About To Hamburg sports events
Hamburg hosts major sport all year: professional football at two stadiums, basketball and handball in indoor arenas, international tennis at Rothenbaum and traditional horse racing in Horn and Klein Flottbek. In summer, triathlons, cycling and running races turn the Alster and the Rathausmarkt into a course.
Who plays where
- Hamburger SV home matches – Volksparkstadion in Bahrenfeld. Details on access and closures: Volksparkstadion and Barclays Arena.
- FC St. Pauli home matches – Millerntor-Stadion on the Heiligengeistfeld, between Feldstraße and the Reeperbahn.
- Veolia Towers Hamburg (basketball) – Inselpark Arena in Wilhelmsburg, south of the Elbe.
- HSV Hamburg (handball) – Sporthalle Hamburg in Alsterdorf, with selected big games in the Barclays Arena.
- Rothenbaum Tennis Stadium – Hallerstraße in Harvestehude, venue of the Hamburg Open.
- Horner Rennbahn – the flat racing course in Horn, east of the centre.
- Derbypark Klein Flottbek – show jumping and dressage ground in the west, near the Elbe.
Millerntor on match day
The stadium sits in the middle of St. Pauli, without its own car park for visitors. On match days Budapester Straße and parts of Feldstraße are closed or heavily policed, and the Heiligengeistfeld is not available for parking. From HAM the ride takes 25 to 40 minutes on a normal day. With a home match, plan to arrive at your hotel or drop-off point no later than 90 minutes before kick-off; your driver stops where police still let cars through, usually a ten minute walk away.
Basketball and handball: two arenas, two directions
The Inselpark Arena lies in Wilhelmsburg, reached over the Elbbrücken and the Wilhelmsburger Reichsstraße. Expect 30 to 45 minutes from the airport, more when the Elbbrücken jam in the late afternoon, which is exactly when evening games start. Sporthalle Hamburg is the opposite case: 10 to 15 minutes from the terminals, so a late landing still leaves time for a handball evening.
Summer on grass and clay
The Hamburg Open fills the Rothenbaum stadium in July, with men's and women's events. Hallerstraße is a residential street, so your driver drops you at the main gate and moves on. The German Derby week at the Horner Rennbahn, traditionally in early July, brings racegoers in hats and heavy traffic on the Horner Landstraße. The German Jumping and Dressage Derby in Klein Flottbek takes place in late spring, usually around late May; the roads in the villa district around the Derbypark are narrow, and organised parking is some distance away.
When races close the city centre
Several events use the streets around the Alster and the Rathausmarkt. On race days hotels in the centre can only be reached from certain sides.
- Ironman Hamburg – usually in June. Swim in the Alster from Jungfernstieg, transition on Ballindamm, finish on the Rathausmarkt.
- World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg – usually in July, around the Binnenalster and the city hall.
- ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg – usually in August. Professional race plus amateur rides on closed roads, finish on Mönckebergstraße.
- Hamburg Half Marathon – normally in summer with a start on the Reeperbahn; in 2026 it was moved to October because of heat, so check the current date.
- Hamburg Alsterlauf – usually in September, 10 km around the Außenalster with start and finish on Ballindamm.
- Hamburg 10K – a series of 10 km road races at changing locations across the city; check the venue for your race.
The marathon in April has its own page: Hamburg Marathon. If your hotel is near the Jungfernstieg, give the exact address so your driver can plan the approach around the barriers.
Travelling as an athlete
Bike boxes, wetsuits and race bags take space. A saloon often has no room for a box at all, so book a minivan for one athlete with a bike, and a minibus for a club or team. Note the number and size of boxes in the booking. Arrive at least a day before registration closes, since bike check-in and briefings are usually scheduled before race day.
