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Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Watch The Lion King here. For many Germans this is the must-do when visiting Hamburg.
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BallinStadt — History of Emigration
It was built in 1892 under the guidance of Albert Ballin to provide medical care and accommodation to migrants, who were emigrating to the United States on HAPAG ships. The complex was converted into a museum, though its original design and layout is not the same because parts of the complex were destroyed. The museum is dedicated to the 5 million people who emigrated via Hamburg. It has a computer terminal where visitors can look up information on their emigrant ancestors. At €12 (children: 5-12: €7, family: €25), it's pricey, and the English translations can be sparse and superficial. Unless they can read the German documents, American visitors who have been to museums such as Ellis Island will find much of the content familiar.
Hamburg's massive container ports line the southern bank of the river Elbe. They are most spectacular at night, and the best place to view them from is by driving north along the A7 highway (heading into the Elbtunnel tunnel). They are not freely accessible to the public, but there are bus tours (only in German, about €35 per person, must be booked in advance) which depart from Hamburg's city centre and, over the course of several hours, drive through the container terminals, with informative commentary.
Helms-Museum
Museum presenting prehistorical and early historical northern Germany as well as the history of the city of Harburg.
Cinema.