Sights

Altstadt
Hamburg's old city is fairly young by European standards, thanks to the Great Fire of 1842, which trashed most of the historic buildings. Even the apparently ancient St Petri, the oldest of Hamburg's top five places of worship, was rebuilt to a neo-Romantic design despite its 12th-century origins.
The grand Rathaus was rebuilt with neo-Renaissance flamboyance - visible in its opulent Emperor's Hall and the Great Hall, which features a spectacular coffered ceiling. If you feel like throwing some dice on the free markets, there's Germany's oldest stock exchange, the Börse.
A survivor of the Great Fire is the historic Trostbrücke, the oldest bridge linking Altstadt with Neustadt, featuring statues of Hamburg's first archbishop. Less fortunate is St Nikolai, a medieval original rebuilt after the Great Fire only to be flattened by WWII bombing. The church ruins are now, fittingly, an anti-war memorial.

Kunstmeile (Art Mile)
If you're looking for the highlights of the city's culture all neatly organised into a string of galleries and museums, then the Art Mile is just the ticket. Hamburg Kunsthalle houses a collection that ranges from medieval portraiture to 20th-century minimalism. Many of the artworks survived the Nazis' destructive 1937 sweep in which many of Germany's art treasures disappeared.
The stark white cube housing Kunsthalle's contemporary collection is the Galerie der Gegenwart, three floors of modern art with the likes of Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman and David Hockney on display. If you're feeling arty or crafty, check out the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe. It houses sculpture, furniture, jewellery, musical instruments and an authentic Japanese teahouse that holds regular tea ceremonies.
The latest and greatest by Hamburg's local artists is showcased at Kunsthaus, while the Deichtorhallen hosts visiting exhibitions as well as the photography of Helmut Newton, Annie Leibowitz and other happy snappers.

Neustadt
The big shot of this neighbourhood is definitely Michaeliskirche, northern Germany's largest Baroque church and Hamburg's most prominent landmark, better known as 'Michel' to locals. The distinctive tower only hints at the gleaming elegance inside. If you can't get enough of the Baroque, beat a path to Peterstrasse, a cobbled street lined with houses from the period, including the Johannes Brahms Museum, a tribute to the local hero.
Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte has a sobering dose of local history detailing the destruction caused by the Great Fire and WWII bombing. Gänsemarkt to the east is the gateway to Hamburg's snazzy shopping district.

St. Michealis
One of the city's major landmarks, the Lutheran church of St. Michealis was originally built in the early 17th century. Destroyed by lightening in 1661, it was replaced by a baroque building in 1786. In 1906 the church was again destroyed by fire but was immediately rebuilt true to the original. In later years however, it sustained irreparable damage in the two world wars. The tower offers marvellous views of the city and still plays host to a 300-year-old tradition, whereby a trumpet player plays a hymn facing north, then south, then east and west (10am & 9pm; midday Sun).
 
Port of Hamburg
You can't miss Hamburg's frenetic port; it covers more than 12 per cent of the whole city and sees in excess of 70 million tonnes (78 million tons) of goods trafficked through it every year. To put it all in perspective, you can climb the steps above St Pauli Landundgsbrücken to witness the progress of carriers, freighters and other ships through the city's waters.
Two vessels that aren't going anywhere are the 1896 windjammer Rickmer Rickmers, which now serves as a museum and restaurant, and the Cap San Diego, a 10,000 tonne (11,200 ton) behemoth built in Hamburg during the 1960s. To the west of St Pauli, a sturdy grey structure is topped by a giant copper cupola. This striking piece of architecture is the entrance to the St Pauli Elbtunnel, a 426m (1400ft) passage under the river, built in 1911.

Reeperbahn
Reeperbahn, the main drag in St Pauli, was once the rope makers (reep means rope) quarter, but has become the centre of the city's red-light district. The Erotic Art Museum features racy art from the 16th century to the present, including Japanese woodprints, and paintings by Henry Miller, Jean Cocteau and other risqué artists.
The street known as Grosse Freiheit (literally 'Great Freedom') is the home of all the sleaziest strip clubs, but also where the Beatles played their formative gigs at Kaiserkeller and the now-defunct Star Club. In the thick of the peep shows, sex shops and dubious hotels is the Davidwache, a dignified brick building all tricked out in ornate tiles, which is home base for the 150 police officers that make the Reeperbahn one of the safest places in Hamburg.

Altona
Popular with fashionable young professionals for its cool bars and restaurants, this delightful quarter was once a separate city; it was swallowed by its rival Hamburg in 1937. To see and hear more about this extinct city, check out the Altona Museum (North German State Museum); it features intricate model ships, harpoons, scrimshaw and other nautical goodies.