Cruise Center Altona: cruise parking

01Parking at the terminal

Park right at the terminal? Not in Altona.

Cruise Center Altona is a compact terminal in the middle of the district: a single hall with a large glass front on the bank of the Elbe, between the Dockland office building and the former ferry terminal. There is no room there for your car while you are away.

“Cruise Center Altona does not offer any long-stay parking.”

Cruise Gate Hamburg, operator of Hamburg's cruise terminals

The car park in front of the terminal is a public one. Anyone parking there for the duration of a cruise is towed away at their own expense, according to the operator. The operator's car park in Steinwerder is no help either: there is no shuttle from there to Altona.

With us your car stays in the car park at Modering 1 in Hamburg for the whole of your trip. Our shuttle takes you to the terminal and collects you again afterwards – and you never hand over your key.

Source on the terminal: Cruise Gate Hamburg (terminal operator, “Parken” section), as of September 2026.

02Your way to the ship

How we get you to Cruise Center Altona

You only drive as far as our car park. Our free shuttle covers the rest of the way – on the way out and, after your cruise, back again.

OutwardOn departure day

Shuttle · approx. 20 min
Hansa Parking car park

Modering 1, 22457 Hamburg

Arrive, park and pay on site (debit card, credit card or cash). Entrance height max. 2.00 m – and your key stays with you.
Cruise Center Altona

Van-der-Smissen-Straße 5, 22767 Hamburg

Our shuttle takes you and your luggage straight to the pick-up zone in front of the terminal. Luggage drop-off and check-in take place inside the terminal; you can usually board until 17:00.

ReturnAfter your cruise

Shuttle included
Cruise Center Altona

or Hamburg Airport (HAM)

You reserve your pick-up time and seat online in advance – with your own boarding pass; we then collect you from the pick-up zone in front of the terminal. If your journey ends with a flight to Hamburg, we collect you at the airport – that transfer is included too.
Back to your car

Modering 1, 22457 Hamburg

The shuttle brings you back to the car park. You still have your key – get in and drive off.

Shuttle daily from 07:00 to 18:00. Please plan your arrival at the car park within these hours. There is no fixed timetable – we drive as needed, and the approx. 20 minutes are the driving time alone. We are happy to answer any questions about the meeting point and the pick-up in Altona in person.

040 57307642 WhatsApp

Guest reviews

What guests say about Hansa Parking

★★★★★

“Quick and straightforward from start to finish, from booking to arriving and leaving at the car park. I was very happy and will gladly come back to Hansa Parking.”

Phillip Berger

★★★★★

“Hansa Parking in Hamburg really impressed me. The staff were all extremely friendly and helpful, and I was able to park my car safely.”

Kristina Falke

03Departure and return

What to expect on your travel day in Altona

Your travel documents are always the binding source. These points help with planning – with information from the terminal operator and the shipping lines.

Departure day

Outward

The terminal opens to suit the ship

Cruise Center Altona is open to passengers and to those dropping them off or picking them up only around the arrival and departure times of the ships. The exact times are in your travel documents.
Allow for your check-in window

Plan your arrival at the car park so that you are at the terminal within your shipping line's check-in window – and within our shuttle hours of 07:00 to 18:00. You can usually board until 17:00.

TUI Cruises: online check-in is compulsory for everyone. If you travel independently, you book a check-in window; for departures from Germany it falls between 13:00 and 16:00.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (Hamburg): embarkation from 16:00, luggage drop-off from 10:00.
Luggage: drop-off in the terminal, no storage

You drop your luggage off in the terminal. There is no left-luggage office at Hamburg's cruise terminals; lockers can be found at Hauptbahnhof (the main station) and at Altona and Dammtor stations.

Return day

Return

The ships berth early in the morning

In the terminal operator's call list for September to December 2026, every arrival time in Altona falls between 05:30 and 09:00.
Going ashore to your shipping line's schedule

When you go ashore is for your shipping line to decide. With Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, for example, disembarkation usually takes place by 10:00. As a rule of thumb: on the morning of arrival every guest leaves the ship by about 10:00.
Pick-up at the terminal or at the airport

Our shuttle runs from 07:00. You reserve your pick-up time and seat online in advance – with your own boarding pass; we collect you from the pick-up zone in front of the terminal and take you to the car park – or from Hamburg Airport if your journey ends with a flight.
Sundays: the fish market next door

If your travel day falls on a Sunday, Hamburg's fish market takes place right next to the terminal on Große Elbstraße: from 15 March to 14 November from 5:00 to 9:30, and otherwise from 7:00 to 9:30.

Sources: Cruise Gate Hamburg (terminal, call list), TUI Cruises (check-in), Hapag-Lloyd Cruises (embarkation and disembarkation), Hamburg Cruise Net (luggage), Bezirksamt Altona (fish market) – as of September 2026. For AIDA and other shipping lines, the times in your travel documents apply.

04The terminal

Cruise Center Altona at a glance

The Dockland office building on the bank of the Elbe in Hamburg-Altona, with the quay wall and the Elbe in front of it in the evening light — **On the bank of the Elbe in Altona.** The Dockland – Cruise Center Altona is right next to it. Photo: Julia Solonina / Unsplash

Address: Van-der-Smissen-Straße 5, 22767 Hamburg
Operator: Cruise Gate Hamburg, a subsidiary of the Hamburg Port Authority
In operation: since 2011
Berth: one berth, designed for ships up to 300 m long
Building: one large hall with a glass front and a view over the harbour panorama; the roof terrace is open at all times
Opening: according to the arrival and departure times of the ships
Refreshments: vending machines with snacks and drinks (the bistro is no longer staffed)
Taxi: available at the terminal
Parking: no long-stay parking; the car park in front of the terminal is a public one

Which ships berth in Altona?

According to hamburg.de, the ships that berth in Altona tend to be on the smaller side, such as the older vessels in the AIDA fleet. The terminal operator's call list for September to December 2026 names ships from these lines.

Which terminal applies to your cruise is stated in your travel documents – terminals can change. The current calls are published by Cruise Gate Hamburg.

Source: Cruise Center Altona call list, Cruise Gate Hamburg, retrieved on 22 September 2026 (shipping line according to the ship pages of the operator or the line).
Shipping line	Ships in the call list
AIDA Cruises	AIDAsol, AIDAluna
Costa Crociere	Costa Favolosa
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises	Hanseatic Spirit, HANSEATIC nature
Hurtigruten	Finnmarken, Midnatsol (North Cape route from Hamburg)
nicko cruises	Vasco da Gama
Phoenix Reisen	Artania
TUI Cruises	Mein Schiff 7

05Around the terminal

Altona on the water: Dockland, fish market, the Elbe

The terminal sits right on the bank of the Elbe in the Altona district. Useful to know for anyone seeing you off or picking you up – and if you have time to spare before your cruise.

The terminal's roof terrace

Open at all times, with a view across the harbour. Hamburg Tourismus calls it the “Farewell Deck” – the place to wave from as the ship casts off.
Dockland

The ship-shaped office building right next door has a public viewing platform; 136 steps lead up to it.
Fischmarkt and Fischauktionshalle

A short walk away, on Große Elbstraße. The fish market takes place every Sunday morning.
Altonaer Balkon

A park above the bank of the Elbe with a view of the river and the ships – the low terminal barely blocks the view.
Museumshafen Oevelgönne

Historic ships on the bank of the Elbe, a short walk away.
Altonaer Rathaus and Christianskirche

Just a few minutes' walk from the terminal.

The Fischauktionshalle in Hamburg-Altona, built of red brick and topped with a dome, with a footbridge over the water in front of it — **Fischauktionshalle.** A few minutes from the terminal. Photo: Wolfgang Weiser / Unsplash

Getting to the terminal without a car – for companions and those collecting you

You will not need this yourself: our shuttle takes you from the car park straight to the terminal.

Ferry 62
From Landungsbrücken to “Dockland (Fischereihafen)” – the terminal is right next to the landing stage. Sailing times depend on the tide.
Bus 111
From Bahnhof Altona to “Kreuzfahrtterminal Altona” right in front of the building, or to “Große Elbstraße”. According to Hamburg Cruise Net, the line does not run on Sundays during the fish market.
S-Bahn
S1 or S3 to Königstraße – this is the station the terminal operator names for arriving by S-Bahn.
From the airport
S1 to Landungsbrücken, then ferry 62 to “Dockland”.

Sources: Cruise Gate Hamburg (getting there, roof terrace), HVV (timetables for lines 111 and 62), Hamburg Cruise Net (bus 111 on Sundays), hamburg.de and hamburg.com (the area, Dockland), Hamburg Tourismus – as of September 2026.

06Questions

Frequently asked questions about parking for Altona

Can I park at Cruise Center Altona for the duration of my cruise?

No. According to the terminal operator Cruise Gate Hamburg, Cruise Center Altona does not offer any long-stay parking. The car park in front of the terminal is a public one; vehicles left there for the duration of a cruise are towed away at the owner's expense. At Hansa Parking you park in the car park at Modering 1 instead and take our free shuttle to the terminal.

Does the shuttle take me to Cruise Center Altona and back again?

Yes. Our shuttle takes you and your luggage from the car park at Modering 1 straight to the pick-up zone in front of Cruise Center Altona in about 20 minutes' driving time, and collects you there again after your cruise. If your journey ends with a flight to Hamburg, we collect you at the airport. The shuttle runs daily from 07:00 to 18:00, as needed rather than to a fixed timetable.

When is Cruise Center Altona open?

The opening hours follow the arrival and departure times of the ships; the terminal is open to passengers and to those dropping them off or picking them up at those times only. The exact times and your check-in window are in your travel documents. You can usually board until 17:00.

How do I reserve the pick-up after the cruise?

You reserve the pick-up time (9 or 11 am) online in advance with your fixed seat reservation: you are collected from the pick-up zone in front of the terminal at the reserved time. On the morning of arrival every guest leaves the ship by about 10:00. If your journey ends with a flight to Hamburg, we collect you at the airport instead.

Can I leave luggage at the terminal?

No. There is no left-luggage office at Hamburg's cruise terminals. Lockers are available at Hauptbahnhof (the main station) and at the Altona and Dammtor long-distance stations. Your luggage travels with you on our shuttle straight to the terminal.

My ship berths in Altona early in the morning – is the shuttle running by then?

Our shuttle runs from 07:00. In the Cruise Gate Hamburg call list, arrivals in Altona fall between 05:30 and 09:00. When you go ashore is for your shipping line to decide: Hapag-Lloyd Cruises states that disembarkation in Hamburg usually takes place by 10:00. If your ship berths very early and you would like to be among the first ashore, please talk to us before booking – by phone on 040 57307642 or by WhatsApp.

You will find further answers – on payment, cancellation, key handover, groups and child seats, for example – in the FAQs on hafenparkplatz-hamburg.de.

07Contact

Questions before your cruise? We are here for you.

Hansa Parking

BD Parkraum GmbH

Address: Modering 1, 22457 Hamburg
Phone: 040 57307642
WhatsApp: +49 40 57307642
Email: info@hafenparkplatz-hamburg.de
Shuttle: daily 07:00–18:00

Message us on WhatsApp Route to the car park

Travelling from Steinwerder or HafenCity?

Our shuttle serves every cruise terminal in Hamburg. You will find all the terminals, our services and the full FAQs on our main site.

Visit hafenparkplatz-hamburg.de

Parking for Cruise Center Altona

Book parking for your cruise

Park right at the terminal? Not in Altona.

How we get you to Cruise Center Altona

Hansa Parking car park