Hamburg advice

I have only been there for football matches, so I guess that falls into the drinking and nightlife category. The Reeperbahn district is infamous as a nightlife area, with seedy bars, stripclubs and (legal) prostitution. It’s not my cup of tea but it does attract large crowds and can get rowdy and I can certainly see why the locals would get fed up with the tourists it attracts. Hamburg is luckily a large city with much more to offer than just the Reeperbahn, so you should be able to avoid it.

I was in Hamburg most recently last summer, stayed in a three star hotel on Kirchenallee just opposite of the main train station, very good price for a single (EZ). In Hamburg I stay in the Hbf area.

No problems with numbers of tourists. The numbers of tourists or type I'm not concerned with. I'll be back in Hamburg in a few months, ie May, as a base for visiting Kiel, Eutin/Holstein, Cuxhaven, maybe Husum (play that by ear) or Lauenburg/Elbe.

I’m thinking of a similar trip for the spring. Fred, do you plan to rent a car or will you use public transportation?

I was in Hamburg on a family vacation August last summer. As a tourist doing mostly touristy things in the city center, It was in no way shape or form "overrun with tourists"; it was the complete opposite. The Reeperbahn area is where the kids go to drink indulge in the Red Light activities, it's confined to a small area, and easily avoided if you don't want to partake.
It's a beautiful city, also has very affordable hotels compared to cities like London, Amsterdam, and Paris. Check it out!

@ Sharon....I only use public transportation In Germany, no rental car. Basically, I rely on the S-Bahn and the regional trains in the greater Hamburg area to get around. There are also ways to get around using the RB trains by using the S-Bahn when possible, eg, instead of taking the train from Cologne to Düsseldorf or from Essen to Düsseldorf, take the S-Bahn instead. It all depends. When I get back to Hamburg in May, it's more convenient (all factors considered) to stay in Hamburg since the Hamburg Hbf is a junction point. More convenient than staying in Kiel or Lübeck.

@ Sharon...If you're considering doing a trip in North Germany, which places do you have in mind? Lots of places to choose from, ie, geographically from the North Sea to the Baltic in regards to German culture, churches, architecture, specific geographic areas, and history.

My first trip to Germany was focused on North Germany, where I arrived in the country and spent the next three weeks, including then (west) Berlin, before moving on the lower Rhine area, likewise with the third trip there.

I would suggest seeing Lübeck, Hamburg, Eutin/Holstein, Lüneburg, Schwerin, Bremen, Celle, even Kiel for certain reasons, all depending on your time constraint and depth of interest, eg. in the greater Hamburg area are two museums that deal with Prussian history; the houses/museums of Brahms and Carl Maria von Weber (Beethoven's contemporary) are located in North Germany.