The Beat That My Heart Skipped – A blog dedicated to daily design inspirations. By Rohini Wahi.

Mr Kebab – tick
Some of the best street art in the world – tick
Great bar snacks – tick

Apparently Hamburg’s official name is the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. I’ve had to look up ‘Hanseatic’ and I still don’t entirely understand what it means – something about trading. Anyway, that’s not important because we need to talk kebabs. Immediately!

I’m going to jump straight into food and the wonderous place that is Mr Kebab. Found in St Pauli, we were recommended this haven of Turkish goodness by a local. Note, having had an all you can eat breakfast only two hours earlier is a mistake. Despite this error in judgement, we made the vital stop before heading back to the airport. And while we walked out feeling 10 pounds heavier, it was well worth it. It was cheap, local and the food fresh and tasty.

Image Courtesy of Flickr

Other eating options are: Das Weisse Haus but make sure you book well in advance. And for breakfast , try Die Herren Simpel.

For vintage shopping try the Schanzenviertel or Karolinenviertel, particularly Marktstrasse. There are loads of cool boutique stores dotted around.

Kunst Kiosk for design products and their monthly art exhibitions.

If you want to mix coffee with shopping try Kaffee Stark.

Around the city, Hamburg really is a lovely place. It’s not the first place you’d think of going, but that’s the charm of it. Surrounded by water, it’s easy to get around. There aren’t hoards of tourists and the inner city has a very student feel. As usual, if I mentioned everything to do there, this would end up being an essay. But quickly:

Reeperbahn: Europe’s biggest red light districts, with Herbertstraße closed off by a wall for minors and women. By all means, walk past, but if you do down there, you’ll be greeted with some hostility. Still, worth checking out as there is some great street art around the Reeperbahn.

Planten un Blomen: it’s Europe’s largest Japanese garden and it’s lovely.

Image Courtesy of Flickr

Alster Arkaden: if you have money to burn, come here to shop.

Image courtesy of Flickr

Finally, if you’re coming to Hamburg via Lübeck, be prepared for over an hour bus ride to get into the city. If you can, try and fly into Fuhlsbüttel. -Vanessa.