The 15 Best Hamburg Tours & Harbour Cruises

1.Sex and Crime in St. Pauli Tour for Ages 18+

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 15,447 reviews Our pick

Spend two hours in St. Pauli with a local guide such as Johanna, Axel, or Roberta, hearing candid stories about the Reeperbahn, Herbertstrasse, gangs, crime, and celebrity visitors. Enter Zur Ritze’s boxing cellar, enjoy a drink, and finish with entry to a show club.

“My girlfriend and I loved every minute of the tour! Johanna was an excellent guide making it a really fun yet informative tour. The two hours flew by!”

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2.1.5-Hour Harbor and Speicherstadt Day Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 14,200 reviews · 1h 30m · from $40

Spend 90 minutes aboard a traditional Hamburg Barkasse, cruising from Überseebrücke through the harbor, Speicherstadt, Hafen City, and past container ships. German-speaking guides such as Michael, Marco, and Sam have made this tour especially lively. An 11-language audio app helps non-German speakers follow along.

“Very informative and funny presentation. My husband listened to the English version over the head phones but it is not nearly as good as the live one in German. We felt the translation left out a lot of information. Otherwise the cruise was very entertaining!”

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3.90-Minute Evening Lights Harbor Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 7,728 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $27

Meet Maritime Circle Line at Landungsbrücken, Bridge 10, then board a traditional barge for a 90-minute evening cruise. You’ll see Hamburg’s lights, Speicherstadt when tides allow, Elbphilharmonie, container ships, and harbor terminals. Live commentary is in German, and drinks onboard require cash.

“Even though we couldn’t understand the guide as we don’t speak German, the trip was lovely and got to see some of the amazing sites of the city. They serve drinks onboard but do bring cash as they don’t accept card!”

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4.2-Hour XXL Port of Hamburg Cruise Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 6,979 reviews · 2 hours · from $47

See Hamburg from a compact boat that can enter locks and narrow canals, passing container cranes, fish-market docks, the Elbtunnel, Speicherstadt, HafenCity, and Elbphilharmonie. Live commentary is in German. Download the Rainer Abicht app and bring headphones for English and other language options.

“we're a couple, (Brit and Filipina) and I booked this surprise for my husband because he's a merchant navy then and he absolutely love it!! I personally enjoyed looking upclose the container cranes, how we're just a few feet we were from the bow of the ship and so much more. But most of all our tour guide, Kiel (excuse my spelling if wrong) was excellent!! Though he spoke in German, he spoke with us in English!! Well done!! He' s very accommodating and with good rapport too before the tour started! Thank you. Made my husband happy.”

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5.Line A Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 6,958 reviews · 1 day · from $24

Use a one-day Line A ticket to see Hamburg from a red double-decker bus, with stops near the harbor, Alster Lakes, Speicherstadt, HafenCity, Rathaus, St. Michael’s, and Reeperbahn. Choose audio commentary in 11 languages and hop off when you want a closer look.

“Is very important to do that ,to listen about history of the city. Im happy. Thank you.”

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6.Elbphilharmonie Plaza Guided Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5,882 reviews · 1 hour · from $27

Spend one hour with an English- or German-speaking guide outside Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, learning about its design, costs, acoustics, and controversies. Skip the Plaza line, ride the 82-meter escalator, then enjoy sweeping harbor views. Concert halls are not included.

“Maika was an excellent guide and answered any questions the group might have. She was very well informed and knew a lot about the topic she was presenting. We were very pleased and enjoyed the tour.”

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7.Hamburg Dungeon Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5,745 reviews · 1 hour · from $33

At Hamburg Dungeon in Speicherstadt, actors lead you through 600 years of Hamburg’s darker past, from plague and fire to pirates and the Inquisition. Expect interactive scenes, special effects, two rides, and the final Elevator of Doom. German is standard; English sessions run on selected dates.

“Very interesting experience, be a part of a story. Make sure you have a singer in the team (if the routine is the same)”

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8.Reeperbahn Lust & Laster Tour for Adults Only

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5,440 reviews · 2 hours

Walk Hamburg’s Reeperbahn with a German- or English-speaking guide on this adults-only tour. See the Dancing Towers, Davidwache, Herbertstraße, Zur Ritze, Beatles-Platz, and Große Freiheit, with a local drink and shot included. Private groups of up to 10 are available.

“The tour was very interesting and entertaining. Ulf was an excelelnt guide, very informative and enjoyable.”

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9.Insider Tour of the Reeperbahn & St. Pauli

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5,057 reviews · 1h 40m · from $29

You’ll spend 100 minutes walking St. Pauli with a German-speaking local such as Eddy Kante, Barbie Stupid, or Doc Eva Decker. Expect Herbertstraße, the Davidwache, club lore, LGBTQ+ history, cheeky stories, and possible stops at a sex shop, BDSM venue, or Olivia Jones club.

“Was super und man hat viel erfahren . Kann ich nur weiter empfehlen”

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10.1-Hour Harbor Evening Lights Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 4,861 reviews · from $30

Join Rainer Abicht at St. Pauli Landungsbrücken for a one-hour evening cruise past illuminated Speicherstadt, HafenCity, the Elbphilharmonie, museum ships, and working container terminals. German commentary is live, with an audio app in several languages. The exact route depends on the tide.

“Beautiful views, great price. But just FYI, if you don’t speak German there’s an app to download for your preferred language. But the app only tells you about certain locations, and the tour guide was speaking in German the entire time and giving great stories. Even though I don’t speak German I took my headphones out after a while to try and join in on the jokes! The tour guide seemed very knowledgeable and entertaining, I just wish the app was giving more information.”

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11.Night Watchman’s Tour of St. Pauli in German

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4,818 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $23

Join a German-speaking night watchman at Landungsbrücken for a 1.5-hour walk through St. Pauli. Hear stories about Joe Cocker, Paul McCartney, the Reeperbahn, Herbertstraße, Davidwache, and the Ritze bar. Guides such as Paul and Fiete bring the district’s colorful past to life.

“Leider zu wenig input auf der Reeperbahn, sind nur da durch und dann in einen Box Club, mann sollte vielleicht drauf hinweisen, das separat noch 3 Euro fällig werden für einen schnaps im Boxclub! Manche haben kein Bargeld dabei! Hätte lieber mehr über die Reeperbahn erfahren! Ging irgendwie unter!”

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12.In the Footsteps of “Olivia” Reeperbahn Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 3,947 reviews · 2 hours

Walk Hamburg’s St. Pauli with guides such as Kerstin, Heidi, Ulf, or Sönke, tracing Olivia Jones’s story from the Reeperbahn to Große Freiheit. Expect the Dancing Towers, Beatles Square, Herbertstraße, Davidwache, Olivia’s bars, one local drink, and one shot.

“die Tour mit Ulf war mega,tolle Führung ,viele Erläuterungen und gut erklärt ,kann man nur weiter empfehlen,”

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13.1-Hour Harbor Sightseeing Cruise with HafenCity

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 3,067 reviews · 1 hour · from $30

Cruise Hamburg’s working port aboard a Rainer Abicht boat, passing Speicherstadt, HafenCity, the Elbphilharmonie, docks, locks, and container terminals. Live commentary is in German, while an audio guide app offers English and nine other languages. Routes can change with tides and harbor activity.

“Great experience. The tour was well organized, our guide was entertaining and well informed. Highly recommended.”

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14.Ticket to the Panoptikum Waxworks

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 2,489 reviews · 1 day · from $11Best value

Visit Germany’s oldest waxworks at Spielbudenplatz in St. Pauli. Across 700 square meters, you’ll meet more than 120 wax figures, from Angela Merkel and Queen Elizabeth II to Olivia Jones and Otto Waalkes, plus a giant woman, a three-eyed man, a medical cabinet, and a scary corner.

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15.Lust, Luden & Die Große Freiheit Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 2,444 reviews · 2 hours · from $17

Walk Hamburg’s Reeperbahn and St. Pauli with a German-speaking local guide. Learn how prostitution, police rules, clubs, and Kiez customs shape the district, then stop at a neighborhood pub for a drink and receive a welcome schnapps. Guides may include Matze, Edi, or Jürgen.

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