Hamburg confusion - restaurants and hotels not close together

St. Pauli is red light and party area in south, fair area in the North and event area in the middle.
Hamburg has no real Alstadt because nearly everything burned down in WWII - just business are today.
I guess HowlinMad can explain it better.

Some years ago I was fine with Barceló Hamburg but not much restaurants around.
Or you stay near the station, the ones with "hof" in their names. Some restaurants around but also crime related side of train station.

I always wanted to try Mövenpick Hamburg which is well connected by station Sternschanze and has some restaurant options around.

I agree with Markk about the hotels in the train station area. It’s not an area I choose to wander. I mention this as last time I looked, the R S Guides and tours used some hotels in the area. Some streets are better that others, but I’m don’t care to figure it out.

My suggestion is to look at the Tripadvisor forum and reviews. In my experience, Hamburg is a bit awkward to find the perfect hotel location for all purposes. I used to stay at a well located (and stunningly reasonably priced) Hyatt, but sadly it closed.

My most recent trip was last summer. We stayed at the Radisson Blu - we are walkers. When I was researching hotels for that trip, there was lots of specific info and discussion on Tripadvisor. Hopefully, that has continued.

When I was in Hamburg in May of 2022, I stayed in the St. George area, which was a short walk (about 8 minutes) from the train station but had lots of restaurants available. The neighborhood was a little faded, but I never felt unsafe there (and I was traveling solo). There were a lot of Turkish restaurants in the area and I ate at several and enjoyed every meal. I also ate at a nice Italian restaurant in the neighborhood that I enjoyed.

The hotel I stayed at was the Hotel City House on Pulverteich, which was reasonably priced, excellent service, and very clean. My (single) room was a bit small but nothing inconvenient. There was no lift there, so I had to walk up to the first floor, but I didn't mind. The staff was very friendly as well.

I am going to disagree a bit.

The area right next to the Hbf--as in, the side of the station, parking lot, and first 100m, especially toward the ZOB--are definitely a bit grubby and not my top recommendation. But head down Lange Reihe and you have some really great options, and it isn't unsafe.

But if you want my recommendations (keeping in mind that I haven't actually stayed in the hotels themselves as I live in Hamburg) based on location, here are a few in areas that are not on anyone's immediate radar but are great for food.

Near the Michaelisbrücke (S-Bahn Stadthausbrücke and U-Bahn Rödingsmarkt are just a few meters away):
Fraser Suites: https://www.frasershospitality.com/en/germany/hamburg/fraser-suites-hamburg/?utm_source=google_map&utm_medium=organic
Steinberger Hotel: https://hrewards.com/de/steigenberger-hotel-hamburg?wt_mc=seo_listing.shr.yext.hamburg.hotel_link.text_cta

LOTS of business folks stay here during conventions, especially during the G20. A bit undiscovered in some sense.

The nearby Großneumarkt is a great place to eat with a range of options. In the other direction is the Deichstraße, where you can also get a good meal. And you are close to a lot of central sites. It isn't that far to Landungsbrücken or the Portuguese Quarter, the latter of which also has great food. You can walk or take either U or S to Landungsbrücken (two or one stop)

Near U-Bahn Baumwall and the Portuguese Quarter:
Madison Hotel: https://madisonhotel.de/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=knowledgegraph

Another great option:
Hotel Hafen Hamburg: https://www.hotel-hafen-hamburg.de/en/
Technically the closest stop is Landungsbrücken (S and U), but it might even be easier to get to it from U-Bahn St. Pauli because you don't have to go up stairs and it is just a few meters longer of a walk. But you can walk down to the Landungsbrücken and the adjacent Portuguese Quarter, up to the Reeperbahn / St. Pauli, easily get to both S and U Bahn to get anywhere in the city. Also, their Tower Bar has some of the best views in the city if you don't mind an overpriced cocktail.

Hamburg is VERY walkable regardless, and everything is extremely safe. As a woman I have never felt unsafe going out for drinks, then coming home at night alone on the S-Bahn. And you are never more than a few minutes' walk from an U- or S-Bahn, and the stops are very close together in the heavily traveled areas. It's a SUPER easy city to get around.

Incidentally, don't rely solely on sources like Google Maps for Hamburg food. It shows Großneumarkt as rather sparse, yet there is a Bavarian, Italian, Irish Pub, and Burger joint with lovely outdoor seating all in a row, and that discounts the small sushi and other joints there. The amazing food at the Portuguese Quarter also doesn't really show up.

Great food in Sternschanze and in the Karolinenviertel. Both are U-3 (the latter at Feldstraße).

If you want to go a bit fancier, you can try something like the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten or the Hotel Atlantic along the Alster (S- and U- Jungfernstieg or Dammtor)
https://www.fairmont.com/vier-jahreszeiten-hamburg/?goto=fiche_hotel&code_hotel=A595&merchantid=seo-maps-DE-A595&sourceid=aw-cen&utm_medium=seo%20maps&utm_source=google%20Maps&utm_campaign=seo%20maps

https://brhhh.com/atlantic-hamburg/

The latter is surprisingly right by the Hbf, but you walk past the "seedy" area and end up at one of the fanciest hotels in the city, which is also home to a German rockstar named Udo Lindenberg. These hotels were used by heads of state during the G20 a few years back (and didn't have rooms left for Trump, who booked too late and had to be helped out by the Hamburg government with a private villa).

Just to add--while Hamburg has no true city center the way many other places do, this is less a function of WWII bombing and more a function of our riverside location. Our Rathaus and accompanying square were not the key market areas and thus didn't grow up as central to city life. That was more along the waterfront--where goods and fish and such could be more readily traded. Thus our "center" along the Alster and near the Rathaus are great for fancy shopping or conducting formal business during the day, but not where people built their lives. Those areas are places like Landungsbrücken, the landing bridges, the adjacent Portuguese Quarter with its bookending Scandinavian Seeman's churches, or the red light Reeperbahn running parallel to the waterfront and offering entertainment during shore leave.

The amazing Speicherstadt, or warehouse district, is stunning and interesting, but not where people play or work. Further complicating the issue of a town center is the fact that Altona was its own (competing) city for a long time--first part of the Duchy of Holstein, then its own city not part of Hamburg. It was added to Hamburg in 1938. Altona includes the lively Fischmarkt, the residential cafes and homes of Eimsbüttel, the beaches of Blankenese, and even encompasses Sternschanze. And much of Altona now is made up of former villages like Rissen, which have their own town centres.

Finally, WWII was not the only major destruction of the city. The fire of 1842 and even the more recent flood of 1962 had major impacts on the distribution of commercial, residential, public land use. I would actually attribute Hamburg's modern configuration more to the fire than WWII.

And back to the OP--You are not doing anything wrong in your search. Hamburg is not as centralised as many places. We love to find the center of a town and book a hotel there. But Hamburg doesn't quite work that way.

If you need further help or recommendations, let me know!

Thanks HowlinMad for your detailed response.

My sister has just offered me a load of airline points which I could use at the Adina Apartments. The apartments are close to Meßberg U-Bahn which looks convenient but the general surrounding area looks a little dull. The reviews I have read say that although it's on Willy-Brandt-Staße the rooms are well soundproofed. One thing that's attractive about the Adina apartments is that we would have a washing machine. We are trying to travel light on our 51-night trip so being able to do laundry is a bonus.

Besides it not looking like a particularly exciting area, is there any reason not to stay in this area?

We will have Deutschland tickets and are very comfortable metro users so are happy to use public transportation to get around Hamburg.

Also, a recommendation for a nice restaurant (Michelon one star or Bib gourmand standard) would be appreciated as one of us is having a significant birthday and we want to have a nice meal. Lunch or dinner. I am partial to a nice roof bar and my partner likes long lunches.

I never stayed at the Adina Apartment Hotel Hamburg Speicherstadt because the federal street B4 (there Willy-Brandt-Straße) is a round the clock extremely loud street. Just to let you know.

I see Hamburg's historical structure partly differently: Of course the older city of Hamburg had a center and an old town (Altstadt) in whcih people lived, not worked only. All well documented. But as well as Berlin also Hamburg has historically multiple sub-centers because both cities had an act in history to include surrounding cities and villages into their cities by widening their city borders (Greater Hamburg Act). The flood 1962 had no real impact on the sorting of districts or where people live and work. The embankments were identified as main reason for the flood and massively improved (source).

The location isn't at all bad but for the potential for street noise. The Gröninger and the Wasserschloss and a sushi joint are immediately nearby, and you're not really far from the area just SE of the Rathaus--just a few hundred meters--which offers lots of smaller eateries and cafes, and along the Zollkanal there are also a few. There is a fair bit within a 15 minute walk at pretty much any of these places; again, Hamburg is EXTREMELY walkable, with all of its major attractions being within a surprisingly small radius. So if the price and the laundry facilities appeal, then go for it. There is absolutely nothing shady or grubby there; it's just more likely to have day traffic than evening and is a bit more new vs. old town and commercial building vibe.

As far as food, there are a few Michelin starred places, none of which I have visited. However, there are two Bib gourmands I have--Nil and Hygge. Hygge is great for atmosphere when it's colder, but not my favorite summer place and IMO not as good as other places (I love it, but not for what you are describing). It's also hard to reach. Nil I only visited once years ago, and I liked it--but it was all indoors.

Also listed as "good kitchen" on the Michelin website are Rive, which is where we go for our anniversaries, mainly because my husband likes eating the Jewels of the Sea platter for two by himself. It's right on the waterfront, and we love being on the water. On our list to check out and recommended by people we know is Henssler Henssler, which is also on the Michelin site under "good kitchen." Same for Clouds--"good kitchen," highly recommended by friends, and this one is a rooftop bar. So this one is probably what I would most recommend. A hidden gem in the most obscure location is a place called Memory; take the S1 to Sülldorf and just near the station you will find this easily overlooked but surprisingly highly rated local restaurant that probably should be listed.

MarkK, the floods absolutely had a huge effect--Waltershof used to be residential and was not rebuilt, but was instead incorporated into the port. Not a huge effect on the north side of the Elbe, where most of the sites are, but a huge effect on the city as a whole.
And I referenced the multiple centers--along the Landungsbrücken, the Rathaus area and all around the Alster--but also Großneumarkt, which I referenced, was part of Neustadt. Basically one also needs to remember that the city was constantly rerouting rivers and canals. The concept of a city center never truly existed in Hamburg because it was always changing--from being sacked by the Vikings in the late 800s to the damming of the Alster in the late 1100s to the extension of the city walls in the 1600s, the role of the waterways in particular and the layout of the city in general always meant the "city center" was moving and thus multiple city centers existed. So no, there is NOT one documented city center. There have always been several or at least no clear one, and they have always been shifting (the Domplatz just south of St. Petri, then the square east of St. Petri, then the square in front of St. Nikolai and Großneumarkt to name a few).
I also mentioned the Greater Hamburg Act (not by name, but the incorporation of Altona in 1937 was part of that). I referenced it mostly in relation to the Altona sites (Fischmarkt, Große Freiheit, Blankenese . . . ), especially in relation to the central points along the water. My point was that even along the waterfront, there are multiple "centers"--the Landungsbrücken, but also the Fischmarkt.

I always wanted to try Mövenpick Hamburg which is well connected by station Sternschanze and has some restaurant options around.

I enjoyed the Mövenpick hotel and the Sternschanze area. The hotel is unique. It's in an old water tower. I thought the Sternschanze area was fun, but you should see if that's what your interested in.

I spent 5 days in Hamburg last summer and absolutely loved it, in large part because I feel in love with the neighbourhood around my hotel near the Dammtor station. It was so easy to walk to other parts of the city or to grab the bus or a train. The area is full of beautiful buildings, wonderful green spaces (I spent happy afternoons in Planten un Blomen and along the Aussenalster) and has some nice looking restaurants for the well-heeled residents, as well as cheaper places for the university students.

I stayed at Hotel Vorbach (3 stars), which was very pleasant but simple. The 5-star Grand Elysée Hotel was closer to the station and looked very comfortable.

Speaking of Dammtor. I once enjoyed staying at the Grand Elysèe; around Mittelweg and Rothenbumchaussee you will find some nice restaurants and other hotels.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Some lovely hotels have been suggested. I think I will book my other hotels and then backtrack to Hamburg once I have a better idea of my leftover budget. I try to average USD 200 per night across my trips. Hamburg is destination 2 of a 51 night trip.

The airline points my sister gave me will work for any Adina apartments and there seems to be one in Nuremberg, so I can make good use of them.

I am just surprised that Hamburg seems to be more expensive than Paris!

I am surprised you think that, but I haven't been to Paris in some time and don't stay in hotels in HH, so I will take your word for it.

Maybe your travel dates overlap with Reeperbahn Festival?
https://www.hamburg-travel.com/see-explore/events/reeperbahn-festival/

Club festivals in Hamburg! Marathons in Berlin! I am beginning to think that Germany doesn't want me to come and visit.

AussieNomad, we are doing all the festivals beacause we want you to come.

One of the most famous festivals btw is W:O:A - Wacken Open Air. Four days of Heavy Metal in the middle of Northern Germany's Nowhere; traditionally pre-opened by the Wacken Fire Fighters (recommend to see YouTube videos). Established 1990, annually first weekend of August.

Wacken is right next to the middle of nowhere. Our rescue dog team trains nearby, so that weekend we either choose to go elsewhere or can hear the music from our lake. But it's long before you come.

Festivals are a part of German summers. We live through the long, cold winters so we can be outside all summer! Schlagermove this year got moved forward due to the Euros, the Reeperbahn has various festivals and food truck events all year round, and pretty much every weekend is something--Christopher Street, the Dom, flea markets, beer fests . . . . and most of them are quite localised, including the Reeperbahn Festival. All can be fun and offer an insight into how Germans celebrate!

You are not to be intimidated--you are invited! Join as much or as little as you want. The more, the merrier.

Thank you HowlinMad and MarkK.

We have booked at the Steigenberger Hotel for 4 nights with a canal view. My partner took one look at the flying freehold and the canal side dining and said "yes, book it".

We will have Deutschland tickets so it should be very easy to get to the hotel.

We are really looking forward to Hamburg!

We look forward to welcoming you to the most amazing city in the world!

UPDATE: We arrived by train from Copenhagen this afternoon. Our hotel, Hotel Steigenberger, is very comfortable and we have a lovely canal view. We arrived in Europe yesterday so are still very tired after 36 hours travelling.

Hamburg so far is lovely. We walked along Karl Lagerfeld Strasse to the Rathaus and had a nice time strolling past some VERY expensive boutiques. Tomorrow the real exploring begins!

You will love Hamburg, I think! It's a glorious city and so interesting and cool! I really liked my time there, although the Reeperbahn was not my favorite part. :-)

Ok, now you all have me interested in Hamburg !