The city’s harbour bursts into life with the riverside full of stalls during the day, teaming with cruise lines offering special discounts for booking during the festival; Germans come from across the country to book their cruise at the show, and cruises that take part in the festivities on the river sell out years in advance. At night the harbour is bathed in blue light from the iconic art installation on the cranes, music plays, and people gather at the riverside to watch cruise ships illuminated by fireworks as they parade down the river Elbe.
Hamburg Cruise Days is a truly surreal experience and something that any cruise enthusiast has to experience at least once, but you'd be missing half of the magic if you didn't spend a few days exploring Hamburg while you're here.
Hamburg is a city like no other. Set between two rivers, the Elbe and the Alster, the city hugs the banks of the rivers and places maritime culture at the heart of everything it does. Fresh seafood can be found in almost every restaurant, you'll be spoilt for choice when looking for a viewing platform, and there are more unique vessels offering boat trips than you could possibly experience in one weekend.
If you love travel, photography, or simply want to enjoy the buzz of a city that has yet to become a household name for tourism, Hamburg deserves a top spot on your 2025 travel bucket list.
What is Hamburg Cruise Days?
Held every two years along the River Elbe, Hamburg Cruise Days is a celebration of all things maritime and the love of cruise ships that Germans share. Hamburg Cruise Days was born out of an unexpected outpouring of enthusiasm for cruise ships. Queen Mary 2 was scheduled to make her maiden call in Hamburg in 2004 - no public celebrations were planned and other than the usual maritime tradition of wetting the bow there was no spectacle to witness. Despite this, thousands of Germans travelled to Hamburg, lining the banks of the River Elbe as the sun began to rise and eagerly awaiting the early morning maiden call. Noticing the buzz around one cruise ship's arrival in Hamburg, the city took inspiration and launched Hamburg Cruise Days.
The bi-annual event brings together an incredible line-up of ocean liners, river ships, and tall sailing vessels, all docking along the banks of the Elbe for a weekend of maritime festivities. The weekend culminates in the cruise ship parade, where illuminated vessels make their way along the river, accompanied by music, fireworks, and the cheers of thousands of cruise ship enthusiasts.
When and Where is the next Hamburg Cruise Days?
Hamburg Cruise Days takes place every two years, transforming the entire harbour area into a glowing festival zone (mostly around the area of Jan Fedder Promenade).
Blue Port Hamburg runs alongside Hamburg Cruise Days, turning the River Elbe into a giant art installation. Bridges, cranes, and buildings shimmer against the night sky, illuminated by over 9000 lighting elements. It’s pure magic, and it’s hard to capture just how beautiful it looks in photos.
The best views are from Landungsbrücken, HafenCity, or the Elbphilharmonie Plaza. The latter is a viewing platform that's open until midnight and offers panoramic views across the River Elbe and across the city. You'll need a ticket to enter but they're free - you can either book in advance online or try your luck at getting a ticket from the booth on the day. Failing that, the hotel in the Elbphilharmonie building has a beautiful cocktail bar that's open until 1am on weekends and enjoys the same iconic views as the platform below.
No date has been announced for Hamburg Cruise Days 2027 so far, but with two decades of success behind them, it's a case of when, not if.
Why You’ll Love It
Hamburg Cruise Days is one of the most surreal travel experiences you'll find in a city centre. Even if you're not a cruise lover, you can't help but feel awe when you're a part of the crowd, dancing to the music and seeing the ships sailing past. Even if you’ve never set foot on a cruise ship, it’s impossible not to get swept up in the atmosphere.
As night falls, the combination of the Blue Port lights and the glowing cruise ships is pure magic. On Friday night the ships stay in their berths, but the Blue Port shines and the first fireworks display of the weekend launches the weekend of festivities. While you can admire the views from the river bank, the best way to experience Hamburg Cruise Days is from the water; you'll be spoilt for choice with all of the different vessels offering evening boat trips on the Elbe. This is definitely the best choice if you want to get up close and see the cruise ships from the water.
Hamburg is known for its connection to the sea - it's a history with centuries maritime heritage. There's so much to do, see and learn about Hamburg in between exploring the Cruise Days stalls and admiring the cruise ships during Hamburg Blue Port and the parade. Head a little further into Uberseequartier to find the maritime museum, learn about the city's links between maritime history and coffee. Make sure you stop for a coffee while you're here; coffee culture thrives in Hamburg and it flies under the radar as one of the best places to enjoy a quality coffee. Truly, British coffee has been nothing but disappointing now I know that better exists!
Explore the City
While Cruise Days is an excellent reason to visit, you need to stay for the city. Hamburg has a vibrant culture - whether you're a history lover looking for museums, you prefer to get lost in the streets and admire the architecture, you're a music lover, or you're a fan of nightlife. There's truly something for everyone in this incredible city.
Hamburg Sound – Have you ever heard of the phrase "Hamburg sound"? I'm guessing probably not. It's not something that's widely known, but Hamburg has a rich and varied musical history. The Beatles performed 270 nights in the city over a two year period, honing their craft before they hit the big time. In more recent times, Ed Sheeran started his career with performing at the Reeperbahn Festival. Even today, there's a record store that only sells music produced in Hamburg.
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Explore Speicherstadt: This UNESCO-listed warehouse district is a photographer’s dream. With more bridges than Venice, Hamburg is a city of canals, and the red-brick buildings form an iconic view of the canals right in the city centre.
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Wander HafenCity: When you visit Grasbrookhafen for the views, make sure to keep walking East towards HafenCity. This sleek waterfront district filled is pretty much brand new; in fact it's so new that I didn't recognise it, having visited the city in 2023, and if you look at Google Earth it's still a building site! Here you'll find the brand new Westfield shopping centre (opened in April 2025), design-led hotels, cool cafés, and riverfront promenades. We stayed in 25 Hours HafenCity, just a few minutes walk from Westfield Shopping Centre and the metro stop. If you're visiting Hamburg for the first time, HafenCity is the perfect place to stay - it's close to everything but just far enough away that it feels calm and peaceful at night, away from the buzz of busy bars and clubs.
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Experience St. Pauli: The city’s fun-loving heart, known for its nightlife, bars, and live music scene. The Reeperbahn is arguably one of the most internationally recognisable names in Hamburg. It's reputation precedes it, but in recent years the "Sinful Mile", as it was once known, has undergone a transformation. There are still a few shady corners, but on the whole the Reeperbahn has been transformed into an "entertainment district". It's the buzzing heart of the city's night scene, with bars and clubs offering something for every music genre. We went for a "quick walk" down the Reeperbahn just to say we'd seen it, which turned into us singing our hearts out in a karaoke bar until 2am and making friends with a few fellow karaoke-lovers. It was a weird night but I loved every second of it, and I'm determined to make it to the Reeperbahn Festival next year to soak up more of the magic.
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Take a harbour boat tour: See the ships, docks, and skyline from the water - for a city that takes such a huge part of its identity from the river, it's the only way to truly understand what makes this city so magical. In the centre you'll get incredible views of the Elbphilharmonie, the newly built districts and iconic historic buildings. If you can find a boat trip that takes you further out of the city centre, you may be lucky enough to see Elbstrand from the water - I don't understand how Hamburg has a beautiful sand beach so close to the city centre, but it's one of those things that you need to see to believe.
By day, the city offers art, history, and green spaces. By night, it transforms into a glowing playground of lights, sounds, and harbour views.
Outside of the City Centre
Hamburg Cruise Days is entirely based in the city centre and there's so much to see and do around that area, but you'd be missing out if you didn't take the opportunity to explore further afield. From the city, take the S-bahn to Blankenese. Here you'll find a suburb that feels a world away from the city, despite being on the doorstep. More traditional buildings line the peaceful squares and parks that are dotted around. Hamburg is a green city anyway, with nearly 40% of it being devoted to green spaces, but Blankenese is even more beautiful.
One of the best ways to explore the suburbs is to cycle. Rent a bike before you leave the city centre, take the metro to Blankenese, then follow the cycle path that hugs the River Elbe and leads you back into the city centre. The route is studded with beautiful river-front cafes and seafood restaurants - there's even a hugely popular beach club on the golden sand riverbank. We were particularly unlucky with the weather on the day of our cycle, but there were still people enjoying the atmosphere of the beach club - they just sat under umbrellas with coats on!
For the best experience, I'd recommend taking at least a half day to explore the cycle path. Stop for a mid-morning coffee with a view at the beach club, then grab lunch in one of the seafood restaurants further along the trail - if you need a recommendation, we stopped in Lostenhaus and it was one of the best meals I've ever had! Pannfische is the local delicacy, and it's one of those dishes that you absolutely have to try! As you continue your cycle towards the city centre, you can stop in Parque Jenisch to admire the views. If you're feeling really energetic, the park is 43 hectares and hosts a number of different walking and cycling trails. Alternatively if you're in need of a break you can lock up your bike and visit Jenisch House, which is a museum showcasing 19th century life and art.
Once you get back to the city, return your bike and head to the waterfront for a well-earned cold drink with a view! My personal choice is Feuerschiff, a converted British light ship that is now a hotel, restaurant and bar that's peramently docked on Jan Fedder Promenade. In the warmer months, the open back deck offers incredible views of the city (especially during Blue Port Hamburg!). If you prefer to feel cosy, the inside bar is a beautiful wood-panelled room with memorabilia dotted around. If you visit here and you fancy an alcoholic drink then trying the local beer that they serve is a must - I can't stand the taste of beer, but I could've happily drank a pint myself (instead, I pinched several sips out of my partner's pint!).
Where to Stay
Hamburg is a big city - 4 times larger than Copenhagen, in fact! Having said that, the city centre is fairly compact and easily walkable if you don't mind getting your steps in. We did around 30,000 steps per day, although the busses and metro are frequent, reliable and run 24/7 if you prefer to conserve your energy. With that in mind, when choosing where to stay you need to think about the kind of adventures you'd like to have.
If you're a history buff, or you want to be close to the city centre and all of the attractions without the hustle and bustle, then I'd recommend you stay in HafenCity - Hamburg’s modern and stylish waterfront neighbourhood. There are several hotels to choose from in this district, but we stayed at 25hours HafenCity, and I honestly couldn't recommend it enough. The 25hours brand is all about being playful and drawing inspiration from the hotel's surroundings, which results in an incredible maritime-themed modern hotel with lots of historic touches. The rooms are playful, with ships on the wallpaper and a mermaid in the bathroom, lit by a globe lamp (I want one!). There's a rope ladder shelf on the wall, the desk is a giant suitcase and the bed is like a wooden cabin bed. I've got a full review coming soon, but it's fair to say that I'd stay again in a heartbeat! The district itself is on the edge of the city's maritime quarter, right by the Maritime Museum and a short walk to the ever-popular Miniatur Wonderland. It's also a 10 minute walk from all of the Hamburg Cruise Days action.
If you're more into music and nightlife, then west of the city centre is the place for you. There are plenty of hotels around St Pauli, and most of them are more budget-friendly as they cater to younger travellers. On our last night in the city we were looking for somewhere affordable to stay that was close to everything. We booked into Citadel Apart'hotel Michel which was a perfect base - it was simple and no frills, but clean and tidy which is all you need if you're planning to be out exploring. Not far from the end of the Reeperbahn, it was a 10 minute walk to St Pauli Pier and just around the corner from all of the city's nightlife. We stayed on a Sunday night when almost everything in the entertainment district was closed, but I could imagine it would be quite a lively place on a Saturday night!
For a more luxurious experience, look towards the city centre end of the Reeperbahn. For the ultimate experience, the most famous hotels are on the banks of the Alster river - just be warned that you may not want to stay too close to the train station as its home to a few interesting characters at night.
Final Thoughts: Come for Cruise Days, Stay for Hamburg
Hamburg Cruise Days is a hugely popular event that's a must for cruise ship lovers, but once you get to know the city it feels like so much more than that. Hamburg Cruise Days feels like a huge party, celebrating the culture and history of this incredible maritime city. For locals, it's a chance to show off how incredible their home is, and for tourists its a display of everything that makes Hamburg tick - a kind of whistle-stop tour of everything that makes the city so unique.
Hamburg Cruise Days is a must-see, but it would be remiss of you to not take the opportunity to explore everything that the city has to offer. There's something about Hamburg that makes it impossible to not have a constant smile on your face. Whether you're exploring Uberseequartier. getting outside of the centre and following the riverbank trail to the beach club, or singing your heart out on the Reeperbahn, something about Hamburg will make you feel right at home, and leave you wanting more.
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