Public Transport Hamburg HVV

Highlights HVV

• With the HVV ferries through the port of Hamburg
• On Friday and Saturday all trains run continuously
• Round trip through the city with the U3 – experience Hamburg from "above" on the most beautiful route of Hamburg
• Don't need to understand tariffs or buy tickets with the City Pass
• whole city centre is included in the public transport – reach all sights free of charge which are included in your pass

HVV - The Hamburg Transport Association

The HVV was founded on 29.11.1965 and includes the Hamburger elevated railway, the Hamburger rapid transit service, the transport companies in Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein as well as the HADAG. 740 high-speed, regional, bus and ferry lines take you everywhere easily.

Tickets HVV Hamburg

HVV tickets in the Hamburg City Pass do not have to be validated but are valid for the date you have chosen. Individual, day and group tickets are available at the bus or vending machine. With the Hamburg City Pass with public transport you already have your ticket included, including express buses. You travel around the clock free of charge (Note: Please print your ticket so you can show it at ticket controls).

Children in HVV Hamburg

Day tickets are valid for one person from 15 years and 3 children (6-14 years). Small children up to and including 5 years are travelling for free. Children between 6 and 14 years pay the reduced child price. With the Hamburg City Pass with public transport you already have a ticket for public transport and save a lot of time and money. 

Dogs in HVV Hamburg and bicycles in public transport Hamburg HVV

You are allowed to take your dog with you in the Hamburg public transport system for free. However, they must always be kept on a leash. Dogs that are classified as dangerous according to the Hamburg Dog Law may not be taken along in the HVV.

Operating hours HVV public transport Hamburg

All rapid transit services and underground trains in Hamburg as well as most Metro buses run every 5-10 minutes until around 11 pm on weekdays in the area AB. The regular service is terminated at about 0.30 am. Then night buses run in the city. During the weekend nights from Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday as well as before public holidays, the rapid transit services, underground trains and city buses run around the clock (every 20 minutes).

Airport transfer Hamburg

The S1 takes you directly from Hamburg Airport to the city centre. The rapid transit service is well signed at the airport, only the S1 line runs. Go to the rapid transit service station in Terminal 1 or 2. Get on any rapid transit train at Hamburg Airport and take a relaxed and comfortable ride into the city centre. If you are coming back from the city centre and would like to travel to Hamburg Airport with the HVV public transport Hamburg, please make sure that you are sitting in one of the front three cars at the station called “Ohlsdorf ” (last station before the airport). These will take you directly to Hamburg Airport. The carriages in the back are uncoupled and will move in a different direction. 

Timetables HVV Traffic Hamburg

Information about departure times and timetables as well as your individual train connection to Hamburg can be found here: https://www.hvv.de/de

Alcohol and smoking ban

There is a strict ban on alcohol and smoking in all rapid transit and underground trains, as well as in buses and train stations in Hamburg. It is not permitted to carry open alcoholic beverages in the transport vehicles, nor is the consumption of alcoholic beverages during the journey or on the platforms.

Also experience Hamburg by bike

Hamburg is also pleasant to explore by bike. Rent a city bike and ride the first half hour for free. Join a relaxed, small group and book a tour at "Hamburg City Cycles" or rent a bike at a reduced price. You can also take your bike with you on the HVV trains for free, but please note that there may be restrictions if the trains are full. 

Special Tips for your stay in Hamburg with public transport

The underground line U3: A must-do for your stay in Hamburg
Get on the yellow U3 - the line is called the most beautiful underground line in the world. The U3 is a special underground line in Hamburg, only 9 out of 25 stations are underground, the rest is a high-level line. The U3 was Hamburg's very first underground line in 1912 and is now considered the favourite line of tourists in Hamburg. Old-established Hamburgers also enjoy the view from the Landungsbrücken underground station to Hamburg harbour. Only the Michel offers a more beautiful view on the harbour. From the U3 even the Speicherstadt and the Elbphilharmonie can be seen. Don't miss the spot where the U3 comes out of the tunnel on its way from St. Pauli to the Landungsbrücken and enjoy this beautiful moment. Also go to the stop Borgweg, very close to the Hamburg City Park. Here you can enjoy the peace and quiet or alternatively rent a canoe to sail on one of Hamburg's various waterways. If you are more in the mood for action, get off in the St. Pauli district and spend the evening on the Reeperbahn! If you make a stop at the Olivia Jones Bar, the Hamburg City Pass even offers a free "Mexikaner" on top. Take a look at the Panik City Show or visit the Panoptikum, the Kiez Museum or follow in the footsteps of the famous Olivia Jones on a guided Kiez tour.

Very special music- and lightshow on the most beautiful underground station Hamburg has to offer
Get on the U4 and don't miss this highlight! The stop "HafenCity Universität" is worth a trip. On weekends and public holidays, every full hour, a very special composition of light and music awaits you between 10 am and 6 pm. The coloured light comes from 12 light containers hanging from the ceiling, as large as standard containers in the nearby harbour. Their colours adapt to the time of day, season or weather. They harmonise to the rhythm of classic music of Bach, Verdi and Co. The show can be observed very well from a kind of stage at the underground station. A really impressive spectacle! Afterwards we recommend a visit to the nearby car museum PROTOTYP or the International Maritime Museum, about 5 minutes walk from the bus stop "HafenCity Universität". 

Further recommendations:

• Take the HVV ferries for free as much as you like through the port of Hamburg and explore it from the water side
• A ride on the underground line U3 is ideal for anyone who wants to get a first impression of Hamburg within 38 minutes. The line U3 is a round trip, which goes from the district Barmbek via the station Eppendorfer Baum and the Landungsbrücken back to Barmbek. If you get off at the stop "Landungsbrücken", you can visit the Old Elbe Tunnel or the museum ship Rickmer Rickmers and take part in a harbour tour. From the next station "Baumwall" you go directly to the Speicherstadt and the Hafencity and in "St. Pauli" you will find the St. Pauli Kiez Museum and the Wax Museum Panoptikum
• In 2012 the HVV opened the fourth underground line, the U4. This line goes from Billstedt to the new Hafencity. Here you can not only visit the Elbphilharmonie, but also the PROTOYP car museum. The way to the nearby Speicherstadt is not far either. With its unique canals it captivates already during a walk through the Speicherstadt. You can also learn more about the Speicherstadt in the Speicherstadt Museum. Hamburg's history is told in a particularly scary way in the Hamburg Dungeon, which is also located in the Speicherstadt
• If you prefer to get off at the "Rathaus", you can visit Hamburg's town hall and the Chamber of Commerce. From the "Mönckebergstraße" it is not far to the Binnen- and Außenalster and also a short walk through Hamburg's shopping mall and street or a visit to the Hamburger Kunsthalle is possible from here

See notes and validity of local transport in the Hamburg City Pass here.