Posted by On this page you will find important visitor information about the world-famous Altona fish market.
The fish market on the banks of the Elbe in Hamburg is one of the most famous markets in Germany. There is not only fish and seafood, but also other food, clothing, flowers and much more. In addition, there are also gastronomic establishments and even dance
The fish market between the districts of St Pauli and Altona on the north bank of the Elbe in central Hamburg is unusual in many ways. The weekly market for fish and other things only takes place on Sundays, from 5 am to 9:30 am. So there are two groups of visitors. On the one hand, there are overnight visitors who have spent the night in the pubs and clubs of St Pauli, like on the nearby Reeperbahn. They want to continue partying, drinking and dancing at the fish market or eat a fish sandwich before going to bed. The other visitors are normal market-goers who get up early on Sunday to go to the famous fish market.
The actual name of the market is “Altona Fish Market”. But others also say Fischmarkt St Pauli, Hamburger Fischmarkt or, most commonly, just Fischmarkt.
The central area of the fish market is the fish auction hall. However, a large part of the market stalls are outside. The market criers at the fish market are well known. With extremely loud voices, they mainly offer the fish. They fill baskets with different fish and offer them for a round sum like 20 euros. If no one buys the baskets, they put more fish in the baskets until they find a buyer.
By Johannes Liebmann, Libbi , CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
The Altona fish market is famous in Hamburg for its fish sandwiches. They come with maties, bismarck, fish frikadelle and more. A roll costs about 3.50 euros in 2022. The fish rolls from the fish market are very well-known and popular in Hamburg. They are said to taste better than elsewhere.
The fish auction hall is something like the centre of the Sunday fish market. Especially when the weather is bad, many fish market visitors are in the hall. Many visitors to the Hamburg fish market also buy fruit and vegetables. Many stalls also sell souvenirs, clothes, shoes, bags, etc., sometimes at reasonable prices.
Corona and Sunday Fish Market: Currently at the time of writing in December 2022, the St Pauli Fish Market is very small. The big hall is closed because of Corona. The market shouters are also not allowed to shout. There are only 60 stalls outside. Let’s hope that the Covic pandemic will soon be over and the fish market will be as big and glamorous as it used to be.
Since Hamburg is far to the north of Germany, the days vary greatly in length throughout the year. In June, it is already light at 5 am when the fish market begins. In December, the Altona Fish Market is dark most of the time. Then there is only daylight from around 8:30.
How to get to Fischmarkt Hamburg
You can take the S-Bahn S1 or S3 to the Reeperbahn stop, for example, and walk down to the Elbe in 10 minutes. Bus 111 goes directly to the Altona fish market and stops not far from the fish auction hall. Bus 111 stops at Altona station, Landungsbrücken, the Reeperbahn stop and HafenCity, among other places.
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