Car hire and driving in Hamburg
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In Germany traffic drives on the right. Picking up at HAM means 9 km (6 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823.
Drives from Hamburg
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hamburg to Lübeck | Germany | 58 km (36 mi) | about 53 min |
| Hamburg to Kiel | Germany | 86 km (54 mi) | about 1 h 19 min |
| Hamburg to Bremerhaven | Germany | 94 km (58 mi) | about 1 h 26 min |
| Hamburg to Bremen | Germany | 95 km (59 mi) | about 1 h 27 min |
| Hamburg to Oldenburg | Germany | 127 km (79 mi) | about 1 h 56 min |
| Hamburg to Hannover | Germany | 132 km (82 mi) | about 2 h 1 min |
| Hamburg to Wolfsburg | Germany | 136 km (84 mi) | about 2 h 4 min |
| Hamburg to Braunschweig | Germany | 147 km (92 mi) | about 2 h 15 min |
| Hamburg to Rostock | Germany | 153 km (95 mi) | about 2 h 20 min |
| Hamburg to Hildesheim | Germany | 156 km (97 mi) | about 2 h 22 min |
| Hamburg to Salzgitter | Germany | 158 km (98 mi) | about 2 h 24 min |
| Hamburg to Magdeburg | Germany | 192 km (120 mi) | about 2 h 56 min |
| Hamburg to Moscow | Russia | 1,782 km (1,107 mi) | about 27 h 10 min |
| Hamburg to London | United Kingdom | 720 km (448 mi) | about 10 h 59 min |
| Hamburg to Saint Petersburg | Russia | 1,420 km (882 mi) | about 21 h 39 min |
| Hamburg to Berlin | Germany | 255 km (159 mi) | about 3 h 54 min |
| Hamburg to Madrid | Spain | 1,786 km (1,110 mi) | about 27 h 14 min |
| Hamburg to Kyiv | Ukraine | 1,441 km (896 mi) | about 21 h 59 min |
| Hamburg to Rome | Italy | 1,310 km (814 mi) | about 19 h 58 min |
| Hamburg to Paris | France | 745 km (463 mi) | about 11 h 22 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Hamburg?
The right, as everywhere in Germany.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.