St. Pauli Landungsbrücken

The St. Pauli Landungsbrücken are where most visitors first meet the port. The first wooden landing stages were built here in 1839 for steamships, and the present floating piers date from a rebuild of 1907 to 1909, when the long reception building of tuff stone was also added. The complex was badly damaged in the Second World War, rebuilt between 1953 and 1955, and has been a protected monument since 2003. Today the pontoons stretch for close to 700 metres along the Elbe, connected to the shore by a row of bridges.

The architecture is worth a look in its own right. The reception building, about 205 metres long, was designed by the architects Raabe & Wöhlecke as a grand ship station, with domes, towers and arched passages through to the piers. At its eastern end stands the gauge tower, which doubles as a clock and bell tower: a dial set halfway up shows the current tide level, and the bell strikes on the hour and half hour in the rhythm of a ship's watch bells.

The piers are the starting point for many harbour tours, which head out into the working port and, in most cases, round the Speicherstadt. A cheaper way onto the water is to use the HADAG harbour ferries, which are part of the city's public transport network and run from here to Finkenwerder, Oevelgönne and Blankenese. The Hamburg CARD includes travel on buses, trains and harbour ferries, so it can pay for itself quickly if you plan to ride them more than once.

Along the promenade you will find souvenir shops and plenty of places selling fish rolls and dishes of plaice and North Sea shrimp, and cruise ships occasionally moor nearby. The atmosphere is busy and touristy, especially on summer weekends, but the views across the river and the constant traffic of ships make it worth lingering.

The piers are open at all hours and cost nothing to walk along. Allow an hour to stroll and watch the shipping, longer if you take a boat. There is an accessible public toilet at the piers. The Old Elbe Tunnel entrance building is at the western end, and the Fish Market is a walk further west along the river.