Hamburg takes itself seriously. The second largest German city styles itself as the Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg – a free and Hanseatic city which has full status as a German state in its own right. It is a big player in politics, culture and economic affairs. And Hamburg remains a bustling port. Few European cities are quite so dominated by their river as Hamburg. Take a ride on one of the city’s ferries to see how Hamburg lives and breathes by the River Elbe. Ferry route 62 from the main city centre quays (Landungsbrücken) to Finkenwerder affords great views of the river and docks.

The principal rail hub is Hamburg Hauptbahnhof. If you find youreself changing trains there with an hour or two to spare make for the nearby Museum of Illusions which opened in autumn 2018. The station itself is the departure point for daytime trains to Copenhagen, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Zürich and a great raft of German cities. Hamburg to Berlin takes less than two hours, while the fastest trains speed from Hamburg to Munich in just six hours. There are good direct services from Hamburg to Germany’s Baltic coast, with trains from Hauptbahnhof direct to Kiel, Lübeck, Rostock and Stralsund.

Another busy station is Hamburg Altona, which offers a better choice of services to the holiday resort of Sylt than is available from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof. There are overnight services with comfortable sleeping cars from Hamburg direct to Munich, Basel, Linz, Vienna, Innsbruck and Zürich. You can board these trains at either Hamburg Altona or Hauptbahnhof.