Fast Facts

American Express -- The Amex office in Hamburg is at Weiderstrasse 134 (tel. 040/180094030; U-Bahn: Saarlandstrasse) and is open Monday to Friday 9:30am to 8pm and Saturday 9:30am to 3pm.

Business Hours -- Most banks are open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 12:30pm and 1:30 to 3:30pm (many until 5:30pm Thurs). Most businesses and stores are open Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and Saturday 9am to 2pm (to 4 or 6pm on the first Sat of the month).

Car Rentals -- We don't recommend that you rent a car for touring Hamburg, but an automobile is ideal for the environs. Rentals are available at Avis, Gleis 12 in the Hauptbahnhof (tel. 040/3287-3800; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof), or at Hertz, Kirchenallee 34-36 (tel. 040/2801201; U-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof).

Consulates -- Consulate General of the U.S., Alsterufer 27-28 (tel. 040/41171100); British Consulate-General, Harvestehuder Weg 8A (tel. 040/4480320); Canadian Consulate, Ballindamm 35 (tel. 040/4600270).

Currency Exchange -- The most convenient place for recent arrivals to exchange currency is the ReiseBank at the Hauptbahnhof (tel. 040/323483), which is open daily 7:30am to 10pm. The same bank maintains a branch at the Altona Station (tel. 040/3903770), open Monday to Friday 7:30am to 8pm, and Saturday 9am to 2pm and 2:45 to 5pm. There's also a branch in Terminal 2 of Hamburg's airport (tel. 040/50753374), open daily 8am to 9pm.

Doctor or Dentist -- Ask at the British or American consulates, or go to Allgemeines Krankenhaus Sankt Georg, Lohmühlenstrasse 5, 20099 Hamburg (tel. 040/1818850; U-Bahn: Lohmühlenstrasse), where you'll find an English-speaking staff.

Drugstores -- Pharmacies that stock foreign drugs include Internationale Apotheke, Ballindamm 37 (tel. 040/335333; U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg), open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm. Roth's Alte Englische Apotheke, Jungfernstieg 48 (tel. 040/343906; U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg), is open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 6pm.

Emergencies -- Dial tel. 110 for the police; for an ambulance, an emergency doctor or dentist, or the fire brigade, dial tel. 112; and tel. 01805/101112 for the German Automobile Association (ADAC).

Post Office -- The post office at the Hauptbahnhof, Hachmannplatz 13, is convenient. You can make long-distance calls here far cheaper than at your hotel. Telegrams, telexes, and faxes can also be sent. It's open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8am to 6pm, and Sunday 10am to 4pm. A branch office located at the airport is open Monday to Friday 6:30am to 9pm, Saturday 8am to 6pm, and Sunday 10am to 6pm. For information on either post office call tel. 01802/3333.

Safety -- Hamburg, like all big cities of the world, has its share of crime. The major crimes that tourists encounter are pickpocketing and purse/camera snatching. Most robberies occur in the big tourist areas, such as the Reeperbahn and the area around the Hauptbahnhof, which can be dangerous at night, but much less so than in Frankfurt or Munich.

Toilets -- There are several decent public facilities in the center of Hamburg.

Transit Information -- For U-Bahn and S-Bahn rail information, call the Hauptbahnhof, Hachmannplatz 10 (tel. 01805/996633, 11861 in Germany).