Mobile data in Hamburg: the airport S-Bahn, the harbour and the way north
Hamburg is a port city, and part of its public transport floats: the harbour ferries run on the same tickets as the trains. North of the city, the trips that tempt visitors, to Sylt or on to Copenhagen, run up against the Danish border, and that is what decides the pack.
At a glance
- Does an eSIM work in Germany?
- Yes. It connects to O2, Vodafone (5G).
- Price
- From 4,79 € (3 GB, 15 days).
- For a one-week trip
- 5 GB for 30 days: 6,99 €.
- Does an EU phone plan work there?
- Yes: Germany is in EU roaming, so a plan from an EU country usually works at no extra cost, within your operator's fair-use limit. If your plan is from outside the EU, it charges international roaming.
- When does the plan start?
- When your phone first connects to a network in Germany. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Twenty-five minutes on the S1
Hamburg Airport has its S-Bahn station right by the terminals, reached by lift, escalator or stairs from arrivals. The S1 leaves about every ten minutes and reaches the Hauptbahnhof in around 25. Taxis wait outside. If you arrive by train instead, long-distance services stop at the Hauptbahnhof, where the S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines also meet.
The eSIM connects to O2 or Vodafone when you land, so you can buy the ticket in the hvv switch app on the way down to the platform. At the Hauptbahnhof, the map tells you which side of the station faces your hotel before you surface into the traffic.
eSIM for Germany
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For one to two weeks of maps, messaging and the odd video.
Buy up to 180 days before you fly: the plan only starts when the eSIM connects at your destination.
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Will it work on my phone?
On iPhone: Settings → General → About, and scroll to EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Every iPhone from the XS (2018) onwards does.
On Android: Settings → About phone → Status, and look for EID. If there is an EID, your phone takes eSIMs. Most Galaxy S20, Pixel 3 and later do.
It also has to be carrier-unlocked. If you bought it outright or your contract is over, it almost certainly is.
Not sure about your model? Ask us before you pay and we will tell you — a person answers within 24 hours.
How it works
- 1Choose and payCard, Apple Pay or Google Pay. No account.
- 2Install it at homeThe QR arrives by email. Scan it on wifi in a minute.
- 3Connect when you landTurn on data roaming for the eSIM and you are online.
hvv switch, hvv Any and a ferry on a bus ticket
Trains, buses and ferries in Hamburg share one fare system, hvv. The hvv switch app plans journeys and sells tickets, and its hvv Any function works by check-in: you start the trip in the app, changes are detected, and at the end of the day it charges the cheapest combination of what you used. It follows the journey through the phone's location, so it suits a phone that stays online.
The HADAG harbour ferries are part of hvv, so an ordinary ticket covers them. Line 62 leaves Landungsbrücken and runs downriver past the Fischmarkt and the Dockland to Finkenwerder: the harbour from the water without booking a tour. Check the next departure before you walk down to the pier.
Sylt: Germany to the last stop, Denmark one ferry away
Regional trains from Hamburg-Altona run to Westerland, reaching the island over the Hindenburgdamm, a causeway that carries only the railway. Sylt is Germany, so the Germany pack works on the beach as it did in the city. At the northern tip, in List, a ferry crosses in about 40 minutes to Havneby, on the Danish island of Rømø.
On that ferry and on Rømø, the Germany pack has no data. Around List, with Denmark across the water, the phone may also latch onto a Danish network. If the screen shows one while you are still on Sylt, turn off automatic network selection and pick O2 or Vodafone by hand.
Copenhagen, Lübeck and the line north
Trains from Hamburg to Copenhagen run north through Schleswig-Holstein and enter Denmark at Padborg, just after Flensburg. From the border on, a Germany pack stops giving data, and the rest of the journey and the city itself are Danish. The 33-country Europe pack covers both countries on one eSIM, and the Copenhagen guide picks up from the station.
Closer trips stay inside Germany and inside the Germany pack: Lübeck, whose old town sits on an island between rivers, Lüneburg to the south-east, or the Baltic beach at Travemünde.
How many gigabytes for Hamburg
For a long weekend with the Elbphilharmonie, the Speicherstadt and a ferry ride, the smallest Germany pack, 3 GB for 15 days, is enough. Add Lübeck and a couple of days on Sylt and you are at 5 GB; the 10 and 20 GB sizes, also valid 30 days, are for longer stays.
If you continue to Copenhagen or take the ferry to Rømø, switch to the Europe pack: 3 GB for 15 days for a short trip, 10 GB for 30 days for a longer one or for a laptop on the hotspot. The eSIM is data only, so your usual number stays on your own SIM. Days count from the first connection, and the Germany page has the rest of the country.
How do I get from Hamburg Airport to the centre?
On the S1, from the station by the terminals. It runs about every ten minutes and takes around 25 minutes to the Hauptbahnhof.
Do I need a special ticket for the harbour ferries?
No. The HADAG ferries are part of hvv, so a normal hvv ticket covers them, line 62 included.
Does a Germany eSIM work on Sylt?
Yes, Sylt is in Germany. It stops working on the ferry from List to Rømø, which is in Denmark.
Which pack for Hamburg and Copenhagen?
The Europe pack. It includes Germany and Denmark, so the same eSIM keeps working when the train crosses at Padborg.
Get your eSIM before you fly: the QR arrives by email in minutes and the plan only starts when you connect at your destination.
See eSIMs for Germany