Cruise port of Hamburg: description. Cruise tourism

The city of Hamburg many tourists consider a seaport. This statement is partly true, because its port is visited by large cruise liners. However, in a strictly geographic sense, Hamburg lies a hundred and ten kilometers from the sea coast. The city stretches along the two banks of the great waterway of Germany - Elbe, in the place where the rivers of Bill and Alster flow into it. Nevertheless, the mouth of this river is so deep and wide that in this case it is possible to talk about the estuary. Therefore, from the North Sea along the Elbe, oceanic vessels, both cargo and passenger, reach Hamburg unhindered. Therefore, its port plays a huge role in the life of the city. One can even say more: Hamburg would never have reached its heyday, had it not developed trade transport by water. That's why the modern port covers an area of seventy-five square kilometers. And this is the tenth part of the city. Therefore, the Hamburg port can not be ignored. Especially if your cruise ship has got there on the pier. What to see in the port of Hamburg? This article will be devoted to this article.

What is the probability that our ship will swim to Hamburg

Cruise tourism is becoming increasingly popular. This is an opportunity to see several countries in one fell swoop, without suffering with formalities when crossing the border. At the same time, you can spend time in comfortable conditions of floating resorts (this is how you can characterize modern cruise liners). Such sea voyages can be different in the length of time and route. There are cruises within the boundaries of one water area, two or three seas. And there are round-the-world voyages or sea voyages along the coasts of Europe. As for tourists from Russia, many cruises leave St. Petersburg. And, if their route is not limited to one Baltic, the ships go to the North Sea. On the map, it starts right after the Danish archipelago and extends to the shores of the British Isles and the English Channel. Thus, the coast of Germany is washed by two seas - the Baltic (in the east) and the North (in the west). Hamburg is the largest port of the country. It is even called "Gateway to the World". Most cruises in the North Sea include in their route a call into this huge port.

The city and its harbor. A bit of history

The city and port of Hamburg on the map of Europe is located on the south-west side of the Danish archipelago. The first settlement here was formed in the fourth century AD. But it did not have much political and economic significance, was constantly attacked by the Normans, Danes and Western Slavs. The impulse to the development of the city was given by the port. In the Middle Ages, the roads were too bad, and wherever possible, the transportation of goods was carried out by water. Here it turned out that the wide and deep mouth of the Elbe gives Hamburg great opportunities. The heyday of the city began when the Emperor Barbarossa granted his inhabitants the right to collect duties from goods passing by. This event - May 7, 1189 - is called the birthday of the port.

The Hanseatic Free State City

The inhabitants of Hamburg lived and grew rich not only from tolls. In the city began to develop crafts and, most importantly, trade. But the port played a key role here. Hamburg became one of the first cities in the Middle Ages to enter the Hanseatic League, the first trade zone in the history of Northern Europe. Religious authorities in the person of local bishops repeatedly made attempts to attack the freedoms of burghers. But the people always defended them. Therefore, the motto of Hamburg is the phrase: "Let descendants adequately store the freedoms that their ancestors achieved for them." An important point of the Hanseatic League, the city was famous as a trading port, where people bought and sold metal, wood, spices, herring, furs, grain and fabrics. In the early 16th century, Hamburg added to its title the status of Freie Reichsstadt. This meant that the city becomes free from the power of the emperor and gets full self-government. This circumstance, coupled with the opening of sea routes to America and Asia, served as a real powerful impetus for the development of Hamburg.

Modern city-port

The significance of this settlement has not become less with the formation of the European Union. Hamburg is a city-state, which, along with fifteen other federal states, is part of the FRG. In Germany, it is second only to Berlin, and in the European Union it ranks seventh. By the number of inhabitants (one million and eight hundred thousand people), Hamburg is the most inhabited non-capital city in the European Union. The city's port has also not lost its key importance. It is the third largest in the European Union, behind only Rotterdam and Antwerp. Here you can download a wide variety of products, from computer equipment and coal to coffee and spices. And in the Port of Hamburg there is the largest warehouse for storing carpets. There are more than three hundred berths here, and if you calculate the total length of the piers, you will get an impressive figure of forty-six kilometers! Hamburg is known not only as a trade, but also as a cruise port. Every year from this harbor seven thousand passenger flights depart to various corners of our planet.

Amazing city of Hamburg

"Gateway to the World" - this is what the Germans call this metropolis. And tourist guides to Germany call the city on the Elbe only as "Northern Venice". Yes, it's Hamburg, not St. Petersburg, that deserves this title. There are 2,400 bridges and bridges here, more than in Venice itself. This is because, in addition to the three main rivers, the city's territory is pierced by many channels. Hamburg is a very green place. And in the parks you will find not only the local vegetation, but also the tropical flora, which the Germans somehow manage to grow outdoors in the northern latitudes. Hamburg is considered the most green city in Germany. The demands of local authorities for the type of houses are severe. In the city there are simply no buildings above ten floors. And on the shore of the Alster lake all the houses must certainly be painted white and have a red tiled roof. The Elbe River (Germany) and its tributaries add to the city of charm.

How to get to the port

The city bloomed due to the transportation of goods by water. Therefore, its beating heart is the port. But do not think that it represents boring docks, warehouses, working cranes and floating platforms. The Port of Hamburg, whose address is St. Pauli Fishmarkt, 27 (St. Paul's Fish Market), itself is one of the city's main attractions. Therefore, it must be visited. How to get there? If you arrived in Hamburg not on board a cruise ship, the best way to get to the port will be the metro. The stations of the local subway are also a tourist attraction. There pass light shows to the music of famous composers. A branch from the main railway station leads to the port. The metro station where you need to go is called "Hafen City". The name itself - Port City - indicates the size of the harbor of Hamburg.

Sightseeing tour of the port

Even if you arrived in North Venice aboard a cruise liner and used to look at the water from the height of the seventh deck, you should ride along the harbor with a breeze. Such excursions, lasting three hours, cost one hundred and twenty euros. But, in addition to tourist boats, the surface of the harbor is also plowed by ordinary marine trams. Such trips are covered by the ordinary ticket of the city public transport. On these ships there is an open and covered deck, a mini-bar, a toilet. Therefore, you can significantly reduce the cost of your own individual journey through the port. These trams are scurrying in different directions. After all, the port occupies the area of a small city. A simple trip brings a lot of fun. Everywhere the port activity is boiling: cranes are working, pilot ships are leading ships to berths, sirens are buzzing. It is especially exciting to swim on a tram-crumb near the side of a huge cruise liner, with a height of a skyscraper and the length of the airport.

Interesting places

We have already said that the seaport of Hamburg located on the river is a landmark. And this is not only because trading activity is boiling here and loading and unloading of goods is constantly being conducted. The port performs not only its direct function. This is really the heart of the city. Here are concentrated museums, shopping centers, galleries, representative offices of famous companies. Like every city, the port is divided into quarters. For tourists, the most interesting is the area Zandtorhafen. There lined the piers ancient ships. Pleasant shopping awaits you in the Office District. There, on the Daichstraße street, the drains of famous companies were concentrated. You can relax after exploring the port on the terraces of Marco Polo or Vasco da Gama square. See the cruise ships, handsome men from above, if you climb over the harbor on the balloon. There is also a sacral structure in the port. A highlight is that this church is floating. It is installed on an old hundred-year-old ship. The people of Hamburg like to spend weddings there and baptize children. And tourists just look there from idle interest.

What else to do in the city

Despite the fact that the main activity center is the port, Hamburg can surprise the traveler with other sights. These include the Alster artificial lake, the Fish Market in the suburb of Altona, the beautiful quarter of Blankenese, built up by villas, the town hall, the church of St. Michael and Nikolai from the World of Lycia. If you come to Hamburg with a child, be sure to visit the city zoo of Hagenbeck. It is known for the fact that it was the first time in Germany to use open cages where the conditions are as close as possible to the habitat of animals. There are many museums and art galleries in the city. Hamburg's life does not cease after sunset. There is a street bar bars, and many more nightclubs.

When is the best time to come to Hamburg

The city is always glad to guests. A mild climate with warm winter and cool summer allows tourists to feel comfortable all year round. The port of Hamburg is also always open to ships, as Elbe does not freeze. In cruise tourism the North Sea has its own low seasons, but Hamburg is constantly buzzing with life. Three times a year - in winter, spring and summer - the city hosts the largest fair in Northern Germany - the festival. This "Hamburger-Dom" lasts, no less, a whole month. The fair opens with a giant parade. A tray, beer restaurants and other located on the territory of more than three kilometers square. Above all this bubbling fun rises a giant Ferris wheel, which is definitely worth a ride.

Hamburg as a tourist center

Tour operators have developed a variety of cruises in the North Sea. A lot of routes are laid on the map of this water area. And almost always cruise ships go to the port of Hamburg, although for this they need to swim for a hundred and ten kilometers deep into the mainland along the Elbe River. In this city there is also an international airport, railway stations, bus stations. And the concentration of attractions makes Hamburg a popular tourist destination.

Sea trips: what's the charm?

To see Denmark, Norway, Germany, Great Britain in one fell swoop, to stand on the dock in Dover and to call in romantic Paris - this opportunity gives travelers modern cruises. Prices for them depend on the duration of the voyage, route, type of ship and cabin. The shortest cruises on the North Sea last five days. But it is possible to furrow the waves and two weeks. The North Sea can also be viewed as part of a larger journey, for example, the transatlantic, or around the shores of Europe. There is an opportunity to go on a cruise on a huge cruise liner, ferry or sailboat.

North Sea: cruises, prices

We have already said that you can come to Hamburg aboard a huge ship from St. Petersburg. But a lot more cruises depart from the port of this city. And you can get to Hamburg by air. Where to go from this port city? Very popular routes for the natural beauty of the North. They suggest sailing along the British coast with a visit to the fjords of Norway. No less demand for cruises in the cities of Northern Europe. Ships arrive in Amsterdam, Southampton, Cork, Dublin, Le Havre (with an excursion to Paris), Newcastle, Invergordon, Queensferry and other equally interesting and rich in tourist attractions ports. The cost of such cruises starts from 700 euros for seven nights in the economy class cabin, but you can find a tour for 550 Є. Standard sea voyage from Hamburg for ten days will cost the traveler in 1000, and even 1400 Є.