Why go
- City and state in Germany.
- Known for Reeperbahn red light district, escorts, EDM, dance music.
- Served by Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW).
History
Hamburg, officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, is the second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and sixth-largest city in the European Union, with a population of over 1.9 million. The Hamburg Metropolitan Region has a population of over 5.1 million and is the tenth-largest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. At the base of the Jutland Peninsula, the 110 km (68 mi)-long Elbe estuary begins in Hamburg, at the confluence of the Alster and Bille. Hamburg is one of Germany's three city-states alongside Berlin and Bremen, and is surrounded by Schleswig-Holstein to the north and Lower Saxony to the south. The Port of Hamburg is Germany's largest and Europe's third-largest, after Rotterdam and Antwerp. The local dialect is a variant of Low Saxon.
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 42 airlines, 87 direct destinations
- Germanwings 4U (CRJ, A319) · 40 routes: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bastia, Bergen, Birmingham, Budapest, Catania, Cologne, Dubrovnik, Faro, Geneva, Heraklion, Istanbul, Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden, Klagenfurt, London, Madrid, Manchester, Memmingen, Milano, Naples, Nice, Nuernberg, Olbia, Oslo, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Prague, Pristina, Rijeka, Rome, Split, Stockholm, Stuttgart, Thessaloniki, Toulouse, Venice, Vienna, Villafranca, Zurich
- Air Berlin AB (A320, 737-800, A319, A321, Dash 8-400, Embraer 190…) · 24 routes: Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Duesseldorf, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Helsinki*, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kerkyra/corfu, Kos, London*, Malaga, Munich, Nuernberg, Olbia, Palma de Mallorca, Riga*, Salzburg, Stuttgart, Tenerife, Thessaloniki, Vienna
- Condor Flugdienst DE (32S, 757) · 14 routes: Antalya, Arrecife, Dalaman, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Hurghada, Jerez, Kerkyra/corfu, Kos, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodos, Tenerife
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 14 routes: Athens, Catania, Copenhagen, Edinburgh, London, London, Manchester, Milano, Mulhouse, Naples, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Rome, Venice
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A320, A319, A321, AR1, Dash 8-400, 757-200…) · 11 routes: Brussels*, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Lisbon*, Mulhouse*, Munich, Newark*, Saarbruecken*, Vienna*, Warsaw*, Zurich*
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-800) · 6 routes: Alicante, Barcelona, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Oslo, Tenerife
- TUIfly X3 (737-800) · 4 routes: Antalya, Frankfurt, Heraklion, Menorca
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A321, 737-800) · 3 routes: Antalya, Istanbul, Izmir
- Aeroflot Russian Airlines SU (A319, A321, 737-800) · 2 routes: Moscow, St. Petersburg
- Air France AF (318, A319, A320, A321, A320) · 2 routes: Paris, Toulouse
- Alitalia AZ (318, A320, A321, 737, Embraer 190, F70…) · 2 routes: Amsterdam*, Paris*
- Austrian Airlines OS (A319, CRJ, A320, A321) · 2 routes: Klagenfurt*, Vienna*
- Finnair AY (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Helsinki, Salzburg*
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320) · 2 routes: Barcelona*, Malaga*
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (717, 736, CRJ-900, CRJ-200, 737-700, 737-800…) · 2 routes: Copenhagen, Stockholm
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 2 routes: Antalya, Izmir
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A319, A320, A321, AR1, CRJ) · 2 routes: Mulhouse*, Zurich
- Tunisair TU (A319, A320) · 2 routes: Djerba, Enfidha
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320) · 2 routes: Barcelona, Malaga
- Aer Lingus EI (A320) · 1 route: Dublin
- Aeroline GmbH 7E (CNA) · 1 route: Westerland
- Air Baltic BT (735, Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Riga
- Air Malta KM (A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Air Sicilia BM (ER3) · 1 route: Bristol
- American Airlines AA (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: London*
- British Airways BA (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: London
- Brussels Airlines SN (A319, AR1, Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Brussels
- Czech Airlines OK (A319, ATR 72, AT4) · 1 route: Prague
- Delta Air Lines DL (737, EMJ, F70) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Emirates EK (777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai
- Eurowings EW (CRJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- Intersky 3L (ATR 72) · 1 route: Friedrichshafen
- Iran Air IR (313) · 1 route: Tehran
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (737, EMJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam
- LOT Polish Airlines LO (Embraer 175, Embraer 170) · 1 route: Warsaw
- Luxair LG (Dash 8-400) · 1 route: Saarbruecken
- Meridiana IG (A320) · 1 route: Olbia
- Qantas QF (777-300ER) · 1 route: Dubai*
- SkyWork Airlines SX (D38) · 1 route: Bern
- TAP Portugal TP (A319, A320, A321) · 1 route: Lisbon
- Travel Service QS (A319, ATR 72) · 1 route: Prague
- United Airlines UA (757-200) · 1 route: Newark
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 1 airline, 1 direct destination
- Germania ST (A319) · 1 route: Toulouse
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 13 airlines, 43 direct destinations
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 25 routes: Alicante, Bergamo, Beziers, Chania, Dublin, Edinburgh, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Gran Canaria, Haugesund, Kerkyra/corfu, London, Malaga, Manchester, Palma de Mallorca, Porto, Riga, Stockholm, Tallinn-ulemiste International, Tampere, Tenerife, Thessaloniki, Treviso, Vilnius
- Germania ST (A319, A321) · 11 routes: Antalya, Arrecife, Enfidha, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Leipzig, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Vienna
- Alitalia AZ (F70, Embraer 170) · 2 routes: Amsterdam*, Paris*
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (A319, A321, A320, 737-300, 735, Embraer 190…) · 2 routes: Frankfurt, Munich
- Maastricht Airlines W2 (J32) · 2 routes: Munster, Zurich
- Air Berlin AB (A319, A320, 737-800) · 1 route: Palma de Mallorca
- Air France AF (Embraer 170) · 1 route: Paris
- Air Sicilia BM (ERJ-145) · 1 route: Toulouse
- Germanwings 4U (A319, CRJ) · 1 route: Stuttgart
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (F70) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Scandinavian Airlines System SK (ATR 72, CRJ-200) · 1 route: Copenhagen
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 1 route: Izmir
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320) · 1 route: Istanbul
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport (XFW); 8 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: HAM has direct flights to 87 destinations on 42 airlines (incl. Amsterdam, Antalya, Barcelona, Heraklion, London…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Jungfernstieg, 0.5 km); routes include 73, Musical Shuttle, Alsterkreuzfahrt.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Hamburg. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
Coaches & shuttles
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.