Hamburg is Germany's second-largest city and main port. Crisscrossed by canals, it is said to have more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice put together. Despite its watery nature, in 1842, much of the city was destroyed by fire and, a century later, second world war bombing raids once again razed it. It has since regained its wealth and vitality; rumour has it that Hamburg is now home to more millionaires per capita than any other city in Europe.
The city's most infamous street is the Reeperbahn, in the St Pauli district. Once a centre for rope-making, it is now crammed with bars, prostitutes and sex clubs. It was close to this street that the Beatles set out on their musical career playing at the Star Club. The city's musical links have continued to evolve; in the 80s it spawned a handful of heavy metal bands and, more recently, several popular German hip-hop acts have emerged. For the World Cup, Hamburg-based lighting artist and producer Michael Batz plans to install blue neon goalposts on prominent buildings in the city, through which shots of goals will be projected using lasers.
Sporting pedigree
· When Germany last hosted the World Cup in 1974, it was a divided nation, and it was in Hamburg that East met West ... and won, with J?rgen Sparwasser's goal after 78 minutes. The defeat shocked the hosts and Franz Beckenbauer had to appease disgruntled fans by imploring his players to "stop fooling around". However, the cloud had a silver lining as West Germany thus avoided a play-off against Brazil, and went on to lift the World Cup trophy for the second time in their history.
· Kevin Keegan played for Hamburg SV between 1977 and 1980. He later coached the England team but resigned from the position in October 2000 immediately after losing 1-0 to Germany at home in the first game of England's 2002 World Cup qualifying campaign.
1966 and all that ...
One sex shop in St Pauli has an unusually large condom displayed in its window and offers a cash prize to any man who fits it. The money has only been won twice.
Where to stay
· Find everything from Hamburg's backpacker hang-outs to high-class hotels at trav2germany.com.
· Rooms at more than 550 German hotels can be booked during the World Cup through Fifaworldcup.com. The hotels will be rated from two to five stars and all will be located close to match venues. Simply specify which team you want to follow and the period when you'd like to be in Germany.
· Soccerphile in partnership with tour company VIP Hanse Touring is offering World Cup tour packages including hospitality, hotel bookings, venue and match day transfers and city tours.
· Hotel.de offers a selection of hotels available in the 12 participating World Cup cities along with information on draw dates and venues.
· World Cup Trips organises accommodation and tours incorporating transport to and from matches.
· Find accommodation in each of the World Cup host cities at Walking-in-Germany.co.uk.
· Find people with rooms to rent in the host cities at ImmobilienScout24.
· Fanproject 2006 is offering accommodation at giant campsites around Germany during the World Cup.
Getting there
By air: It takes 25 minutes on the airport bus to get from Hamburg Airport to the Hauptbahnhof (Central Station). Be warned that it's closed at night so it's best not to book late flights (delayed flights may have to land at other airports). It is serviced by Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France and Air Berlin. The budget alternative is Hamburg-L?beck Airport, which is 37 miles from Hamburg via motorway A1. Ryanair operates flights from London Stansted, Shannon (Ireland) and Glasgow Prestwick to this airport which has connecting buses to Hamburg's central bus station.
By rail: Hamburg has five major stations: the Hauptbahnhof (Central), Altona, Dammtor, Harburg and Bergedorf. The long-distance trains stop at the Hauptbahnhof, Dammtor and Altona stations. Book through Deutsche Bahn. European Rail offers transport to all the World Cup destinations. Also, check out special offers from Deutsch Bahn for World Cup travel.
By road: Eurolines, the overseas wing of National Express, offer return fares from the UK to all major German cities. Within Germany, Eurolines is represented by Deutsche Touring or tickets are available from Deutsche Bahn ticket agents in major railway stations. Or, for a more leisurely journey, Hamburg is one of the stops along the North Sea Bicycle Trail.
By boat: DFDS Seaways runs a ferry service from Harwich to Esbjurg in Denmark and from Newcastle to Amsterdam. Both are easy driving distance from Hamburg.
The stadium
Constructed on the site of SV Hamburg's old Volksparkstadion ground, Hamburg's new AOL Arena opened for the Germany v Greece international in 2000. The pitch was rotated and the stands completely rebuilt at an estimated cost of €97m. The arena now seats 50,000 fans.
· Where is it? From the main station, take the S-Bahn (S21) to Elbgaustrasse; from there, it's a two-minute walk. Alternatively, get off at Stellingen and take the shuttle bus to the stadium. Stadium tours on weekdays at 3.30pm for 90 minutes. Tel: +49 40 415501
Or watch it in a bar
The Shamrock, which claims to be Hamburg's oldest Irish Pub, shows Premiership and Champions League matches along with World Cup qualifiers/matches. It also has wireless internet access so you can share your jubilation or disappointment with far-flung mates.
