#MyGermany: 'Hamburg is the best city in the world'

How old are you and what do you normally spend your days doing?

I'm 28 years old. I spend my days creating (I am a travel blogger/writer and photographer) and learning German. I am also a dog sitter.

I love to get out and explore Hamburg, enjoy the events around the town and even find hidden gems such as architecture, graffiti and good vegan foods. There are so many things to see and do in this city!

READ ALSO: Local knowledge - an insider's guide to Hamburg

When and why did you move to your city?

I moved to Hamburg slightly more than two years ago. Me and my husband came to visit this city and fell in love – a bit later we decided to find a job/school and live here. I met my husband six years ago in Brazil a while before when I started working as a flight attendant for executive aviation. After a couple of years living together, we decided to achieve our dream of living abroad and worked on it.

Hamburg is like a hidden treasure in Germany. When you say “Germany” abroad, people think of Berlin or Frankfurt. But for me – and for those who experienced this city – Hamburg is the best city in the world.  I was lucky to find this city and explore it enough to fall in love (and you don’t need much for that). 

What do you love the most about your city/neighbourhood?

I love that there’s always something happening in the city. For all tastes and interests, there’s an event, a party, a festival, fairs… Hamburg also has A LOT of public spaces. Nature, urban or beach, name it and we have it here.

I live in St. Pauli, the heart of Hamburg. Here you can find a huge variety of bars, parties and restaurants (and green areas, too). It is very close to the Port of Hamburg and most of the events happen in this neighbourhood.

What annoys you the most about your neighbourhood?

It may sound strange, but what annoys me is the same thing that I love. The fact that St. Pauli doesn’t stop. Parties, noise and tourists every day may be a bit annoying when you just want to rest or have a lazy Sunday.

How should I spend a day in your neighbourhood?

Strolling around the Planten un Blomen park is a great way to start the day. If it is summer, you can have breakfast at the café, enjoying the peace and the beauty of this park.

After the park, exploring the Port and the Portuguese quarter is a perfect idea, especially if you love photographing like I do.

From the Portuguese quarter, you can explore the Sternschanze area – plenty of small, local and independent restaurants, cafés and stores for all tastes. Not to mention how rich in graffiti this area is!

And for the night, you can choose between Sternschanze (alternative, trendy) or Reeperbahn (wild and exquisite). At Reeperbahn, you can find the famous red-light and party districts of St Pauli. Bars, sailors pubs, pop, rock, metal, 80’s and modern clubs, everything coexisting and making this area so memorable.

In Sternschanze, you can find bars taking over the streets – if there's good weather – , trendy cafés and many cocktail bars. The Rote Flora, a musical theatre, has been hosting artists and presentations for 30 years and is another great option for a night out in St. Pauli.   

 What's a fun fact not everyone knows about your neighbourhood?

There are a bunch of facts not well known about Hamburg, and especially about St. Pauli I have three that are really interesting: 

1. The biggest Japanese garden in Europe is located in St. Pauli, at the Planten un Blomen park.

2. The Beatles started their career here, playing at Reeperbahn.

3. There’s a little street closed off by a wall that is only for adults, and women are not allowed to walk through unless they’re sex workers.