EURO 2024
Euro 2024 city guide: Hamburg
With Hamburg's Volkparkstadion set to host games at UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany, get clued up on the stadium and the city in our guides.
Stadium: Volkparkstadion
There has been a stadium at the Volksparkstadion site since 1925, but Hamburg only replaced Altona 93 as its primary occupants in upon Bundesliga qualification in 1963. It was rebuilt in 1998 with a brand new stadium, and a clock was added in 2001, counting down - to the second - how long HSV had stayed in the top flight without interruption. Hamburg were relegated for the first time in 2018, and a year later the clock came down, to be replaced with coordinates of the Volksparkstadion. Fans could do worse than find their way to the venue this summer.
Watch: Inside Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion
Matches played there:
16 June: Poland 1-2 Netherlands (Group D)
19 June: Croatia 2-2 Albania (Group B)
22 June: Georgia 1-1 Czech Republic (Group F)
26 June: Czech Republic 1-2 Turkey (Group F)
5 July: Portugal 0-0 France (France win 5-3 on pens, quarter-final)
>>> See the full fixture list here!
How to get to Hamburg:
Hamburg Airport offers connections to destinations all across Europe, including major hubs like Frankfurt, Munich, London, Amsterdam, Paris and also further afield in Dubai. The city’s transport network is bolstered by four train stations, with fast national, and even trans-European services in and out of its main hub pretty much 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Known as ‘the gateway to the world’, the city is also a hub for seafarers. From local ferry lines to cruise liners and even gondolas, the world is your oyster!
How to get to the Volparkstadion:
From Hamburg’s Hauptbahnhof (central station), you take the S3 or S21 train lines to Stellingen-Volksparkstadion, while it’s the S3 from Hamburg Altona station. The S11 can also be taken to Othmarschen. You will then need to make your way on foot to the stadium. On matchdays, there shuttle buses between those stations and the stadium.
Watch: Hamburg stadium experience
Once in Hamburg…
Things to see and do (apart from the football!)
Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany after Berlin, and the third-largest port city in Europe. Its rivers and canals are crossed by around 2,500 bridges, and the city is often nicknamed the "Venice of the North." A walk across them, or a boat tour along the Elbe - the biggest of the three major rivers - are not to be missed.
HSV's neighbours St. Pauli play near the infamous Reeperbahn, but the red-light district and nightlife centre is also where the Beatles first honed their craft. The Star-Club may have long since burned down, but the Indra Club, Kaiserkeller and Top Ten - now moondoo - are still there. The city’s fish market, also in the St. Pauli district, is a foodie paradise and sees market cries flog their produce at full volume, with live bands also in action in what has become a visitor attraction when doors open at 5am.
The local cuisine:
Fischbrötchen (basically a fish sandwich) is a staple. Finkenwerder Scholle – fried fish with bacon, onion and potatoes – and Labskaus – a hearty mix of corned beef and vegetables, topped off with a fried egg and pickled herrings - also pay homage to the city’s maritime heritage. Other local dishes include Aalsuppe (eel soup), Rote Grütze (a kind of fruit compote, typically served with ice cream) and Franzbrötchen (a variation on a cinnamon roll).
Check out the rest of our Euro 2024 city guides: