Considering how prominently the Reeperbahn features in Hamburg's international reputation, I found it really disappointing. Sure, there's lots of bars, but they're nothing particularly special. And, at the risk of sounding like a Puritan, constantly being accosted by prostitutes who won't take 'No' for an answer just gets annoying. (To be clear, they did eventually take 'No' for an answer!) I expected it to be seedy, but I still figured it would work... somehow.
On the positive side, there were a lot of locals out (i.e. not just English stag parties), and they were really friendly. Also, there was one really impressive street band out, a full four-piece paying sort of Evanescence-lite-type music. That may or may not be your style, but the skill was definitely there. But at the end of the night, I was ready to declare Hamburg a shithole and move on.
Well, the next day turned my opinion around, maybe not 180 degrees but probably a good 135. In the light of day and away from the Reeperbahn, Hamburg turns out to be a perfectly charming city. We had some great weather, and there were endless outdoor cafes for us to take advantage of it. The old part of the harbor offered great brick warehouses and beautiful old bridges. The spectacular Gothic revival spire of St Nikolai is all that remains after the bombing of the city during the War, and it was left that way as a memorial. It was the tallest building in the world 1874-6 and still towers over everything. There's lots more great architecture, both older and modern buildings. We got a great view of the city from a boat tour through the canals and the harbor and finished off the night on the geographically inaccurate but very fun notes of a Bavarian dinner (Hofbrauhaus) and a few drinks in an Irish Pub (Finnegan's Wake).
So, in the end, would I recommend a visit to Hamburg? Ummm, no. I never saw anything to really make it a 'destination' city. Berlin, for example, has far more to see and (I thought) a better night life. But if someday I were to be sent there for work, I wouldn't consider it a bad thing. And next time I meet someone from Hamburg, I'll be able to honestly say, "I was there for a weekend once. Really nice city."
