Strips & Stories is still St Pauli’s first Bookshop, opened up two years ago in the Seilerstraße. They are basically focused on Comics and Graphic Novels and they offer a very specific range of books, novels, magazines and comics. Furthermore there is some space for current political, cultural or urban topics. I love this really tiny store, and I like that they offer such a small and clear selection with very inspiring titles.

Beyond this they regularly host events in their store such as readings, small exhibitions or concerts. Sometimes they do this in cooperation with the gallery Chéz Linda (who moved from Hein-Hoyer-Straße to the Seilerstraße). You can check their website for current dates.

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Strips & Stories | Art & culture, Shopping | Book € 20.00
Seilerstraße 40 | Sankt Pauli | +494038074009
Tue – Fri 12:00 – 20:00, Sat 13:00 – 19:00

The Brachmanns is a combination of a restaurant with a small gallery in the basement and a nice bar. Some of our friends used to celebrate their birthdays there, as there is a room you can rent for a party after the dinner. The Brachmanns is located in central St. Pauli so it is a good starting point for a night out anyway.

Brachmanns Galeron’s kitchen is high quality plain fare with a Southern German touch. They have only a few dishes which are scheduled on the handwritten menu. You should definitely try the typical south german “Maultaschen” (pasta squares filled with meat and spinach) – tasty!

What I especially like is that they get their meat only from a traditional family-run Hamburg butcher. But you will get some very good vegetarian dishes their as well. I feel fine there because I like the atmosphere, the service, the clientèle and the warm interior.

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Brachmanns Galeron | Art & culture, Restaurants (German) | Main dish € 12.00
Hein-Hoyer-Straße 60 | Sankt Pauli | +494067305123
Wed – Mon 18:30 – 23:00

Every second Tuesday there is a special cinema-experience. In the backyard of the Brigittenstraße in St Pauli you can find a very small cinema called B-Movie. The Dokumentarfilm Salon shows selected documentary films there, often followed by a debate with the director or other participants. The cinema has only 75 seats and there is a little bar where you can buy some snacks and drinks.

Films could be German so you should check the program on their homepage if you are not German. All films are carfully selected and refer to interesting, political and social topics.

If you come to late and it might be too crowded you could stay at the bar for a chat. What is interesting on top: you can rent the b-movie for your own private cinema show.

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Dokumentarfilm Salon | Art & culture, Cinemas | Free
Brigittenstraße 5 (Hinterhof) | Sankt Pauli
Every 2nd Tuesday from 18:00, Film starts at 20:00

The guys from the Krug (check the Krug Weinstubezi article) opened up a new space last summer: Oberstübchen. The Oberstübchen is located directly over the club Pudel Club (check the Golden Pudel Club article) in the Park Fiction (check the Parc Fiction article). 

You can sit on their awesome terrace now and enjoy the sun and free wifi. Inside it is very cozy, with lots of wooden furniture and with a fantastic view over the harbor. You can enjoy different dishes, from soups and salads, to pasta or coq au vin. On the weekends they offer really good breakfast. They have some cultural events in the evening as well, so you might want to check their facebookpage for that. 

Not much to say, it is a nice place, with good food and good wine. You should go there. 

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Oberstübchen | Art & culture, Bars, Restaurants (Intern.) | Main dish € 14.90
St. Pauli Fischmarkt 27 | Sankt Pauli | +4915112200488
Tue – Fri 18:00 – 00:00, Sat 11:00 – 01:00, Sun 11:00 – 19:00

We love you, we love you, we love you, and where you play we follow, we follow, we follow, ’cause we support Sankt Pauli – Sankt Pauli, Sankt Pauli, and that’s the way we like it – we like it, we like it, Ooooohhhhhh – Oooohhhhhh”

There is no big wow-effect if you come in the stadium and you won’t think: jeeesus, this is huuuuge! No, the Millerntor is simple and cult. Here I lived through cheers to black despair, from being stunned till my eyes were filled with tears. The fans are unique! The football players step in the arena supported by AC/DC‘s “Hells Bells”, the people sing and dance everywhere and show the brown and white colors of their flags.

That moment gives me goosebumps. Old-punks and alternatives, students and businessmen come together singing the same songs. Not only is the game important but also the atmosphere. Whether you come just for a beer (of course Astra €3,50) or jumping and singing with the Ultra Sankt Pauli Fans in the south stand.

If FC Sankt Pauli scores, Blur’s “Song 2″ is the song of the moment. If they lose the game, there is only one sentence in the air: “As a fan of St. Pauli you need to be suffering!” and singing goes on: Oooooooooooooolé, forza Sankt Pauli!

BTW: in summer (mid Jun-mid Aug): Movienights at Millerntor. opens:20:30, starts: 21:30 -after sunset. Prices are affordable: movie €6, Astra €3,50 & popcorn €1,50.

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Millerntor-Stadion | Art & culture, Relaxing | Entrance for the South Stand € 11.00
Auf dem Heiligengeistfeld | Sankt Pauli | +494031787451
See program

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).

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 the Frau Hedis Landgang article).

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

PS: During the winter sometimes the barges are frozen in, and there are no events. Check website and weather!

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Frau Hedi | Art & culture, Music | Entrance from € 6.00
Sankt-Pauli-Landungsbrücken 10 | Sankt Pauli | +4917683061071
Fri – Sun from 17:00

Behind big red walls is the most sinful street of Hamburg. Around 250 women work there, sitting in shop windows, waiting for any male walking the only 60 m street. It’s probably the most polarizing street ever.

Here the history in short: In horrible times of National Socialism there was a prohibition on stripteases and prostitution. But in St. Pauli they couldn’t eliminate the typical business. So it was only allowed in one narrow street – Herbertstraße. To let nobody see what is officially forbidden, the head of Nazi district built barriers on both ends in 1933. Since 70′s there have been big signs forbidding women and teenagers under 18 years to enter.

So that’s why I collected all quotes from male friends, after waiting for them on the other side: „Women in shop-windows flirt with me.”, „In my imagination this street was bigger.”, „Why do women do that?”, „I saw a nurse had hardly got a stitch on.”, „Clear offers everywhere.”, „This way is much shorter, than the long way around!”, „How long did you wait for me?”

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Herbertstraße | Art & culture, Relaxing
Herbertstrasse | Sankt Pauli
24 hours daily

Less tourists, more St. Pauli’er!

Park Fiction is a collective project by active residents from St. Pauli. It’s a green oasis in the middle of Hamburg with a nice view of the harbour with Blohm & Voss‘ dockyard 10 and 11 . This small (only 1500 m2) artificial park is an absolute insider tip.

The lawn was created in waves and equipped with artificial palm-trees. Lots of bike performers and skaters are around. For children, there is a tartan playground with big tulips on the ground and also (very hard to find in Germany) a dog park.

I really love this small recreational park for reading a book and drinking a sparkling rhubarb juice from the Amphore Café (see the Amphore article) beside.

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Park Fiction | Art & culture, Relaxing
Bernhard-Nocht-Strasse | Sankt Pauli
24 hours daily

As Hamburg is full of construction sites, street barriers and excavators, you’ll sometimes find a small oasis of art and neighbor initiative. Like the Fiese Hecke (in English: meany hedge) with is basically just a construction fence around the old Astra-beer-Tower (attention, sometimes cullets fall from above, that’s why the fence is there).

Usually neighbors would say: GET RID OF THE FENCE, but here they say LET THE FENCE STAY. Why not us the fence as a platform for fun, art exhibiton or a regularly “for free”-shop?

Have fun and stay tuned to what more will come (check website otherwise you’ll only see a fence)!

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Fiese Hecke | Art & culture | Free
Gebrüder wolf platz | Sankt Pauli
24 hours daily

For the more athletic adventurer, Hamburg has something fun in store: discover the city on inline skates! Come out on a Sunday afternoon to join a weekly group skate for a 2-hour tour of some beautiful spots in Hamburg. Regardless of whether you’re just visiting or new in town, this group of fun loving locals is always happy to welcome newbies. The only requirement for participation is that you have some experience and know how to brake!

Meeting point for this year-round activity is the ice rink at Planten un Blomen, and from there you’re off to Fleethof, Jungfernstieg, Mönckebergstrasse, Speicherstadt, Hafencity, Landungsbrücken, and Reeperbahn. The tour usually concludes with a nice dinner at a restaurant in Schanze. A decent, comfortable pace and frequent stops will allow you to keep up with the group, and give you the opportunity to get acquainted with your fellow skaters. I bet you will learn a lot of interesting facts about the various spots.

The annual highlight of this recreational skate is the celebration of both the beginning and the end of the skating season (spring and fall). This tradition involves skating around town in costumes, which always attracts quite a lot of attention. So what are you waiting for?!

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Stadttour Hamburg | Art & culture, Relaxing | Free
Holstenwall 26 | Sankt Pauli
Sun 16:00