounted admission to Hamburg attractions, purchase a Hamburg Card. It’s fairly easy to drive in Hamburg, but rush hour can slow your travel and parking is expensive. Taxis can be found almost anywhere.

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Hamburg Travel Information

• Hamburg is the richest city in Germany, and the wealth of this wonderful port town sets high standards when it comes to designer duds and fancy furniture. If you saved a hefty chunk of change when you booked your cheap flight to Hamburg, satisfy your urge to splurge by browsing through the boutiques on Jungfernstieg, Mönckebergstrasse, Spitalerstrasse and along Neuer Wall before your return Hamburg flight.
• The most recognizable facets of the city skyline are the spires of the many baroque and gothic churches that have history buffs and architecture enthusiasts booking flights to Hamburg by the dozen. The foundations for some of these churches date back to the 12th century, though many of them have been rebuilt since fires and World War II-related catastrophes have wreaked havoc on their walls. Be sure to stop by St. Katharenin, St. Petri, and especially St. Michaelis, which is one of the most sought after baroque churches in northern Germany for snap-happy tourists.
• Itching to get your feet wet after your Hamburg flight lands? Head over to one of the two man-made lakes within Hamburg city limits, Aussenalster or Binnenalster. These lakes formed when dams were built to affect the flow of the Alster River, and today Alster acts an urban summer oasis for Hamburg visitors and dwellers alike. Several steam boat tours circle the lakes, and before you leave, be sure to sample an Alsterwasser, a beer and lemonade concoction that’s particularly popular in the summertime on the Alster shores.
• Hamburg hosts its share of internationally renowned fine art collections and museums stocked to the brim with artifacts, but it's the quirkier, smaller museums that set second largest German city apart from other major European destinations. If you're looking to collect some bizarre, one-of-a-kind souvenirs for your friends before your Hamburg flight home, Harry's Hamburger Hafenbasar in the St. Pauli district is not to be missed. The travels of Harry Rosenberg, a native Hamburger, amassed this museum/shop packed with eccentric mementos from around the world. You may not necessarily be in the market for a Tahitian shrunken head or small Buddha statues from Thailand, but the shop is definitely one of a kind and worth checking out.
• A stroll through Reeperbahn is not a jaunt for prudes, that's for sure: A walk through the red light district of Hamburg between midnight and dawn is the best way to get a sense of the rowdy nature of the area, with men and women strutting their stuff into the wee hours of the morning. The bars and theaters that  set up shop in the neighborhood are some of the most vibrant, popular nightspots in the city, so Reeperbahn is a great place to start your first night out after your flight to Hamburg lands.

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Hamburg airports

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