Business Hours -- 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). Note that most stores are not open on Sunday or in the evenings.

Car Rentals -- We don’t recommend that you rent a car for touring Hamburg, and you can easily reach Lübeck and other outlying towns by train. If you do require a car, you’ll find all the major agencies at the airport for info on car rentals in Germany.

Consulates -- Consulate General of the U.S., Alsterufer 27–28 (tel. 040/41171415); British Consulate-General, Neuer Jungfernstieg 20 (tel. 040/4480326).

Currency Exchange -- You’ll find ATMS throughout Hamburg. If you require the services of a bank, try the ReiseBank at the Hauptbahnhof (tel. 040/323483), which is open daily 7:30am to 10pm and has a number of English-speaking staffers. 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.

Doctors & Dentists -- Ask at the British or American consulates, or go to the large medical center in St. Georg, Allgemeines Krankenhaus Sankt Georg, Lohmühlenstrasse 5, 20099 Hamburg (tel. 040/1818850; U-Bahn: Lohmühlenstrasse), where you’ll find an English-speaking staff.

Drugstores -- Large pharmacies with English-speaking staff include Roth’s Alte Englische Apotheke, Jungfernstieg 48 (tel. 040/343906; U-Bahn: Jungfernstieg), 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.

Post Office -- The post office at the Hauptbahnhof, Hachmannplatz 13, is centrally located. You can make long-distance calls here far more cheaply than from your hotel. 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.

Toilets -- There are decent public facilities in the center of Hamburg, and the Hauptbanhof has several. Expect to pay about 1€ to use them.

Transit Information -- For U-Bahn and S-Bahn rail information, call the Hauptbahnhof, Hachmannplatz 10 (tel. 01805/996633; www.bahn.com).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.