Music venues & clubs – All our local tips

You wanna see the real Kiez-party szene and the touristy stuff isnt your style? Try the Hamburger Berg, a sidestreet from Reeperbahn. Barhopping here is one of my favourite things to do on weekends. The street is lined with little bars, where every small dance floor provides a different taste of music. So just go around and find your style. Of course on weekends you shouldn’t be a claustrophobic person who needs a lot of space to develop a personal way of dancing.

Sooner or later, the barbarabar is the one, where I always end on my Bergtour. I like the music, that is always fun and the bar is crowded with good looking, dancing people that are forced to have body contact because of the limited space. Therefore it is also an insiders´ tip for singles to meet some nice candidates from the other sex.

For the non-dancers they provide a kicker (table football). But be aware, that the boys and girls playing here are quite good. On Wednesdays you can show off your talent and participate in a table football-tournament. On Tuesdays they are playing Hörspiele (audio plays), that seems to be fun as the photo shows and on sundays they have “Einquadratmeterlivemusic (one square-meter live music) for newcomer bands.

So barbarabar is a “must” on a weekend St Pauli tour, but also during the rest of the week for sure worth a visit.

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Barbarabar | Bars, Music
Hamburger Berg 11 | Sankt Pauli | +4916090361519
Tue – Sun from 20:00

:: SPRING IS COMING SOON! :: BE PREPARED FOR FRESH GREEN PLANTS ::

If you wanna go for a walk and are interested in flowers, plants, trees, dessert, … at least nature! Check out the Botanical Garden in Hamburg. It’s awesome!

Even the last drizzly weekend I was there and was really impressed again. So many different flowers. Have a look in the fragrance-tactile-garden – there I found a flower that smells like chocolate. Hilarious! Small labels and big “try-it-yourself” walls inform you about plants and their smell, touch and use. Discover the Botanical Garden, through all the different theme gardens from “plants of the bible” to “evolution of the rose” through all the continents.

The blue futuristic Loki-Schmidt-Building is a museum for economic plants encouraged by the ZEIT foundation.

One of my favorite places is the dessert garden with glas pyramids (which was a present of United Arab Emirates).

Special programs: Both, the state institute of teacher training and school development and the University of Hamburg (faculty biology), are the ‘Green School’ which hands out indoor plants and test plants for cytology, also carnivorous plants, succulents, etc. for learning.

Historical excursion: Since 1919 the Botanical Garden Hamburg (established in 1821) belongs to the University Hamburg. Due to shortage of space and after a 10 years construction period, it was reconstructed and opened again in 1979 in Hamburg-Osdorf, at the S-Bahn station Klein Flottbek (S1).

Art excursion: In front of the Botanical Garden Hamburg, at the entrance, there is a sculpture, by artist Waldemar Otto which called: Adam plundered his paradise. The original plan was a second sculpture of Eve as well. Public protests because of the exceedingly high costs and the design made the artist reduce it to only Eva’s hand in the golden apple tree. Really funny is the fact: some unknown painted Adam some underwear, several times, again and again. Now it still exists.

Relaxing excursion: The Palme – the palm, is an outside café for some chilled coffee, ice cream and lovely cake. Also you’ll get sausages and potato salad there for absolutely affordable prices.

Music excursion: Every first Thursday in the month there is a concert for free!

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Botanical Garden | Art & culture, Music, Relaxing | Free
Ohnhorststraße 18 | Altona & Ottensen | +494042816476
09:00 – till 1 1/2 hour before sunset daily

Ok ok, if you are not a native German speaker or you just started with your German language skills maybe this is not the right place to be. But, if… Check out some of the theatre plays, concerts or interviews!

Eg with Moritz von Uslar, who used to work for Tempo and a Süddeutsche Zeitung magazine and who is well-known for his unconventional interviews.

This tiny theatre and place for plays, discussions and events lies in the very heart of the so called Neustadt, the new part of town – despite the fact that quite a bit of that quarter does not look new with its old warehouses, charming old-fashioned buildings and lovely waterways (called Fleet in Northern Germany!).

Fleetstreet is not the place where the crowd rushes to but worth a look. It’s run by Angela Richter, wife of Daniel Richter, the famous painter. Why not visit the “Dead Parlour” mid of January. If you don’t wanna listen but dance – free entrance for Fleetstreet Club with Smallville Seniors, every last Friday in the month – next end of March.

Check the motto „We start before we get tired!”… New programme starting from February on every second friday: “Filmklub” (a movie with free popcorn…) - have a look on the website!

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Fleetstreet | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Music, Theaters
Admiralitätstr. 71 | City center | +494039993883
No regular dates (check the website)

Spring arrived in Hamburg!!! Best time for Frau Hedi!

You want it all crazy and freaking out, here we go:

This tiny barge has the funniest program I’ve ever seen from “Le Superdisco Française” to “Scandinavian Pop Party” to “Australian Spring Celebration” to “Russian Datscha Party”. Left of all footbridges at Landungsbrücken 10, there you’ll find “Frau Hedi” every hour (check out the events before).

Pay the entrance ( € 6.00 – € 10.00) and have an awesome (and every hour different) way around the harbour with crazy music and dancing.

Around 01:00 the party relocates from the barge to the “Frau Hedis Landgang”, a pub in the Schanze (see this article).

It’s always great fun for me! One of my best insider’s tips!

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Frau Hedi | Art & culture, Music | Entrance from € 6.00
Sankt-Pauli-Landungsbrücken 10 | Sankt Pauli
Fri – Sun from 17:00

A corner shop stuffed with records, CD’s, hi and low-fi audio, super 8 movies and cameras, books, cartoons, corny posters and and and. So it’s the place where the heart of the true lover of music and old-style stuff beats a little faster.

Though it seems a bit disorganized you can be sure that the friendly and dedicated guys who are running the shop will help you to find EVERYTHING which is available concerning music, whetheryou are fond of Jazz and Avantgarde, or into Hip Hop or Indie-music.

There is a mail&order website called hafenschlammrekords and you will be thrilled about what they offer. But if you come to the shop you will forget about time and space – and later find yourself stumbling onto the scruffy street in St. Pauli with at least one vinyl in a bag, a smile on the face and a little spark in your eyes.

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Freiheit & Roosen | Music, Shopping | Records around € 15.00
Paul Roosen strasse 41 | Sankt Pauli | +494023549339
Mon – Fri 12:00 – 20:00, Sat 12:00 – 18:00

In the middle of Hamburg, in one of the countless office districts made out of glass and steel there is the Gängeviertel. Between Valentinskamp, Caffamacherreihe and Speckstraße are 12 houses with historically worthwhile, extensively original old building substances. The Dutch investor Hanzevast Capital n.v. by Jaap Wolters is planning to tear 80% down. Leftovers should be restructured and extended with new offices.

Many artists squated the district and live and work there. Almost every night there are events like concerts, readings, exhibitions, installation and performances – all for FREE! You can visit the buildings from inside daily from 13:00 (except Mondays). The people there are very friendly and open-minded, can give you loads of information and tea.

Discover the different houses and rooms: Puppenstube (dollhouse), Butze (cubby), Tischlerei (carpentry), Fabrik (factory), Druckerei (printing house), Kutscherhaus (coachmen house), Kupferdiebe and Speckstraße.

The Gängeviertel is not only AGAINST everything, they have a new concept, a new use zoning plan. You can find very in detail on www.gaengeviertel.info (click on Nutzungskonzept).

I stop here to explain more about that beautiful, creative place – KOMM IN DIE GÄNGE – get on with it – get your own picture of it – your own view – ask and talk about what you think.

!!! UPDATE: Suddenly the Dutch Investor paid and the artists had to clear the Druckerei (printing house) and the Fabrik (factory)!!!

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Gängeviertel | Art & culture, Coffee & tea, Music, Relaxing, Theaters | Free
Caffamacherreihe 43, | City center
Tue – Sun from 13:00 (special events check on website)

For only € 2.00 (common) you will get a girl next-door behind the bar and a good electronic DJ. Here we are! Whenever you come to the Pudel (nobody says Golden Pudel Club – it’s too long).

It is special and different. Whether in the afternoons with cake and coffee, or evenings with quiche and beer or late sitting on the steps watching the habour (it is very close to Park Fiction) or in morning at 07:00 for the last beer after partying while watching the sunrise before breakfast at the fish-market on Sunday!

With great electronic beats there is sometimes not enough space for everybody shaking their bodies and dancing. Inform yourself about which DJ will play! Go there, dance there, don’t think about next day!

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Golden Pudel Club | Bars, Music | Entrance € 2.00
Am St. Pauli Fischmarkt 27 | Harbour | +494031979930
From 22:00 daily

Indie, Rock and 80s music fans can feel at home her. People who like to dance between the twenty-something people are very at home here. This old inconspicuous forester’s house (that’s why it called “green hunter”) is the place for alternative concerts of unknown bands from all over the world.

The entrance fee is around € 2.00 to € 6.00 (you can’t negotiate the price). Every Wednesday there is ByteFM residency (concerts) for free, give them a try!

The beer is cheap (€ 2.20). The wine is bad. You can sit in summer outside at tables, or inside on sofas.

During the weekends it is a well filled dance area. Or you can go upstairs to play table fusball or just relax in a relaxed ambiance on old sofas for smoking and talking about all the world.

Once in a while there are theme-nights like watching “Tatort” (famous German criminal series) on Sunday, other cult movies or radio play night.

At the moment they often have free entrance for concerts. Just check out the programme!

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Grüner Jäger | Art & culture, Bars, Music | Beer € 2.20
Neuer Pferdemarkt 36 | Schanze | +494031814617
From 20:00 – open end daily

If you think that „Hamburger Schule” is a school for naughty Northerners, if you think that Hamburg is a provincial place and can’t produce anything solid as it`s neither Berlin nor London, if you might believe it`s not possible to rap in German, let alone in Northern German, if you might even believe that Germans don’t have any kind of humour or taste, this is the place where you will have to face the truth that this is all wrong!!

In this record store you will ONLY find music from this town and you will love to discover little but superb bands like Veranda Music (singing in English and Portuguese), well-known old classical heroes like Blumfeld, Tocotronic or Kante but also our beloved crazy stuff from Goldenen Zitronen to Studio Braun (one good reason to learn German as quick as possible).

You can also find books here, and on some evenings you can enjoy a small concert in the store. For example the last concert was by Johannes Oerding. Check out the website what concerts are planned in future time.

You will find the newest (and oldest) CD’s and records in town – you can also get a decent Hamburg-style-shirt with those white and blue stripes. Or one of these yellow rain coats made of thick rubber. In case that you might end up with a bag full of Vinyl, heading back home on a rainy day in Hamburg…

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Hanseplatte | Music | Record from € 10.00
Neuer Kamp 32 | Karoviertel | +494028570193
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 19:00, Sat 10:00 – 18:00

“Hasenschaukel” is a true gem among the St. Pauli bars! Located on a side street away from all the hustle and bustle on Reeperbahn, local ‘characters’ and tourists alike enjoy the quaint atmosphere at the ‘bunny swing’.

The interior is a blend of art nouveau and gothic style combined with playful decorations such as dolls for lights, a fake fireplace, and a display cabinet with knitted bunny-shaped egg-warmers! The booths in the main room add a touch of American diner, but without the atmosphere. The former ‘Golden Backroom’ now serves as a smoking room.

Everything in this venue reflects a loving and thoughtful attention to detail providing a cozy atmosphere and intimate setting for the various acoustic shows put on by independent international artists. In addition, rotating DJs spin music such as Beat, Glamrock, and German classics.

The menu offers a great selection of daily vegetarian specials – handcrafted by the owner – such as quiches, enchiladas, and pasta, to name but a few. Specials on shots and long drinks, locally brewed beers, and the house special ‘Störtebeker‘  are available on a regular basis.

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Hasenschaukel | Bars, Music | Beer € 2.60
Silbersackstr. 17 | Sankt Pauli | +494018012721
Wed – Sat 19:00 – open end

Le Fonque is a small but absolutely cool spot. Located in the scenic Schanze it is a bit hidden in the side street Juliusstrasse, which also means less tourists and more locals.It has been around for 10 years making it one of the old bars (first?) in this district. Le Fonque has soft couches and dark red light that flatters every skin type. The first time I stepped in I thought: oh my god – a small, red, dark, grubby brothel?! Indeed it looks a bit like the backstage room of Moulin Rouge and with a cosy atmosphere.

People are young-at-heart, interested in good music, and of all nationalities. Time seems to stand still accompanied with a professional range of music. Every night there is a live DJ right beside the bar covered with a fresh bouquet of flowers. And for sure: they know their business! The music ranges from funk (of course!) to soul, old school, new school, 70s, sometimes mixed with groovy sounds or elements of house music. All DJs have to pass through a hard test of live performance – no demo-tapes!

Astra beer costs € 2,00, other beer € 3,00. Sometimes it’s a bit too smoky and crowded, then it’s better to change to Daniela Bar or BP1 (both at Schulterblatt) and come back later. It’s always a good place for the last nightcap or to stay longer.

Funk – Funky – Le Fonque!

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Le Fonque | Bars, Music | Astra beer € 2.00
Juliusstraße 33 | Schanze | +49404307515
from 22:00 daily

Visiting the Lehmitz is a great way to start off the night on Reeperbahn! This shabby-looking bar with its eclectic mix of patrons, and live entertainment is legendary! In a place where looks are not important, the ambience is created by the crowd and the bands.

You’ll find bikers, punks, bums, and ‘the average guy’ alike (average age mid- to upper 30s) clustered around the u-shaped bar under a large mural of Daisy Duck. The atmosphere is generally friendly and gets really loud when the band begins to play around 23:00. That’s when you’ll need to hold on to your drinks because the counter becomes the stage! It doesn’t matter whether it’s classic rock or punk – the important thing is that it’s loud!

The Coyote Parties every first Thursday of the month with ‘hotties’ dancing on the counter while serving drinks add another dimension to the art of bartending. Some of you will be happy to hear that smoking is allowed and for those who can’t do without some ‘physical exercise’, you can knock yourself out at the foosball table.

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Lehmitz | Bars, Music | shots € 1.00
Reeperbahn 22 | Sankt Pauli
Mon – Sat 14:00 – 06:00, Sun 14:00 – 00:00

The service is always amiable, sometimes with their heads up in the clouds, sometimes serving at the table, sometimes self-service, in this seventies furnished Pony Bar. Situated beside the campus of the University of Hamburg, you will meet lots of students shortly before seminars or relaxed after class.

I really adore the red wine there; not really cheap (€ 3.00 to € 4.50), but affordable. Merlot costs € 3.00. All the other beverages are cheap. They offer milk-coffee (€ 1.90 ) with soy-milk with no surcharge. Try out the fresh mint tea (€ 2.10 ).

The red back room is the music-area. On Mondays songwriters give their best, on Tuesdays there are very good! Open-Mic-Sessions (HipHop), contemporary Life-Jazz on Wednesday, and … and … and …

Beside that I love to watch “Tatort” (famous German criminal series) on Sunday, readings, listen to DJ’s, or watch an exhibition.

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Pony Bar | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music | Milk coffee € 1.90
Allende Platz 1 | Grindelviertel | +4940428387895
Mon – Sat from 09:00, Sun from 10:00

This place in the middle of Schulterblatt is in in absolute contrast to the scenic hip shops and sushi-bars on the Schanze .

This former theater has become a successful culture house. In 1989, in response to plans to turn it into a musical theater it was overtaken by squatters and became the alternative culture house it is today.

The facade of the Rote Flora changes every few weeks, from my perspective it is always creatively done. As a political and cultural center, it is the center of a lot of art events, block parties, flea markets, and alternative political neighborhood work.

The parties in the Rote Flora are great, which is a great contrast with the pabulum of the scenic Schanze. The music varies from punk, reggae, dub to drum’n'bass or house. The people are very mixed from alternative rasta-piercing-guys to political activists to (unfortunately too many) just-have-fun party people.

By the way, beside the parties you’ll find a self-help service station for bikes and the Volxküche (with lunch).

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Rote Flora | Art & culture, Music
Schulterblatt 71 | Schanze | +49404395413
See the program

Theatre Thalia has two great locations: one in the city at Alstertor (photo) reckoned as the more established, and one in Ottensen in the Gaußstraße 190, the more “wild” version.

Of course to have some working knowledge of German could be useful to understand the plays, but maybe its also an interesting experiment without.

Last but not least you also should have a look into the atmospheric bar on the rooftop at Alstertor: the now so called Zentrale (formerly called Nachtasyl). Open from 19:00 it is always nice for a drink.

They also have a lot of interesting events, ranging from chanson evening to poetry slams and other interesting lectures. Check out the website for more information.

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Thalia Theater | Art & culture, Bars, Coffee & tea, Music, Theaters
Alstertor 1 | City center | +494032814444
Tickets (Alstertor) Mon – Sat 10:00 – 19:00, Sun 16:00 – 18:00

Whether you want to attend a special rock-, jazz- classic-, theatre production, a reading or a political event, you will find yourself in a unique atmosphere in the FABRIK in Ottensen.

Here you can combine cultural events with a look into the industrial history of Ottensen that once has been big in producing machine parts for the ship industry. The famous alternative and multicultural “communication center” was founded in 1971 in a building of a former machine factory that is around 150 years old.

Unique surrounding, unique program: In the FABRIK you don’t find mainstream events, its more for the particular taste or even more particular taste. So check out the website, if there is anything that makes you curious. And maybe you are anyway a fan of the “sounds of the Mongolian grasslands” or the “festival of the monsters of ska-punk” and don’t understand at all why I stress this point so much!

The famous Fabrik indoor flea market is my favourite in the cold season, when the hall and the gallery are packed with the Ottensen folk that emptied their attics. There is always a treasure to find here and for sure also one or two German scurrilities. Good luck with your own hunt!

In the cold season the flea market is once a month on a Saturday from 09:00 to 15:00. Check out the website for more information. Entry is for free.

The next dates are:
13 March 2010
17 April 2010

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The FABRIK | Art & culture, Music, Shopping | Tickets from € 8.00
Barnerstr. 36 | Altona & Ottensen | +4940391070
Presales Mon – Fri 13:00 – 17:00