Relax at one of the many summer beach bars in Hamburg. Photo courtesy of Star5112 via Flickr.
Making the most of its idyllic location on the River Elbe, Hamburgers have been holidaying at the riverside beaches since the 20th century and with temperatures soaring during the summer months, the waterfront bars and bathing areas make the perfect spot to cool off. Hamburg’s summer beach bars are renowned as some of the best in the country and whether you’re spending a weekend partying in the city or cruising along the Elbe, bar hopping along the coast is an experience not to be missed.
Hamburg’s summer beach bars open up at the end of May along the river and lakesides, and are typically open between 11am-midday and midnight, with imported sand beaches, palm trees and tropical cocktails effectively recreating beach life in the city.
The portside Strand Pauli in the St Pauli district is one of the biggest – a complex of bars and riverside terraces serving up food and drinks until the early hours, while the nearby Hamburg City Beach Club and Hamburg del Mar offer relaxing hammocks, extensive cocktail menus and sand underfoot. Elsewhere, Sky & Sand boasts a 20-square-meter pool lined with sunbeds and a high vantage point, offering unbeatable views from 40-meters above the waterfront; Summer City has a sandy beach and shallow bathing pool and Lago Bay hosts live Bossa Nova bands in the evening hours. Schumacher’s Biergarten & Strandbar is another scenic spot, located on the lakeside in the City Park and Central Park in Schanzenviertel does an atmospheric impression of a sandy beach bar even without water.
You don’t have to stay in the city center either – there are plenty of beach bars dotted along the Elbe River and waterways surrounding Hamburg. Try Strandperle or Ahoi beach in Othmarschen, both popular party spots, or Veritas Beach in Harburg, which stretches over 4,000-square-feet.