Studying in Hamburg

One of Hamburg's best-known highlights is the Reeperbahn, a central street in the nightlife and red-light district of Hamburg's St. Pauli neighbourhood. It is the first port of call for many night owls. During the day, the "Kiez" (quarter) is rather quiet, so you can sit comfortably in a café. But after sunset, the Reeperbahn and the neighbouring streets come to life.

In addition to the countless clubs, bars (and erotic shops) beneath bright neon lettering, the quarter also holds quite a bit of history. The Reeperbahn was originally a place for outcasts just outside the city gates.

Another sight you should visit is Hamburg's Speicherstadt, right on the waterfront. The world's largest historic warehouse complex is now home to many museums and other leisure activities such as restaurants, bars and shopping.

And if you're in the area anyway, you should take a tour of the famous Hamburg harbour. There you can admire the huge container ships up close or explore the port and Hamburg's attractions from the water.

Apart from the many cultural attractions, Hamburg also offers plenty of culinary highlights. But beware: if you don't like fish, traditional Hamburg cuisine may not always be your thing. Hamburgers on the go often pick up a fish sandwich. You usually have a choice between Bismarck herring, herb matjes or North Sea prawns. Another typical Hamburg dish is the Franzbrötchen, a puff pastry filled with sugar and cinnamon. You will often be served this in cafés or at breakfast.

Throughout Germany, the people of Hamburg are considered to be rather Hanseatic and reserved. They are often said to be a little slower to open up to strangers. Jokingly, many justify the initial reticence of Hamburgers with the supposedly bad Nordic weather. What they don't consider is that other German cities like Munich have significantly more rainy days than Hamburg!