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3001
Several cinemas screen movies in the original language with subtitles. Look for the acronym 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln). Venues include Abaton Kino in Universitätsviertel and 3001 in Schanzenviertel.
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Abaton Kino
Several cinemas screen movies in the original language with subtitles. Look for the acronym 'OmU' (Original mit Untertiteln). Venues include Abaton Kino in Universitätsviertel and 3001 in Schanzenviertel.
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Angie's Nightclub
When many visitors think of Hamburg nightlife, they immediately think of Angie's. Floy, 'the white queen of soul', plays live as guests - sometimes celebrities - sip cocktails genteelly.
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Astra-Stube
The graffiti-covered, flyer-posted red building, underneath the railway tracks looks totally unpromising, but the bar inside is a pioneer of the underground scene, with DJs playing experimental electro, techno and drum 'n' bass. It's also in a growing cluster of clubs, including the popular Waagenbau, next door.
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Aurel
A long-standing favourite in Altona is this snug bar with an eccentric back room where Stone Age meets baroque.
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Café Gnosa
This attractive olde-worlde café, with its vaguely erotic, vaguely abstract art, is hugely popular and an excellent starting point for gay and lesbian visitors to Hamburg. It stocks hinnerk .
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Café Knuth
With this chilled but smoky café-bar, Altona stakes its own claim on the olive-green retro style seen dotted across the city. Students, creative types and work colleagues come to chat over coffee or cocktails. (Forget the food; it frequently takes too long.)
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Central Park
A beach bar without water? No problem, said the owners of the Waagenbau club who built this summer garden smack bang in the grungy Schanzenviertel. Music, snacks, massages and a kid's playground have been joined by sculpture exhibitions in some years.
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China Lounge
If you go to one mainstream club in Hamburg, this leading venue probably should be it. Stylish without being snootily exclusive, it boasts four areas playing electro, house, hip-hop and R&B - the main floor under a huge laughing Buddha. Thursday is student night, although the crowd always tends towards the young and hip.
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Cult
Claiming to be Hamburg's most beautiful club, Cult serves up an unintimidating, good-time mix of '70s and '80s music in its shiny, cathedral-like main room.
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Deutsches Schauspielhaus
Germany's largest and most important theatre stage, the Schauspielhaus presents imaginative interpretations of the classics (by Shakespeare, Goethe, Chekhov etc) alongside new works such as Nipple Jesus , from High Fidelity author Nick Hornby.
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Docks
Although it's officially now called D-Club, everyone still calls this place by its former name Docks. It has less than perfect acoustics, but an excellent roster of guitar-led bands and reasonably cheap drinks.
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Dual
Dual's all the better for no longer being one of the central pivots of the Hamburg scene. The vibe's more laidback and less look-at-me within its still-chic orange, 1970s retro interior.
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EDK
EDK 'Small is beautiful' says the sign outside, and for the gays, lesbians and friends who come to this techno-house club it certainly is.
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English Theatre
For more than 30 years now, a cast of predominantly British actors has been performing mysteries, comedies and the occasional classic, such as Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie, at this venue in Winterhude.
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Fabrik
Fabrik is an unusual venue in a former foundry, famous for its pink exterior and crane jutting from the roof. It's aimed at a slightly older crowd, with jazz, blues and over-30s disco evenings.
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Frauencafé Endlich
This modern, wood-lined café is a top meeting spot for lesbians. It's located in a women-only hotel (www.hotel-hanseatin.de).
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Funky Pussy Club
Despite the dreadful name, this artistically decorated place is a hit for its mainstream chart-toppers and hip-hop, dance and house.
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Golden Cut
Hamburg's beautiful people clamber - stylishly of course - to get past the city's most difficult door scene into this exclusive club, where video projections spin over the dance floor while DJs spin soul, funk and house. Eating in the adjoining restaurant is (pun intended) a sure entrée.
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Golden Pudel Club
In a ramshackle fisherman's hut near the waterfront, this underground bar-club plays an eclectic mix of electronic, hip-hop, R&B and reggae to a mixed crowd. There was some building work going on when we visited, however, so double-check listings magazines to make sure it's still there.
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Grosse Freiheit 36/Kaiserkeller
Among live sex theatre and peep shows, this alternative venue hosts an eclectic mix of pop and rock concerts. The Beatles once played in the basement Kaiserkeller, where there's now a range of student nights.
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Knust im Schlachthof
Many muso types rate this live venue in a former slaughterhouse as the best in town, principally for its atmosphere. Not just gigs, but spoken word, football fan parties, puppet shows and other events are held here.
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Lago Bay
Lago Bay is wedged between Hamburg del Mar (which looks like a pirates' cove with its famous St Pauli skull-and-crossbones flags) and Hamburg City Beach Club (with its Moroccan lounge). Refreshingly, you can actually swim at this chic retreat. Sun-loungers are arranged around the outdoor pool, while free exercise classes will help you keep fit, er, between cocktails.
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Logo
This concrete block of a building in the Universitätsviertel is a great place to catch touring American or British alternative-underground bands.
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Meanie Bar/Molotow Club
One of the few venues along the Reeperbahn with some local cred, the retro Meanie Bar sits above the Molotow Club, where an alternative, independent music scene thrives by hosting the likes of the White Stripes, the Hives, Kills and Bravery.
