Known for its exclusive
maritime flair, the elegant harbor city of Hamburg in Northern
Germany continues to woo visitors with an increasing number of new interactive
and digital experiences, adding more exciting tourist attractions for young and
old to the Hanseatic city.
Attractions include
everything from the brand new ‘Discovery Dock’ with high-tech VR technology to
the ‘Big Break Hamburg’ featuring an escape room and time travel mystery games.
‘Märchenwelten’, the German word for ‘World of fairy tales’ includes interactive
entertainment revolving around Grimm’s fairy tales while the chocolate-making
museum ‘Chocoversum’, is a must-see. Another treat for visitors is the ‘Miniatur
Wunderland’ which features the world's biggest model railway – summer holidays
in Hamburg promise to be fun-filled for the entire family.
Accommodating every taste with an extraordinarily diverse selection of
must-see attractions, paired with great shopping facilities, and luxurious
hotel offerings, Germany’s second biggest city is the perfect travel
destination for the summer. Visitors can explore the Hanseatic charm on the banks of the ‘Elbe River’, enjoy
panoramic views of the world’s largest cruise ships and stroll along the beautiful
‘Alster Lakes’ in the city centre.
Hamburg also boasts an abundance
of nature and green areas and has enjoyed growing popularity among GCC travellers.
The Hanseatic city ranks as one of the most frequented German destinations by
GCC tourists with 82,520 overnight stays from Gulf nationals in 2018.
While it is an attractive tourism destination, it is also a dynamic
start-up hub with dynamic accelerator programs and business incubators, which
have created a hotbed for the latest new high-tech digital experiences Hamburg
has added to its tourism portfolio, these include:
·
Drawing on virtual reality
elements, the Discovery Dock in
Hamburg's HafenCity was recently opened and focuses on Hamburg’s port as its
core theme of this new interactive exhibition. Located opposite the iconic Elbphilharmonie,
a trend-setting mixed reality experience brings the port of Hamburg to life,
with state-of-the-art VR technology, projections, live simulations, as well as
sound and light effects (https://discovery-dock.de/?lang=en
).
·
At Big Break
Hamburg in the ‘Speicherstadt’, interactive activities with mysterious riddles
and adventures await visitors. Here, adrenaline enthusiasts are invited to
choose their favorite adventure, whether an escape room adventure, time travel
or a jailbreak using hidden clues within a limited time to complete every challenge.
‘Prison Break’ series’ fans could relate to one of the challenges, where they
find themselves in a maximum-security prison cell with exactly one hour to
escape. (https://www.bigbreakhamburg.com/en/).
·
Chocolate lovers are invited to create their
own chocolate bar while experiencing every single step of the chocolate
production at the Chocoversum. This
exclusive venue in the historic Kontorhaus district has long been an
integral part of Hamburg's tourist attractions and includes many new interactive
elements. The initial “free-flow” approach, where visitors would wander through
the exhibition independently, has given way to an interactive, target
group-oriented guided tour that offers an exciting mix of tasting experiences
and knowledge transfer. (www.chocoversum.de).
·
The Miniatur
Wunderland is considered
to be Hamburg's number one tourist attraction, featuring the world's biggest
model railway, welcoming more than 16 million visitors from all over the world.
The 1,499sqm miniature masterpiece offers
sophisticated technology and a wealth of detail, more than 265,000 figures have
been lovingly staged, cars and ships move through the landscapes, and even
planes start at the Knuffingen Airport every minute. Wonderland is a stunning
miniature cosmos that can't be seen anywhere else in the world (https://www.miniatur-wunderland.com)
·
All
Grimm’s fairy-tale fans are welcomed at the soon-to-be-launched Märchenwelten in
September 2019 in the
HafenCity district. As part of this new permanent exhibition, visitors will be
able to immerse themselves in the world of Grimm’s Fairy tales – based on an
interactive, multimedia edutainment concept that provides a combination of
traditional elements such as life-size silhouettes, imaginative stage sets and
paintings, as well as the latest interactive light, sound and computer
technology (www.maerchenwelten.net).
How to get to
Hamburg and where to stay
Hamburg is well-connected with daily direct
flights from the Gulf region.
Superb accommodation in excellent 5-star
hotels await travellers from the Gulf region with excellent service, exquisite
culinary experiences and highest standards of comfort featuring the ‘Fairmont
Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten’, the Hotel ‘Atlantic Kempinski’ and the ‘Hotel Grand
Elysée’ – all properties have a long tradition in serving Gulf travellers and
are well-acquainted with local traditions and customs.
