Getting to Hamburg

Flying into Hamburg is fairly easy; its international airport has flights to and from 130 destinations, though most of these are within Germany or Europe, particularly Scandinavia. The city is well served by trains, with no less than four train stations. There are hourly trains to Lübeck, Kiel, Bremen, Frankfurt and Munich. There are also regular, direct services to Berlin, Cologne, Copenhagen and Paris. Buses connect with Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and Copenhagen, with some agencies specialising in trips to Eastern Europe. If you're driving, the autobahns A1 (Lübeck-Bremen) and the A7 (Hanover-Kiel) cross just south of the city. If you're coming from England, you can take a car ferry from the English port of Harwich.

By car

The A1 autobahn reaches Hamburg from the south and west, the A7 from the north and south, the A23 from the northwest and the A24 from the east. Road signs and directions to Hamburg are frequently posted. Be prepared to pay for parking, or park outside the city and use public transportation.

By rail

The German railway system is fast, efficient and comfortable. The German high-speed trains are called ICE, short for Inter City Express. They travel at speeds of up to 250km/hour quite smoothly. There are tables with electrical connections for laptops. At the end of each car, there is a train computer, where you can determine your connections. It's a good idea to make a seat reservation on an ICE train. There is a supplement to pay for these speedy trains, with second class on an ICE train often being better than first class on some other train lines.

There are two major rail stations: the centrally located Hamburg Hauptbahnhof and Hamburg Altona, in the western part of the city. Most trains arrive at the Hauptbahnhof, although trains from the north of Germany, including Westerland and Schleswig, pull into Altona. The two stations are connected by train and S-Bahn services. Hamburg has frequent train connections with all major German cities as well as frequent continental connections.

By bus

Buses connect with Berlin, Paris, Amsterdam, Prague and Copenhagen and parts of Eastern Europe. Buses arrive at or depart from Hamburg's central bus station, ZOB, which is located within walking distance of the central railway station (Hauptbahnhof). Buses to Lübeck depart from Wandsbek.

By ferry

There are currently no ferry services from the UK or other central European destinations to Hamburg or its nearest seaport, Cuxhaven. Visitors coming from the UK can arrive at the Dutch port at the Hook of Holland, or alternatively at the Belgian port at Zebrugge or the French port at Calais, and drive or take a train or a bus to Hamburg.

By air

Hamburg Airport is located northwest of the city centre and receives numerous flights from European cities and a generous number of transatlantic routes, with the airport acting as a regional hub. There is an Airport Express bus service to the main train station. Alternatively, a regular bus goes to the nearest train station to take passengers into the city.

Hamburg International Airport

Hamburg International Airport is located less than nine kilometres northwest of the city centre. There are two terminals at the airport. Terminal 2 is mainly used by Lufthansa, Germanwings and their Star Alliance partners. Other airlines such as Air Berlin, British Airways, Emirates, Continental and Air France are based in Terminal 1. Flights to Hamburg from European cities are numerous and there are plenty of transatlantic routes, with the airport acting as a regional hub. Bureaux de change and information desks are easily found in the Arrivals Hall of each terminal.

Hamburg International Airport transportation

Hamburg Airport does not yet have a direct rail connection to the city centre. The nearest subway and suburban railway station, Ohlsdorf, is served by suburban rail lines S1 and S11, and the subway line U1; all of these will take you to or from the main station, Hauptbahnhof, or to Jungfernstieg, in the city centre. Ohlsdorf Station and the terminals are connected by the number 110 bus, or the Airport Express, which runs every 10 minutes. In addition, there is an Airport Express bus every 15 minutes to Hamburg’s central train station. A regular night bus also runs to the train station. 

There are taxi ranks in front of all the terminals. The journey to the city centre takes about 30 minutes. For taxi rides from and to places outside Hamburg, you can negotiate a fixed price with the driver.

Particularly at peak periods in the morning and evening, car drivers may encounter bottlenecks and traffic congestions. Motorists coming from the city centre, who are not familiar with the area, are advised to drive to the P8/P9 car park or to the General Aviation Terminal on 'Weg beim Jäger' via Alsterkrugchaussee and Sportallee.