This wasn’t our first football weekend in Hamburg, but we balanced out looking into both of the cities massive football clubs.
The Millerntor
A Football Weekend in Hamburg would not be complete without visiting The Millerntor, the stadium belonging to St Pauli.
We booked a guided tour at 5.30pm on a Friday evening and with the capacity of the event capped at only 25 people you are able to see everything you want to without interruption. With a capacity of almost 30,000, the stadium is defined by its traditional standing areas, with more than 16,000 supporters watching from the terraces. It’s a fantastic sight.
Surrounded by a densely built-up urban area, expanding the stadium has always been a challenge. However, our tour guide revealed that increasing the capacity is now a genuine possibility over the next few years. The options are either to fill in some of the stadium’s corners or, quite literally, build upwards.
More than 16,000 fans enjoy the match whilst standing
The player tunnel was the part of the tour we were most looking forward to—and it didn’t disappoint. It’s one of the most intimidating tunnel walks in football, with a dark, gothic design that feels more like the entrance to a fortress than a football pitch. Every detail is intended to unsettle the opposition before they even step onto the field.
Watch the video below and experience the walk for yourself.
The exit of the tunnel at The Millerntor
The club has a museum which was closed on our visit, and featured here is the original scoreboard. The good news is that it is visible at the end of the St Pauli tour by looking over the railings.
The original St Pauli scoreboard
Reverb – WW1 Bunker
No football trip to Hamburg is complete without a visit to the St. Pauli Bunker.
Just a short walk from the Millerntor Stadium stands the former World War II flak bunker, now transformed into the striking Reverb by Hard Rock Hotel. Originally built as an anti-aircraft fortress, the enormous concrete structure has been given a remarkable new lease of life, combining its historic exterior with a modern hotel, restaurants and public spaces.
We stayed here for one night purely for the experience, paying just €156. The highlight was climbing to the rooftop garden, where you’re rewarded with panoramic views across Hamburg. From the top, you also get a unique bird’s-eye view of the Millerntor Stadium—an unforgettable perspective for any football fan.
Looking down on The Millerntor Stadium from the roof of Reverb Hotel.
The Reverb Hotel looms over the Millerntor Stadium
The Reverb hotel by Hard Rock
The Volksparkstadion
On Saturday we visited The Volksparkstadion, home of St Pauli’s rivals Hamburg. We made an early morning trip to the stadium to have a detailed look around…
The HSV Clock
One of the most famous spots in German Football – but something huge is missing at the huge Volksparkstadion. This is the place where German football’s most famous clock once stood. The clock had totalled the time which the club had spent continuously in The Bundesliga, without being relegated. At the time they remained the only founder club to have not been relegated.
However, the clock stopped on the 12th May 2018 at 54 years, 261 days, 00 hours, 36 minutes and 2 seconds – this the moment the referee blew the whistle and although Hamburg had defeated Borussia Monchengladbach 2-1, they were also relying on already relegated Koln to beat Wolfsburg. That was not to be as Wolfsburg demolished Koln 4-1.
If you visit the stadium now, the clock is missing having been removed in 2019 after HSV failed to win promotion back to the Bundesliga. In it’s place you can now see the GPS coordinates of the stadium.
After seven years away from the Bundesliga, Hamburg returned by winning promotion on May 10th 2025 and finished 13th whilst their city rivals St Pauli finished bottom and have now been relegated to Bundesliga 2.
HSV walk of fame
One of the highlights of visiting The Volksparkstadion in Hamburg is the HSV Walk of Fame. Located outside the Volksparkstadion, it celebrates the players, managers and unforgettable moments that have helped shape one of Germany’s biggest football clubs.
The walk features many of the legends to have worn the famous blue, black and white shirt, but one stop stands out above all for English football fans—the plaque dedicated to Kevin Keegan. Arriving in Hamburg in 1977, the former England captain became an instant hero, inspiring the club to domestic and European success. Affectionately nicknamed “Mighty Mouse” by supporters, he remains one of the most loved figures in HSV’s history.
Following his passing just two weeks ago, the plaque has taken on even greater significance, becoming a place where fans gather to remember a true club legend. During our visit, we paid our own tribute by leaving a Shirt and a personal message in memory of a football icon whose legacy in Hamburg will never be forgotten.
The Uwe Seeler Foot
Imagine having your foot turned into one of Hamburg’s biggest monuments.
This is the giant bronze sculpture of Uwe Seeler’s right foot and one of the biggest football landmarks in Germany. It sit’s on the Walk of Fame outside the stadium.
Blue, Black and White steps, lead to the stadium, the clubs colours.
The Volksparkstadion hold 57,000 spectators and is a huge stadium. This short video will give a better perspective of the outside…
Inside the Volksparkstadion
We watched a pre-season friendly versus Everton and there was tremendous noise within the stadium when the home team opened the scoring, see below video. Everton won the match 2-1.
The beer cups available are great souvenirs payable with a small deposit when you buy a drink.
The Hamburg club logo features on the nets
The Third club in Hamburg
The Hamburg football scene is not complete without visiting one of the smaller clubs in the city. Altona 93 who share a friendship with English Footbll Club, Dulwich Hamlet.
Altona fans enjoying the match
Altona don’t keep their old manual scoreboard in a museum—they still use it.
Seeing it in action was something we were really hoping for, and we didn’t have to wait long. An early goal in what eventually became a 2–0 defeat gave one of the club’s volunteers the chance to update the score by hand behind the goal.
In an era of giant digital screens, it’s a wonderfully nostalgic sight and one of the many things that makes a visit to Altona so special. Watch the video below to see this football tradition still alive today.
Smurfs are found around the ground
Final Thoughts
A football weekend in Hamburg is much more than just watching a match. Whether you’re experiencing the electric atmosphere at an HSV game, soaking up the unique culture around St Pauli, enjoying the city’s famous nightlife or exploring it’s historic harbour, Hamburg offers one of the best football city breaks in Europe. Visit all the clubs above for a great overview of football in Hamburg.
If you’re ready to experience a football weekend in Germany, we make it easy. Our TOR Mystery Football Weekends include everything you need, including flights, hotel accommodation and match tickets so all you have to do is choose the date – you may just end up in Hamburg!
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