Hamburg Card: Is It Worth It for Your Trip?

How does the Hamburg Card work?

As a tourist in Hamburg, you’re probably focused on two things: checking out the top attractions in Hamburg and figuring out how to get around without overpaying.

To make both easier, the city created the Hamburg Card — a pass designed specifically for visitors.

It’s simple to use: you buy the Hamburg Card for a set period (say, three days) as an individual or group card, show it on-site, and enjoy these perks:

• Free rides on public transportation (bus, rail, and harbor ferries)
• Up to 50 percent off Hamburg’s top attractions
• Up to 28 percent off harbor, Alster, and city tours
• Up to 33 percent off musicals and theater

What does the Hamburg Card actually get you?

Sounds pretty good — but is the Hamburg Card really worth it? Here’s what it has going for it.

You save money with the Hamburg Card

The most obvious benefit is that you can save quite a few euros. A single day ticket for two zones on public transit already costs 8 euros, and admission to Hamburg’s highlights usually runs between 5 and 25 euros.

The Hamburg Card starts at 11.90 euros for one day — so you’re already coming out ahead after just one attraction and a few subway rides.

How much you save depends on how much sightseeing you’re planning. We break that down with a concrete example further down in the article.

You don't have to worry about public transit tickets

We know the struggle with public transit in an unfamiliar city: from “Which ticket do I even need?” to “How do I validate this?” The whole thing can be a real hassle. With the Hamburg Card, it’s simple: buy the card, show it if you’re checked, done!

For details on where and how long the Hamburg Card is valid for public transit, check the FAQs at the bottom of this article.

You can buy admission tickets directly through the Hamburg Card app

There’s a free app that comes with the Hamburg Card. It helps you plan your stay and lets you purchase some tickets online in advance at the discounted price automatically.

More on the Hamburg Card app further down.

You skip the lines

When you book tickets in advance through the app, you don’t have to wait in line on-site. Just show your ticket at the fast-track entrance and head straight in — a real time-saver on busy days.

Musicals and tours are also included with the Hamburg Card

This is honestly one of the coolest things about the card. Beyond attraction discounts, musicals, boat trips, city tours, and other Hamburg activities are all included. That’s often not the case with tourist passes from other cities.

If you’ve already decided the card is right for you, grab it online now — that saves you the hassle of tracking down a sales point once you arrive.

Buy the Hamburg Card online in advance

Which attractions are included with the Hamburg Card?

All in all, the Hamburg Card covers more than 150 attractions.

Here are the most important Hamburg highlights where you’ll get discounted admission:

Sights

• Elbphilharmonie Tour
• Miniatur Wunderland
• Hamburg City Hall
• Sankt Michaelis Church

Museums

• Deichtorhallen
• Hamburger Kunsthalle
• Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe
• Museum Ship Rickmer Rickmers
• International Maritime Museum
• Cap San Diego

City Tours and Boat Trips

• Sex and Crime Tour in St. Pauli
• Tour through the Speicherstadt
• ATG Alster Cruise

Musicals

• The Lion King
• Die Heiße Ecke
• Disney’s Frozen

How much does the Hamburg Card cost?

The Hamburg Card is available for one to five days. The longer the period, the cheaper it works out per day.

You can choose either an individual card or a group card — more on that in a moment.

Are there discounts for children?

The individual card covers one adult and up to three children between the ages of six and 14. Children under six generally get free admission in Hamburg anyway and don’t need a public transit ticket.

Children over 14 need a regular adult individual card.

How many people can use a Hamburg Card group card?

The group card is valid for five people aged six and up. So as soon as you have two adults (over 14), a group card is already cheaper than two individual cards.

There is, however, no special family card.

Is the Hamburg Card worth it?

Not sure whether the Hamburg tourist card makes sense for your trip? It really comes down to what you have planned.

To give you a clearer picture, we put together a sample calculation based on a 3-day Hamburg sightseeing itinerary.

In our sample itinerary, the savings come out to a good 20 euros.

If you plan to skip public transit entirely, the savings will be smaller — but they’re still there.

It really does depend on how much you get out of the card. One good example: instead of booking a separate harbor cruise, you can hop around on the HVV harbor ferries for free. That alone can be worth it.

Who should buy a Hamburg Card?

The Hamburg Card offers plenty of ways to save. The real question is whether you’ll actually use what it offers. We think it’s a great choice in these three situations.

1. You want to visit a lot of attractions: Planning to hit lots of museums in Hamburg, go on tours, and take boat trips? Then this card is a no-brainer.

2. You’re traveling in Hamburg with kids: You can bring up to three children under 14 on a single individual card. That’s genuinely good value, since most Hamburg attractions charge entry fees for children aged six and up.

3. You’re staying in Hamburg for a while: The card gets cheaper per day the longer you book it for. If you’re in Hamburg for three or more days, the Hamburg Card is seriously worth considering.

Who is the Hamburg Card not worth it for?

Now you know when to buy the Hamburg Card. But it’s not right for everyone — here’s who should probably skip it.

1. You just want to wander around the city: If you’d rather soak up the atmosphere strolling through neighborhoods and stopping for coffee, the card won’t pay off.

2. You already know Hamburg well and want off-the-beaten-path experiences: The Hamburg Card only covers the classic tourist highlights. If you’d rather explore Hamburg’s lesser-known spots than the standard sights, it’s not the right fit.

3. You’re a student or already get discounts another way: Young people up to 18 get free admission at many Hamburg attractions, and students and seniors receive reduced prices. If you fall into one of these groups, the Hamburg Card probably won’t save you much.

Where can you buy the Hamburg Card?

You can pick up the Hamburg Card online or on-site at tourist information offices, ticket machines, and some hotels.

We recommend buying the Hamburg Card online: It’s just unnecessary stress to arrive and have to hunt down a sales point. When you only have a few days, every minute counts.

Buy the Hamburg Card online in advance

When booking, you can enter your email address and print the ticket as a PDF, or provide your phone number and receive the Hamburg Card via SMS directly on your smartphone. The digital version on your phone is all you need.

You can also purchase the card through the accompanying app — more on that below.

What is the Hamburg Card app?

First and foremost, you can buy the Hamburg Card right in the app — convenient, since you’ll have it on your phone without needing anything in paper form.

The app is also great for planning your stay. There’s a digital city map showing all Hamburg highlights near you.

You can look up opening hours, locations, and what each attraction has to offer — all in one place.

You can even track the live positions of ships in Hamburg harbor, which is a fun extra.

Attractions you still want to visit can be saved in the app, and you can see right away what discount you’ll get with the Hamburg Card.

The app is available for free for Android and iOS.

Hamburg Card vs. Hamburg City Pass: Which is better?

Besides the official Hamburg Card, there’s also the Hamburg City Pass from the private provider Turbopass.

With the Hamburg City Pass, you get completely free admission to attractions, rather than just discounts like with the Hamburg Card.

However, it’s also significantly more expensive — for three days with a public transit ticket, you’re looking at close to 69 euros. And the selection of attractions is much smaller.

Major highlights like Miniatur Wunderland, the Elbphilharmonie, or the Hamburger Kunsthalle are not included.

When is the Hamburg City Pass worth it?

If you’re planning a really packed sightseeing trip and want to visit lots of paid attractions in a short time, the Hamburg City Pass is a solid alternative.

Just map out everything you want to see — then you can easily calculate whether the Turbopass works out cheaper for your specific itinerary.

For most visitors, though, the Hamburg Card is definitely the more affordable option.

Frequently asked questions about the Hamburg Card

Still have questions about the Hamburg Card? Here are the answers.