Hamburg Cruise Port

Hamburg, Germany

Hamburg, which goes by the somewhat grandiose name of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg officially, is the second largest city in Germany, after Berlin, and one of the largest in the European Union.

The city is one of the busiest in Northern Europe and has a long history of seafaring, so it is no surprise that the port is also one of the busiest in the region both from commercial shipping and cruise ships.

That is both a positive and negative for the city for me as whilst there is a good range of lines and ships heading there all year around, your experience can be made by docking in walking distance of the city or spoilt by been miles away and needing a long shuttle bus journey just to get there.

Thankfully, there is plenty on offer in the city for those who do make the effort if its needed and that is just what I look at in this review and guide of Hamburg as a cruise port which is based on my own experience of visiting there on a cruise and also the research I did before going.

Cruises To Hamburg

Our Visit

I was lucky enough to visit the city in October 2025 onboard the Independence of the Seas cruise ship, but I was unfortunate enough to dock at the Hamburg Cruise Center Steinwerder, so that meant a 30-45 minute long shuttle to the city centre that cost $25.

My plan for the day was to simply explore on foot having never been to the city before, so after been dropped off on the edge of the city centre as Busparkplatz I headed towards the centre along Deichstrabe before stopping off at the St Nikolai Museum.

From there I continued towards the centre and made a beeline for the Rathaus, or city hall, before heading for the St Peters church.

Next it was a walk through the Europa Passage shopping centre, where me and my wife stopped for a drink and some lunch before heading to the beautiful Inner Alster reservoir and the Alster fountain.

I had planned to jump on the S-Bahn train from Jungfernstieg to head down to the waterfront but with the weather been nice, me and my wife walked to the St Pauli district before heading to see the U-Boat 434 submarine at the U-Boat Museum.

From there I would walk back along the waterfront to see all the sights along it including the Elbe Tunnel and both the Rickmer Rickmers and Cap San Diego ships.

That took me back towards the Elbphilharmonie, which is a concert hall on the rivers edge that has a viewing platform and that is where I wanted head for views of the Elbe, the city and also of the Indy.

Sadly, the queue for a ticket was long and with time running out, we had to give it up as a bad job.

I would finish by walking through the warehouse district, past the Miniatur Wunderland and back to the pickup point for the ship.

The sail away and arrival are fascinating ones in Hamburg, so I would head out on deck to see us set depart the terminal and sail past the city before heading along the Elbe to the open sea.

Hamburg Cruise Guide

If you are trying to decide whether a cruise itinerary visiting Hamburg is one you should book, or if you have already booked a cruise calling into Hamburg and want to make the most of your time on shore, this is the guide for you.

Type of Cruises Available

If you want to spend time in the city before or after your cruise, you can do as not only is Hamburg a turnaround port but it also offers inter-porting opportunities for lines.

The widest variety of itineraries starting in the city are from German based lines including AIDA but the likes of Cunard and MSC also offer opportunities. There are plenty of round-trip sailing from multiple ports in the UK and there are also repositioning routes from and to the city.

From the UK, you can visit the city onboard wider cruisers of the region and normally continuing onto the Baltics or just sailing around Northern Europe whilst mini-cruises to the port are also popular.

The last option is to head there on a Christmas Markets cruise, which are offered in late November and into December with these offering the chance to visit one of the biggest Christmas Market sin Europe and where better to experience a traditional German Christmas Market than in Germany?

Hamburg Cruise Port Location

The port of Hamburg is actually an inland one as the cruise terminals are around 110 kilometres, or 70 miles, from the North Sea, so to get there, you sail along the Elbe River.

When you arrive in the city centre, cruise ships then have 4 berths they can head to, and the location of your dock can really make or break your journey.

The possibility is to dock at the Altona terminal, which is on the outskirts of the city centre, close to many of the riverfront attractions in the city and a short walk from the Altona public transport hub.

The next option are two berths at HafenCity which are the closest to the city centre, which is easily walkable and is close to the warehouse district and many attractions.

The final option is the Steinwerder terminal, which is a large modern terminal capable of turning around ships but it is a long shuttle ride from the city centre and most will have to pay extra for it.

Hamburg Cruise Port Facilities

The Steinwerder Terminal has everything you could ever need from a cruise terminal including wheelchair access from ship to shore, toilets, a tourist information desk, easy access to shuttles and excursion buses but it is quite some distance from the city centre.

The cruise port of Hamburg is well equipped for every type of visit as it can handle multiple ships that are either homeporting, getting turnaround, interporting or simply calling in there as a port of call.

Hamburg Attractions

As you would likely expect from one of the biggest cities in Germany, there is lots to see and do in the city including many indoor and outdoor attractions to allow you to make the most of your time onshore, no matter what the weather.

One of most famous attractions in the city is the Miniatur Wunderland model village and model railway, which is one of the biggest and impressive in the world.

If you know nothing about the city before you get there, you will know about the river Elbe as you sailed along it to get into the city, but few may know that you can walk under the river as there is a passenger tunnel known as the Alter Elbtunnel complete with historic lifts.

Part of the charm of the city is simply walking around it and taking in the different neighbourhoods including the Speicherstadt district, also known as the warehouse district, the Altona district including the town hall, the Reeperbahn district of St Pauli, the Blankenese neighbourhood, HafenCity, Deichstrabe, the Portuguese quarter and many more areas.

There are a few boat rides that can be taken around the port get up close to the river side attractions and to see some of the biggest ships in the world that call into the commercial parts of the port, or you can head on a boat ride of the Alster Lakes.

Another great place to take in the views of the port is the Elbphilharmonie concert hall that has a viewing platform, or you can get great city views from the top of the St Nikolai Memorial.

Despite been a mostly industrial city, it is quite a green city in places and there are many parks that can be enjoyed including the large Planten un Blomen/botanic gardens.

Animal lovers can visit the Tierpark Hagenbeck or Hamburg Zoo whilst other family attractions include a chocolate museum and Hamburg dungeon. There are plenty of other museums to enjoy including the Maritime Museum, the Kunsthalle art gallery, the U-Boat Museum.

The city is known for its shopping and whilst there is lots of designer shopping district, there’s plenty for the rest of us as well including the impressive Europe Passage.

Hamburg Shorex

If you have already visited Hamburg, want to explore more of what Saxony has to offer or you were just fooled by some lines naming the port as Hamburg for Berlin, you may want to head out on excursion when you visit the city and the great news is that there are plenty of options for those wanting to do just that.

It is trips to the capital of Germany where we will start, as many will want to head to Berlin from Hamburg but it is a long way and can take nearly 4 hours to get there, so for me it really isn’t worth while unless it is somewhere you really want to go and you are on an itinerary with an overnight stay.

There are a few options offered by lines including scenic tours of the city, shuttle buses giving you free time on your own or a mixture of both, where you see the ‘highlights’ of the city on your coach before getting some free time in the city centre.

As mentioned already, Hamburg is a huge city and whilst the old city centre is walkable, there is still plenty to see on the outskirts and if you don’t fancy using public transport, a guided tour of the city could be the ideal option for you.

There can be no getting away from the darker sides of the region history and there are opportunities to explore that and gain a further understanding of what happened in the early to mid parts of the last century including a visit to the Neuengamme Concentration Camp.

If you want to explore on foot but also want to gain a more in-depth understanding of what you are looing at in the city, most lines will offer a walking tour or a boat tour or perhaps the best hybrid of guided tour and exploring on your own is to jump onboard one of the numerous hop on hop off bus tours that visit all of the key sights in the city.

A visit to a nearby brewery is often offered by lines and if you are staying late into the night, tours of the cities key nightlife areas are often offered alongside a local meal.

Best Time To Visit Hamburg

If you want to visit the city on a cruise, the great news is that you can do it all year around but for me the best times to visit are either between May to early July, September or in the winter.

The former allows you to see the city in the best conditions, when it tends to be relatively warm and dry but without the big crowds of the August summer holidays but if you want to visit the cities fantastic Christmas Market, it is late November and early to mid-December when you will need to visit.

Transport

The city has a wide range of transportation offering including a vast network of water taxis, buses, and U-Bahn underground metro network, an S-Bahn suburban railway network and intercity and regional trains to all parts of the country.

That makes it easy to explore the whole of the city on your own or to head off further afield, especially if you are on an overnight stay.

Depending on where you dock, you could be within walking distance of a stop or if you dock at Steinwerder, you will be some walk from the nearest stop, a water taxi stop.

There are taxis at most terminals and you can also use ride share apps.

Hamburg Cruises From UK

If you want to visit the city directly from the UK, you can do as there are a number of lines offering both round trip and repositioning itineraries that call in there.

Lines such as MSC Cruises offer inter-porting options and whilst the widest range of lines will sail from or to Southampton, it is possible to ail directly to the port from several different UK ports.

Hamburg Cruises From Southampton

If you want to sail from the UK to Hamburg, the widest range of lines ships and itineraries will be from the UK’s leading cruse port of Southampton.