Where & how to get free tickets for the Elbphilharmonie Plaza

Here you can get free tickets for the Elbphilharmonie Plaza in the Hafencity/Speicherstadt. The Elphi is a controversial as well as hotly popular sight in Hamburg. The opera house with its three halls not only delights elegant concertgoers. A noble hotel is also housed in the cube of the Elbphilharmonie. But, the unique architecture of the Philharmonic Hall on the Elbe can be admired not only from the outside. The building seems so immensely high when you stand on the street in front of it or on the adjacent small bridge.

The Platz der Deutschen Einheit is located directly in front of the Elphi, on the street Am Kaiserkai. In the past I already shared facts about the Elbphilharmonie, you might want to click on this link to check them out. The great, positive news: even as a non-paying tourist you can visit the Elbphilharmonie. Two long escalators take you first inside the building, then to the plaza. The Elbphilharmonie Plaza surrounds the building once, directly underneath the imposing glass building. From here, visitors can enjoy a fabulous view of Hamburg. Over the historic Speicherstadt with the old town of Hamburg and far in the background the large buildings such as the former TV tower, the construction site of the Hafencity, parts of the container port, the Musical Boulevard as well as wide views in the direction of St. Pauli with the Sunday fish market.

Elphilharmonie as seen from Speicherstadt Hamburg in February blog joydellavita — Image via my Hamburg Weekend Travel Diary

Visit the Elbphilharmonie Plaza for free eventually, or definitely for an extra charge

There are two ways to visit the Elbphilharmonie Plaza. One is free but may end up a bit time consuming, the other option costs a small fee but is guaranteed.

Option 1: pick up a free ticket on the spot, with no guarantee of a time slot

The first option for gaining access to the Elphi Plaza is to pick up a free ticket on site. The ticket office is located in the building opposite the Elbphilharmonie, directly behind the café, at Am Kaiserkai 62, 20457 Hamburg. Here you will find the Elbphilharmonie Visitor Center with a souvenir store. If you would like to book a guided tour, for example, this is also the right place.
The tickets to the plaza are free of charge, and you can get them here without any problems. But here’s the catch: only a certain number of people are allowed on the plaza per hour. If you arrive at an inconvenient time, it is possible that only the next hour or the hour after that is free. So in the meantime, you have to pass the time in a café or one of the numerous adjacent museums, such as the Maritime Museum, Spice Museum or the world-famous Miniatur Wunderland. The time you get definitely bridged, only you should be from the schedule just a little more flexible. If you are not, the following option 2 is something for you.
Since I have visited the Plaza since opening in January 2017 already a few times: sometimes I had to actually wait until the next hour, but often it worked out directly, or I had an online ticket for the hour of sunset.

Address Elbphilharmonie Besucherzentrum / visitor centre: Am Kaiserkai 62, 20457 Hamburg, Germany

Option 2: 2 € fee, but a definite date

This second option is recommended, for example, if you want to visit the plaza at a certain time. Or in the summer and popular events or days, such as the Hamburg Port Birthday or the disembarkation of particularly large container or cruise ships. Or even to be at the Plaza for sunset. This I have also already experienced and it is just dreamlike to see how the warm (summer) sun slowly disappears behind St. Pauli and turns the entire city into a dark orange before. See the video below of this fantastic experience in Hamburg, from May 2020.
The tickets with appointments are available online and cost 2 euros processing fee per ticket. Subsequently, you will receive a QR code displayed, also by e-mail, which you then need to enter. Quickly, easily and contactless book an admission slot for the Elbphilharmonie Plaza and get access on the desired date. Also, absolutely recommendable!

Website for online ticket booking: shop.elbphilharmonie.de/en/plaza-ticket/