About HamburgList

Between the Elbe and the Alster

Hamburg is two cities held together by water. One faces the Elbe: the harbour cranes, the red-brick warehouses of the Speicherstadt, the Sunday-morning Fischmarkt in Altona and the ferries that double as public transport. The other circles the Alster, through Rotherbaum and Harvestehude, Winterhude and Uhlenhorst, with joggers on the lakeside path in every season.

In between and all around lie the neighbourhoods where everyday life is organised, from St. Pauli and the Schanze to Wandsbek, Bergedorf and Harburg.

Who HamburgList is for

People who live here and suspect there is a better option than the one they have always used. People who have just arrived for a job in the port, in media or at one of the city's trading houses, and need a doctor, a gym and a decent bakery before they have unpacked. And visitors who would rather eat where Hamburgers eat than where the coaches stop.

What we publish

HamburgList brings together the city's best local businesses in rankings by type: fish restaurants and Italian trattorias, barbers and beauty salons, physiotherapists and driving schools, bookshops and car workshops. Each ranking answers one practical question, and answers it for Hamburg specifically. A good Italian in Hamburg is not the same thing as a good Italian in Munich, and our lists reflect the city they are written for.

How the editors work

Our team researches each category across all seven of Hamburg's boroughs, not only the inner city. We give weight to a reputation built up patiently over years, confirm addresses and contact details, remove places that have closed and revisit each list regularly. When readers tell us something has changed, we check it and update the page.

Run a business in Hamburg?

If your business features on HamburgList, you can claim the entry and add photos, opening times and a description via the page for business owners. It is the quickest way to make sure readers see accurate information.