Hamburg.Reserved.Until thesecond beer.

The Hamburgian stereotype of being reserved is both true and completely wrong. True: Hamburgians need time. Those who arrive in the city expecting instant friendship will be disappointed. Those who understand that closeness in Hamburg must be earned will be surprised: Hanseatic reserve isn't coldness. It's respect. And eventually, after the first or second real conversation, Germany's most direct people emerge.

Hamburg is by far Germany's wealthiest major city — measured by GDP per capita, the Hanseatic city outranks Munich, Frankfurt and Berlin. That's reflected in the dating scene: people in Hamburg live well, know it, and have correspondingly high expectations of their surroundings — including dates. Those who live in Eppendorf, work in the Speicherstadt, or walk along the Elbe on Sundays don't want a fake date in a mediocre bar.

The harbour, the Elbe, Alster and Blankenese on one side. Altona, Ottensen and Schanzenviertel on the other. Hamburg has a strongly developed local identity — almost every district has its own character, its own community, its own places. A first call via talkbeforedate — anonymous, no number exchange — suits the Hanseatic mentality: talk first, then decide.