Minibus Hire Across Germany

Coach Hire for Hamburg Cruise Groups

Hamburg has four cruise terminals on both banks of the Elbe. A coach booking starts with one question: which terminal is printed on the cruise documents?

Four terminals, four different pickups

Altona sits on the city side of the Elbe, a little west of the Landungsbrücken. Steinwerder is across the river in the working port. The newest, HafenCity (spring 2025), is built into the Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier; the centre is minutes away on foot. Baakenhöft, further east, is a temporary terminal used as an extra berth.

Ships do not keep to one terminal, so nobody should guess. Send us the terminal named on the documents. If the cruise line changes it, tell us and the coach follows the ship.

Full-size coach interior with reclining seats and aisle
Full-size coach interior with reclining seats and aisle

Where a coach can stand

Steinwerder has bus and lorry parking. Drivers come off the A7 at Waltershof, or off the A1 and A255 at Freihafen/HafenCity, then follow the B62 signs. Baakenhöft has marked areas for shuttle buses and coaches. HafenCity shares the Westfield car parks, about 1,500 places for buses and cars.

Hamburg has no Umweltzone. A coach from elsewhere needs no green sticker for the port or the city, and the old Altona diesel bans ended in 2023.

Ship to coach: what to plan

  • The terminals are in different parts of the port, so check which terminal the ship uses before planning a transfer.
  • Cruise Center HafenCity is a few minutes on foot from the city centre; the U-Bahn station Überseequartier (U4) is inside the district, and taxis stop on the second underground level.
  • Cruise Center HafenCity is part of the Westfield Hamburg-Überseequartier, which has an underground U-Bahn and bus station, a taxi access road and car parks; the terminal operator lists about 1,500 parking places for buses and cars there.
  • Cruise Center Steinwerder is reached by road from the A7 (exit Waltershof, towards the Köhlbrandbrücke) or from the A1/A255 (exit Freihafen/HafenCity); both routes follow the B62 signs. The terminal has bus and lorry parking.
  • From Steinwerder, bus 256 runs to the U-Bahn and S-Bahn station Elbbrücken, and HADAG ferry line 73 runs from the Argentinienbrücke stop (about 450 m away) to the Landungsbrücken.
  • Cruise Center Altona is next to the 'Dockland' stop of HVV ferry line 62, which runs from the Landungsbrücken; bus 111 runs from Altona station to the 'Große Elbstraße' stop.
  • Cruise Center Baakenhöft has areas for shuttle buses and coaches and a drop-off zone for taxis and cars; the U4 station HafenCity Universität is about 450 m away.
  • Rathausmarkt in the city centre is about 4 km by road from Cruise Center HafenCity (about 7 min), about 6 km from Altona (about 11 min) and about 11 km from Steinwerder (about 22 min) in light traffic.

Airports for this port

  • Hamburg Airport (HAM) — about 13-20 km, about 25-35 min in light traffic (Altona and HafenCity about 13 km; Steinwerder about 20 km)

Turnaround day: count people and cases

On embarkation and disembarkation days, give two numbers: passengers and suitcases. A full-size coach (49 to 57 seats) takes cases in its underfloor holds. A midi coach seats 29 to 35 and has less room. Thirty people with large cases may need the bigger vehicle.

To Hamburg Airport: 13 km or so from Altona or HafenCity, 20 km from Steinwerder. Plan on 25 to 35 minutes with clear roads, more at rush hour.

A city tour on a port call

For Rathausmarkt, count roughly 4 km from HafenCity, 6 from Altona and 11 from Steinwerder. Coaches set down at listed stops, such as Am Sandtorkai beside the Speicherstadt, and park elsewhere. The city's list changes with roadworks and events, so the driver confirms the stop.

Questions organisers ask

Can the group use public transport instead?

From HafenCity, easily: the U4 station Überseequartier is inside the district. From Altona, ferry line 62 runs to the Landungsbrücken. Steinwerder is harder: bus 256 to Elbbrücken, or HADAG ferry 73 from a stop about 450 m away. With luggage, a coach is simpler.

Which terminal does our ship sail from?

Whatever your cruise documents say. Lines and ships move between terminals, so we plan only from the documents and never from last season.

Do we need a green sticker in Hamburg?

No, the city has no low-emission zone. If the day goes on to another city, that city's rules apply there.

Cities

Vehicles with a driver