Hamburg Price Guide | Calculating the Daily Cost To Visit Hamburg, Germany

Even though it’s Germany’s second-largest city, Hamburg is overshadowed by Berlin and Munich. Hamburg is actually a modern city (it was completely destroyed in WWII), so it has a much different vibe than the stereotypical “quaint” Germany—although it does have plenty of old-world charm.

Hamburg is also home to the second-largest port in Europe, so the people are very open and the city boasts excellent nightlife… and no port city could be complete without a Red Light District. Hamburg is also near many quaint small towns so it makes a great home base for exploring. Like most of Germany, Hamburg skews towards the expensive side but this up-and-coming city can still be experienced affordably.

In this Hamburg travel price guide, we’ll outline the estimated travel expenses for food, accommodation, attractions, alcohol, and other common costs to help you budget for your trip to Hamburg.

This Hamburg Price Guide is part of our City Price Guide Series where we break down the travel costs of Europe’s most popular cities.

Average Daily Costs To Visit Hamburg

For budget-minded travelers, it costs around €55-€90/day to visit Hamburg. These prices are based on what you’ll need to visit the city comfortably as a budget traveler. 

If you want to upgrade your accommodations, add another €60-€110 per night depending on your stay. These prices also don’t include things like big nights out at the bar/pub, club entry fees, souvenir/clothing shopping, tours, random purchases, nicer food, etc.

Average daily costs for budget travel in Hamburg: €80 (Approx. $86)

• Attractions: €15 (one paid attraction + any free sights)
• Food: €30
  • Breakfast: €3
  • Lunch: €8
  • Dinner: €15
  • Treat (dessert/beer/wine): €4
• Transportation: €3.10
• Accommodation (hostel): €32

Average daily cost of frugal travel in Hamburg: €52 (Approx. $58)

• Attractions: €8 (free walking tour + visit one of the free sights)
• Food: €22
  • Breakfast: €2
  • Lunch: €7 (street food or takeaway shop fare)
  • Dinner: €12 (make your own meal in the hostel or grab something cheap)
  • Beer: €1 (chill out at the park and have a cold one)
• Transportation: €0 (walk)
• Accommodation (cheap hostel): €23

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Hamburg Attraction and Museum Prices

• International Maritime Museum: €15
• MiniaturWunderland: €20
• Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg: €14
• Hamburg Museum: €9
• Prototype Car Museum: €10
• Walking & Bike Tours: Free-€30+
  • Tours emphasize the history of Hamburg and its cultural institutions. Expect to pay a little more for bicycle tours (€26), which will show the sites and markets of Hamburg.

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Hamburg Food Prices

Hamburg offers a variety of traditional German foods alongside ethnic cuisine. Fish is a common staple, with the city situated on the Elbe, and is available from stands and restaurants. There are a number of expensive restaurants, but you can find plenty of budget options if you seek them out. Read more of our strategies for Eating and Drinking in Europe on a Budget.

Budget Breakfast Prices in Hamburg: Free – €5

• Many hostels will offer a free simple breakfast of that normally consists of cereal, bread/croissant, and maybe milk, coffee, tea, or juice (some hostels will offer more and some less). Hotel breakfasts tend to be overpriced, so skip these in most cases.
• Coffee and a pastry will set you back €2-€4.

Budget-Friendly Breakfast Places

• Der Kiezbacker: A bakery with multiple breakfast options.
• Transmontana: Great coffee and Portuguese pastries.

Budget Lunch Prices in Hamburg: €4-€8

• Super budget travelers can make a super cheap lunch of bread, cheese, and fruit from any grocery store for a few euros.
• Kebabs from a stand run €3-€6.
• Currywurst and bratwurst are popular and cheap options at fast food/takeaway and run around €3-€5.
• The Hauptbahnhof (main train station) is full of cheap takeaway and fast food options and will run €4.50-€8 for a full meal from an ethnic establishment (Middle Eastern, Indian, or pan-Asian).
• Cheap sandwiches run €3.50-€5 at stands throughout the city; especially recommend are fish sandwiches in the harbor area.

Budget Dinner Prices in Hamburg: €6-€15

• Pretty much all the options from the ‘Budget Lunch’ section above will also apply for dinner.
• Brauhaus (brewhouses) offer beer and a meal for €6-€9.
• Traditional German schnitzel is affordable and filling. A meal will cost you €12-€18.
• Ethnic food and vegetarian options are plentiful and cheap: falafel, grills, and Indian all run €5-€10 for a meal as a takeaway or sit-down.
• Cafés are more informal, and a meal of a sandwich or burger runs €6-€9.

Budget-Friendly Lunch and Dinner Spots

• Frau Moeller: German bar serving up classic German dishes and beer.
• Frank und Frei: Cheap and hearty German dishes.
• Schweinske in Hohenfelde: Casual joint with filling German dishes.
• Pizza Bande: Grab yourself a cheap and tasty pizza.
• Quan Do: Cheap and tasty Vietnamese.
• Karo Fisch Restaurant: Affordable seafood dishes.
• Vincent Vegan: For all you hipster vegans out there.
• Billy the Butcher: Tasty burgers.
• Jim Block Jungfernstieg: Another solid burger joint.

Drinks and Alcohol Prices in Hamburg:

• Expect to pay €3-€3.50 for a beer out.
• At a grocery, beer runs €.95-€1.10, and a bottle of wine about €5.50

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Hamburg Transportation Prices

Public transportation in Hamburg includes S-Bahn and U-Bahn trains and buses. Bicycle rentals are common in the city and inexpensive. There is a ferry system as well which provides access to the harbor and the Elbe river. HVV administers the city’s transit system in and around Hamburg.

Tickets on the HVV system are purchased by duration and distance. Ticket vending machines are available at transit stations. The machines dispense the correct ticket after you enter your destination.

Public Transport:

Areas / Fare zones	Single Ticket	9 am Day Ticket	All Day Ticket	9 am Group Ticket
1–2 fare rings	3,60 €	7,10 €	8,40 €	13,40 €
3 fare rings	5,80 €	11,10 €	12,90 €	20,60 €
4 fare rings	7,90 €	14,10 €	16,90 €	26,80 €
5 fare rings	9,60 €	17,80 €	21,20 €	27,80 €
fare rings A-F	11,30 €	20,60 €	25,10 €	28,50 €
Hamburg AB	3,60 €	7,10 €	8,40 €	13,40 €

1-week pass within Hamburg city center/outside city center: €13.40/€17.40

Airport transit from the city center:

• via taxi: €20-€30
• via rail: Single-journey fare on S-Bahn direct train is €3.30 from the airport to the city center.

Bicycle rental: First 30 minutes are free. After is €.08/minute for use or €12/day.

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Hamburg Hostel, Hotel, & Vacation Apartment Prices

You shouldn’t have any trouble finding accommodation in Hamburg. However, there aren’t a ton of hostels so the prices are a little higher when compared to Berlin.

Hostel Prices in Hamburg: €24-€46/night

You should budget about €30/night per person for a nice hostel—although many hostels raise their prices on the weekend. Remember, these prices are for a bed in a shared dorm room. Expect to pay €80-€120 for a private room.

Recommended Hostels in Hamburg [Read our full guide to the Best Hostels in Hamburg]:

• MEININGER Hamburg City Center
• Generator Hamburg
• a&o Hamburg City
• Backpackers St. Pauli

We book our hostels through Hostelworld because they have the best selection of hostels.

Budget Hotel Prices in Hamburg: €100-€150

A decent budget hotel that is in the city center will cost around €100/night but the quality is better around €140/night. You can find cheaper hotels if you want to stay farther away from the center of the city or if you don’t mind staying in a super-budget place. 

We suggest checking out Booking.com to see hotel prices for your dates since they’re always changing.

Rental Apartment Prices in Hamburg: €90-€160/night

Hamburg has a decent amount of rental apartments throughout the city. They can be a good option for large groups or travelers who want a little more space (and a kitchen). On the other hand, you may also have to deal with inconvenient check-in processes and things like extra cleaning fees and service charges. For short stays, we prefer hotels/hostels but rental apartments can be a nice option for longer stays. Airbnb is always popular but you can sometimes find cheaper/better options on our list of Airbnb Alternatives.

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LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COST TO VISIT EUROPE

Check out our guide on How Much It Costs To Backpack Europe to learn more about budgeting your entire trip (including many more city price guides).