The Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten is an institution in Hamburg, based in the center of the city and directly overlooking the Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten lake, it’s a strategic location for visiting one of Germany’s most bourgeois and affluent cities.
The hotel was inaugurated in 1897 by the South German gastronome Friedrich Haerlin under the name Vier Jahreszeiten, at the time a twelve-room house with a hotel.
115 years later it has become a 156-room hotel with four restaurants, making it one of Hamburg’s most popular venues since its opening. Maria Callas, Sir Peter Ustinov, Prince Heinrich and Thomas Mann, regular residents at the Vier Jahreszeiten, have named suites after the hotel.
Nevertheless, the hotel remains forward-looking, with the 2010 renovation of a large part of the hotel and regular room refurbishments making it a place in perpetual motion.
The soul of this Hamburg palace is always present, making it a lively place throughout the year, not only for its visitors but also for the local population, who love to dine here or enjoy its cafés, as has been the case for decades.
The culinary offer is indeed plethoric, starting with the Haerlin, a veritable culinary institution in Germany, awarded two Michelin stars and 18 Gault & Millau points, which has reopened its doors after being closed for renovation.
After six weeks of renovation, the Restaurant Haerlin has reopened its doors to the delight of gourmets who have been enjoying Chef Christoph Rüffer’s double-starred cuisine for over 10 years. Thanks to the restaurant’s new setting, designed by Richmond International, Hamburg now has nothing to envy of major capitals such as Paris, London or New York.
Ingo C. Peters, the hotel’s General Manager, points out that “although the restaurant’s appearance has been completely revamped, the talents of Chef Christoph Rüffer are still the same and exceptional”.
The noble, raw materials and colors of sand, taupe, brown and green used in the interior design bring a contemporary touch to one of the city’s oldest eateries. The most refined materials and fabrics were used: gold leaf, mahogany, hand-painted Chinese paper, gold stitching…
The main light source comes from the splendid chandelier made of over 20,000 black and white crystals created by “Lasvit” and designed by Vera Soukupova in Prague. In this new setting, restaurant guests can enjoy French cuisine with Mediterranean accents, prepared by Chef Christoph Rüffer.
The Chef works with noble products such as lobster, duck and lamb, and sublimates their flavors with condiments and spices. His motto is: “Taste is more important than sight”, which doesn’t stop him from serving his customers plates with impeccable visual appeal and creative presentation.
The tasting menu includes Selle d’agneau du Limousin with beans and braised lamb breast and corn, or Canard de Nantes with peach, fennel and ginger jus.
Guests at Restaurant Haerlin have enjoyed the view of the Alster Inner Lake, and now have the opportunity to discover two new areas that will delight wine lovers and those curious about the Chef’s preparation secrets.
At La Table du Sommelier, located a little way from the room, customers can admire the wall of wine bottles made of polished copper, custom-made in Italy to accommodate 600 bottles. La Table du Sommelier, made from Pakistani onyx, is ideal for an evening of rare wine tasting.
On the table, there’s an onyx champagne bucket that can hold a dozen bottles, on which the restaurant’s emblem is engraved and then gilded with gold leaf. The wine list has been entirely revised by Restaurant Manager Christian Schaefer, to provide a wide choice of wines selected with the utmost care.
The great novelty of the Restaurant Haerlin is the Table du Chef, which welcomes up to eight guests in a space created just for the occasion. The Chef’s Table allows guests to watch the entire kitchen team at work on their dishes.
The tasting menu starts at €115 for 4 courses.
But also the Jahreszeiten Grill, one of Hamburg’s most beautiful restaurants, bathed in its Art Deco juice. Here you can enjoy grilled cuisine, but also an exceptional selection of fresh fish and traditional dishes by chef Sebastian Kölling.
If you’re looking for a bit of the exotic, Doc Cheng’s is the place to go, a restaurant with a neat oriental decor and award-winning Euro Asian cuisine. The food is as exotic as the decor, earning it a Gault & Millau ranking.
The bars are not to be outdone, with two of Hamburg’s, if not Germany’s, finest.
Le Bar du Doc Cheng, an intimate, cosy bar with an exotic decor reminiscent of Shanghai in the 1920s, offering rare sake-based cocktails.
Or the famous Jahreszeiten Bar, a cosy bar with a mezzanine and a smoky ambience that has won numerous awards, including Germany’s best bar.
But the hotel is alive at all hours, and welcomes Hamburg’s happy few to the Condi Lounge or Condi Café, where you can enjoy breakfast, pastries and coffee.
The Fairmont Vier Jahreszeiten also offers a comfortable Spa, which will soon be embellished.
WHAT TO DO IN HAMBURG
You can explore the Karolinenviertel & Schanzenviertel districts. Hamburg’s so-called working-class districts, where many young designers set up their design studios. Hamburg’s young people love these two districts, where they find excellent restaurants and bars with a diverse ambience.
Here we discovered two magnificent boutiques: Herr Von Eden and Anna Fuchs.
During the festive season, why not venture to the Christmas Market in Jungfernstieg or to Town Hall Square or St. Michael’s Church, with its 360° view of Hamburg and its Christmas lights.
When it comes to shopping, the benchmark is the Alsterhaus, THE Hamburg department store.
At your leisure, discover Hamburg’s “sulphurous” Reeperbahn district, where women of lesser virtue sell their bodies after dark, and where certain streets are off-limits to women!
Also worth discovering is Hafencity, Hamburg’s new district that will expand the city by 40%. Located between the historic Speicherstadt (Warehouse District) and the Elbe River, Hafencity will house retail, residential and office space… The project will continue to develop until 2020 – 2025. Currently, it is packed with designer boutiques, creators and concept stores, as well as lobster restaurants such as Hummer Pedersen.
Hummer Pedersen
Joachim Niesen
Große Elbstraße 152,
22767 Hamburg,
Tel: 040/522 99 39-0
If you have children, we can only recommend a visit to Miniatur Wonderland, the world’s only miniature museum. One of the most visited attractions in Germany! Awe-inspiring.
Fairmont Hotel Vier
Jahreszeiten, Neuer Jungfernstieg
9-14, 20354 Hamburg, Germany
Tel: +49 40 34940
Fairmont Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten
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