Is it easier taking bus or s-bahn to the Hauptbahnhof? If s-bahn, where do I get ticket? Haven't flown into HAM in a number of years. I think I took a bus the last time and paid the driver. And I won't have a railpass this trip so will need to buy ticket to Luebeck and beyond....
Thanks for any specifics!
S-Bahn line S1 runs direct from the airport to Hamburg Hbf, then a train every half hour to Lübeck Hbf. Cost (according to www.bahn.de ) €13.70 airport to Lübeck.
Couldn't be easier.
According to the Hamburg airport website, an S-Bahn leaves the airport station for the Hbf every 10 minutes. The trip takes 25 minutes and a single trip ticket costs 3,10€. Or, as Chris points out, you can buy a single trip ticket from the airport to Lübeck (via Hamburg Hbf) for 13,70€.
If you are going farther than Lübeck that day, it might be worth getting a Schleswig-Holstein-Ticket (day pass) for 28€ (1st person, 3€ each addition up to 5 total). That would give you unlimited travel on most conveyances in Hamburg and on regional trains in the Länder (states) of Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
You can purchase any of these ticket from the Bahn automat on the station platform.
Thank you for your replies, Chris and Lee. I'll see about getting the combo fare.
You definitely want to take the S-Bahn. It's faster, more convenient, nice and spaceous.
You can buy and print your tickets at home or through their app or at the vending machine by the train station in the airport. For Hamburg I always buy at home. All you must be able to present upon a ticket inspection is the QR code of your ticket. http://www.hvv.de/en/index.php