Hamburg

The 10 Best Bars with a View in Hamburg

Hamburg's most photographed drinks aren't on any menu — they're in the rooms with the right windows. The bars with a view on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

  1. 01

    Clouds Heaven's Bar & Kitchen

    ST PAULI · $$$$ · ROOFTOP BARS

    Clouds Heaven's Bar & Kitchen draws a steady local crowd in St Pauli. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the ev. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  2. 02

    Elbschlucht

    OTHMARSCHEN · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS

    Elbschlucht draws a steady local crowd in Othmarschen. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  3. 03

    Elbphilharmonie Plaza Bar

    HAFENCITY · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS

    Elbphilharmonie Plaza Bar draws a steady local crowd in Hafencity. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  4. 04

    Galerie Eins Rooftop

    HAFENCITY · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS

    Galerie Eins Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Hafencity. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  5. 05

    Stockwerk Heisses Reisebureau Rooftop

    HAFENCITY · $$$ · ROOFTOP BARS

    Stockwerk Heisses Reisebureau Rooftop draws a steady local crowd in Hafencity. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the ev. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  6. 06

    Cafe Schoene Aussichten

    NEUSTADT · $$ · ROOFTOP BARS

    Cafe Schoene Aussichten draws a steady local crowd in Neustadt. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

  7. 07

    20up Hamburg

    THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    20up sits on top of the Empire Riverside Hotel and delivers a panoramic harbour view at a more accessible price point than Tower Bar or Clouds. The 20th-floor c. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

  8. 08

    Altes Machwerk Bar

    STERNSCHANZE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Altes Machwerk Bar draws a steady local crowd in Sternschanze. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

  9. 09

    Bar am Wasser Hafencity

    HAFENCITY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Bar am Wasser Hafencity draws a steady local crowd in Hafencity. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

  10. 10

    Barfly Hamburg

    THE CENTRE · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

    Barfly is the Eimsbüttel neighbourhood cocktail bar from a long-running Hamburg bartender — a tight programme of well-built classics in a no-pretensions corner-. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Hamburg or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten bars with a view that any serious drinker in Hamburg would tell you to put on the list.

Clouds Heaven's Bar & Kitchen draws a steady local crowd in St Pauli. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the ev. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Elbschlucht draws a steady local crowd in Othmarschen. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for sunset drinks or a slow first date. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

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Looking beyond Hamburg? See our guide to the best bars with a view worldwide, or compare bars with a view city by city.