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Hop on hop off bus in Hamburg

Is there a hop on hop off bus near the Altona Cruise Terminal? We only have about 3 hours to see Hamburg. I really want to see St Michael’s Church and things around it. I know there are different colored hoho buses. Don’t know which one to take. Can you buy a ticket when you get on? Do they take cards?

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Not a HOHO, but you can either take the bus 111 or the ferry 62 (depending on arrival time). Your Bus Stop is called Kreuzfahrtterminal Altona and your ferry stop is named Dockland (Fischereihafen).

The bus takes you past the Fischauktionshalle to the Reeperbahn stop (5th stop) right at Beatles Platz. From there you can either take the S1 to Stadthausbrücke, or even better, take bus 16 directly to the Michel (St. Michael's Church) and sit on the driver's side. You will drive down the Reeperbahn. The St. Pauli stop will let you see the bunker out your window. The third stop is the Michel. The fourth stop, Domstraße, is near the Nikolai church.

At the Michel, you can walk to the Krameramtstuben, then down past the Scandinavian churches and to the Landungsbrücken, take the ferry 72 to the Elphi, see that, and then back to the LB. From Landungsbrücken, you can take the ferry 62 back to the cruise terminal (via the Fischauktionshalle).

Alternatively, you can walk down the main road to the Nikolai church (it's a ruin), then cross the street to the Deichstraße / Nikolaifleet. Cross the road into the Speicherstadt, hit the Elphi, and from there ferry or walk back to Landungsbrücken and get the ferry or train back to the terminal. Or from the Nikolai, walk over the Trostbrücke and to the Rathaus, see the Alster, and get back on a train at Jungfernstieg to Stadthausbrücke, Landungsbrücken, Reeperbahn, Königsstraße (see below).

If you walk just a few minutes down the street from your terminal (near the Henssler Henssler and Rive restaurants) you can walk up some stairs and end up at the S1 train at Königsstraße. Take that 3 stops to Stadthausbrücke and you come up between the Michel and the Nikolai. Or just 2 stops to Landungsbrücken, where you can walk or take the U3 or the ferry to the Elphi.

All of those things are quite walkable and have multiple modes of transport. You won't be able to hit EVERYTHING in three hours, but you can see a whole lot in a short time! A quick look on Google maps and you can plan your walking route or your bus / train / ferry routes. The HVV (public transport) website should give you a good overview of departure times. They are generous on walking times FWIW.

I hope that helps. Enjoy Hamburg and the rest of your trip!