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Musicaltheater im Hafen
The yellow tent resembling a giant bee situated across the harbour hosts The Lion King . Take the shuttle from Landungsbrücke 1.
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Musikhalle
The premier address for classical concerts is this splendid neo-baroque edifice, home to the State Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. Along with the opera house, it's now artistically directed by the world's leading female conductor Simone Young, formerly of Opera Australia and a real star in the classical world.
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Nachtasyl
Hamburg's inner city is usually like the Marie Celeste of an evening, as people head to St Pauli to drink. Yet downtown does boast this unusual beauty, with its high-arched ceiling, embossed wallpaper, reasonably priced drinks and arty clientele.
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Neue Flora
Mainstream musicals are seemingly as popular in Hamburg as they were in London during the 1990s. One of Europe's largest theatres was built to bring Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera to Hamburg. More recently, it has reverberated to the strains of Titanic and the love-it-or-hate-it piece that brought the world Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing.
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Nouar
A popular bar with students and other denizens of the nearby Schanzenviertel, this place has that relaxed secondhand look going on and a fondness for football during the week.
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Operettenhaus
Mainstream musicals are seemingly as popular in Hamburg as they were in London during the 1990s. Big glossy musicals like Mamma Mia are staged here.
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Pit
Hamburg's first gay disco, founded more than 30 years ago, has managed to keep up with the times and is still one of the favourite clubs for men.
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Quatsch Comedy Club im Café Keese
The Keese has had a chequered career. It went from being a dance hall to pick-up bar with table telephones. Now it's a comedy club run by Thomas Hermann, a (smiling) face frequently seen on German TV.
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Schmidt Theater
This plush former ballroom now stages a cornucopia of very saucy musical reviews, comedies, soap operas and variety shows. Late shows at midnight follow the main performance, and there's a smaller cabaret-comic venue, Schmidt's Tivoli, attached.
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Staatsoper
Among the world's most respected opera houses, the Staatsoper has been directed by the likes of Gustav Mahler and Karl Boehm during its 325-year-plus history. Performances often sell out, but try the Hamburg Hotline (3005 1300) or visit the box office at Grosse Theaterstrasse 25, about 50m from the opera house.
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StrandPauli
Tuesday is tango night at this Gilligan's Island stretch of sand overlooking the heart of the busy docks. The reed-thatched shack looks a bit out of place, but the beer, cocktails and sausages hit the spot.
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Thalia Theater
This intimate, galleried venue with a central stage is fond of cutting-edge adaptations of classics. Interestingly, it's recently been adapting cinema - for example, from Krystof Kieslowski and Lars von Trier - for the stage.
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Tower Bar
For a more elegant, mature evening, repair to this 14th-floor eyrie at the Hotel Hafen for unbeatable harbour views.
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Zoë 2/ Summun Bonum
The battered sofas, rough walls and old lampshades here prove that the ad hoc, secondhand look so favoured in Berlin is a Hamburg hit, too. Bottled beers and cocktails provide all the sophistication needed.
