Visiting Hamburg: Chocolate, coffee and trade, then and now

Attractions include a chocolate museum, a historic warehouse district and river boat rides.

In Hamburg's old warehouse district an indoor model railway called the Miniatur Wunderland stretches across two floors and takes visitors on a humorous journey around the world.

The warehouse district, or Speicherstadt, was once a free port and its distinctive red brick buildings on timber foundations helped the area gain UNESCO World Heritage status in 2015.

The warehouses are still used to store goods from around the globe and with a little patience visitors can watch Persian carpets and sacks of spices being loaded and unloaded using old-fashioned pulley hoist systems.

Start exploring mankind's complicated relationship with the sea on dry land at the International Maritime Museum in the warehouse district.

At night it transforms from a quiet street into a gaudy, neon-light affair filled with bars, live music venues and seedy entertainment.

With the title came lucrative economic and political rights that they used to amass great fortunes and shape the city in ways that can still be seen in Hamburg's center with its Venice-like arcades and bridges, fancy shopping streets and lakeside promenade.

From the underground stop Rathaus, take a stroll past the imposing town hall toward the Binnenalster, or Inner Alster, a reservoir inside the old city perimeters.

If you can't nab tickets it's worth visiting for the architecture, which features a wave-shaped roof, stunning glass facades and a panoramic view of the harbor, http://english.hamburg.de/elbe-philharmonic-hall/ .