Free parking in Hamburg? Possible for electric cars! During my recent visit to the Hanseatic city, I was pleasantly surprised. I parked in the Speicherstadt near the famous and imposing Elbphilharmonie concert hall, walked directly to the parking ticket machine at Sandtorkai and was more than surprised. Vehicles clearly marked as electric cars can park there free of charge up to the maximum parking time (having an E-badge on their license plate for example). In this area, the maximum parking time was 3 hours. More than perfect for a short but discreetly extended visit to the Speicherstadt, Hafencity and Elphi. Within these three hours, I could not only go to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza, but also take a sightseeing walk to the fish market and the Reeperbahn. And visit a submarine, but directly in the Speicherstadt there are also numerous museums that can be visited within three hours, such as the Speicherstadt Museum or the Spice Museum. If you want to visit the Miniatur Wunderland, you should use a different car park and/or travel directly by public transport. You don’t want to be rushed by something like a car park, especially on holiday or on a holiday day! So where else can you park in Hamburg, what parking options are there?
Parking in Hamburg
Car parks in the city centre of Hamburg
According to the city’s official portal, on Hamburg.de, there are 26 car parks in Hamburg city centre with spaces for 10,000 vehicles. Wow, that’s a lot! These car parks are divided by city area as follows:
Mönckebergstraße area: 14 multi-storey car parks / car parks with approx. 6,400 spaces.
Jungfernstieg area: 6 multi-storey car parks / parking spaces with approx. 2,500 parking spaces
Hafen/Michel area: 6 multi-storey car parks / parking spaces with approx. 2,200 parking spaces
In the outer areas of the city centre there are also around 3,500 parking spaces in the ZOB, CCH and Messe areas.
When driving through the city, electronic signs show where there are currently how many parking spaces free. An overview map of the multi-storey car parks is available on the following website: hamburg.de/parken/ (available in german only)
Free parking with an electric car in Hamburg
I was able to park my electric car free of charge not only near the Elbphilharmonie, but also at the other end of the Speicherstadt. Here, near the Maritime Museum, the maximum parking time directly in front of a historic Speicherstadt building was only 2 hours. Just enough for a short break in the Hafencity. But, for free! Prices for parking are otherwise 5 euros per hour in the Elbphilharmonie multi-storey car park, for example.
Park + Ride car parks in Hamburg
If you are travelling to Hamburg by car from further afield and just want to spend a wonderful day in the city, it is best not to park directly in the city centre. Otherwise you could end up paying a lot of money. In a city like Hamburg, which has so much to offer, you would rather invest your money in nicer things, like a lunch with truffles or a special pizza? Outside the city there are a few “park and ride” car parks, each of which is connected to the local public transport system and makes for a pleasant transfer into the city. Otherwise, you can also book a MOIA taxi-bus. The corresponding overview is available online at: hamburg.de/verkehr-aktuell/4341200/park-and-ride/.
Alternatively, you can search for “Park and Ride Hamburg” on Google Maps and see the stops for public transport directly on the map.
