HAMBURG hits a high note
Forget about edgy Berlin and beer-loving Munich—Hamburg is the German city to see in 2018. For evidence that this northern port city is on the rise, look no further than the Elbphilharmonie (elbphilharmonie .de), the striking Herzog & de Meuron– designed concert hall that opened last year on the Elbe River. After countless delays and controversial budget increases, the sail-shaped venue is finally making good on its promise to put Hamburg on Europe’s modern cultural map, presenting dozens of sold-out performances in the months since it opened.
But the Elphi, as locals refer to it, isn’t Hamburg’s only modern marvel. The late Zaha Hadid designed the city’s newly completed River Promenade, a rippling walkway that winds along the Elbe, connecting many of the city’s restaurants, shops, and cultural attractions. Just north along the sparkling Alster Lake, the Fontenay Hamburg (thefontenay.de) — scheduled to open this month—is being heralded as Germany’s most anticipated hotel debut in recent memory, for both its spellbinding architecture and its top-notch amenities, including a 10,760-square-foot La Mer spa and a restaurant by the Michelin-starred chef Cornelius Speinle. Also new to the hotel scene, the Sir Nikolai (sirhotels.com) opened in June, bringing a stylish vibe of its own—think bohemian chandeliers and Art Deco bar carts—to one of the city’s oldest canals. — Chadner Navarro