Hamburg Entertainment Guide

Hamburg has lots of good places to eat, and if you’re fond of seafood, this is one place you’re going to love. It’s full of seafood restaurants (there’s even a very interesting one known as the Das Feuerschiff, an ex-seagoing vessel which has been converted into a fine restaurant), and you can get a taste of local specialties like Hamburger Panfisch (panfried fish with a wine and mustard sauce) or Aalsuppe (an eel soup with mixed vegetables and plums). Seafood restaurants, in fact, predominate in Hamburg, and amongst the best-rated outlets in the city have their menus choc-a-bloc with fishy stuff!

Even if you don’t like fish, you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding something to eat. Hamburg is thoroughly cosmopolitan, and there are lots of restaurants that serve international cuisine, including Thai, Turkish, Chinese, Indian and Portuguese. The city also has an ample share of taverns, where you can drink (and eat) to your heart’s content.

Entertainment is one commodity Hamburg has plenty of- and it ranges from the highbrow to the downright sleazy! Hamburg’s infamous Reeperbahn (the red light district) ranks high up on the list of the sleaziest districts in Europe, but it’s so full of interesting restaurants, bars and discotheques that even pretty `respectable’ people pay it a visit, just to get a glimpse of life in one of the most `happening’ parts of town. For those who like their entertainment loud and bawdy, there are lots of striptease clubs and bars that are noisy and stay open till the wee hours of the morning. For less noisy and bawdy nightlife, the university area is a good place to go.

The other face of Hamburg- the refined and elegant one is presented in the performing arts: everything from jazz and rock to ballet, opera and classical music, flourish. Hamburg has three full-sized orchestras of its own, and regular performances are held throughout the year. The Staatsoper opera and ballet hall is considered one of the best in the world, and there are lots of other venues where excellent shows are staged.

For information on the cultural events and shows being staged (and to purchase tickets for these) it’s best to ring up the `HAM hotline’, at 040-30051300. Tickets for shows can also be purchased at counters in some of the tourist offices.