Hamburg's main station: Location map
Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (usually abbreviated to Hamburg Hbf) is Hamburg's main station, and Germany's busiest. Opened in 1906 to replace several smaller termini, it features a magnificent trainshed modelled on the Galerie des machines at the World's Fair in Paris in 1889, with design tweaks made by the Kaiser himself. Indeed, the combination of 1900s ironwork and modern retail outlets makes Hamburg Hbf feel beautifully steampunk.
Hamburg Altona: Many long-distance trains continue beyond Hamburg Hbf to Hamburg Altona, a terminus in the west of the city, but Hamburg Hbf is closest to the city centre, has the best connections and more facilities so it's usually best to use the Hauptbahnhof.
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On other pages
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Overview & platforms
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Hamburg Hbf has 14 platforms, numbered 1 to 14 from east to west. It's a through station, not a terminus: Trains from Berlin, Cologne, Switzerland and so on enter from the south. Trains to Copenhagen and to Hamburg Altona leave to the north.
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The central section of the platforms is covered by a magnificent glass & iron trainshed built 1902-1906, as shown in the photo below.
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You switch platforms using either the main footbridge at the north end of the trainshed (Nordsteg), or the smaller footbridge at the south end (Südsteg). There are steps and escalators between each platform and the footbridges. There are also lifts between each platform and the Nordsteg.
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The main exit to the city centre is at the western end of the Nordsteg, which is at street level as the tracks are in a cutting. The DB Lounge is in the hall at the eastern end of the Nordsteg, as is the main eastern exit to taxi rank & hotels.
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A 2-tier shopping mall called the Wandelhalle (promenade hall) runs between the east & west exits over the tracks, adjacent to the Nordsteg. The DB ticket & information office (Reisezentrum) is now (as of 2024) in the Wandelhalle.
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Hamburg Hbf's magnificent trainshed, seen from the main overbridge (Nordsteg), looking south towards the Südsteg at the other end of the trainshed under the Philips sign. That's an ICE arrived on platform 11, in the foreground is an empty platform 12.
The south footbridge (Südsteg)
At the south end of the trainshed under the big Philips sign there are steps & an escalator from each platform up to a secondary footbridge called the Südsteg. This footbridge has food & drink outlets and an exit to the city at each end. The Südsteg is fine for a quick change of platform, but you're better off heading for the Nordsteg at the northern end of the trainshed as that's where all the station facilities are. There are no lifts between platforms and the Südsteg, only steps and escalators.
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The north footbridge (Nordsteg)
At the north end of the trainshed there are steps & an escalator from each platform up to the main footbridge called the Nordsteg. The bridge is at street level as the tracks run through the city in a cutting, there's an exit to the city centre at its western end and an exit towards a taxi rank & hotels at its eastern end.
If you have heavy luggage or mobility problems there are passenger-operated lifts between each platform and the Nordsteg, located underneath the bridge.
The Nordsteg and adjacent Wandelhalle have many & various food outlets & beer bars, 2 left luggage locker rooms, a 2-storey McDonald's and a Schweinske restaurant.
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The north footbridge or Nordsteg, seen from platform 6. Note the Wandelhalle sign & McDonald's 'M'. A row of food & drink outlets line the Nordsteg. The Wandelhalle is on the other side of the row of food outlets.
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Looking along the Nordsteg with the steps & an (up only) escalator down to each platform on the left. The train departure indicator shows the next trains from those 2 platforms. The Wandelhalle is out of shot to the right, on the other side of the row of retail units.
The Wandelhalle
The Wandelhalle (promenade hall) is a wonderful 2-tier shopping mall which runs across all the tracks between the east & west exits. The DB ticket office (Reiszentrum) is now located here, as of 2024. The Wandelhalle is part of the same overbridge as the Nordsteg, separated from the Nordsteg by a row of retail units. Short passageways between the retail outlets link the Wandelhalle & Nordsteg at intervals. You'll find a McDonald's, a Schweinske restaurant and a Edeka supermarket in the Wandelhalle, as well as gift shops and bookshops.
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Western exit to city centre
Go up the main steps or escalator from the platform to the Nordsteg and turn left to reach the station's west hall and main western exit to the city centre. Outside the exit is a pedestrian crossing then you can walk along busy pedestrianised shopping streets to Hamburg town hall (the Rathaus), 12 minutes walk away.
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Hamburg Hbf's main western entrance, looking across the pedestrian crossing.
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The west hall looking towards the exit to the city centre, taken from the upper gallery of the Wandelhalle.
Eastern exit to taxi rank & hotels
Go up the main steps or escalator from the platform to the Nordsteg and turn right, to reach the station's east hall and main eastern exit to a taxi rank and a row of good hotels on the opposite side of the Kirchenallee, including the art deco Hotel Reichshof Hamburg. The car hire desks and DB Lounge are located in the east hall.
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Hamburg Hbf's main eastern entrance and taxi rank.
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The east hall, inside the eastern entrance. The DB ticket office used to be here, but has moved to the Wandelhalle since this photo was taken. The steps and escalator lead to the upper gallery of the Wandelhalle shopping mall over all the tracks. The entrance to the DB Lounge is out of shot to the left, the lounge itself is on the floor above. The Nordsteg with steps & escalators down to each platform is ahead and through short passageways to the left.
Left luggage lockers & ATMs
There are several ATMs around the station. There are two rooms full of various-size left luggage lockers, one on the Nordsteg hidden between retail units opposite platform 14, one also on the Nordsteg also hidden between retail units level with platform 6. There's a staffed left luggage office to the left of the ticket office (DB Reisezentrum) in the east hall, the desk is at the back of the unit after various car hire desks. See the luggage lockers page for prices & opening hours.
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The staffed left luggage office is at the back of this retail unit in the east hall, past the car hire desks. |
Luggage lockers are hidden between retail units in two locations on the Nordsteg/Wandelhalle. |
WiFi
The station has WiFi, but only the first 30 minutes are free. The network to select is Telekom.
Food & drink, restaurants
There are many food & drink outlets in Hamburg Hbf including small beer bars, coffee counters, sandwich shops and all the usual suspects. There's a 2-storey McDonalds on the Nordsteg/Wandelhalle and a KFC, Subway & Starbucks in the food court on the far side of the Wandelhalle.
There's a Schweinske restaurant in the Wandelhalle, a reasonable and fairly quiet place for a sit-down meal between trains. Schweinske is an inexpensive restaurant chain specialising in pork dishes, see schweinske.de.
The Nagel bar & restaurant (restaurant-kneipe-hamburg.de) is a good place for a beer & traditional German food, away from the bustle of the station. Nagel's has been a fixture on the Kirchenallee since 1926. Leave the station by the main east exit, cross the road (Kirchenallee) to the far side, turn right, walk 110m along the Kirchenallee and it's on your left - see walking map. Open 7 days a week from 10am until late, see restaurant-kneipe-hamburg.de. Cash only, but there's an ATM inside the restaurant. If you eat here, let me know what you think - in 2024 I've had a couple of emails about 'bored staff' who insist on payment of a tip, previous feedback has been good.
The Hotel Reichshof has a restaurant If you want a proper meal in a quiet location in art deco surroundings, also on the Kirchenallee. The Reichshof is across the road and 50m to the left from the main east station exit. Again, If you eat here, let me know what you think.
Supermarket
There's a decent-size Edeka supermarket at the eastern end of the upper gallery in the Wandelhalle. This is the best place to stock up for a journey, open 7 days a week, 07:00-23:00.
DB First Class Lounge
In the unlikely event that you have an expensive 1st class Flexpreis ticket for a long-distance train run by DB & partner railways (for example, a 1st class Flexpreis ticket for an IC, ICE or EC train) you can use the DB first class lounge with complimentary tea, coffee, beer and snacks plus free WiFi. Follow the signs to DB Lounge, the entrance is just off the east hall. It's usually open 06:00-22:00 daily, you can check int.bahn.de for opening times. You cannot use the lounge with advance-purchase Sparpreis or Super Sparpreis tickets even if they're 1st class, or with an Interrail or Eurail pass, or with tickets for Nightjet sleeper trains or regional trains.
Hotels near the station
If you walk out of the station's main eastern exit, you'll find a row of good hotels lined up in front of you on the opposite side of the Kirchenallee.
Recommended: The pick of these is the excellent 4-star Hotel Reichshof Hamburg, across the road and to the left with art deco-based design and great reviews. It has its own restaurant for lunch or dinner, although I'd still be tempted to try the beer & traditional German food at Nagel's bar, 150m south along the Kircheallee, restaurant-kneipe-hamburg.de.
Also recommended: The Hotel Europaischer Hof is another good choice and directly in front of you across the road when you walk out of the station. Other hotels next to Hamburg Hbf with good reviews include the 5-star Hotel Continental Novum (to the right of the Europaischer), Hotel Furst Bismarck (to the right of the Continental Novum), and the Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.
If you'd prefer a hotel in the city centre, the Henri Hotel Hamburg Downtown is 5 minutes walk from the station on the city side, and gets really great reviews.
If you're on a budget, private rooms in the A&O Hotel start at around £33 for one person or £49 for two people booked at www.hostelworld.com. The A&O is an 11-minute 900m walk south of Hamburg Hbf, see walking map. Also try the innovative Cab20 capsule hotel, a 550m 6-minute walk from the station, see walking map.
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Hotel Reichshof, in the Kirchenallee, across the road from the station exit and to the left. |
The Hotel Reichshof lobby and bar. |
Local transport: Walking, taxis & metro
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Walking
Hamburg Town Hall in the heart of the old town is just 12 minutes walk from the station. Leave the station via the west exit, cross over the main road via the pedestrian crossing right in front of you, then walk straight ahead along a series of broad pedestrianised shopping streets.
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U-Bahn, S-Bahn, buses
Urban transport in Hamburg including the U-Bahn (metro) is run by Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV), see www.hvv.de.
There's an HVV customer service centre (Kundenzentrum) in the east hall, next to the tourist information office. To buy S-bahn or U-Bahn tickets from ticket machines, look for HVV tickets.
There are two U-Bahn (metro) stations beneath Hamburg Hbf. The entrance to U-Bahn station Hamburg Hbf Nord on lines U2, U4 is directly outside the main western station exit, with a secondary entrance just outside the main eastern exit. The entrance to U-Bahn Hamburg Hbf Süd on lines U1, U3 is at the eastern end of the Südsteg.
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Taxis: There's a taxi rank on both sides of the station, outside the main western exit and outside the main eastern exit. For a taxi fare calculator see www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Hamburg-Germany.
Tips
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When you arrive at Hamburg Hbf
Walk towards the front of your train if arriving from the south, or towards the back of your train if arriving from Copenhagen, away from the big Philips sign, and go up the steps or escalator to the main Nordsteg overbridge with the Wandelhalle & McDonald's signs. The secondary Südsteg overbridge is fine for a quick change of platform, but you'll find a much greater choice of food & drink outlets and all the main station facilities on the main Nordsteg overbridge. The main station exits towards hotels, taxis and the city centre are also accessed from the Nordsteg.
If you have heavy luggage, a pushchair or mobility problems there are also passenger-operated lifts between each platform and the Nordsteg, you'll find the lifts underneath the Nordsteg & Wandelhalle overbridge.
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Finding your train when leaving Hamburg Hbf
If you run an enquiry at the German Railways website int.bahn.de it will tell you which platform your train arrives at or leaves from. If you buy tickets from int.bahn.de the platform numbers will be printed in the timetable section on your ticket, too. The actual platform can be changed on the day, of course, but that's relatively unusual.
Each platform is divided into sections marked A, B, C, D and so on. Sometimes a train will be shown on the departure boards or on int.bahn.de as going from (for example) platform 5 D-F, this simply means sections D, E & F of platform 5.
There's a train composition poster (Wagenstandsanzeiger) on each platform which tells you where to stand so you're in the right place for your car when the train comes in. This saves you running up & down the platform like a headless chicken.
The scheduled platform may change if there's disruption. It may then help to know that platforms 1-4 are for S-Bahn suburban trains. Trains to Berlin, Rostock & Lübeck can physically only leave from platform 5-8. Trains to Osnabruck, Hannover or Cologne can physically only leave from platform 8 or 11-14 (as 9 & 10 are tracks without a platform). Trains to Copenhagen can leave from any platform except 1-4.
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Dinner before boarding a sleeper train?
There are a hundred and one food outlets in the station itself including a McDonald's and a Schweinske chain restaurant, but If you want a decent meal somewhere quieter outside the station, see the suggestions in the food & drink section above.
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Stocking up for a journey
The best place to stock up for a journey is the Edeka supermarket. There's no catering car on the Hamburg-Copenhagen trains, so bring your own supplies!
More information
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For more station information & a 3D plan of the station go to www.bahnhof.de and search for Hamburg Hbf.
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For more about the station's history see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamburg_Hauptbahnhof.
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Hamburg tourist information. There is a tourist information office at Hamburg Hbf, in the east hall.
Miniatur Wunderland
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Miniatur Wunderland (www.miniatur-wunderland.com) is the world's largest model railway with over 15 km of track, one of Germany's top 10 visitor attractions and a magnet for kids of all ages. It's an easy 1.8 km 22-minute walk from Hamburg Hbf, see walking map. The walk takes you into Speicherstadt, Hamburg's historic docks warehousing area, Miniatur Wunderland is housed in two of those warehouses. The scale is vast, but the attention to detail is amazing.
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You need at least 2-3 hours for a visit, and should pre-book a time slot in advance at www.miniatur-wunderland.com as it's often fully-booked from March to October.
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Miniatur Wunderland is housed on the upper floors of this former warehouse in the old port district of Hamburg.
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Hamburg Altona
Many German domestic Intercity & ICE trains, the Nightjet sleepers to/from Switzerland & Austria and the EuroCity trains to/from Prague & Budapest start & end their journeys at Hamburg Altona, a terminus in the west of the city, also calling at Hamburg Hbf and sometimes Hamburg Dammtor on their way to or from Altona. Hamburg Hbf is closer to the city centre, is better connected and has more facilities, so it's generally better to use that. However, if the location suits you, for example as it's near Hamburg Cruise Terminal, by all means use Altona. It also has to be said that boarding a train at the terminus where it starts is a more relaxed affair than joining it when it stops at the Hauptbahnhof.
Somewhere to eat or drink: The Schweinske Ottensen (schweinske.de/standorte/ottensen) is just across the road to the west of the station and a good place for a beer or meal before catching a train or the sleeper to Stockholm. It has some outdoor tables, too. If you like steak, the Saloon Steakhouse (thesaloon-steakhouse.de) is across two roads to the west and does good steak & beer, it's open to midnight so good if catching a sleeper. Lastly, there's a KFC at the station and a McDonald's just in front of it.
Somewhere to stock up: There's a Rewe to Go minimarket on the station and a larger Edeka supermarket which is open until late.
Hotels near Altona: The IntercityHotel Hamburg Altona is right next to the station on the east side with good reviews, or the cheaper Hotel Central also next to the station on the east side.
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Hamburg Altona's unprepossessing exterior, a shopping centre with a large Media Markt and a station underneath. Note the McDonald's.
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The concourse and information desk. Altona is a motorail terminal with the car loading ramps at the buffer stop ends of several platforms. In the evening when these trains load you may see lines of cars and motorbikes driving across the concourse and onto their trains!
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Hamburg Altona platforms, looking towards the station concourse. The two S-bahn platforms are underground.