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 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!

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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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Ute Kreitz

Let’s descend to the bottom of the Elbe river! The old Elbe tunnel, opened in 1911, is one of the oldest still operating tunnels in Europe. Open to traffic and pedestrians, it connects the inner city of Hamburg at Landungsbrücken (north entrance) with the shipyards at Steinwerder (south entrance). The south side of the Elbe river offers a spectacular view of Hamburg’s cityscape that is most impressive when it’s lit at night.

If you feel daring, walk down the staircase, which takes you 24 m below the surface. If you’d rather save your energy, hop onto one of the elevators instead. The best time to explore during the week is after 20:00, or on weekends when the tunnel is closed to traffic. Take in the full scope of the decorative elements, and admire the glazed ceramic reliefs depicting maritime motifs on the walls of the 426 m long tiled tubes.

Recently, this historic landmark has inspired various annual projects: For the past 8 years, 100 Marathon Club Deutschland e.V. has been organizing the Elbtunnel marathon every last Sunday in January. Since 2007, ElbArt has been inviting local artists to exhibit their work in the tunnel in the summertime.

Currently, the tunnel is under construction (until 2012) with only one accessible tube. You’ll find the entrance of the tunnel (with elevators and stairs) to the right of the Landungsbrücken gates. When you get to the south side, turn right (make a u-turn) and walk around the back of the building to the Elbe platform.

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The old Elbe tunnel | Art & culture, Music, Relaxing, Festivals & events | Free
Landungsbrücken 7 | Sankt Pauli | +4940428474742
24 hours daily for pedestrians & cyclists

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Image by Ute Kreitz

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 | +4940314641
Mon – Sat 14:00 – 06:00, Sun 14:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Ute Kreitz

“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 21:00 – open end

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Louise Kunth

Strips & Stories is still St Pauli’s first Bookshop, opened up last year in the Seilerstraße. They are basically focused on Comics and Graphic Novels and they offer a very chosen 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, Music, Shopping | Book € 20.00
Seilerstraße 40 | Sankt Pauli | +494038074009
Tue – Fri 12:00 – 20:00, Sat 13:00 – 19:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg

Image by Barbarabar

You wanna see the real Kiez-party scene and the touristy stuff isn’t 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 kind 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 it’s worth a visit for sure.

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

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Hamburg