Hamburg is Germany’s second-largest city and its most important port. Like other great European “second cities”—such as Marseille, Glasgow, and Antwerp—this northern port city has a special pride. Popular with Germans (but a rare stop for Americans), Hamburg feels real and has an edgy charm. Visiting, you sense it knows where it came from and where it’s going.
Travelers looking for quaint, Old World Europe won’t find it in Hamburg. The city’s medieval center was virtually leveled by a huge fire in 1842, and World War II bombing decimated the rest. Today’s city center is a soulless mixture of office buildings and brand-name chain shops.
