Rickmer Rickmers

The Rickmer Rickmers is the smaller, older sister of the Cap San Diego: an imposing three-master from 1896, built for the rice and saltpetre trade between Hamburg, Asia and South America. Nickname: 'the green barque', after the distinctive jade-green paint on her steel hull. After an eventful history (briefly an English naval vessel, then a Portuguese sail-training ship), she was brought back to Hamburg in 1983 and has lain as a museum ship between the Landungsbrücken (Brücke 1) and the Niederhafen since 1987, right in front of the city skyline. Three decks are open: crew and officers' quarters, the helm, the cargo hold, and a small museum on 19th-century Hamburg shipping. The lowest cargo hold regularly hosts shanty-band concerts and theater performances - an unusual experience in the wooden, acoustically resonant belly of the ship. The on-board restaurant 'Rickmer Rickmers' serves Hamburg classics (eel soup, Pannfisch, Labskaus) with a harbor view through the portholes. Practical: 6 € adults, 4 € children. Pairs logically with the Cap San Diego next door for a complete 'maritime morning' at the Landungsbrücken. Getting there: U3/S1/S3 Landungsbrücken, directly below.