Hop-on hop-off in Hamburg: Line A, bus plus boat, or the harbour ferry?
4 min read
The short answer. For a first look at the city, the Line A hop-on hop-off bus is the straightforward pick: €21 per person, rated 4.5/5 from 8,100 reviews, with an audio guide in 11 languages including English. If you also want the harbour from the water, book the bus ticket with a harbour cruise instead of buying the two separately.
| Option | What it is | Language | Price | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line A hop-on hop-off bus | 1-day ticket, 20 stops | Audio guide, 11 languages | €21 | 4.5 | 8,100 |
| Line A bus with harbour cruise | 1-day bus ticket plus a 1-hour or 2-hour cruise | Bus: audio guide, 11 languages; cruise: live German, English audio guide | €42.50 | 4.5 | 1,126 |
| Line F bus and boat tour | Bus plus harbour boat, about 3 hours | Audio on the bus in five languages and on the boat in English | €37 | 4.2 | 525 |
| Amphibious river and land bus | One vehicle on road and water, 70 minutes, no hopping off | Live guide, German only | €42 | 4.7 | 3,881 |
Line A: the plain bus ticket
The listing says the day ticket lets you get on and off at 20 stops, passing the Elbphilharmonie, HafenCity, the Speicherstadt, the Planten un Blomen park, the town hall, St. Michael’s Church and the Reeperbahn. It starts at Brücke 2 at the Landungsbrücken; the listing gives Central Station (Kirchenallee) as the other main boarding point. The operator’s combination listing gives the round trip without getting off as 90 minutes. The listing describes the bus as wheelchair accessible.
The frequency is the point to check in winter. The listing says that from November to April the buses depart every 60 minutes from Monday to Thursday and every 30 minutes from Friday to Sunday. Plan two or three stops, not twenty, and look at the timetable before you hop off. The listing also notes that it cannot offer family tickets on GetYourGuide.
Bus plus boat: two ways to get the harbour included
The Line A ticket with a harbour cruise lets you choose a 1-hour or 2-hour cruise when you book. The cruise boards at the Landungsbrücken, Bridge 1, and according to the listing its commentary is live in German, with an audio guide system in English. If you are unsure which length to pick, our guide to harbour cruise lengths compares them.
The Line F tour is run by a different company and is sold as a bus-and-boat package of about 3 hours. Its listing recommends starting with the bus; the driver hands over the harbour boat tickets once you show your voucher. From November to March the harbour boats leave between 11:00 and 16:00, once an hour, and the listing says the boat ticket stays valid for a year at the Abicht company. One stop on its route list, Marco-Polo-Terrassen in HafenCity, is marked as currently not in use.
The amphibious bus is a different thing
The amphibious bus is a 70-minute loop, not a hop-on hop-off ticket. Its listing says the guided commentary is in German only, children under 5 are not permitted, it is not suitable for wheelchair users or people over 125 kg, strollers and pets (assistance dogs excepted) are not allowed and there is no toilet on board. It starts and ends at Brook 2. It passes the Elbphilharmonie, the Speicherstadt and HafenCity.
The cheap alternative: ferry 62
The harbour ferries are part of Hamburg’s public transport network. According to the operator HADAG, line 62 runs from the Landungsbrücken (Brücke 3) via Altona (Fischmarkt), Dockland, Neumühlen/Övelgönne and Bubendey-Ufer to Finkenwerder, and hamburg.de lists departures about every 15 minutes during the day. It is ordinary public transport, so there is no ticket to book here: check times and the fare in the HVV app or at hvv.de.
Our recommendation
Book the Line A bus if you want an English audio guide and a flexible day, and add the cruise combination if you want the water as well. Take ferry 62 if you only want to be on the river for a little while. Browse the rest in the city tours category and the harbour cruise category.
