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getting to Lubeck from Hamburg airport

we'll be flying into Hamburg and prefer to stay in Lubeck instead of Hamburg. Then in two days we'll be leaving on a cruise from Hamburg. Does anyone have any ideas on how to get from the airport to Lubeck to the Hamburg cruise port?

Posted by
20137 posts

S-Bahn airport to Hamburg Hbf changing to a regional train to Luebeck, every 30 minutes.
Not sure where the cruise terminal is in Hamburg, but it is a 43 minute train ride twice an hour back to Hamburg Hbf.

Edit - I should add that the S-Bahn from the airport to the Hbf is every 10 minutes, so no need to wait for the one that precisely connects with the Luebeck regional train. Just take the first one available.

Posted by
14521 posts

Hi,

From Hamburg airport you can take S-1 to Hamburg Hbf (central station), then take a regional take to Lübeck.

For the return: take the regional train back to Hamburg Hbf. Then U-Bahn or S-Bahn from Hamburg Hbf to Landungsbrücken, ie, one stop from Hbf. Is the cruise leaving from Landungsbrücken?

As you are exiting Landungsbrücken station, you can see from above across the street the three red brick buildings, ie, Brücke 1,2, 3, one of which is your point of departure. The Bismarck statue is at Landungsbrücken

Posted by
3 posts

Your descriptions sound simple, but when I ask Google for directions, it has us taking multiple trains and walking in between. We don't use public transportation in our own country where everyone speaks our language, and we will have luggage, so at this point, I'm ready to just take a cab from the airport to Hamburg and staying there. Lubeck sounds so interesting. I'm ready to take a cab or tour to Lubeck, but there doesn't seem to be any cabs or tours. Any suggestions? By the way we'll be leaving on the cruise from the Altona port.

Posted by
20137 posts

If it was not so easy, I might feel for. But look at the map of Hamburg Hbf at this link:
https://www.bahnhof.de/resource/blob/1029874/6dc237bd82ee01911c580a46abf23d69/Hamburg-Hbf_locationPdf-data.pdf

You arrive from the airport on Track (Gleis in German) 1. Look in the upper left part of the map where the tracks are numbered. You take the escalator, shown on the upper part of the map, up to the next level, turn and walk maybe 150 feet, then take the escalator marked Gleis 5-6 down to the platform and turn back to the sections A-C. From what I can see, the regional trains to Luebeck depart from either track 5 or 6 on the same platform. Of course, check the monitors to make sure they have not changed these on your travel day.

Google directions is getting better, but I never rely on them. Primary sources like Deutsche Bahn are the way to go. They run the railroad in Germany.

You might want to take a taxi from Hamburg Hbf on your return to get to the cruise dock. By then the cruise line should have told you exactly where the boat is.

Posted by
14521 posts

Forget the google directions you have seen. I never use that at all, and most definitely not in Germany.

Very straight forward going from Hamburg airport to Hamburg Hbf. Doing the reverse one can see at Hamburg Hbf the sign to the airport indicating the S-1 along with an "airplane in flight" symbol. I am sure at the Hamburg airport signs indicate which train track to go to in order to reach Hambirg Hbf.

The regional trans connect Hamburg-Altona station to Hamburg Hbf. I don't know the port facilities at Altona, only at Landungsbrücken. The night trains leave from Altona too, then to Hamburg Hbf.