Coach & Minibus Hire in Germany

Hamburg with a Minibus and a Driver

Hamburg spreads along the Elbe, from the Landungsbrücken to the Speicherstadt and HafenCity. A minibus with a driver links the harbour, the Reeperbahn and the old towns of Lübeck and Lüneburg, and nobody has to study a ferry timetable.

No sticker, plenty of stops

Hamburg has no Umweltzone, so no sticker is needed, and the Altona diesel bans ended in 2023. That makes it one of the easiest German cities for a hired vehicle.

The city publishes its coach stops, and many sit right where visitors want to be. Am Sandtorkai in the Speicherstadt has a long row of places for getting on and off; at the Landungsbrücken there is parking either side of the old Elbe tunnel; and on the Reeperbahn, opposite the Operettenhaus, a vehicle may stop for up to ten minutes. Hamburg Tourismus updates its list once a year, so roadworks can still move you a block.

Minibus with side door open for boarding
Minibus with side door open for boarding

Harbour, warehouses and model trains

Most harbour tours leave from the Landungsbrücken, which suits a group that wants an hour on the water before lunch.

Miniatur Wunderland asks groups of 15 or more to register online, and a request only counts once it is confirmed. At weekends and in school holidays, group times are limited to the start or the end of the day. The nearest stop is Am Sandtorkai; your driver confirms the exact place.

The Elbphilharmonie Plaza now needs a ticket, and groups of ten or more book Plaza group tickets online in advance. The concert hall names no coach stop, so drivers use the places on Am Sandtorkai or at Baumwall.

Landing near Hamburg

Favourite stops in Hamburg

  • Reeperbahn and Spielbudenplatz — Entertainment district in St. Pauli with musical theatres. Coach stops: Reeperbahn opposite the Operettenhaus at Spielbudenplatz (4 coaches, up to 10 minutes), Reeperbahn 162-174 / Große Freiheit (1 coach, parking disc 1 hour) and Zirkusweg at the corner of Reeperbahn (4 coaches, all day)
  • Tierpark Hagenbeck — Zoo and Tropen-Aquarium at Lokstedter Grenzstraße 2, Stellingen (A7 exit Stellingen; U-Bahn U2 Hagenbecks Tierpark). Group admission from 10 paying people. Open 09:00-18:00 until 24 October 2026, then 09:00-16:30; ticket desks close one hour earlier. The zoo plan marks a tourist-bus stop at the main entrance for set-down and pick-up only; the Gazellenkamp entrance and car park (cars and buses) open only from March to October
  • Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg — In Kaispeicher B, Koreastraße 1, HafenCity; open daily 10:00-18:00. Guided group tours are booked through the Museumsdienst Hamburg. The museum names coach set-down at the Brooktorkaibrücke by Dar-es-Salaam-Platz (then on foot over the León-Brücke) and at Am Sandtorkai 62-73, and coach parking on Versmannstraße
  • Landungsbrücken (St. Pauli Piers) and harbour tours — The main pier for harbour tours and the public harbour ferries, with U-Bahn and S-Bahn Landungsbrücken. Coach parking east of the Alter Elbtunnel (8 coaches, 7 with a paid parking ticket) and west of the Alter Elbtunnel (3 coaches, paid parking ticket); more places at Vorsetzen in front of the Überseebrücke (4 coaches) and on Helgoländer Allee (12 coaches)
  • Speicherstadt and Kontorhausviertel with Chilehaus — UNESCO World Heritage site since 2015: the historic warehouse district and the 1920s office district. Coach set-down places at Am Sandtorkai 62-73 (14 coaches, set-down and pick-up only), Kajen opposite Deichstraße (2 coaches) and Binnenhafenbrücke (4 coaches, parking disc up to 3 hours)
  • Hauptkirche St. Michaelis (Michel) — Church and tower in the Neustadt. Church and crypt tours with registration run between 10:00 and 18:00 in groups of up to 25 (larger groups are split); book about two weeks ahead. Guides meet groups at the visitor centre south of the tower. Coach parking: Krayenkamp, south of the church (10 coaches, parking disc, 2 hours, 10:00-19:00)
  • Hamburger Rathaus (City Hall) — Guided tours: public tours need at least 15 paying people and start from 13:00 (German and English); exclusive group tours take up to 30 people (German, English, French, Russian). Tours are requested by e-mail or phone no earlier than 60 days before the date. Luggage and pushchairs are not allowed. Coach set-down places nearby: Mönkedamm 15-18 (1 coach, 09:00-20:00, up to 20 minutes) and Ballindamm 22 (2 coaches, up to 10 minutes)
  • Miniatur Wunderland — Model railway at Kehrwieder 2, Block D, in the Speicherstadt. Groups of 15 or more must register online in advance (a request is not a confirmed booking); at weekends and in school holidays group slots are only in the early morning or late afternoon. Cancel at least 48 hours ahead. Nearest coach set-down: Am Sandtorkai 62-73 (set-down and pick-up only)
  • Elbphilharmonie and the Plaza — Concert hall at Platz der Deutschen Einheit, HafenCity. From 5 October 2026 the Plaza ticket is charged for (a concert ticket gives access from two hours before the event); groups of 10 or more book Plaza group tickets online in advance. The western Niederbaumbrücke at U-Bahn Baumwall is closed to cars, buses and bicycles until about February 2028, so vehicles use the Brooksbrücke about 500 m further east. No coach stop is named by the Elbphilharmonie; the nearest official coach places are on Am Sandtorkai and at Baumwall

Good places to be picked up

  • Harburg (south of the Elbe)
  • Hamburg Airport (Fuhlsbüttel) hotels
  • Stellingen / Volkspark (Hagenbeck, arenas)
  • Uhlenhorst / Alster
  • Altona / Ottensen
  • Dammtor / Messe / CCH (Rotherbaum)
  • St. Pauli / Reeperbahn
  • Neustadt / Michel / Landungsbrücken
  • HafenCity / Speicherstadt
  • Hauptbahnhof / St. Georg
  • Altstadt / Rathaus / Jungfernstieg

Coming in on a cruise

Parties, birthdays and visiting family

For a night on the Reeperbahn, the minibus brings everyone back to the hotel together. Zirkusweg, at the corner of the Reeperbahn, has spaces where a coach may wait all day.

Relatives in town for a wedding may want to see the Michel. Church and crypt tours take up to 25 people, are booked about two weeks ahead, and there is coach parking on Krayenkamp just south of the church.

Out of the city

Lübeck is about 65 km away, an hour by road; vehicles set down at Gustav-Radbruch-Platz or on Untertrave by the boat landing. Lüneburg is about 53 km, and Jork in the Altes Land about 34 km. Schwerin's palace is about 110 km, and Heide Park at Soltau, a children's choice, about 72 km.

Hamburg Airport is only about 11 km from the Rathausmarkt, 20 to 25 minutes when the roads are clear.

Questions travellers ask

Where does a cruise group get picked up?

At the terminal named on your cruise documents. Hamburg has terminals at Altona, Steinwerder and HafenCity, and a coach collecting from the HafenCity terminal has to be entered in its booking system beforehand.

Can we book a tour of the Rathaus?

Yes. Exclusive group tours take up to 30 people, and requests are accepted no earlier than 60 days before the date. Luggage and pushchairs are not allowed inside.

Is Tierpark Hagenbeck good with children?

Group admission starts at 10 paying people, and there is a set-down stop at the main entrance. Opening hours are shorter in winter, so check them before planning the afternoon.

Other trips we can arrange

Other vehicles with a driver