Hamburg

Hamburg has three cruise terminals spread along the Elbe: HafenCity, Altona, and Steinwerder. HafenCity sits in the old warehouse district and is the most central, a short walk from the Speicherstadt's brick canal buildings and the new Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Altona and Steinwerder are farther out but connected by water buses to the Landungsbrücken harbour promenade, which is the heart of the port area. The Miniatur Wunderland, the world's largest model railway, is inside the Speicherstadt and draws long queues, so book ahead if possible. The Reeperbahn in St. Pauli is Hamburg's nightlife and entertainment strip. The fish market runs Sunday mornings and sells everything from eels to flowers, with live music in the adjacent auction hall. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn cover the city well. Try a Fischbrötchen (fish sandwich) from one of the harbour stands.