Once the site of the world's largest warehouse district, Hamburg's Speicherstadt or “warehouse city” has become one of the contemporary city's most vibrant areas, full of luxury waterfront accommodation, chic cafés and fascinating museums.

Located in the north-east of Hamburg Harbour, the district is easily recognisable with its large Gothic-style red-brick buildings, bay windows, green gables and distinctive towers. These structures, built mainly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries are reflected in the water of the many canals criss-crossing the district.

The area was originally constructed in 1888 as a free port to enable trade of valuable goods like coffee and tobacco, free from customs duties. Before that, it mainly housed port workers and artisans who were forced to move when construction began. Most of the trade in the district nowadays is in oriental rugs.

Speicherstadt is very popular with tourists who come on foot to see attractions such as Hamburg Dungeon and Miniatur Wunderland and to explore the area from the water on one of the many boat tours. Small commercial launches make their way through the narrow canals and afford passengers unique views of the area's buildings and bridges. Most tours leave from the quay in St Pauli and you can buy tickets on the day.

Other popular daytime attractions are the numerous museums, art studios, restaurants and cafés which are the modern-day tenants of many of the warehouses. Visit in the evening for some of the best and most atmospheric views of the historic buildings when they are illuminated with soft lighting that glimmers in the reflective canals. The restaurants and bars along the waterfront are some of the city’s most popular.

Speicherstadt was the initial stage in the large-scale HafenCity planning project which will see much of the port area transformed into a modern retail and commercial district. The rest of HafenCity is within a comfortable walk of Speicherstadt, which you can get to via Baumwall U-bahn station or from the main harbour. The district is open 24 hours a day and is free to enter.