Hamburg's third-largest district, home to most of the city's districts in its 140 km² area, forms the pulsating and lively heart of the Hanseatic city. A total of about 300,000 people live here, sharing the urban area with the many tourists who are regularly drawn to the city centre. Due to its size alone, the central district is characterised by a high degree of diversity and includes, on the one hand, well-known and popular districts such as Hamburg-Altstadt and -Neustadt, where things are lively, the famous St. Pauli with its amusement mile Reeperbahn or St. Georg, and, on the other hand, middle-class areas such as Horn, Hamm, Finkenwerder or Billstedt. Although more than 100 km away from Hamburg, the North Sea islands Neuwerk, Nigehörn and Scharhörn with their total of just 40 inhabitants also belong to the district. Cultural diversity and numerous shopping opportunities as well as restaurants and cafés are available in St. Georg between the Alster and the main railway station, while the newly developed Hafen-City district is giving the district new impetus.

The heart of Hamburg is home to a whole range of sights. Among the most famous is the so-called Michel, the baroque church of St. Michaelis with its proud nave, vaulted cellar and magnificent view from the church tower. The building has existed for more than 400 years and looks back on a proud history. Other popular attractions are the Landungsbrücken with its museum ships, the Elbe, as well as Jungfernstieg, Binnenalster and Mönckebergstraße. This is a central main shopping street where, for example, the five-storey Europa Passage is located. Also worth seeing is the Speicherstadt in HafenCity, which attracts visitors not only with impressive warehouse buildings but also with the Miniatur Wunderland, the moated castle and the traditional ship harbour. Other attractions include the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, the Hamburg State Opera and the International Maritime Museum.

The Mitte district is not only a treasure trove of sights, but also the economic centre of Hamburg. This is especially true of Hamburg's city centre with its more than 1,000 shops, which is considered the most significant retail location in the whole of northern Germany and where many companies have set up their headquarters. The retail trade is concentrated on Mönckebergstraße, the Europa Passage, and the Nikolai-Quartier. In HafenCity, too, the numerous shopping opportunities on the promenade play a central role. The districts of St. Pauli, City-Süd and St. Georg, which are close to the city centre, are also important business locations, as are the large commercial and harbour areas. Thanks to the many sights, there are also numerous restaurants and hotels in Hamburg-Mitte, which are also important local employers. This is especially true of St. Pauli, which is of great importance to the Elbe metropolis as a location for the cultural and creative industries. Innovative retailers with creative and innovative shop concepts as well as designers have set up shop in the Karolinenviertel in St. Pauli, for example.

Hamburg's city centre is one of the residential locations with the highest demand in the Elbe metropolis. The demand here is significantly greater than the supply, a circumstance that has had a corresponding effect and caused a sharp rise in property prices in recent years. Especially the trendy districts such as St. Pauli, St. Georg, Hamburg-Altstadt and HafenCity are among the residential areas with the highest prices. On the other hand, they offer their residents a place to live that leaves little to be desired in terms of diversity, leisure opportunities, supply density and infrastructure. HafenCity is characterised by modern new buildings and attractive promenades as well as its proximity to the Elbe. In general, there is a lot of new construction activity in Mitte, which serves to meet the high demand. But despite this activity, prices in the central neighbourhoods have hardly fallen. Properties in the districts of Finkenwerder or Horn are somewhat quieter, but less expensive. Ever more attractive, also for investors, is the formerly industrial Hammerbrook, which is increasingly becoming the focus of property seekers and potential buyers due to its location close to the city centre and its good local amenities. In addition, the location is excellently connected to the public transport infrastructure and has attractive local recreation areas thanks to the nearby Elbe canals.