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Practical information for your stay in Hamburg

To help you with the planning of your trip to Hamburg, you will find here all the practical information you need, such as airports and public transport, useful web links and general information about Hamburg and Germany

Welcome to Hamburg: Airports and travel by train Public transport and visit Hamburg by bike Travelling in Germany: Useful information Hamburg and Germany by numbers Useful web links to Hamburg and Germany

Welcome to Hamburg - Airports and transfers

Airport Tegel

Hamburg Airport

Hamburg Airport (Helmut Schmidt) offers numerous international connections. It is the oldest and fifth largest airport in Germany. In 2018 it was used by around 17.23 million passengers. From the centre of Hamburg, access is by public transport in the HVV network with the S-Bahn (S-Bahn) line S1 (stop "Hamburg Airport"). There are regular departures every ten minutes from the main station and the journey time is 25 minutes. From the Berlin airports, it takes about 2.5-3 hours by train to Hamburg station.
Hamburg Airport : www.hamburg-airport.de
Hamburg Central Station

Travelling by train

A very good alternative to flying to Hamburg is to travel by train, so you can enjoy the beautiful German landscape and reduce your impact on the environment. The German railways (DB) and companies in your country offer interesting packages, often including hotel accommodation. Here are a few examples of trips: Paris-Hamburg in 8h30. Brussels-Hamburg in 8h30. Basel-Hamburg in 7 hours. And especially if your flight is to Berlin, it will take you 1h45 to reach Hamburg from Berlin Central Station.
Hamburg Central Station: www.bahnhof.de - German Railways DB

Weblinks - Aviation

  • www.lufthansa.com
  • www.airfrance.fr
  • www.swiss.com
  • www.britishairways.com
  • www.americanairlines.de

Weblinks - By train

  • www.bahn.de
  • www.sncf.com
  • www.sbb.ch
  • www.belgiantrain.be
  • Hamburg Main Station
HamburgCard hamburg

Public transport network

Hamburg has a very good public transport network with, for example, its buses, metro (U) and S-Bahn (S). HVV (Hamburger Verkehrsverbund) is an alliance of several companies for a tariff union. There are different fares depending on the length of the journey and the duration (day ticket or small group ticket). Up to the age of 5, free of charge, and between 6 and 14, take the reduced fare. As for zones, AB covers a large part of Hamburg (€3.40 single ticket, day ticket from 9 am €6.60 or €12.40 for a group of 5 people also from 9 am), then you have 6 Ringe (peripherals). By buying your ticket in an automatic ticket machine (valid from the moment you buy the ticket), you will be able to check in which zone your destination is located. Photo: © Hamburg Tourismus - More information on public transport: www.hvv.de

Hamburg Tourist Card

It's worth buying the HamburgCard which gives you access to all HVV public transport within the AB area (or with the whole region) and offers you discounts of up to 50% on many services in Hamburg (museums, boat tours, restaurants, shopping, etc.). Prices vary according to the number of days, from €10.50 for AB (Hamburg) for one day or very interesting with the day ticket for 5 people at €18.50. You can buy it online here or everywhere in Hamburg (HVV automat, hotels, tourist office, etc.).

Guided bike tour hamburg

Bike rental

Enjoy Hamburg and the banks of the Elbe River by bike. There are many bicycle rental points in Hamburg::
  • Here the StadtRad Hamburg in the whole city www.hamburg.com
  • On this page (german) you will find several options: www.hamburg.de
  • Our partner for guided tours also offers bike tours on request. Please contact Denise Faessel by e-mail here.

Travelling in Germany : Useful Information

Foreign currencies and credit cards

Like most EU member states Germany introduced the euro (€) in January 2002
   • At Main Bahnhof (ReiseBank AG) Monday to Friday from 10am to 8pm, Saturday from 10am to 6pm

Off course, you can also change in banks, but the exchange rate usually is better here. Credit cards are accepted in many places (VISA, Mastercard). But you should ask in advance whether it is possible to pay by card, just to make sure. Tip are not obligatory, but the standard is up to 10 maximum. Just round up the bill when paying.

Identity documents

Citizens of EU member states and several other countries only need a normal ID card. For many other nationalities a passport valid three months beyond the length of stay is sufficient. In any case, when planning your trip, you should ask at your local German consulate or embassy or at a travel agency about the visa requirements. Munich still is rather safe, compared to other European cities. Anyway, one should always keep money, credit and ID card in separate places.
Tip: Take a photo of your identity cards with your mobile phone. Take special care of pick pockets in tourist areas such as train stations and airports. Ignore the people who want you to sign a "petition", of course it's all about money. The "Shell game" is not a game, but a fraudulent method of collaborative perpetrators, in which only the perpetrators win! Never stop at them.

Insurance

When staying in Europe, EU citizens (and Swiss) must have the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Citizens of other countries should thoroughly inquire at their health insurance about the necessary conditions to get their expenses for medical treatment in Germany reimbursed. If you are planning a long-term stay, you should consider an additional private insurance.

Important telephone numbers

   • Germany's international access code: +49
   • Ambulance/Fire Brigade: 112
   • Police : 110
   • Medical emergency service: 116 117 ou 040 228 022
   • Poisoning Emergency Line: 0551 192 40
   • Dentist Emergency Line: 01805 050 518

Embassies in Berlin

   • United States America: Pariser Platz, (030) 8 30 50
   • British Embassy: Wilhelmstraße 70, (030) 20 45 70
   • Embassy Canada: Leipziger Platz 17, (030) 20 31 20
   • Embassy France: Pariser Platz 5, (030) 590 03 90 00
   • Embassy Suisse: Otto-von Bismarck-Allee 4a, (030) 390 40 00
   • Embassy Belgium: Jägerstr. 52-53, (030) 206 420
   • Botschaft Österreich: Stauffenbergstrasse 1, (030) 20 28 7-0

Hamburg and Germany by numbers

Hamburg by Numbers

City :

Hamburg

Country :

Federal Republic of Germany

Federal State :

Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg

Area :

755,22 km²

Elevation :

6 meters !

Postal Codes :

200095-22769, 27499

Population :

1.841.179 (31.12.2018)

Density :

2430 hab/km²

Hamburg by Numbers

GDP Per capita :

64.957 € (Germany 39.477 €)

Unemployment :

6,0 % (11.2019)

Lord Mayor :

Peter Tschentscher (SPD since 2018)

Parlement (Bürgerschaft) :
SPD 54 - Die Grünen 33 - CDU 15 - Linke 13 - AFD 7
FDP 1 / Total 123 (2020)

Official website :

www.hamburg.de



Guide Pascal Jeanrenaud

Guided tours in Germany and Switzerland

Discover also the other LatLon cities where we also offer city tours: Berlin - Munich - Cologne - Dresden - Potsdam - Rothenburg - Geneva - Lausanne - Neuchâtel

The Federal Republic of Germany by numbers

Country :

Federal Republic of Germany (23. Mai 1949)

Capital :

Berlin since 3 october 1990

Area :

357 578 km²

Elevation :

0-2962 meter (Zugspitze)

Population :

83.000.000

Density :

232 inhabitants/km²

GDP Per capita :

39.477 € (Lux. 92.000 - Fr. 34.100 - Bul. 7.100 €)

unemployment :

4,9% (Bremen 9,7% - Bayern 2,8% - Berlin 7,7%)

Federal President :

Frank-Walter Steinmeier (SPD) since 2017

Chancellor :

Angela MERKEL (CDU) since november 2005

Governing parties :

Coalition CDU-CSU/SPD

19. Bundestag (September 2017):
CDU/CSU 246 - SPD 152 - AFD 91 - FDP 80 - Die Linke 69 - Die Grünen 67 - Fraktionslos 4 / Total 709

Official website :

www.deutschland.de

www.bundestag.de

Germany by numbers

16 Federal States : (Inhabitants x 1000 & ranking largest states) :

   • North Rhine-Westphalia (17,91 inhab. / 4.)
   • Bavaria (12,99 / 1.)
   • Baden-Würtemberg (11,02 / 3.)
   • Lower Saxony (7,96 / 2.)
   • Hesse (6,24 / 7.)
   • Saxony (4,08 / 10.)
   • Rhineland-Palatinate (4,07 / 9.)
   • Berlin (3,61 / 14.)
   • Schleswig-Holstein (2,88 / 12.)
   • Brandenburg (2,50 / 5.)
   • Saxony-Anhalt (2,22 / 8.)
   • Thuringia (2,15 / 11.)
   • Hamburg (1,83 / 15.)
   • Mecklemburg-Vorpommern (1,61 / 6.)
   • Saarland (0,99 / 13.)
   • Bremen (0,68 / 16.)

The largest cities :

   • Berlin 3,77 million inhabitants
   • Hamburg 1,89 million inhabitants
   • Munich 1,47 million inhabitants
   • Cologne 1,08 million inhabitants
   • Frankfurt 0,74 million inhabitants

Useful web links to Hamburg and Germany

Hamburg & Tourism

   • Wikipédia - The Free encyclopedia - Page of Hamburg
   • Wikipédia - Page of Germany
   • hamburg-tourism.de - Hamburg Tourism Service
   • germany.travel - German Tourist Office

Politics & Administration

   • hamburg.de - Official website of the city of Hamburg
   • bundesregierung.de - Official website of the German government
   • bundestag.de - Official website of the German Parliament

Transports publics et voyage

   • HVV - Public transport in Hamburg
   • DB - Deutsche Bahn
   • SNCF - The French State Railways
   • CFF/SBB - Swiss Federal Railways
   • SNCB - The Belgian Railway
   • Lufthansa - Best Airline in Europe (Awards 2019)

LatLon-Hamburg

You will find other links and practical information on the pages : Culture and Agenda 2024 - Monuments - Museums - Hotels and Restaurants - City guided tours in Hamburg

The city guided tours of Hamburg in English with your guide Denise Faessel

city guided tours Hamburg Denise Faessel

Thematic or tailor-made guided tours with your private guide

A guided tour is the best way to understand and appreciate a city like Hamburg with its long and fascinating history as well as its historical monuments.

Have you ever tried a private guided tour? Even if you pay a little more than a group visit on a fixed date, the great advantages are that you can visit at your own pace, according to your interests and, above all, you save time with all the good advice your guide will give you during the guided tour.

Information here and booking your guided tour in Hamburg:

By e-mail to info@hambourg-decouverte.de or on +49 (0)176 522 173 54