Museums and galleries in Hamburg

Museums and galleries in Hamburg

1. SeeAltona-St. Pauli

   Altonaer Museum

   Dedicated to Altona's, Hamburg's and northern Germany's cultural history.

2. SeeSouth

   Archaeological Museum Hamburg

   Helms-Museum

   Museum presenting prehistorical and early historical northern Germany as well as the history of the city of Harburg.

3. SeeSouth

   BallinStadt Auswanderwelt Hamburg

   BallinStadt — History of Emigration

   It was built in 1892 under the guidance of Albert Ballin to provide medical care and accommodation to migrants, who were emigrating to the United States on HAPAG ships. The complex was converted into a museum, though its original design and layout is not the same because parts of the complex were destroyed. The museum is dedicated to the 5 million people who emigrated via Hamburg. It has a computer terminal where visitors can look up information on their emigrant ancestors. At €12 (children: 5-12: €7, family: €25), it's pricey, and the English translations can be sparse and superficial. Unless they can read the German documents, American visitors who have been to museums such as Ellis Island will find much of the content familiar.

4. SeeEast

   Bergedorf Castle

   Schloss Bergedorf

   This is the only preserved castle inside the city borders of Hamburg, and it has been mentioned in documents in the 14th century. Since 1953 it houses a museum of Bergedorf and the Vierlande region. The idyllic castle park has been protected since 1926.

5. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

   Cap San Diego

   One of the last generation of pre-containerisation cargo ships (built in the 1960s), now semi-permanently moored halfway between Landungsbrücken and the Speicherstadt, and is the largest functional cargo museum ship in the world. The ship has been restored and is maintained in full working order by volunteers (who take it out a few times a year, notably during the Hafengeburtstag celebration). You can visit the ship and walk around most areas, including the crew quarters, cargo compartments, and engine room. The ship also hosts a number of other minor attractions, including an exhibit on emigration and an escape room. The ship also has a few guest rooms for overnight stays.

   Closed · opens 10 am tomorrow·€7 adults, €4 children

6. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

   Chocoversum Hachez Schokoladen-Museum

   The Chocoversum is a "museum" run by chocolate manufacturer Hachez from Hamburg's fellow Hansestadt Bremen. Rather than focus on exhibiting historic artifacts, it presents the process of making chocolate from the plantation up to the finished confection. There is also a studio where visitors can try their hands at being a chocolatier. 90-minute guided tours are provided everyday.

   Daily, including Sundays 10:00-18:00·€14, discounts for children, disabled, families and large groups

7. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

   Deichtorhallen

   The Deichtorhallen is one of the best known exhibition galleries worldwide. The historical buildings are divided into an exhibition hall for contemporary art and the "House of Photography". Together the two buildings organize a highly diverse program of changing exhibitions.

8. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

   Dialog im Dunkeln

   Sighted people get to experience the everyday life of blind people. In completely dark rooms blind people guide the sighted through the exhibition.

9. SeeSouth

   Freilichtmuseum am Kiekeberg

   Open air museum showcasing rural life with a historical alcohol distillery, teaching kitchen, museum shop.

   Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, closed Christmas and New Year

10. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Hamburg Museum

    former: Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte

    Holstenwall, close to Underground station "St. Pauli". This is the museum of city history, bringing the past to life with a lot of models showing the development of the harbour and the city. The club "MEHEV" is showing a 40-year-old and one of the largest scale model railroads here.

11. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Internationales Maritimes Museum

    This private museum in near the Speicherstadt district houses Peter Tamm's collection of model ships, construction plans, uniforms, and maritime art,. It opened in 2008 in the refurbished Kaispeicher B (quay warehouse B), which is the oldest preserved warehouse in Hamburg, having been built in 1879. Covering ten floors it is one of the most comprehensive maritime museums in the world with 1,000 large and 36,000 miniature models, 50,000 construction plans, 5,000 paintings and graphics, more than 2,000 films, 1.5 million photos, 120,000 books and numerous nautical devices, historic uniforms, militaria and maritime objects. About two thirds of the collection is on permanent display.

    Daily 10:00 - 18:00·Adult €13, concession €9.50. Discounts apply

12. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Kunsthalle

    art museum

    Glockengießerwall north of Hauptbahnhof. The museum houses an important collection of paintings from the 19th century with works from Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth, Philipp Otto Runge, Caspar David Friedrich, Adolf Menzel, and modern arts. It rises on both sides of a paved court. The Baroque building on one side has the older works. The areas under the courtyard and the other, modern looking building house an extensive collection of very modern art. There are some extremely fine pieces, but the quality is uneven and the curacy curious at times. For instance, in a far back corner with minimal climate control and no observation are four or five gorgeous French Impressionist paintings which are among the finest in the museum.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, Thu 10:00-21:00·Adults €14, concessions €8, family day ticket €18, under 18 free admission

13. SeeNorth

    Museum am Rothenbaum - Kulturen und Kunste der Welt

    MARKK

    Formerly known as the Museum of Ethnology. The museum has ethnographic objects from around the world.

14. SeeEast

    Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe

    Museum of Arts and Crafts

    The museum is a leading centre for art, applied art, and design. Its collections of work from Europe and the Middle and the Far East are of the finest-quality and span all epochs from the Ancient World to the present day. They also have many activities and concerts (see the Classical Music section). The museum is housed in an 18th-century palace, which has the original roofs and ceilings.

    Open Tue - Sun 11:00 - 18:00, Thu 11:00 - 21:00·Adult €10, reduced €7, children under 18 years free, family €17

15. DoEast

    Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe

    The Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg has many smaller concerts — something almost every day — and is much cheaper than the Laeiszhalle. The programs range from the curator of their early keyboard instrument collection playing them and giving a spiel on the music and the instruments (in German only!) to formal concerts of renditions of Schubert's Die Winterreise. Pick up a schedule at the desk of the museum (down the street from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof).

16. SeeAltona-St. Pauli

    Planten un Blomen

    This park is partially on the old city wall of Hamburg. Already in the 1930s the former zoological park was remodeled into a bird and entertainment park for the Lower German Garden Exhibition (Niederdeutsche Gartenschau). Afterwards it was rebuilt for three international garden shows in 1953, 1963 and 1973. The botanical garden was turned into a park landscape, and was moved to Klein Flottbek in Altona in 1979. The tropical greenhouses built in 1962/63 are still there.;In the summer months there are daily shows for kids with clowns, magicians and circus artists as well as theater. In the music pavilion there are concerts every evening.

    Daily open until 23:00, in April until 22:00. Greenhouses are open during the summer season (Mar-Oct): Mon-Fri 09:00-16:45, Sat Sun and holidays 10:00-17:45, winter season (Nov-Feb) Mon-Fri 09:00-15:45, Sat Sun, holidays 10:00-15:45

17. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Rickmer Rickmers

    A museum sailing ship (three-masted bark) from 1896, permanently moored off the Landungsbrücken. On board is a museum, a small restaurant, and an escape room.

    Closed · opens 10 am tomorrow·Adults €5, students €4, children €3

18. SeeEast

    Rieck Haus - Vierländer Freilichtmuseum

    Open-air museum showcasing the rural life in the Vierlanden before the industrial revolution. The premises was an active farm operated by the Rieck family up until WWII. There are still farm animals there, and several hands-on experiences for visitors such as milking cows.

19. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Speicherstadtmuseum

    Dockland Museum

    Branch of Museum of Labour in docklands warehouse. History of the district and tea and coffee trade.

    €3.60, discounts apply

20. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Spicey's Gewürzmuseum

    Spice Museum

    Located in the Speicherstadt. They claim to be the world's only spice museum.

21. DoAltona-St. Pauli Not mapped

    HADAG Ferries

    A low-budget alternative for a boat tour on the river Elbe. A part of Hamburg's public transport system (HVV). If you have already bought a HVV day ticket, the ride is free. Most tourists take ferry 62 from Landungsbrücken to Finkenwerder, via Neumühlen with the museum harbour Oevelgönne. The whole ride to Finkenwerder and return takes about an hour, and on weekends with good weather this ferry will be very full. In Finkenwerder, you can continue with another ferry to Teufelsbrück (Line 64 which is also part of the HVV) or just walk around on this island, which is a quarter of Hamburg. It has nice old houses, some places to eat and a great view of the harbor business as it is close to the container terminal. Another route from Landungsbrücken is the ferry line number 72 in the Hafencity to the station Elbphilharmonie. You have a good view to the harbour with the Überseebrücke and Sandtorhöft.

22. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Automuseum Prototyp

    Museum of car prototypes, nice shop inside.

    Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00·Tickets €9, kids <14 €4.50

23. SeeNeustadt-Altstadt

    Deutsches Zollmuseum

    German Customs Museum

    Admission €2

24. SeeAltona-St. Pauli

    Sankt Pauli Museum

    Davidstraße 17

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Hamburg (CC BY-SA 4.0).