Welcome to Hamburg, the city of culture

When it comes to culture, Hamburg certainly caters for all tastes! With everything from theatres, museums, exhibitions, live music and a lively club scene to a UNESCO World Heritage Site and exciting adventure attractions right through to the jewel in Hamburg’s crown – the Elbphilharmonie, this city of culture won’t disappoint! Why not start with a virtual visit to get all the inspiration you could possibly need for your next visit?

© Mediaserver Hamburg / gem. Nutzungsbedingungen des HMG-Mediaserverslicensed for Hamburg Marketing GmbH

Culture in English Cultural highlights for our international guests

Our international guests can fully embrace Hamburg's cultural diversity. From theatre and classical music to museums and exhibitions, our cultural institutions offer a wide range of activities in English.

Cultural highlights for our international guests
© Hamburger Kunsthalle / Foto: Kay Riechers

Artistic highlights Art & Exhibitions

A visit to one of Hamburg’s museums involves rare old pieces on display in our magnificent buildings, but you’ll also find a number of smaller, owner-operated galleries, as well as contemporary art, pop up installations, street art and collections…

Art & Exhibitions
© Yvonne Schmedemann Fotografie

Six renowned art galleries - one ticket The art mile in Hamburg

Along the 1.5 km of the Hamburg Art Mile between Ferdinandstor and Deichtorstraße are state museums, exhibition institutes and private galleries with over 30,000 m2 of exhibition space. Art and culture from antiquity to provocative contemporary art…

The art mile in Hamburg
© ThisIsJulia Photography

Speicherstadt & Kontorhausviertel UNESCO World Heritage

In 2015, the "Speicherstadt and Kontorhausviertel with Chilehaus" ensemble was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. This makes it one of the world's 1200 "masterpieces of human creativity of universal value".

UNESCO World Heritage
© ThisIsJulia Photography

The English Theatre of Hamburg

The English Theatre in Hamburg shows dramas, thrillers and comedies exclusively with British actors from London.

The English Theatre of Hamburg

DISCOVER NOW So much to discover and experience in this culture-rich city

Whether it’s through art, music or the theatre, Hamburg and culture go hand in hand. Discover the unique maritime flair of the Speicherstadt, listen to any genre of music performed live or marvel at some of the many fascinating public art displays. With such a diverse cultural scene and variety of events on offer, Hamburg truly has it all!

© Mediaserver Hamburg / Jung von Matt

Hamburg's landmark on the Waterfront Elbphilharmonie

In building the Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg certainly put itself on the map! Our concert hall, with its impressive glass wave architecture and interior…

Elbphilharmonie
© Hamburg Tourismus GmbH / www.ralfbrunner.eu

Brick, Canal, Bridge & Road Maritime Culture & UNESCO

Red brick, canals, bridges and alleyways – the complex of warehouses, built from the end of the 19th century near the Port of Hamburg, is so extensive…

Maritime Culture & UNESCO
© Stefan Malzkorn

Great freedom for music Concerts & Live Music

From classical music to electro festivals, from music history to a thriving live music scene and vibrant nightlife… Hamburg’s got it all!

Concerts & Live Music
© Daniel Bockwoldt

The right frame for any exhibition Exhibition Houses

Not everything that can be seen in Hamburg comes from museums: the exhibition houses make sure that every exhibition gets the right setting.

Exhibition Houses
© Manuel Harlan

Great productions Theater & Stage Arts

In addition to famous theaters, the stage landscape offers a state opera, raunchy cabaret, impressive dance performances, open-air shows and plays…

Theater & Stage Arts
© Stage Entertainment

An evening full of emotions Musicals & Shows

Experience the musical capital of Hamburg! Whether it's Disney's long-running success THE KING OF THE LIONS, moving musicals such as & JULIA - The…

Musicals & Shows
© Tierpark Hagenbeck

Must Sees, Activity, Mysterious Places Hamburg Adventures

Hamburg, Germany’s very own maritime metropolis, offers its visitors a fantastic stay, featuring some of the most famous, most exciting and craziest…

Hamburg Adventures
© ThisIsJulia Photography

Clubbing, live gigs and theatres Cultural and creative districts

With their various cultural offers, Hamburg's city districts offer their guests entertainment for every taste.

Cultural and creative districts

Hamburg - City of culture with a diverse cultural landscape

Whether theatres, museums, musicals or other exciting worlds of experience, let yourself be enchanted in the cultural city of Hamburg. Three young actors from the play "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" magically discover the places of cultural diversity in Hamburg. On their tour, the "Wanderer über dem Nebelmeer" (a prominent painting by German artist Caspar David Friedrich) serves as the magical driver of all the action.

© Kulturstadt Hamburg

DISCOVER NOW Current cultural events

© SHMH

Altona - Theresienstadt. Die Lebenswege von Leon Daniel Cohen und Käthe Starke-Goldschmidt
  • Exhibition

  • 21.12.2024
  • 10:00
  • Altonaer Museum
© J Konrad Schmidt

Symphoniker Hamburg / Adrian Iliescu
  • Classical Music

  • 25.12.2024
  • 18:00
  • Laeiszhalle (Großer Saal)
© Luisa Rönnebeck

Kammersolisten Berlin
  • Classical Music

  • 25.12.2024
  • 20:00
  • Laeiszhalle (Kleiner Saal)
© Viktor Johanson

SaitenWind Trio
  • Classical Music

  • 27.12.2024
  • 19:00
  • Laeiszhalle (Kleiner Saal)
© Panoptikum

Panoptikum - Wax Museum

  • 21.12.2024
  • 10:00
  • Panoptikum
© Invite: In and Out of Place. Land after Information 1992 – 2024 Image: Emmanuel Van der Auwera, VideoSculpture XXX (The Gospel), 2024 Courtesy the artist, Harlan Levey Projects and Centre d’Art Contemporain Genève-Biennale de l’Image en Mouvement 2024

Public Tour
  • Guided Tour

  • 26.12.2024
  • 17:00
  • Kunstverein in Hamburg
© Arne Jeran

The Nutcracker
  • Classical Music

  • 22.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Laeiszhalle (Kleiner Saal)
© Fred Dott

25
  • Exhibition

  • 21.12.2024
  • 14:00
  • Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof
© SHMH, Sinje Hasheider

Jenisch Haus
  • Permanent Exhibition

  • 21.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Jenisch Haus
© Igor Trepeshchenok

Nutcracker and Mouse King
  • Classical Music

  • 21.12.2024
  • 14:00
  • Elbphilharmonie (Kleiner Saal)
© Julia Melzner

‘Climate of the future’ - a clear edge from culture, science and business

  • 21.12.2024
  • 05:30
  • Schauraum der Wendland.Elbe Region
© Janis Romanovskis

Georgijs Osokins / Piano Recital
  • Classical Music

  • 22.12.2024
  • 19:30
  • Elbphilharmonie (Kleiner Saal)
© Heike Baltruweit

City views & city stories - Abstract photographs without Photoshop and AI

  • 21.12.2024
  • 13:00
  • Pure Photography & Galerie für Kunst, Medien und Design
© Photo: private

Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler
  • Guided Tour

  • 22.12.2024
  • 12:00
  • Ernst Barlach Haus
© Claudia Höhne

Händel: Jephtha
  • Classical Music

  • 21.12.2024
  • 20:00
  • Elbphilharmonie (Großer Saal)
© Tigran Mikaelyan

Neue Philharmonie Hamburg
  • Classical Music

  • 25.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Laeiszhalle (Großer Saal)
© Matthew Murphy

Harry Potter und das verwunschene Kind
  • Theatre

  • 21.12.2024
  • 13:00
  • Theater am Großmarkt
© Dana Schuhmacher und Lisa-Maria Mayer

'so in der ART' Kunstausstellung
  • Exhibition

  • 21.12.2024
  • 10:00
  • JUPITER Hamburg
© Lukas Simon

Elks. Elves. Northern Lights.
  • Classical Music

  • 21.12.2024
  • 19:30
  • Elbphilharmonie (Kleiner Saal)
© Stefan Schlieper

Marionettentheater: Der Gestiefelte Kater
  • Theatre

  • 21.12.2024
  • 14:30
  • Jenisch Haus
© Sang Rok Kim

Sukyeon Kim / Piano Recital
  • Classical Music

  • 27.12.2024
  • 19:30
  • Elbphilharmonie (Kleiner Saal)
© MicArt63

Exhibition 8 years popstreet.shop + Campaign ‘Picture instead of firecrackers. Doesn't bang, doesn't stink, lasts longer’

  • 21.12.2024
  • 12:00
  • Galerie popstreet.shop
© Achilles-Stiftung

Stig Persson - Geometry in Perfection
  • Exhibition

  • 21.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Achilles-Stiftung (Glasmuseum)
© Daniela Stelter

Jimmy Cornett and the Deadmen - Expect the Unexpected !! Day 2
  • Rock

  • 21.12.2024
  • 21:00
  • Marias Ballroom
© Gestaltung: Sofarobotnik; © Miguel Chevalier, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2024

Flowers Forever. Flowers in art and culture
  • Exhibition

  • 21.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Bucerius Kunst Forum
© Aelita Musiktheater

Der geheimnisvolle Koffer - Aelita
  • Theatre

  • 21.12.2024
  • 16:00
  • LaLi Kulturhaus Langenhorn
© Mediaserver Hamburg / Christian Ohde

Märchenschiffe - Das Theaterschiff
  • Theatre

  • 21.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Hamburger Märchenschiffe
© Luisa Rönnebeck

Kammersolisten Berlin
  • Classical Music

  • 25.12.2024
  • 16:00
  • Laeiszhalle (Kleiner Saal)
© Hoftheater Ottensen

Weihnachtsmärchen-Hans im Glück
  • Theatre

  • 21.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Hoftheater Ottensen
© Martin Langer

Deutschland um 1980 - Fotografien aus einem fernen Land
  • Exhibition

  • 21.12.2024
  • 10:00
  • Altonaer Museum
© Sascha Funke

Ronny Heinrich and his Orchestra
  • Classical Music

  • 22.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Laeiszhalle (Großer Saal)
© Igor Trepeshchenok

Nutcracker and Mouse King
  • Classical Music

  • 21.12.2024
  • 11:00
  • Elbphilharmonie (Kleiner Saal)

More Hamburg
Experience & Save

Free travel by bus, train & harbour ferries,
up to 50% discount on over 150 activities,
attractions and restaurants.

More Hamburg
Info & Booking
from 11.90

Free travel

Free travel everywhere by bus, train & harbour ferries

Many discounts

Up to 50% discount on over 150 tourist attractions

Buy now

Online, tourist info, hotel or ticket machine

Get your ticket now Tickets for cultural highlights

Hamburg CARD reduced
© ThisIsJulia Photography

Museums & Exhibitions Cultural highlights in Hamburg

  • Varied exhibitions in Hamburg
  • The most beautiful museums
  • Online, fast and secure booking
Museums & Exhibitions
To offer
from 6.00 €*
© rh2010 – stock.adobe.com

Guided city tours Experience Hamburg at first hand

  • Different tours and themes
  • Certified Guides
  • Online, fast and secure booking
Guided city tours
To the offer
from 12.00
Hamburg CARD reduced
© Fred Dott

Kunstmeile: 3-day ticket

  • Historical and modern Art
  • Perfect location between Alster & Elbe
  • Everything reachable by foot
  • Six renowned art institutions
Kunstmeile: 3-day ticket
To offer
from 35.00 €*
© Stage Entertainment

Musicals & Shows Highlights in Hamburg

  • Select desired date and reserve tickets
  • Easy booking of best seats
  • 50€ travel voucher for each booking
Musicals & Shows

A trip to Hamburg: culture at its best!

So many museums, theaters & concerts to choose from

Culture vultures and music lovers alike are sure to get their money's worth on a city trip to Hamburg! Besides being home to a wealth of museums displaying fascinating artefacts and all kinds of art, visitors to this city of culture can expect to see world-famous artists performing live in concert, admire monumental architecture and experience a whole range of exciting, adventurous activities along the way!

Dive right into the Hanseatic city’s nautical past in the Speicherstadt and Kontorhaus District, both of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Hamburg’s tall ships, such as the PEKING and the RICKMER RICKMERS, bring maritime history to life, and what better way to get up close to all the sights the Port of Hamburg has to offer than on a harbour boat tour?

With the Art Mile Pass, you can experience six of Hamburg’s renowned art museums with just one ticket. All of the galleries are conveniently located in the city centre and are within walking distance of each other.

Events held throughout the year, such as the Triennial of Photography, the International Music Festival and the Long Night of Museums make a city break in Hamburg well worth it! What are you waiting for?

No-risk booking, stress-free travel and safe arrival

Are you a culture vulture who can’t wait to start exploring Hamburg? Then why not ask Hamburg Tourism to put together a customised itinerary for your city break? Our travel packages (incl. hotel accommodation) are available for one night, a weekend or even a whole week and include breakfast and a Hamburg CARD. Come and discover all of Hamburg’s cultural delights for yourself! Maybe you’d like to incorporate a true cultural highlight into your visit and take in a show or attend a concert at the Elbphilharmonie – don’t delay, book now!

Don’t feel like looking for a parking space? No problem! With our bestselling package, you can book your cultural city break to Hamburg incl. round trip rail travel and seat reservation, and come to us in comfort and convenience on trains operated by Deutsche Bahn, the German national railway. Let our friendly and experienced service team advise you on the best way to travel to and experience our wonderful city.

So much more culture with the Hamburg CARD

Whether it’s a travel package or a one-off overnight stay – the Hamburg CARD, which saves you up to 50% at over 150 tourist facilities, is part of every holiday in Hamburg. Entry to many of our famous cultural institutions, such as the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the Deichtorhallen or the International Maritime Museum, are included.

Incidentally, only with us can you receive a 10% discount when using your Hamburg CARD to book tickets to musicals. Many playhouses and traditional theatres also offer spontaneous theatre-goers discounts of up to 35% on any remaining tickets they may have left when you present your Hamburg CARD at the box office – perfect for those of you who enjoy a spur-of-the-moment city break.

Plan your adventure holiday now All-round carefree travel offers to the cultural hotspot Hamburg

Concert in Grand Hall
© mediaserver.hamburg.de / DoubleVision

Concerts at the Elbphilharmonie Exclusive travel offers

  • Overnight stay in selected hotels incl. breakfast
  • Concert ticket at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg
  • Hamburg CARD (3 days) – worth € 31.90
Concerts at the Elbphilharmonie
To offer
from 201,60
© Miron Schmückle

Exhibition at the Bucerius Kunst Forum Art and Travel

  • overnight stay in a hotel, with breakfast
  • entrance ticket for the exhibition in the Bucerius Kunst Forum
  • Hamburg CARD (3 Days) – ticket worth 31.90€
Exhibition at the Bucerius Kunst Forum
To offer
from 82.60
© Jens Schlenker

ELBJAZZ - jazz 'n' stay Music Event in Harbour

  • overnight stay in a hotel, with breakfast
  • 2-day ticket to the ELBJAZZ festival (07. & 08.06.2024)
  • Hamburg CARD (3 Days) – ticket worth 31.90€ 
    ELBJAZZ - jazz 'n' stay
    To offer
    from 338.00
    © Escape Filmproduktion

    Hamburg for explorers On water, on land and on foot

    • overnight stay in a Hotel, with breakfast
    • Guided tours by bus, boat and on foot
    • Hamburg CARD (3 Days) – ticket worth 31,90€
    Hamburg for explorers
    To offer
    from 204.10

    DISCOVER NOW Latest tips & recommendations

    © www.mediaserver.hamburg.de / Martin Elsen, luftbild.fotograf.de"

    Experience the history of seafaring Peking

    Back to her home port: After decades of absence, the four-masted barque Peking returns to Hamburg. In the port on the Elbe, the Peking is the fourth…

    Peking
    © HPTP. HP™ WB.

    Play HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

    Extraordinary play in Mehr! Theater am Großmarkt. Experience the magic of HARRY POTTER up close.

    HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD
    © ThisIsJulia Photography

    Everything but ordinary! Exceptional Museums

    Blog

    Unusual museum experiences that you can only make in Hamburg.

    Exceptional Museums
    © ThisIsJulia Photography

    Impressive architecture Architecture

    Exciting contrasts catch the eye of visitors to Hamburg: postmodern glass and steel façades, upper-class villas of past centuries, but also…

    Architecture
    © Pixabay / StockSnap

    Film City Hamburg

    National and international film and television productions are as much a part of Hamburg as the Michel or the harbour.

    Film City Hamburg
    © Abaton

    Cinemas in Hamburg

    Whether you are looking for a little time out with great pictures or want to learn something from the lives of people you would never meet in reality…

    Cinemas in Hamburg

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    © mediaserver.hamburg.de / Cooper Copter

    You should see this Sights in Hamburg

    A short holiday in Hamburg also means sightseeing in Hamburg. Whether the Elbe Philharmonic, Landungsbrücken or Hamburg City Hall - they and many other sights are simply part of a trip to Hamburg. The easiest way to explore Hamburg's sights is on a sightseeing tour with the striking double-decker buses.

    Sights in Hamburg
    © mediaserver.hamburg.de / Sascha Neuroth

    All events at a glance Calendar of events Hamburg

    With our calendar of events you won't miss any of the numerous events in Hamburg. You can search directly for a suitable period or filter by category.

    Calendar of events Hamburg
    © ThisIsJulia Photography

    On the trail of the past Historical Hamburg

    Hamburg is marked by its historical heritage: the most famous buildings are the Chilehaus and the Kontorhäuser on Burchardplatz, but the Sprinkenhof, Mohlenhof and Meßberghof are also popular tourist destinations. But the Old Elbe Tunnel remains undisputed. Discover historical Hamburg now!

    Historical Hamburg

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