Sofitel Hamburg Alter Wall

The Sofitel Hamburg Alter Wall is one of the city's youngest 5-star houses, opened in 2018 inside the lavishly restored Alter Wall complex right on the Alsterfleet canal, between city hall and Jungfernstieg in the prime old-town location. French Sofitel sensibility meets Hanseatic address: a lobby of designer furniture, an elegant service style ('Bonjour Hamburg'), but with interiors by Copenhagen-based Space Copenhagen. The 241 rooms and suites are on the compact side compared with the Atlantic, but luxuriously fitted in French-Scandinavian design, with many overlooking the Alsterfleet canal. Spa area with a 15-meter pool and sauna. The Ticino restaurant serves French-Italian cuisine on one of Hamburg's loveliest hotel terraces right on the Alsterfleet - the best three-hour lunch in the city in summer. Drinks at Le Tabou bar. The practical bit: from €290/night, Booking 8.9/10 across 980 reviews. Getting there: U-Bahn/S-Bahn Jungfernstieg, a 5-minute walk; U3 Rathaus, 3 minutes. Direct access to the Alster and all the sightseeing classics. Ideal for: a business trip combined with a culinary weekend, a French connection in the north, and shopping at the nearby Alsterhaus.