The Reeperbahn runs right through the heart of St. Pauli, the city's entertainment quarter and red light district. Much more than just sex shops, strip shows and streetwalking – this area of bars, pubs, cafés and clubs is where visitors and locals come to let their hair down.

Hamburg's top entertainment district
Gone are the times when the St. Pauli district only attracted characters of a shady nature. There are still sex shops, peepshows and prostitutes, but now the area is also home to trendy clubs, fashionable bars and a lively cultural scene. Schmidt's TIVOLI, the St. Pauli Theatre and the "Operettenhaus" and "Pulverfass" theatres stage musicals, variety performances, comedy nights and drag shows, while the legendary Star Club was where the Beatles first hit the international scene in the 1960s.

Hamburg has more than 50 museums offering an informative, fun and educational experience, from the Museum of Art and Craft to special exhibitions in the Bucerius Art Forum to the miniature railway wonderland in the warehouse district. From Ernst Barlach House to the Hamburg Dungeon, there is no limit to art in Hamburg.

The Hamburg Kunsthalle art gallery houses the city's largest art collection. Great entertainment is provided by world-famous musicals and at theatres such as Schmidt's TIVOLI (music and variety) and the St. Pauli Theatre (comedy and cabaret). The Hamburg State Opera House (opera and ballet), the National Theatre (Deutsches Schauspielhaus) and the Thalia theatre are all venues for world-class performances.