Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany and just a two and a half hour train ride away from us. The weather was perfect and we had no excuse to not just hop on the train and explore the city for a weekend. We booked an Airbnb last minute, so our options weren't abounding, but we found a private room in the perfect location near the water. We were greeted by the Airbnb host and her son, who spoke English, and they excitedly gave us advice on navigating the city and recommendations for dinner. The room was clean and nicely decorated, with sweet touches like chocolate and water by the bed. 

If I am being honest, I was a bit ambitious about having to see all of Hamburg. A few days before we arrived, I had done some research on the neighborhoods and places to see -- which can be a great idea... unless you're me and get up super early and tell your husband you've got see every neighborhood by dinner time. After 15 miles of walking and tired feet, we saw 4 of the 5 areas I had on my list:

1. Sternschanze
2. Sankt Pauli
3. Hafen City
4. Sankt Georg

Although I am glad we got to see many different areas of the city, I wished we had taken our time to enjoy the areas we liked most, like Sternschanze. Fortunately, the next weekend we visited Hamburg again for a 100k bike ride Michael was doing for work, which allowed us to spend more time in our favorite spots and try a few new places to eat. Our time in the city included walking way too much (we didn't utilize the train system until the last day -- lesson learned), enjoying cafés, people watching, and admiring the architecture. 

Below is a glimpse of our time in Hamburg -- hope you enjoy!