From Hamburg to Lübeck: all the ways to get there on your own
How to get from Hamburg to Lübeck

From Hamburg to Lübeck: all the ways to get there on your own

Just an hour from Hamburg and you are in the «Christmas city of the north», the birthplace of marzipan — in Lübeck. The distance between the cities is only 66 kilometers and less than an hour’s drive. In this article I will tell you in detail how to get from Hamburg to Lübeck. The round trip will take about two hours.

Bus Hamburg — Lübeck

The cheapest way to get from Hamburg to Lübeck is to take a FlixBus, VBN Verkhersverbund or Hamburg-Holstein GmbH bus. The buses are non-stop and take 55 minutes.

They all depart from Hamburg Bahnhof/ZOV main station and go to Lübeck Bahnhof station. One-way ticket prices start from 5 €.

You can reserve your ticket on the official websites of the carriers: here, here and here.

The bus station in Lübeck is located about 1 km from the city center — it is only a quarter of an hour’s walk. Near the bus station there are parking lots, several hotels, an ATM, and street food outlets.

Electric train Hamburg — Lübeck

The quickest way to get from Hamburg to Lübeck is to take a train. Travel time takes only 44 minutes. Departures are almost every half hour. Deutsche Bahn Regional trains run along the route. You can buy a ticket on DB, Trip.com or Rail Europe.

from 15 €

The train used to cost the same as a bus, so it was probably the most popular transportation among locals and tourists with luggage. The carriages are more comfortable than the bus: there are toilets, space for strollers and luggage. Because of this, there were always so many people that there was often not enough seating for everyone: a ticket on an electric train does not guarantee a seat.

Lübeck Station is small, located near the city center, next to the bus station. From the outside it is a historical, very beautiful building. Inside everything is modern, there are storage rooms, free Wi-Fi, and a lost and found service. However, the elevator often fails, so get ready to carry heavy things up and down the stairs. A visit to the toilet costs 1 € without napkins.

Lübeck Station
Lübeck Station

Car rental in Hamburg or Lübeck

If Lübeck is not your only destination, I recommend considering a car rental. It will take 50 minutes on the highway, just like a bus. But with a rental car, you can drive around the surrounding towns and enjoy the legendary German autobahns without speed limits.

You can rent here and here. The cost per day starts from 70 €.

What you’ll need to rent:

  1. Passport;
  2. International driver’s license;
  3. Age 21 and up;
  4. Refundable deposit (credit card amount from 500 €).

As a rule, the car must be returned with the same amount of fuel in the tank as at the beginning of the rental. The cost of gasoline in Germany in the fall of 2022 starts at 1.62 € and diesel fuel at 1.8 €.

Cab and transfer

Another way to travel between Hamburg and Lübeck is by cab or transfer. This option is suitable for those who do not want to languish on public transportation, plan to travel at night or go directly from/to the airport. An individual transfer costs from 160 € per car.

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