The Reeperbahn is a street with a reputation problem. Or a reputation asset, depending on your perspective. Hamburg’s most famous thoroughfare — 930 metres of neon, noise, and nightlife running through the St. Pauli district — has been the city’s entertainment centre since the 1800s. Sailors came here. The Beatles played here (the Indra Club on Große Freiheit, 1960). Tourists come here now. And the guided tours that walk you through it are — improbably — the most-reviewed tourist experience in Germany, with nearly 18,000 reviews and a 4.7 rating.
St. Pauli is more than the Reeperbahn. The neighbourhood is one of Hamburg’s most interesting: a former working-class dockside area that’s become a mix of counterculture, music venues, street art, and gentrifying apartment blocks. The football club (FC St. Pauli) is the most politically left-wing in Germany. The bars range from dive to designer. And the guided tours — particularly the “Sex and Crime” tour — use the neighbourhood’s colourful history as a lens for understanding Hamburg’s identity as a port city, a music city, and a city that has always been a bit wilder than the rest of Germany.
Green Bunker tour: St. Pauli Green Bunker Tour — $25, WWII bunker turned garden, unique Hamburg landmark.
Pub crawl: Reeperbahn Pub Crawl — $29, night crawl through the district’s best bars.
The Sex and Crime Tour
Let’s address the name. The “Sex and Crime” tour sounds like a stag party gimmick. It’s not. It’s a 2-hour guided walk through St. Pauli’s history — the docks, the sailors, the red-light district, the Beatles era, the serial killers (Hamburg had several), the police raids, and the neighbourhood’s transformation from vice district to cultural hotspot. The guide covers all of this with humour, historical accuracy, and enough dark stories to earn the “crime” part of the title.
The 17,793 reviews at 4.7 stars make this the most-reviewed tour in Germany — and one of the most-reviewed in Europe. That volume across years of daily operation means the quality is consistently high regardless of which guide you get. The tour is 18+ only (the content covers sex work, crime, and Hamburg’s red-light history) and runs in the evening when the neighbourhood is at its most atmospheric.
The Green Bunker: Hamburg’s Strangest Landmark
The Flakbunker (anti-aircraft bunker) on Feldstraße is a massive WWII concrete structure that was too tough to demolish after the war (they tried — the explosives barely scratched it). Instead of leaving it as an ugly relic, Hamburg turned it into the Grüner Bunker — a rooftop garden and community space that opened in 2024. Trees, paths, and a public terrace now sit on top of a building that was designed to withstand Allied bombing.
The Green Bunker tour ($25) takes you through the bunker’s history — from its construction in 1942 through its post-war use as a music venue (it held Germany’s first raves in the 1990s) to its transformation into an urban garden. The tour is currently in German only, but the building is accessible independently and the rooftop garden is free to visit.
The Reeperbahn Pub Crawl
For visitors who want to experience St. Pauli’s nightlife rather than learn about its history, the pub crawl ($29) takes you to 4-5 bars across the district with shots included at each stop and nightclub entry at the end. It’s the same format as pub crawls worldwide — a guide, a group of strangers, and enough alcohol to make everyone friends — but the Reeperbahn setting adds an edge that most bar crawls lack.
St. Pauli Beyond the Nightlife
During the day, St. Pauli is a genuinely interesting neighbourhood worth exploring on foot. The Fischmarkt (fish market) on Sunday mornings at the harbour is one of Hamburg’s best experiences — fish, fruit, flowers, and live music in a covered market hall from 5am (yes, 5am — the early start is a tradition from when the fresh catch needed to be sold before it warmed up).
Best Tours to Book
1. Sex and Crime in St. Pauli Tour (18+) — $29
Two hours through St. Pauli’s colourful history — the docks, the Beatles, the crime, the red-light district, and the neighbourhood’s evolution. The guides are local, knowledgeable, and funny — the humour is essential for handling subject matter that could otherwise be uncomfortable. Ages 18+ only. Evening departures. Our review covers the full route and whether the tour lives up to its extraordinary review count.
2. St. Pauli Green Bunker Tour — $25
The most architecturally interesting thing in St. Pauli. The Flakbunker’s transformation from wartime relic to green rooftop garden is a Hamburg story in miniature — practical, creative, and slightly eccentric. The tour is currently in German only, but the rooftop garden is free and open to all. Our review covers the bunker’s history and whether non-German speakers can still enjoy the visit.
3. Reeperbahn Night Pub Crawl — $29
For visitors who want to experience the Reeperbahn rather than learn about it. The pub crawl covers 4-5 bars with shots at each stop and nightclub VIP entry at the end. The group dynamic — international travelers, exchange students, and curious locals — creates a social energy that solo bar-hopping can’t match. Our review covers the bar quality and whether the crawl adds value over going out independently.
Practical Tips
Getting to St. Pauli: U-Bahn St. Pauli (U3) drops you directly on the Reeperbahn. S-Bahn Reeperbahn (S1, S2, S3) is even closer. From Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, it’s about 10 minutes by U-Bahn.
Safety: St. Pauli is safe by big-city standards. The Reeperbahn is heavily policed, especially on weekend nights. The Davidwache police station sits right on the strip. Standard street-smart rules apply: watch your pockets in crowds, don’t flash expensive items, and avoid the darkest side streets at 3am. The guided tours operate in well-lit, well-trafficked areas.
When to go: The Sex and Crime tour runs in the evening (usually 8pm departure) when the neon is on and the atmosphere is right. The pub crawl starts around 9:30pm. The Fischmarkt is Sunday mornings 5-9:30am (worth setting the alarm for). Daytime St. Pauli is quiet and residential — the neighbourhood wakes up around 6pm.
Budget: Sex and Crime tour: $29. Pub crawl: $29. Green Bunker tour: $25. Beers on the Reeperbahn: €4-6 (cheap by German standards). Club entry: free-€15 depending on the venue. A full St. Pauli evening: about €60-80 including tour, drinks, and club.
More Hamburg Experiences
St. Pauli is the evening attraction. For daytime Hamburg, the harbour cruises show you the port from the water, the bike tours cover the city’s diverse neighbourhoods, and the Elbphilharmonie concert hall (free viewing platform, paid concerts) is one of Europe’s most impressive modern buildings. Hamburg rewards a full weekend — the port, the canals, the Speicherstadt, Miniatur Wunderland, and St. Pauli together make one of Germany’s most underrated city breaks.