Hamburg, Germany — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Hamburg Airport
Tel: (040) 50750.
Website: www.ham.airport.de
Hamburg airport lies 8km (5 miles) north of the city center. Facilities include a bank, bureau de change, post office, ATMs, and Wi-Fi. There are good business facilities, several restaurants, bars and cafes plus a variety of shops with a brand new retail plaza under construction (to open late 2008).
The S-Bahn (suburban rail network) line S1 operates every 10 minutes between Hamburg Airport and Hamburg's central railway station/Hauptbahnhof. Public buses run to different parts of the city. An alternative is to take the yellow Airport Express bus, run by Jasper, direct to the main railway station/Hauptbahnhof. These leave every 15 to 20 minutes (journey time - 25 to 30 minutes). Night bus 606 runs from Terminal 2 to Hbf and Rathaus U-Bahn station in the city center.
There are taxi ranks in front of Terminal 1.
Lübeck Airport
Tel: (0451) 583 010.
Website: www.flughafen-luebeck.de
Lübeck Airport is 8km (5 miles) south of Lübeck, which itself is 59km (37miles) northeast of Hamburg.
A dedicated Ryanair bus runs from Hamburg Hbf to Lübeck Airport and back, to coincide with flights (journey time - 75 to 85 minutes). Bus 6 runs to Lübeck Hbf via the town center (journey time - 20 to 30 minutes).
Taxis are available from outside the terminal building and are an option if you are staying in Lübeck (journey time- around 20 minutes), but would be very expensive to hire to Hamburg.
Getting There By Road
Germany is covered by an excellent and extensive system of major roads and motorways. Traffic drives on the right and the minimum age for driving is 18. There are no tolls or speed limits on the German motorways (the famous Autobahnen) but a maximum of 130kph (81mph) is recommended. On other roads, speed limits are 130kph (81mph) or 100kph (62mph) on major and minor roads outside the cities, and 50kph (30mph) in built-up areas. Foreign drivers require their national driving license and proof of insurance – third-party insurance is mandatory, but a green card is strongly recommended. A country identification sticker or national license plate must be displayed on the vehicle.
Emergency breakdown services
ADAC (tel: 01802 222 222).
Routes to the city
The A1 motorway runs to Hamburg from the southwest and north, 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 clear and frequently posted.
Driving times to the city
From Berlin – 2 hours 30 minutes; Copenhagen – 3 hours; Amsterdam – 4 hours; Paris – 8 hours; Zurich – 8 hours 30 minutes. If you want to take your car to Hamburg from the UK, you will have to take the Eurostar to Calais or Brussels and drive for a further 763km (477 miles) or 588km (365 miles) respectively.
Coach services
National Express (tel: 0871 781 8181, in the UK; www.nationalexpress.com) runs a regular coach service from London to Hamburg.
Getting There By Rail
Hamburg's rail system is efficient and well connected nationally and internationally across Europe. In fact, it's possible to make a rail journey from London to Hamburg in under a day.
Rail Services
There are four main train stations in Hamburg, the Hauptbahnhof is the largest of these, and lying slightly east of the city center, this is the terminus for most trains arriving in Hamburg, as well as being a hub for buses and the U-Bahn (Hamburg's underground rail network). The other three main stations - Dammtor, Altona and Harburg - are also centrally located and directly connected to the U-Bahn and S-Bahn (the city's overground light railway). Altona is the departure point for many long-distance and international journeys, although most also stop at Hauptbahnhof. There are regular hourly services to Hamburg's nearest towns and cities, including Lubeck, Kiel, Hanover and Bremen, all taking between 45 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes. Further afield, Germany's excellent IC (Intercity) trains connect with Berlin, while high-speed ICE (Intercity Express) trains leave regularly for Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich. There is also a twice-daily service northwards into the Danish capital Copenhagen and southbound, a night train runs directly to Paris.
Rail Operators
Deutsche Bahn (DB) (tel: 0180 599 6633; www.bahn.de) is the national service provider. To travel by train from London to Hamburg, take a Eurostar train (tel: 0843 218 6186, in the UK; www.eurostar.com) to Paris, a high-speed Thalys or ICE train from Paris to Cologne, and then an IC train from Cologne to Hamburg.
Connections
From Berlin – 1 hour 30 minutes; Frankfurt – 3 hours 30 minutes; Cologne – 4 hours; Munich – 6 to 9 hours.
Getting Around in Hamburg, Germany
Public Transport
Public transport in Hamburg is popular, efficient and used by almost everyone. Buses travel around the clock, including a special Nachtbus (night bus) service, and the hub is centrally located at Rathausmarket by the town hall. HVV (tel: (040) 19449; www.hvv.de) runs Hamburg's excellent integrated system combining rapid transit rail, regional rail, buses and harbor ferries. The U-Bahn (Unterbahn, underground railway) and S-Bahn (Schnellbahn, rapid transit light railway) form a very useful, interlinked network. On both the trains and buses, clear signposting, indicator boards and on-board announcements make sure you know in which direction you are moving and what the next stop is. You must buy tickets for the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and all regional trains in advance. There are no ticket barriers, but if you are caught by an inspector without a ticket you will be fined heavily. You can buy individual tickets per journey, but if you are around for a day or more, it is worth investing in an All Day ticket, which offers unlimited travel for one adult and three children under the age of 15. The 9AM Day Card offers the same but is only valid after 0900. There is also a three-day ticket valid for unlimited travel by one person throughout the Greater Hamburg Area. The Hamburg Card, which you can buy at the tourist office, gives unlimited travel first class on all public transport in the Greater Hamburg area and also grants free or reduced-price admission to many top attractions and excursions. You can buy all travel-only tickets from automated ticket machines at the stations or from bus drivers.
Taxis
Taxis in Hamburg are easily available throughout the day, and can be hailed in the streets or taken from the frequent taxi stands, which are signified by a green box on a raised post. For advanced booking, reputable companies include Das Taxi (tel: 221 122), Hansa Taxi (tel: 211 211) and Taxiruf Hamburg (tel: 441 011).
Driving in the City
Driving in Hamburg has all the drawbacks of driving and parking in any other major city and is not recommended. Note that if you do drive, you can leave your car free-of-charge at one of the HVV park-and-ride facilities (see www.hvv.de for more information) at rapid transit and regional rail stations which avoids the hassle of finding an inner-city driving and parking.
Car Hire
Car hire operators in Hamburg include Avis (tel: (040) 5075 2314; www.avis.com), Europcar (tel: (040) 500 2170; www.europcar.com), Hertz (tel: (040) 5935 1367; www.hertz.com) and Sixt (tel: 01805 262 525; www.sixt.com).
Bicycle Hire
Since its implementation in 2009, Hamburg's new StadtRAD bicycle-hire scheme (tel: (040) 8221 88100; www.stadtradhamburg.de) has been the biggest innovation in getting around town cleanly and under your own steam. Its 700 unmistakable, pillar-box-red bikes are neatly lined up at 70 different rental points across the city. Often located outside U-Bahn and S-Bahn stations, StadtRAD bikes are free for the first half hour. Following this, there is an initial rental charge of just four cents per minute, increasing to eight cents after an hour. The maximum charge per day is €12. Bikes are available to everyone, following a one-off registration process (online, by phone or at the rental terminal). Customers then use an EC or credit card to receive an unlocking code, which they then enter on the bike lock display pad. If you want to leave your bike for a short time during your tour, it can be secured using an additional lock that uses the same code provided for the bike at the initial rental station. Return a bicycle to any rental point by simply relocking it in a vacant space before paying by credit card at the terminal.
