Car rental in Hamburg

Hamburg by car

Hamburg works as a seaport far from open sea, where the Elbe widens and canals, warehouses and locks cut the ground into islands. Weather blows in off the Baltic and the German Bight, so plans here are usually made to allow for rain.

Driving in Hamburg

Hamburg is reached by A 1, A 7, A 23, A 24 and A 25. Parking in the centre is paid and marked by zone.

Where to park

The city centre has a good number of underground garages, while in many residential districts kerbside spaces are kept for locals under the Bewohnerparken scheme. Park-and-ride lots sit by the outer S-Bahn stations, from where public transport continues into the centre.

Arriving by road

Coming on the A1 from Lübeck, switch to the A24 at Autobahnkreuz Ost for the city; from the Bremen side, the A1 hands over to the A255. Drivers on the A7 from Kiel leave it at Bahrenfeld, while from Hanover the city exits are Othmarschen or Bahrenfeld, just past the Elbtunnel under the Elbe. Inside the city, roadworks are constant.

From the airport without a car

Hamburg Airport is on the S1 S-Bahn line, which runs to the Hauptbahnhof and on into the city centre. Heading back out, S1 trains divide at Ohlsdorf and only the front three cars continue to the airport, while the rear part goes to Poppenbüttel. When the S-Bahn stops running overnight, bus 606 follows the same route.