Image by Kyra Garske

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

Blauer Peter (blue peter) is a phrase from seaman’s language. It comes from the blue-white signal flag, which means the ship sets sail in the next 24 hours and let the seaman on their shore leave know, they have to come back to the ship and let the local pubs know they needed to make out their invoices. The Blauer Peter (meanwhile number IV) has a long pub tradition in the Kiez (Reeperbahn-area).

It’s a good start for a Kiez-tour. Prices are cheap (Astra beer for 1,50 Euro), they have rock and punk music, sometimes a DJ, but this is not a place to listen to high-quality music. The staff is monosyllabic, but quaint. The pub is raunchy and uncomfortable, but a nice place to go after a FC Sankt Pauli soccer game. Oh, and by the way, officially over 18 years only! It was the first pub in Hamburg I’ve seen.

PS: Forget the toilets – naaaaasty!

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Blauer Peter | Bars, Music | Astra Beer € 1.50
Hamburger Berg 19 | Sankt Pauli | +49403194685
Tue – Sat from 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

After a long day in university or city daytrip it’s one of the best places to relax. Similar to Zoë Bar (check the Zoe Bar article) it is filled with many couches, but they are separate. That makes you feel like you are in a friend’s house.

Good for relaxing with an old friend or serious talks. The wine is awesome there and costs around 3 Euro. An Astra Beer is under 2 Euro. The staff is like the music; veeeeery laid-back and easy-going. It’s perfect for a little break between day and night. In summer they’ll open the big windows again and so you’ve the feeling of sitting outside on a couch!

The atmosphere is a bit oriental, maybe because it is located in a former Turkish culture center. Not as crowded as it is in the Schanze or in the Kiez (St. Pauli). Alternative and simple, thus great!

Bar Roosen installed security cameras, as many other bars did in St Pauli.

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Bar Roosen | Bars, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | Wine € 3.00
Paul-Roosen-Str. 28 | Sankt Pauli | +494076975926
Mon – Thu 12:00 – 02:00, Fri – Sun 12:00 – open end

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

“Have you never been to a private party in Hamburg? Welcome in our 3-Zimmer-Wohnung (3 room apartment).

The first room: here is our quirky living room with the big cosy couch. Just sit down and relax! Oh, first of all you wanna see our nice apartment? Ok, I’ll show you around: we have a second living room, because many friends come for drinks every day.

Feel free in our colorful rooms with the awesome lights. Here we go, this is our bedroom – if you want, just lay down on the bed, pssssst: there is a PlayStation (with projector!!) in the bedside cabinet, if you are feeling bored play some games or check out the table soccer (kicker). The small corridor is great for smalltalk.

In our open kitchen beside the cooker and fridge, you will find the bar, where you’ll get all drinks and beer. It is always crowed there like in every private party in Hamburg – the kitchen is the place to be. Feel free and have fun, I have to take great care of all my other guests.

Nice to have you here! Cheers!”

BTW: Downstairs you’ll find another room, sometimes with private parties, table soccer champions league or electronic parties (cost entrance fee). In former times it was a dildo factory in the redlight district.

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3-Zimmer-Wohnung | Bars, Relaxing | Beer € 2.50
Talstrasse 22 | Sankt Pauli | +4916090361519
From 20:00 daily (in summer from 21:00)

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by ZoeBar Hamburg (by: Kyra Garske)

“Dear Zoë,

how do you feel today?

I’d like to say to you, how stunning you are. You are perfect to meet friends or strangers or both and it’s like they already know each other. Always you welcomed me with open arms, no matter if I was stressed out or absolutely relaxed, there was a place for me and a smile on your face.Your drinks are cheap and groovy. Your cosy couches and the yellow-red lamp shades in the back rooms are reminiscent of my grandmother´s warm living room. About the secrets and mystics in your vault, we have to talk next time once more. The rooms are a bit shabby and rustic – but it’s honest! Let’s face it: You are the real Zoë, the authentic Zoë!

All my Love, Kyra.

PS: By the way: good choice to provide rooms with movies like “Gegen die Wand” or “Absolute Giganten“.

PSPS: I was seriously pissed seeing that you raised all prices all of a sudden without even talking to anyone. You’re on the same level as all the other places now. Please tell me why!”

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Zoë Bar | Bars, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Relaxing | redwine € 2.60
Clemens-Schultz-Str. 96 | Sankt Pauli | +494031792323
Thu – Sat from 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

The Toast Bar is one of my favorite places in Hamburg. It is a very cosy spot, furnished very basically with big windows in the front. The regular guests are the neighbors.

Beside a wide range of (costumer friendly priced) drinks, they always have free peanuts everywhere. You are expected to throw the shells on the ground. The music is varied, but good (sometimes mixed by the barkeeper, sometimes by a DJ), the people are between twenty- and thirty-something.

Beside Astra and Jever, you can buy original bavarian Augustiner-beer or the famous-south-German beer Tannenzäpfle. It’s always a good choice to meet some friends – during the week or weekends – any day!

In summer a bunch of people are always standing or sitting outside.

PS: They offer a wide range of whiskeys too!

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Toast Bar | Bars | Astra Beer € 1.80
Wohlwillstr. 54 | Sankt Pauli | +494043182339
20:00 – open end daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

Located in the red-light district, at the Hans-Albers-Platz, the Pizzeria Alt Hamburg is famous and well known by many people here. If you come late at night, a big bunch of people stand in line in front of the small window.

Simple signs, simple pizza, simple prices = simply good!

With a big fire oven in the background, the staff is always absolutely stressed, even if there’re only 3 people waiting. My favourite pizza is Pizza Napoletaner with anchovies!! Delicious!

You also could sit inside, but nobody does it. No plates, no cutlery – just Pizza in a table napkin.

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Pizzeria Alt Hamburg | Snacks | All Pizza € 2.00
Hans-Albers-Platz 5-6 | Sankt Pauli | +494031796470
12:00 – 04:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Kyra Garske

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Frau Hedi Hamburg (by: Kyra Garske)

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!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Frau Hedi | Art & culture, Music | Entrance from € 6.00
Sankt-Pauli-Landungsbrücken 10 | Sankt Pauli | +4917683061071
Fri – Sun from 17:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg