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Hamburg at Christmas - Art and architecture in the Hanseatic North
8
days
from
US$5,770
Book today with a deposit of
US$866
21st - 28th December 2026
Tour highlights
- A wide range of art and architecture in one of Northern Germany’s major cities.
- Excursions to three other Hanseatic cities, Lübeck, Bremen and Lüneburg.
- A musical performance at the Staatsoper, the Elbphilharmonie or the Laeiszhalle (programme to be confirmed in the summer).
- Based at a historic hotel, beautifully situated on the Außenalster lake.
Hamburg is a city of industry, of exchange, a Hanseatic powerhouse. Founded by Charlemagne in the 9th century as a fortress against Viking raiders, the city secured from Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in 1189 the trading privileges that would make it one of the wealthiest ports in Europe. As a founding member of the Hanseatic League, it grew powerful on the flow of goods between the North Sea and the Baltic, its merchants dealing in everything from Baltic timber and grain to English wool and Flemish cloth. Yet its position as a gateway between Germany and the rest of the world, alongside its financial success and prestige has made it also a creative city, home to a rich musical and artistic heritage.
Unlike many of its Hanseatic partners, Hamburg never lost its independence or its prosperity. It survived the Thirty Years’ War, Napoleon’s Continental System, and the devastation of the Second World War to emerge as Germany’s second-largest city and its principal port. The Speicherstadt – the vast warehouse district built in the 1880s – still stands as testament to the city’s enduring commercial might, its red-brick Gothic Revival façades now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But Hamburg is more than warehouses and wharves. The city’s churches chart the evolution of North German sacred architecture across eight centuries. The neo-Renaissance style Rathaus, completed in 1897, represents the culmination of civic ambition.
At Christmas, the city hosts some of Germany’s oldest and finest Christmas markets. This is the season to experience the city at its most atmospheric, when its maritime character combines with German festive tradition and the scent of Glühwein mingles with the salt air from the Elbe.
Itinerary
Fly at c. 12.00 noon from London Heathrow to Hamburg (British Airways). Time to settle into the hotel before dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Introductory walking tour of the city centre along Hamburg’s inner lake, the Binnenalster, edged with elegant architecture of the 1900s. See the vast and impressive City Hall; Hamburg’s oldest church, St Peter, a beautiful reminder of the medieval glory of the city; and the ruins of St. Nicholas’ Church, now a Second World War memorial. Afternoon visit to the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe, one of the most important museums of applied arts in Europe. Its collection includes European, Islamic and Asian artefacts spanning antiquity to the present. Some free time before dinner.
Drive northeast to Lübeck, the first and most powerful of all Hansa cities. A walk takes in massive city gates and walls, the town hall, market place and picturesque backstreets. Of the brick-built churches, the Romanesque cathedral was founded by Henry the Lion, but the greatest is St Mary, a soaring Gothic construction. The Behnhaus Drägerhaus museum houses a good collection of 19th- and 20th-century art displayed in the beautiful Rococo and neoclassical interiors of former merchants’ houses.
A second walking tour of Hamburg takes you through the Speicherstadt, the old warehouse district and centre of the city’s industrial past. Continue to HafenCity, the commercial and cultural development surrounding the harbour by the river Elbe. After lunch, visit the Komponistenquartier, a charming row of small museums commemorating composers including Brahms, Mendelssohn and Mahler. Christmas dinner. There are several musically embellished midnight masses.
Free morning. In the afternoon visit the Hamburger Kunsthalle, Hamburg’s largest art museum, established in 1869 with an excellent collection of Old Masters and 19th-century paintings. Dinner in a local restaurant. We hope to offer a musical performance this evening.
Full-day excursion to Bremen. Tour the old town including the market square with the 1404 erected statue of Roland, an emblem of the city’s freedom and rights, and the Hanseatic Town Hall, one of the most important examples of Brick Gothic in Europe. After an independent lunch visit the wonderful Kunsthalle, with a diverse collection of artworks spanning eight centuries.
Drive southeast to another Hanseatic city, Lüneburg. The palace-like exteriors of the town hall enclose a gothic interior, reflecting the wealth of the salt-producing city. See St Michael’s Church (where J.S. Bach went to school) and St Johannes, a beautiful red-brick church of the 14th century whose 17th-century interior celebrates the northern German Baroque. Final dinner in Hamburg.
Fly from Hamburg in the morning, returning to London Heathrow at c.12 noon.
Expert speaker
Mr Tom Abbott
Specialist in architectural history from the Baroque to the 20th century with a wide knowledge of the performing arts. He graduated in Psychology and Art History from Carleton College, Minnesota and studied at the Louvre School of Art History in Paris. Since 1987 he has lived in Berlin and has organised and led many academic tours in Germany. Tom has a particular interest in the German and American architectural and artistic modern including the Bauhaus and Expressionism.
More tours led by Mr Tom Abbott
Practicalities
Two sharing: US$6,240 or US$5,770 without flights. Single occupancy: US$7,250 or US$6,780 without flights.
Travel by private coach; hotel accommodation as described below; breakfasts; 1 lunch and 5 dinners with wine, water, coffee; interval canapés at one performance, all admissions; all tips; all taxes; the services of the lecturer.
Music: tickets for 1 performance is included. Programme is confirmed in the summer.
Hotel Atlantic Hamburg: 5-star hotel in a beautiful location on the Außenalster lake. Traditionally furnished and decorated, with a long nautical history. Single rooms are doubles for sole use.
Fitness is essential. There is quite a lot of walking on this tour, and a reasonable amount of standing around in museums. The tour would not be suitable for anyone with difficulties with everyday walking and stair climbing. Some days involve a lot of driving. Average distance by coach per day: 35 miles.
Between 10 and 22 participants.
Before booking, please refer to the FCDO website to ensure you are happy with the travel advice for the destination(s) you are visiting.
Dates & prices
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2026
Date
Speaker
Price
Date:
21st - 28th December 2026
Speaker:
Mr Tom Abbott
Price:
from US$5,770
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