St. Georg

St. Georg was Hamburg's first suburb, and it still carries the mixed character of a place just outside the gates: multicultural, openly queer, a little rough around the blocks nearest the station and increasingly stylish along its main street. That street is the Lange Reihe, a long row of cafes, bars, small restaurants and independent shops that works as the neighborhood's lifeline and as the historic center of Hamburg's LGBTQ scene; during the city's Christopher Street Day in summer it becomes an open-air festival. The Mariendom, Hamburg's Catholic cathedral, anchors the western end. Two of the city's major art venues sit on the quarter's edges: the Hamburger Kunsthalle, one of the five most important art museums in Germany and home to an exceptional collection of Caspar David Friedrich, and the Deichtorhallen, two vast former market halls used for large temporary shows of contemporary art and photography. The Außenalster is a short walk north, which is why several of Hamburg's best-known lakeside hotels carry St. Georg addresses. Where to stay: hard to beat for convenience. The main station is on the doorstep, so arriving by train or from the airport is effortless, and the price range runs from budget rooms to grand hotels on the Alster shore. The blocks immediately around the station are busier and less polished than the rest. Getting there: Hauptbahnhof is served by the U1, U2, U3 and U4 and the S1, S2, S3, S21 and S31, with the S1 reaching the airport in about 25 minutes. U1 Steinstraße is closest to the Deichtorhallen.