Hamburg, Copenhagen,...what would you say are "must do's"

Cpenhagen- Tivoli Gardens absolute must see. the grnd daddy of all amusement parks, and very much for adults

For Hamburg, it depends on what you're interested in. There are a lot of art museums; you could talk a walk around the Alster (the Binnenalster, or Inner Alster, is a lot smaller than the Aussenalster (Outer Alster); take a boat tour; HafenCity (Harbor City) is a very cool area with lots of modern buildings going up. I didn't make it to the St. Pauli / Reeperbahn (red-light district) area but I've heard it's something to see (there are areas where only men can go, so find that out in advance).

Hi Damion, I was in Hamburg in September and stayed in the Reeperbahn (red light) neighborhood. Interesting. Much seedier than Amsterdam's red light district, but we found it safe. Good food there, too. But beware, after 10 pm you can't have anything that could be used as a weapon on you, including glass bottles. You could take in the St. Michaelis church in the Neustadt area. Big tourist attracting, get there early to climb up, amazing view of the city. You could also check out the fish market (Fischmarkt) on the quay of Altona, more than just fish! I'd also recommend heading to the Altstadt area in the centre of town, where you can shop, check out city hall and the market grounds out in front.
I didn't have time, but you could also do a daytrip to Neuengamme concentration camp from Hamburg. Have a great time, Hamburg is beautiful!

In Hamburg, I liked the Rathaus tour, we had days of laughs over one portrait of a Burgher (the place is full of historical Burgher portraits). This one is in 1960's era suit with scowling (assume) wife, he looks miserable if not dead, she looks worse - think Edward Munch trying to paint a traditional portrait. The harbor tour is also worth doing. It's a little industrial but interesting. The area is rife with Martin Luther history. We visited one of the churches where he preached. If partying is more interesting, they have "beach" bars that can be fun on a sunny day. They are on the water on the harbor. St. Pauli, formerly a red light district, is now a trendy spot of mostly upscale establishments. Copenhagen, We liked Rosenburg Palace and surrounding gardens, Nyhaven, Stroget, Helsingor castle (see the Casemates and bring a flashlight), Glyptotech, National Museum, Roskilde Cathedral and Viking Ship Museum, and Tivoli. We also did the Rick Steves walk with minor sites like the Round Tower. We had only five full days on the ground and ran out of time before we ran out of things to do (plus totally missed the nightlife because we were worn out by the time the clubs opened at 11:00).

I'm going to Hamburg this weekend...I'll chime in again later. For me, at least, Miniatur Wunderland is a "must".

Hello damion. I was at Copenhagen, in May of 2007. And I saw Rick Steves' video travelogue that included Copenhagen, that was made in the year 2008. For most American people visiting Copenhagen, I recommend : Day 1 - National Museet at Ny Vestergade 10. Ride on a boat for sightseeing on the canal, starting at the narrow canal in back of Christiansborg Slotsplads, the boat will turn around near the Little Mermaid statue, get off the boat at Nyhavn canal. Walk from Nyhavn to Kongens Nytorv, walk the Stroget from Kongens Nytorv to Vester Voldgade street. Day 2 - walk through Rosenborg Slot and its Treasury (royal crowns and exquisite art items owned by Danish Kings). The park in back of Rosenborg is a pleasant place for relaxing outside, on a day when the weather is pleasant. (Green grass).

Yes, forgot the boat tour in Copenhagen. Use the company Rick recommends, halfway down Nyhaven instead of right at the end - it's the same tour at half price. Although it has fewer boats the wait isn't any longer.

I am jealous Tom, I want to go to Hamburg too. The Minature Wonderland is on my list of things to see. Hamburg is turning into quite a prime tourist destination, and I think some of the fests there would be worth trying to visit in the summer. Do come back and let us know how you liked it.

Here's my brief impression of Hamburg so far- awesome city! If you have any interest in maritime and industrial history, there's a ton of museums devoted to that kind of stuff here. I spent most of the day wandering around the HafenCity section of town amongst the old Neo-Renaissance style warehouses. Interesting that while other cities around the world are trying to reinvent their decrepit waterfronts as "entertainment districts", this area is largely still used for its original purposes (although there are a lot of museums, apartments and offices sprinkled about). There's a huge shopping area in the middle of the city between the Rathaus and Binnenalster (the lake that sits smack in the middle of the city). I also walked through the ruins of St. Nicholas church. A great reminder that there is no such thing as a "good war".

True...it is an awesome city...undeniably the cultural centre of North Germany and a good departure and transfer point for Bremen, Kiel, Schleswig, Schwerin, Lübeck, and several smaller towns.

More stuff... the Rathaus is huge and elaborate. Its bigger than many national parliaments or royal palaces. If you like high end shopping, there's a ton of it just north and west of the Rathaus. I was quite surprised by the Kunsthalle- I didn't even realize it beforehand, but one of my favorite paintings, Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer Above a Sea of Fog, hangs here... along with several other works by the artist. And then of course... there's St. Pauli and the Reeperbahn. Scary, sinister area...