One of Hamburg's most beautiful buildings is the crowning gem of the new Unesco-anointed Kontorhaus District. The brown-brick 1924 Chilehaus is shaped like an ocean liner, with remarkable curved walls meeting in the shape of a ship’s bow and staggered balconies that look like decks. It was designed by architect Fritz Höger for a merchant who derived his wealth from trading with Chile. Casual visitors are not really welcome inside, but it's the exterior that you come here to see.
Grab a cappuccino at Palang Good Coffee (9am-4pm Mon-Fri , from 11am Sat) in between Chilehaus' A and B buildings and circle around the building. From the corner of Fischertwiete and Pumpengasse, you'll get the best straight-on view of the building's ship-like silhouette. Another lovely vantage point for photography that allows you to frame this particular Kontorhaus (merchant traders' building) against the water is from Niederbaumbrücke.
