Hamburg

Cosmopolitan, creative Hamburg more than lives up to its billing as Germany's "Gateway to the World". Home to the country's largest port, the city is proud of its seafaring history – industrial-era warehouses have been imaginatively converted into quirky attractions like the German Customs Museum, while delectably fresh seafood features prominently on local menus.

Long established as a creative trailblazer, Hamburg plays host to a world-class opera house and a thriving theatre scene, while art aficionados can marvel at masterpieces in blockbuster museums like the Kunsthalle and Bucerius Kunst Forum. Meanwhile, night owls will be seduced by the city's bohemian bars and hedonistic open-air dance parties.