The wild Reeperbahn may be St Pauli’s star attraction but with great food, cocktails and galleries, there is more to the Hamburg district than meets the eye.
Graffiti is everywhere in St Pauli (Photo: robgsummers via Flickr/ CC BY-SA 2.0)
St Pauli is a small neighbourhood with a big reputation. Located in the west of Hamburg, near the Elbe River, this patchwork of graffiti, squats and gloroiusly dilapidated 19th century architecture, feels like it has punk running through the very concrete of its foundations. It is also home to the Reeperbahn, aka ‘the sinful mile’, a world-renowned street that attracts more than 100,000 tourists every year to drink, party and gawp at the prostitution.
But while much of St Pauli’s weather beaten rock n’ roll aesthetic feels like it is somehow frozen in time around the 1970s, a period of decay, poverty, crime and squatting on Hafenstrasse, it’s reputation as a place of dubious entertainment goes back a long way. The Beatles were attracted to St Pauli’s seedy charm in the early 1960s, bagging their first gigs in a live music club near the Reeperbahn and kicking off a global career.
St Pauli at dusk (Photo: Florian Timm via Flickr/ CC BY-SA 2.0)
More than a century earlier, in 1830, the area known as Hamburger Berg, became a suburb and was named ‘St. Pauli Vorstadt’ after its church, quickly becoming home to wilder trades not welcome in the rest of the city, with wandering showmen touting their trades, fishmongers adding seals in wooden tubs to their shop fronts, and later cabaret theatres opening and the number of brothels increasing. Today the most famous street in the Reeperbahn is the barricaded Herbertstraße, with more than 200 women working there and admission reserved for men over 18 only.
Despite many changes, updates and the scourge of gentrification and over tourism, St Pauli is still a neighbourhood that has all the elements of its past running through its veins. There are rough bars, cocktail bars, trendy coffee shops and food from around the world, all framed by tags and litter and a you-only-live-once spirit. Away from the Reeperbahn is the pedestrian (at night) “Große Freiheit” with a mix of lively and gaudy establishment, and where The Beatles once played on the stages of Indra, Kaiserkeller and Starclub. For a more relaxed atmosphere and cheaper drinks, check out any of small bars along side streets like Hamburger Berg and Talstraße.
Galerie B is one of St Pauli’s hottest contemporary galleries (Photo: Facebook.com)
For art lovers in St Pauli Galerie B (Seilerstraße 28) is a really good place to visit, supporting emerging contemporary artists such as Ana Kostova and Louise Langgaard, with rotating exhibitions. For performing arts St. Pauli Theater is a grand establishment that dates back to 1841, with walls that could tell a million stories, and hosts a wide range of productions, from Elvis Das Musical to cabaret artist and comedian Urban Priol.
Eat and Drink
Finding a place to get a beer in St Pauli isn’t difficult, in certain parts of the Reeperbahn the owners are practically begging you to come in and sink a few jars. The problem is, if you aren’t a devotee of drinking tiny plastic shots of Pfeffi while yet another remix of Madonna’s Holiday plays out of overloaded speakers, the pool of drinking establishments suddenly becomes a lot smaller.
For good priced and surprisingly quiet and laid-back drinks in the heart of the Reeperbahn turn right off the end of Hans -Albers-Platz, just a few metres from Herbertstraße, and you’ll find Hotel Heimat St. Pauli (Freidrichstrasse 29), an old school punky bar with cheap prices. If lairy pop music and a few shots is your thing, again, there are plenty of options, but Hans-Albers-Eck, one of the oldest pub/clubs in the district, is the best choice, with a big dual-level dancefloor and friendly staff. For something a little more upmarket head to Christiansen’s (Pinnasberg 60), a renowned bar with more than 200 drinks, including the old school ‘Vintage and Forgotten Cocktails’ selection.
Christiansen’s has a great cocktail selection (Photo: Facebook.com)
St Pauli is an eat-on-your-feet kind of place, grabbing some food as you go from one beer joint to the next. Pauli Pizza, a fairly unassuming pizza spot is a local favourite, with freshly cooked pizza that can be eaten on the few tables outside or just taken to a park bench with a beer. The pizzas are delicious and not expensive. YuYu is a cosy Vietnamese restaurant that specialises in both authentic cuisine and fusion cooking. The phos are highly recommended, while the sushi plates are a work of art.
Where to Stay
There are a good range of places to stay in St Pauli, with Booking.com showing 40 properties alone, from four-star luxury to basic and affordable rooms. If you really want the full St Pauli experience the St.Joseph Hotel Hamburg (Große Freiheit 22) really is in the heart of the action, the Reeperbahn being just a few steps away. There is an in-house bar and the clean and simple rooms are kitted-out with a flat-screen TV with satellite channels and a private bathroom.
east Hotel Hamburg (Photo: Booking.com)
For something a bit more boujee head to east Hotel Hamburg (Simon-von-Utrecht-Str. 31), which is also close to the Reeperbahn and is located in a former iron foundry. The stylish rooms come with king-size beds, a laptop safe and free Sky TV, plus there is a wellness and sports area with saunas and a roof terrace.
Find available hotels in St Pauli via Booking.com