Tips for cruise passengers and visitors to Hamburg
Its geographic location and modern infrastructure make the city ideal for passenger change-over. As a result, Hamburg, on the banks of the Elbe, is the start and/or end port for many cruise passengers. This makes it ideal for combining a cruise with a city trip.
Our network has a few extras, especially tailored for cruise passengers. And you will find even more exciting offers at Hamburg Tourism, with HVV Website giving you the best public transport connections to get there.
Speedboat Tours
With RIB Piraten speedboat tours, you can enjoy an adrenalin-fuelled tour of the harbour. Safety comes first, of course, in terms of both crew and equipment. The boat captains are all official instructors who work full-time as captains with an unlimited patent or who gained their sailing qualifications in the navy.
Private Tours
Sea air and the aroma of coffee is Hamburg’s signature scent. stadterlebnis.hamburg offers exciting city tours that give you the flavour of this famous Hanseatic city. Take an intimate city tour for two or a half-day excursion or a small group tour. Tours are usually available all year round and bookable at short notice.
Come Face to Face …
… with Angela Merkel or Robbie Williams or any number of celebrities, public figures and megastars when you visit Hamburg’s Panoptikum. Founded in 1879, Germany’s oldest waxworks museum (located in the St. Pauli quarter on Spielbudenplatz) is an assembly of the great and the good, featuring over 120 figures form the arts, politics and history.
Extend your Stay
Designed for both comfort and style, the 4-star AMERON Hamburg Hotel Speicherstadt is not far from the HafenCity cruise terminal. It offers cruise packages for guests and is the ideal place to start or end your cruise. As well as complementary drink on arrival and the Vitality Spa, other services include packed lunches for day tripping and free parking for the first 24 hours. Special rates on application.
Terrace Views
Located on the Elbchaussee, the Hotel Louis C. Jacob is steeped in history. The hotel’s Lindenterrasse, which dates back to 1791, offers breathtaking river views that inspired the painter Max Liebermann. Transfers to the Hamburg cruise terminal are available, as is car parking for the duration of your cruise.
Hard Rock Cafe
Located in the historic manufacturing buildings of St. Pauli Landungsbrücken, the HARD ROCK CAFE HAMBURG is a magnet for music fans as well as lovers of classic American food. The roof terrace and bar offer excellent views and the shop (10 am-12 am) sells the famous Hard Rock t-shirts and other memorabilia. Our voucher entitles cruise passengers to a small souvenir (€30 min. spend).
Access all Areas
The Hamburg Card gives visitors to the Hanseatic city free access to buses, trains and harbour trips and a 50% discount at over 150 tourist attractions. The card also includes free use of the Hamburg app. The Hamburg Card is available as a single or group card, for one day or up to five days.
On the Waterfront
No visit to Hamburg would be complete without a tour of the harbour. For a tour through dikes, locks, the Speicherstadt warehouse district and the container port, head down to the St. Pauli Landungsbrücken piers, where you’ll find a wide selection of boats to choose from. There’s even a Mississippi steamer – the Louisiana Star, which is the flagship of the Abicht river tour company. Tours are also available in English (e.g. from Barkassen-Meyer, daily at 1pm).
Events
Hamburg, on the banks of the Elbe, has unique cruise experiences in store — on board and on land. Celebrities launching ships, the thousands of lights making up the Blue Night illuminations, first visits, and ship parades with firework displays and stunning backdrops for photographers. The highlights of the calendar are the major festivals, the Hafengeburtstag port festival every May and Hamburg Cruise Days, held every two years in September.
Check out the Hamburg event database for this year’s highlights, current musicals, exhibitions, and tips for accommodation and restaurants.
833th Hamburg Port Anniversary
Every year, at the start of May, Hamburg hosts the biggest port festival in the world, to commemorate the founding of the port in 1189. The name says it all — it’s German for “Port Birthday”. Windjammers, ocean liners and historic ships are all part of the festival, along with tugboat ballet, fireworks and “open ship” on various vessels. From 07 to 09 May 2021, under normal circumstances, the Elbe would once again have been the scene of spectacular ships parades as the many vessels arrive for the start of the festival and then leave at the end, and the banks of the river would have been a bustling open-air fairground. However, due to a pandemic, Hafengeburtstag 2022 will have to be postponed to September 16-18, 2022.
Hamburg Cruise Days
The harbor and Speicherstadt will be staged as Blue Port with elaborate light art, while an entire fleet of majestic passenger liners will turn the Elbe into a catwalk. Every two years, this Hamburg open-air event is a real magnet for visitors.
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The most attractive Lookouts for Shipspotters
Top Tips for Shipspotter
The port is so close to the city that “watching ships” on the Elbe is a favourite pastime of locals and tourists alike. Cafés, pontoons, terraces and paths along the riverbank all offer stunning views of the beautiful liners. Here is a selection of the best outdoor locations for ship-spotters.
The map view (Google Maps) of the location opens when you click on the pictures and headline.
To find out how to get there by public transport, visit www.hvv.de
Foto: Pixabay
Stintfang
The platform on the former ramparts is a popular viewpoint. The tide gauge tower and the St. Pauli jetties are located in the foreground. The elevated position allows spotters to follow the ships closely as they arrive into Cruise Terminal HafenCity.
Getting there: U3, S1, S2, S3 to St. Pauli Landungsbrücken Photo: Jörg Modrow
Dockland
The streamlined office building floats above the water like a ship. The 500m2 roof terrace is accessible. Right next door, you’ll find the Hamburg Cruise Terminal Altona, also with a viewing platform.
Getting there: Bus 111, ferry route 62 Photo: Erik Recke/Datenland
Övelgönne
Traditional ships of all kinds are kept in excellent shape in the museum port. Besan-Ewers, ocean yachts or steamboats are popular motifs themselves and often take travelling guests on board. Landlubbers enjoy the view from the Elbe bank or from the pontoons, where the HADAG ferries also moor.
Getting there: Ferry route 62 Photo: Christian Spahrbier
Elbphilharmonie
Cruise ships that moor in the HafenCity sail past Hamburg’s new landmark. From the 37-metre high viewing platform visitors enjoy a fantastic panorama of the city and the port. Tickets without a booking fee can only be obtained directly at the Elphi; there is a fee for online pre-orders.
Getting there: U3 to Baumwall Photo: Michael Zapf
Theater at the Port
The two musical theatres at the port are served by ferry route 73. It shuttles theatregoers from St. Pauli Landungsbrücken to the southern Elbe bank. When the sun is out, light conditions are ideal for snapshots throughout the day on this side of the river.
Getting there: Ferry route 73 from St. Pauli Landungsbrücken Photo: Stage Entertainment
Steinwerder Viewpoint
Walk from the St. Pauli jetties through the Old Elbe Tunnel towards Blohm + Voss. Next to the exit, to the left on the Elbe bank, is the Steinwerder viewpoint, an insider tip for visitors to Hamburg. The alternative for the way back, on workdays, is ferry route 75
Getting there: U3, S1, S2, S3 to St. Pauli Landungsbrücken Photo: Christian Spahrbier
Seemannshöft
The Hamburg harbour pilots’ station and nautical office is located on the Bubendey bank. HADAG ships moor not far away. Departing ships can be photographed from the pontoon with Hamburg and port as a backdrop.
Getting there: Ferry route 62 Photo: Pixabay
Finkenwerder - Rüschpark
Likewise on the southern Elbe bank is the Rüschpark with terraces and a viewing tower. HADAG ferries take you there by water. The jetty is located outside The Rilano Hotel Hamburg. It is just a few minutes’ walk from there.
Getting there: Ferry route 62 to Finkenwerder, change onto ferry route 64
Photo: CC-BY-SA 4.0 / PauliPirat
Teufelsbrück
The jetty for HADAG ferries is located below the Jenischpark. The pontoon is also very popular because of its culinary offerings. It’s impossible to get closer to the water than here.
Getting there: Ferry route 64 Photo: Pixabay
Süllberg in Blankenese
A five-star view from a 75-metre elevation, open to the public. The terrace is turned into a beer garden in the summer. When the weather is good, the snack pavilions are also open during out-of-season weekends.
Getting there: S1, S11 to Blankenese, from there bus no. 48 to Krögers Treppe Photo: Pixabay
Wittenbergen
Hamburg’s most attractive beach is located in a nature conservation area on the Lower Elbe in the district of Rissen. Here, you can already see the ships from far away and keep them in your camera’s sights for a long time.
Getting there: S1, S11 to Blankenese, from there bus no. 189 to Tinsdaler Kirchenweg Photo: GeheimtippHamburg
Port Tour
For maiden voyages, first calls and maritime celebrations, it is worth taking the additional guided tours by launch providers such as Abicht, Barkassen Meyer or others. Impressive perspectives can be enjoyed from the water, but the ships’ swell requires a steady hand.
Getting there: U3 to Baumwall or St. Pauli Landungsbrücken Photo: Christian Spahrbier
Take a short cruise on a historic ship
The maritime tradition of Hamburg also encompasses a fleet of well-preserved historic museum ships that regularly tour the port and the Elbe. Passengers and groups are welcome and they may also be chartered. The view of the great liners moored at the quays of Hamburg, seen from the water, is simply magnificent. Extra tours and escort voyages are offered for special events.
Cap San Diego
Schaarhörn
Stettin Ice-Breaker
Mare Frisium
Photos: www.instagram.com/sascha_b_hamburg, www.mediaserver.hamburg.de / Christian Spahrbier (Hafengeburtstag) & bcs Media (CruiseDays); Hamburg Messe & Congress / Tom Kohler; Photos of the Tips: With the friendly support of our members.
