Germany’s second biggest city Hamburg is becoming one of the favourite European travel destinations for Gulf travellers, with an increasing number of new and exciting experiences and events for both the young and the old to enjoy in the Hanseatic city.

In 2018, the Gulf states generated over 82,000 overnight stays with travellers preferring to stay in Hamburg’s established luxurious hotels such as the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten, the Hotel Atlantic Kempinski and the Hotel Grand Elysée Hamburg. Adding to this, around 40 per cent of the total GCC arrivals and overnight stays are generated in the summer, between July and August.

Since the opening of the Elbphilharmonie – Hamburg’s new iconic concert hall – the city has become more popular than ever. And with the upcoming Beatles’ 60th Hamburg anniversary, the opening of a new luxurious five-star hotel, a multitude of exquisite culinary Michelin-star restaurants and an extraordinarily diverse selection of must-see attractions and festivals, 2020 is the year to plan your first trip, or indeed, revisit Hamburg.

Come Together – The Hamburg Beatles Experience (March 27-29, 2020)
It was in 1960, when five young musicians from Liverpool, UK, first performed at the Indra Club in Hamburg’s famous entertainment district St. Pauli. Residing in Hamburg for two years following this gig, it was here that The Beatles played more live music hours than anywhere else in the world during their career. 

Sixty years on, Hamburg is celebrating the world’s most recognised band, with a weekend of concerts at several locations across the city including the Indra and Kaiserkeller Clubs – both authentic venues where the band performed back in the early days of the Beatles day. An interactive Beatles’ tour, as well as various exhibitions and seminar talks with Beatles’ experts, will also take place across the weekend.

Fleming's Selection Hotel Hamburg City – Hamburg’s new luxurious five-star hotel
Fleming’s Selection Hotel Hamburg City will be the fifth Fleming’s Selection Hotel to open in Europe. The hotel is set in a traditional Hamburg-style former traders’ office building from 1890 and combines a historic feel with a warm and contemporary hotel concept.

The five-star property features 192 guest rooms and suites as well as a gym and restaurant.

Located within the former warehouse district “Speicherstadt”, now a Unesco World Heritage site and major touristic attraction, the hotel is also situated within easy walking distance of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall and the HafenCity district. The Fleming's Selection Hotel Hamburg City is scheduled to be opened in spring 2021.

Fine dining in Hamburg
Hamburg is one of Germany’s leading places for gastronomic excellence, offering a great mix of young and creative food and beverage concepts and an outstanding variety of Michelin-star restaurants.

Haerlin
Located in the prestigious ‘Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten’, the two-Michelin-starred Haerlin presents modern and innovative menus based on traditional French gourmet cuisine.  

Adding to the restaurant’s accolades, chef Christoph Rüffer was recently appointed Best Chef of the Year 2020 by Germany’s influential Restaurant & Hotel Guide 2020.
Chef Rüffer’s spacious kitchen recently underwent a contemporary design refresh, with the patisserie now decorated in a gingerbread style and the rotisserie taking influence from Germany’s scenic forests. The exclusive chef’s table is now situated behind glass, where guests can sit back and watch their dinner being prepared.

The Table
The Table, situated in HafenCity, is Northern Germany’s only three-star-rated restaurant. The restaurant presents the perfect combination of exquisite cuisine, innovative space concept and classic dishes interpreted in a modern and nuanced way to all gourmet lovers.

Miniatur Wunderland
The Miniatur Wunderland is considered to be Hamburg's number one tourist attraction, featuring the world's biggest model railway, welcoming more than 19 million visitors from all over the world to date. The 1,4990-sq-m miniature masterpiece offers sophisticated technology and a wealth of detail. More than 260,000 lovingly staged figures, 9,250 cars, 1,040 trains, 42 planes and 4,110 buildings make up this stunning miniature cosmos that can’t be seen anywhere else in the world. With countries such as the US, Scandinavia and Austria and cities including Hamburg, Las Vegas and Rome already complete, Monaco & the Provence is currently under construction with a miniature Monaco Formula 1 racetrack the most technically demanding project in the history of Miniatur Wunderland.

During the last 12 months, the attraction has generated almost 2,000 visitors from the Gulf, led by tourists from the UAE and Saudi Arabia.

Quirky festivals galore
Hamburg’s packed calendar of annual festivals includes traditional maritime and well-known cultural festivals as well as some very unique and rather quirky events that are exclusive to the Hanseatic city.

831st Hamburg Port Anniversary (May 8-10, 2020)
Known for its maritime flair, Hamburg’s elegant habour will continue to woo visitors when it celebrates the Hamburg Port Anniversary for the 831st time in May.

In what is the world’s largest harbour festival, over one million people will line the colourful harbour mile – which runs along the Elbe between HafenCity and the Museumshafen Oevelgonne – for breathtaking fireworks, ship parades and the one-of-a-kind ‘Schlepperballet’ – choreographed water ballet for tugboats set to music.

German jumping and dressage derby (May 20-24, 2020)
The equestrian tournament enjoys the greatest recognition in the world and attracts gifted riders and horse fans to the Derby Park Klein Flottbek in the Hanseatic city each year.   

151st German Derby and IDEE Derby Meeting (June 25 – July 5, 2020)
The IDEE Derby Meeting is a large and highly attractive meeting point for Hamburg natives and international guests alike. The focal point is the horseracing, with up to 12 races each day; in addition, however, Hamburg-Horn’s legendary track is also an attractive meeting place for both families and horse lovers. The climax is the IDEE 151st Deutsches Derby that will be held on the traditional racetrack and endowed with prize monies of €650,000 ($722,579).

ITU World Triathlon (July 11-12, 2020)
Drawing hundreds of thousands of spectators every year, ITU World Triathlon is the largest of its kind in the world. Boasting an extraordinary set up in the heart of Hamburg’s city centre, this triathlon is famed for being the most popular among participating athletes.

How to get to Hamburg and where to stay
Hamburg is well-connected with daily direct flights from the Gulf region. A wide choice of high-end five-star hotels awaits travellers from the Gulf region with excellent service, exquisite culinary experiences and highest standards of comfort.

The following top-rated properties have a long tradition of serving Gulf travellers and are well-acquainted with local traditions and customs:
• Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Hamburg
• Hotel Atlantic Kempinski Hamburg
• Grand Elysée Hotel Hamburg. - TradeArabia News Service