Hamburg, boasting itself as “Germany's gateway to the world”, is the country’s largest city after Berlin, and home to one of the busiest ports in Europe. 

Located between the Elbe and Alster rivers, the northern metropolis has been an international trade center for centuries, a global service, media and industrial hub, and a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors. 

This year, the 12th G20 summit will take place on July 7 and 8 in Hamburg, with more than 20 heads of state and government, as well as representatives of international organizations hoping to promoting economic growth, fighting climate change and advancing regional stability during the meeting.

Let’s explore the charming city before the big event begins!

The G20 Summit will take place in St. Pauli, Hamburg’s most famous district. It witnessed the promise of the Beatles in the early 1960s, and now boasts the highest density of live music clubs in Europe. 

The main sumimt venue is not far from the dynamic street, “Reeperbahn,” where people from all over the world enjoy colorful nightlife. 

The Reeperbahn Festival is the largest club festival in Germany, and among the most important meeting places for the music and digital industries in Europe. It features hundreds of concerts featuring artists performing a wide-range of genres including indie, electro and jazz, and are held in clubs, bars and theaters in the neighborhood. 

A five-minute’ walk away from the street lies Hamburg's remarkable port.

Hamburg's location makes it an ideal transportation hub, linking the sea and Germany’s network of inland waterways. 

Every day, the Port of Hamburg welcomes large container ships and cruise liners from all over the world, contributing to the trade and economic prosperity of the flourishing metropolis. 

This large tidal harbor is fun to explore by boat, and the Landungsbrücken Piers are great points for departure. You can also wander around the popular promenades in the area and visit a variety of restaurants and gift shops. 

If you are interested in the maritime spirit of the seaside city, the three-mastered Rickmer Rickmers is the perfect choice. After almost 90 years of sailing the seven seas, the ship has cast permanent anchor in Hamburg, and was transformed into a museum in 1983. Tourists can now roam the decks and imagine the old days at sea when exploring the crew’s quarters, the galley and the engine room.

Hamburg is heaven for architecture enthusiasts, with its outstanding mixture of historic and modern buildings. The Elbphilharmonie in the HafenCity quarter is the newest icon of Hamburg’s skyline. 

Officially inaugurated on January 11, 2017, the glistening glass concert hall resembles a hoisted sail, water wave or quartz crystal, and presents state-of-the-art acoustics. 

While strolling in exquisite boutiques on the elegant Colonnaden shopping streets, the history of which dates back to the 1870s, you can enjoy the original Neo-Renaissance style façades and a luxurious Venetian flair. Visiting Speicherstadt, the old Warehouse District, is another fantastic experience. Originally developed on a group of narrow islands in the Elbe River between 1885 and 1927, the “city of warehouses,” is one of the largest unified historic port warehouse complexes in the world. The district with continuous lines of tall brick buildings once used to store tobacco, coffee, dried fruit, and spices, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. 

As Hamburg borders the coastline of the North and Baltic Seas, the northern city has a reputation for seafood cuisine. You can sample different seafood dishes — eel, herring, salmon, fried, marinated or smoked, served on a crusty roll with onion, lettuce or with baked potatoes. You can also try “Hamburg National,” the local variation of the Steckrübeneintopf, a stew popular in northern Germany made from various kinds of vegetables and meat or sausage. 

And finally, bottoms up! It's easy to find excellent craft beer throughout the city. Hamburg is home to the century-old Holsten Brewery, and today, Astra beer is demonstrating the maritime spirit of the city. Porst!