The Hamburg Dungeon: Great Attraction In A City You Should Meet
Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany, is sometimes overshadowed by other German locations, such as Berlin, Munich, and the Black Forest region. Nevertheless, it is well worth getting to know this green city, with at least 2,500 canals scattered throughout it. There is a wide variety of attractions in Hamburg, including ancient buildings, a particularly lively harbor, peaceful parks (such as the Planten un Blomen and the Alster lakes), museums (including the highly rated Kunsthalle Museum), attractions for children, and some that are suitable for those who connect with scary attractions worldwide.
The Hamburg Dungeon is an excellent tourist attraction that has recently won several significant awards. In the dungeon, you can learn about the rich – and quite dark – history of Hamburg in an experiential, fun, and scary way. So, if you are a horror fan and want to know what to do in Hamburg, you should get to see the dungeon.
What Is The Hamburg Dungeon?
You might know the general idea here if you’ve read our reviews of similar sites, such as the London Dungeon or the Amsterdam Dungeon. The Hamburg Dungeon opened in 2000 as part of the “Dungeons” network and is designed to expose visitors to the city’s history in the most experiential way possible.
Among other things, you can find in Hamburg Dungeon an elaborate set and various types of effects, interactive shows that present over 600 Hamburg’s history, flesh-and-blood actors who will do anything to scare visitors, two underground horror rides, and more. In some cases, visitors become full partners in the story built here between the stations, even actors in the total sense of the word.
What Does The Hamburg Dungeon Offer?
If you go a little deeper into The Hamburg Dungeon, you can see that there are over ten stations here, including:
The Inquisition
The Inquisition is a show that will take you back to the dark ages of Hamburg when a person accused of heresy could experience suffering worse than death. It is an impressive room with a 360-degree setting, special effects, and more.
The Torture Chamber
The Torture Chamber will take you back to the brutal torture methods of the 19th century, with a setting and actors. Among other things, you can sit in the torture chair, be locked in a torture chamber, or watch some of the ruthless torturing methods, including demonstrations (not real, of course).
The Labyrinth
It is a challenging and slightly more difficult mirror maze than it seems at first glance, with various scares along the way.
Elevator of Doom
The creaking elevator, combined with hair-raising sound effects and sudden jolts, creates an atmosphere of tension and fear, which will connect you to over 600 years of Hamburg’s history.
Boat Ride
This boat will take you on a not-so-calm ride among scary displays and scares. It is one of the highlights of The Hamburg Dungeon, which reopened in 2022 after massive renovations.
Great Fire of Hamburg
On May 4, 1842, a terrible fire occurred in Hamburg, destroying large parts of the city and causing thousands to lose their homes. The next attraction will take you back to that day, with a reconstruction of the fire using effects, sounds, smoke, and more.
Santa Fu
Hamburg’s famous prison housed the most brutal criminals in the 19th century. In the attraction, you can see interactive displays that tell what exactly was there and how the prisoners lived, with scenery, effects, and actors.
Drop Ride
After the “escape” from Santa Fu, go up to this elevator about eight meters high. From there, you will fall in complete darkness at a speed of almost 10 meters per second.
Revenge of Maria Katharina Wächtler
The story of Maria Katharina Wächtler is one of the most gruesome stories in Hamburg’s history. In the 18th century, she was accused of murdering her husband, which included cutting his body into pieces and throwing them on her journey to the city of Lübeck. She did not confess, even after being brutally tortured, and the case remained unsolved. Now, she is back from the dead to terrify visitors to a Hamburg dungeon.
Klaus Störtebeker
Klaus Störtebeker was a notorious pirate who was captured and executed by beheading. The next room brings the story to life and Störbecker’s mind because after you’ve imagined the execution, you’ll hear him speak.
The Plague Hospital
After the Great Plague of 1350, which claimed the lives of almost half of Europe’s population, the Black Death arrived in 1712 and caused about 11,000 deaths. In the following simulation, you’ll enter a hospital, meet a doctor, and see various disgusting effects that show what happened during the plague and what the patients suffered there.
How To Visit The Hamburg Dungeon?
The Hamburg Dungeon Opening Hours
Hamburg Dungeon is open almost all year round, but opening hours may change each month, depending on the tourist calendar. The attraction usually opens at 10:00 AM and closes around 7:00-5:00 PM, depending on the season. Most of the time, the attraction may be open longer during weekends and tourist seasons.
The most practical recommendation in this situation is to be active and check the exact opening hours for the specific date of your visit. You can easily do this through the official dungeon website.
Hamburg Dungeon Tickets And Combinations
Like other attractions, you can find different types of tickets:
🎫 Single Day Ticket – includes entry to the dungeon on a specific date selected in advance, with the possibility of changing the date once
🎫 Entrance Ticket, incl. digital Photo Pass – entry to the dungeon and access to a digital library with your photos. Here, too, you can change the selected date once
🎫 Happy Hour tickets – Discounted Hamburg Dungeon ticket is offered on Sundays, starting at 2:00 PM. Possibility of one change in the date and also access to the photos for a very minimal additional fee
Another option, which can save you quite a bit of money, is to combine the dungeon with other types of attractions in Hamburg, for example:
🎫 Hamburg Port Tour
🎫 Reeperbahn Street Tour, the nightlife and entertainment hub of Hamburg
🎫 Tour of the Reeperbahn, the center of Hamburg’s nightlife and entertainment
🎫 Cruise on the Alster River
🎫 Meal at the Hard Rock Cafe in Hamburg, a week before or after the dungeon tour
Please note that the supply of places for Hamburg’s dungeon tours is limited, and demand may be high during the busier times of the tourist season, on weekends, and so on. Therefore, it is recommended not to wait until the last minute, but to buy tickets in advance – which can be cheaper thanks to various promotions, allowing you to reserve a place and saving you the queue at the ticket office.
Where To Buy Tickets For The Hamburg Dungeon?
We recommend buying Hahmburg Dungeon tickets in advance. You can do it easily online before your arrival, while some websites offer free cancelation up to 24 hours before the selected date. Such offers can save you money and time since they help you avoid the queue at the box office. There are also Skip the Line Hamburg Dungeon tickets.
You can find tickets on the following websites:
How To Get To The Hamburg Dungeon?
The Hamburg Dungeon is located at Kehrwieder 2, 20457, in the heart of the old town. The dungeon is straightforward to reach from most of the city’s must-see sites on foot or by public transport.
More specifically, the attraction is a few minutes walk from the Stadthausbrücke S-Bahn station or the Baumwall and Überseequartier U-Bahn stations.
You can also take bus line 6 to the “Auf dem Sande” stop or line 11 to the Überseequartier stop.
You can find more information about the directions here.
Some important notes before visiting:
- An average tour of the Hamburg Dungeon, including all its attractions, takes about an hour and a half.
- The place is mostly wheelchair accessible, except for a few attractions (like the scary elevator).
- Most tours are in German, but you can also book English tours at different times.
- The attraction is primarily suitable for children aged ten and up. Children aged 10-14 receive a reduced admission price.
- At the end of the tour, there is a souvenir shop with items related to the attraction and Hamburg’s history.
Arriving in Hamburg? Here are some other worth-seeing attractions in the city:
