This place is special to me because I used to live in Hamburg as an art student and St Pauli is the area where we used to hang out (and still do when I visit). I am particularly fond of the so called curtain pubs (Gardinenkneipen). Their windows are usually obscured by nicotine stained doilies, hence their name, they are ruled by grumpy chain smoking barmaids (but with a heart of gold) and frequented by a mix of colorful characters from the local red light millieu who drunkenly play melancholic music on the jukebox whilst telling the barmaid their woes, or might have a little dance to the Macarena. The map shows my favorites curtain pubs, and a couple of places to have a cheap (but good) snack inbetween to soak up all the Astra and Korn. Top insider tips are: Discreetly (=make sure the grumpy barmaid doesn’t notice) ring the landline of the Nordlicht whilst sitting at its' bar and make sure you don’t tipsily ring any bells mounted over bartops, as this means you are volunteering to buy everyone in the establishment a drink! When you find yourself sitting at the bar of the Lehmitz, the bar that NEVER closes, at 10am trying to solve the mystery of when and how on earth they clean the place, it’s probably time to go home….