5 x Harriet Dohmeyer's favourites in Hamburg

From the first coffee to the last drink: a whole collection of my local heroes can be found in the charming neighbourhood of the Paul-Roosen-Straße in St. Pauli. You can start with a coffee at tranquil and friendly Blackline. For a small bite and a nice drink then move on to Standard. The aperitivo culture here is delicious and the atmosphere unique! Young urban art and sometimes also the work of up-and-coming photographers await in the building of a former discount supermarket, at Affenfaust Gallery. For a more relaxed evening with a great selection of wine I recommend Weinladen St. Pauli – the staff is always friendly, there's no dresscode and it feels like you're visiting friends. One unremarkable door down, the best cocktails are served: between branches, moss and wood at the bar Clockers. If you stop by, try their home-distilled gin.

From time to time I love to dip into the art world with a visit to Deichtorhallen, the contemporary art and photography museum, followed by a walk around the neighbourhood of the former freight terminal Oberhafen, which is home to many studios of makers and creatives. There you also will find the Hobenköök – a market hall with hundreds of products by local makers and an own restaurant with seasonal dishes. The antiques shop Johanna Schultz Wohnen is also based in this area. It’s famous for the big old neon letters decorating the walls all the way up to the ceiling, alongside modern interior pieces.

The cafe Balz & Balz is run by the brother-sister duo Chris and Kathrin Balz. Their homemade "Stullen" (sandwiches), great coffee and a delicious lunch table are already reason enough for a visit, but the founders' hospitality is what really makes this cafe one of my favourite places in Hamburg. I love sharing slices of the amazing homemade cakes over good talks with friends here. Thanks to barista Chris the flat white will definitely not disappoint you. If you're a fan of excellent light-roasted coffee like I am, make sure that the specialty coffee shop Tornqvist is also on your route!

Park Fiction is a small urban area with some green hills and a basketball court. You can spot it on the cover of my German Hallo Hamburg book and also on the one of The 500 Hidden Secrets of Hamburg written by Malte Brenneisen. Here you can relax on the grass under some steel palm trees. A mix of different city dwellers meet at this spot: a happy in-line skater cruising with music blasting through his headphones, an international clique of friends, a romantic couple, a family having a picnic,... I like to catch the last sunlight of the day here, enjoying the view of the cranes unloading container ships in the harbour.

Lovingly selected home accessories, fashion, stationery, books, magazines, prints and natural cosmetics: for well-curated shop B-Lage in Sternschanze, founder Vanessa Janneck is mainly on the lookout for small, often unknown labels and up-and-coming designers. On this quest,  and also for her own fashion label Vanewonderland, Vanessa is inspired by wanderlust and homesickness. Before she gained a foothold in Hamburg, she lived in Barcelona and Lanzarote. Besides being a shop, B-Lage also offers young talents the possibility to temporarily rent a part of the space to try out their own ideas. Readings, exhibitions and concerts are also held here from time to time.