Clifford about Hamburg ! Part 2: How To Survive in St. Pauli / Reeperbahn
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Welcome to the second part of my Hamburg guide.
Hamburgs exciting red light district has more than whorehouses and street hookers. The best discos, clubs, bars and arcades are located here.
Tourists often wonder about St. Pauli being dangerous to them.
The answer is : mostly not, BUT....
If you do the wrong things, there is a chance to get into trouble.
1. How not to get any trouble from the prostitutes
In St. Pauli, prostitution is legal. There are many different opinions about this but basically it improves the situation for the women.
The prostitutes are allowed to stand on the sidewalk of certain streets and these streets are strictly divided into zones for the various whorehouses so the girls don't step on each others toes.
If you're male and you pass them by, they will talk to you and say things like "...nice half an hour for 50 Marks..." .
(It's all a fraud, by the way, but I'm not writing this for people that intend to have sex with prostitutes).
If you want to pass by without becoming their customer, just ignore them. Every "No" from you leads to a "why" from the prostitute and if you answer again you are in a conversation with a hooker.
If your mother knew....
The Prostitutes are guarded by men who sit hidden in the appartments above the girls.
If a girl is insulted, threatened, attacked, touched or only photographed (!) by somebody, she calls her "guardian" for help and he is down on the street to show his kickboxing skills. This is not the kind of experience you want to make.
So just ignore the prostitutes and there will be no trouble.
It's that easy.
2. How not to be mugged in the streets
Stay where the lights are.
But basically there are no gangs running around mugging people. They would get in trouble with the pimps who want a lot of tourists to come to St. Pauli (for obvious reasons).
3. How to get into a club
Be nice to the bouncers. It is especially hard to pass a bouncer if you are more than 3 persons or if you are very drunk.
Except if you are female :-) ....
If a bouncer refuses admission to you, don't start a discussion.
Bouncers stand in the cold all night while everybody inside the club are having a great time.
If you consider these circumstances they're pretty well-tempered.
4. How not to be towed
If you decide to visit St. Pauli by car, watch carefully for the "no parking" signs: otherwise your car might be towed within 30 minutes.
5. How not to be shot
Just don't be a drug dealer or a pimp.
(95 % of lethal violence in Hamburg-St.Pauli affects people who are involved in the local crime scene.)
6. How not to be arrested
See 5.
7. How not to be poisoned
If you want it safe, eat at McDonald's or Burger King, or snatch a sausage from "Lucullus" (Las-Vegas-style sausage grill in front of the police station.)
If you choose to eat turkish, avoid the tourist snack bars on the Reeperbahn and head one block north to the places where the turkish people eat.
8. How not to be beaten up
Shut your mouth and buy that guy a beer.
Hamburgs exciting red light district has more than whorehouses and street hookers. The best discos, clubs, bars and arcades are located here.
Tourists often wonder about St. Pauli being dangerous to them.
The answer is : mostly not, BUT....
If you do the wrong things, there is a chance to get into trouble.
1. How not to get any trouble from the prostitutes
In St. Pauli, prostitution is legal. There are many different opinions about this but basically it improves the situation for the women.
The prostitutes are allowed to stand on the sidewalk of certain streets and these streets are strictly divided into zones for the various whorehouses so the girls don't step on each others toes.
If you're male and you pass them by, they will talk to you and say things like "...nice half an hour for 50 Marks..." .
(It's all a fraud, by the way, but I'm not writing this for people that intend to have sex with prostitutes).
If you want to pass by without becoming their customer, just ignore them. Every "No" from you leads to a "why" from the prostitute and if you answer again you are in a conversation with a hooker.
If your mother knew....
The Prostitutes are guarded by men who sit hidden in the appartments above the girls.
If a girl is insulted, threatened, attacked, touched or only photographed (!) by somebody, she calls her "guardian" for help and he is down on the street to show his kickboxing skills. This is not the kind of experience you want to make.
So just ignore the prostitutes and there will be no trouble.
It's that easy.
2. How not to be mugged in the streets
Stay where the lights are.
But basically there are no gangs running around mugging people. They would get in trouble with the pimps who want a lot of tourists to come to St. Pauli (for obvious reasons).
3. How to get into a club
Be nice to the bouncers. It is especially hard to pass a bouncer if you are more than 3 persons or if you are very drunk.
Except if you are female :-) ....
If a bouncer refuses admission to you, don't start a discussion.
Bouncers stand in the cold all night while everybody inside the club are having a great time.
If you consider these circumstances they're pretty well-tempered.
4. How not to be towed
If you decide to visit St. Pauli by car, watch carefully for the "no parking" signs: otherwise your car might be towed within 30 minutes.
5. How not to be shot
Just don't be a drug dealer or a pimp.
(95 % of lethal violence in Hamburg-St.Pauli affects people who are involved in the local crime scene.)
6. How not to be arrested
See 5.
7. How not to be poisoned
If you want it safe, eat at McDonald's or Burger King, or snatch a sausage from "Lucullus" (Las-Vegas-style sausage grill in front of the police station.)
If you choose to eat turkish, avoid the tourist snack bars on the Reeperbahn and head one block north to the places where the turkish people eat.
8. How not to be beaten up
Shut your mouth and buy that guy a beer.
