Explore St Michael’s Church, Hamburg (The Michel). Find essential details: ticket prices (€10 combined), opening hours, and guide to the tower view and crypt.
The first time I spotted St Michael’s from across the harbour, I thought someone had stuck a massive copper pineapple on top of a church. The tower’s distinctive green dome catches the light at odd angles, making it visible from practically anywhere in Hamburg. Locals call it the Michel, and once you’ve climbed the 452 steps (or taken the lift like a sensible person), you understand why it’s Hamburg’s most recognised landmark. The view alone justifies the entrance fee.
Quick answer
St Michael’s Church costs €8 for tower access, €6 for the crypt, or €10 for a combined ticket to both. The church itself is free to enter. Opening hours vary by season: November to March it’s 10am to 6pm, April and October 9am to 7pm, and May to September 9am to 8pm. The Hamburg CARD gives you reduced rates (€6 tower, €5 crypt, €8 combined). Buy tickets at the visitor centre on Englische Planke 9, right next to the church on the harbour side, or book online.
At a glance
| Price | Opening hours | Address | Free for | Last entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| €10 combined ticket (tower + crypt) | May–Sep: 9am–8pm | Apr & Oct: 9am–7pm | Nov–Mar: 10am–6pm | Englische Planke 1a, 20459 Hamburg | Church only (tower and crypt require tickets) | 30 minutes before closing |
How much does St Michael’s Church cost?
The church interior is free. You only pay if you want to climb the tower or visit the crypt exhibition. Most people come for the tower view, which is Hamburg’s best, and the ticket prices reflect that. The following prices were checked on the St Michael’s Church website in December 2025
| Ticket type | Price | Who qualifies |
|---|---|---|
| Tower only | €8.00 | Adults |
| Tower only (reduced) | €6.00 | Hamburg CARD holders, people with disabilities, pensioners, students aged 16+, unemployed (proof required), groups of 10+ |
| Crypt only | €6.00 | Adults |
| Crypt only (reduced) | €5.00 | Same as above |
| Combined (tower + crypt) | €10.00 | Adults |
| Combined (reduced) | €8.00 | Same as above |
| Children (6 to 15 years) | €5.00 tower, €4.00 crypt, €6.00 combined | Ages 6 to 15 |
| Children (6 to 15, reduced) | €4.00 tower, €3.00 crypt, €5.00 combined | With Hamburg CARD |
| Family ticket | €20.00 | Two parents with children under 16 (cannot combine with other discounts) |
| Children under 6 | Free | All areas |
Tickets are valid for one year from purchase date, which is unusually generous. You could buy a ticket in January and use it in December if you fancied. It’s a handy policy if you value flexibility.
Is St Michael’s Church free to enter?
The church itself, yes. You can walk in during opening hours, sit in the pews, admire the baroque interior, listen to the organ if there’s a service, and leave without paying anything. The tower and crypt require tickets.
This matters because the church interior is worth seeing even if you don’t climb the tower. The white and gold baroque architecture, the massive organ (apparently the largest in northern Germany), and the sense of space are impressive. Free midday prayer services with organ music happen regularly, usually around noon on weekdays.
If you’re on a tight budget, you can experience the Michel meaningfully without spending anything. But if you’re paying to visit Hamburg, skipping the tower view to save €8 feels like false economy.
What time does St Michael’s Church open?
The opening hours change with the seasons, which makes sense given Hamburg’s extreme daylight variation between summer and winter.
May to September (summer): Daily 9am to 8pm
April and October (shoulder season): Daily 9am to 7pm
November to March (winter): Daily 10am to 6pm
Last entry is 30 minutes before closing. The church and crypt close during services and events, which can be frustrating if you’ve timed your visit poorly. Check the online calendar (marked “Besichtigungsmöglichkeiten”) for specific closure times. Sunday mornings are particularly prone to service disruptions.
After the tower closes for regular visitors, Nachtmichel opens. This is an evening viewing experience (separate pricing, different atmosphere) where you can go up the tower with classical music and a non-alcoholic drink included. It runs select evenings and feels more special occasion than regular sightseeing.
I visited on a Thursday morning in October. Arrived at 10am, walked straight in, bought a combined ticket, and was up the tower within 10 minutes. No queues, no crowds, perfect conditions. Weekends and summer afternoons are busier.
5 great things to do in Hamburg
- 🚢 Glide through the Speicherstadt warehouses on a two hour harbour cruise.
- 🪞 Head to the Museum of Illusions for spectacular selfies.
- 🏰 Get a gruesome take on the city’s history at the Hamburg Dungeon.
- 🚶 Take a Reeperbahn walking tour to discover Hamburg’s wild side.
- 🍺 Hear the stories of St Pauli on a guided pub crawl.
Do I need to book St Michael’s Church tickets in advance?
Not strictly necessary, but it can save you time. Tickets are available online through the official site or at the visitor centre next to the church. The visitor centre rarely has long queues except during peak summer weekends or when cruise ships empty their passengers into Hamburg’s old quarter simultaneously.
Online booking lets you skip the ticket counter entirely. You’ll still need to show your ticket when entering the tower or crypt, but you won’t wait in line to purchase. If you’re visiting on a tight schedule or during July and August, book ahead.
From medieval chapel to Hamburg icon
St Michael’s Church has burned down twice and been rebuilt three times, which tells you something about Hamburg’s determination to keep this particular building standing. The first chapel dedicated to St Michael appeared here in the early 17th century, replacing an earlier medieval structure. That first baroque church opened in 1669.
In 1750, lightning struck the tower. The church burned. They rebuilt it by 1762 in the same baroque style, bigger and more elaborate. This version became Hamburg’s main Lutheran church and a point of civic pride. The 132-metre tower (Europe’s tallest at the time) served as a navigation landmark for ships entering the port. Sailors looked for the Michel’s copper dome to know they’d reached Hamburg.
Then in 1906, renovation work went wrong. Embers from a soldering iron ignited the tower. The church burned again. Some of the exterior walls survived, but the interior was gutted. Hamburg rebuilt once more, completing the current structure in 1912. This third version copied the 1762 design closely, maintaining the baroque aesthetic while using modern construction techniques.
The church survived both world wars relatively intact, unlike St Nikolai which was destroyed in the 1943 bombing raids. This made St Michael’s even more important to Hamburg’s identity. During post-war reconstruction, when much of the city centre was rubble, the Michel stood as proof that Hamburg endured.
In the crypt, you’ll find graves dating back centuries, including composer Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (Johann Sebastian Bach’s son), who worked as Hamburg’s music director for over 20 years and is buried here. Johannes Brahms was baptised in St Michael’s, though he’s buried in Vienna.
Inside Hamburg’s baroque masterpiece
The church interior is white and gold, typical of north German baroque Protestant churches. Unlike Catholic baroque, which tends toward heavy decoration and dark colours, this feels light and spacious. The design emphasises preaching and congregational singing over visual drama, which is why the pulpit sits prominently in the centre and the organ dominates the back wall.
That organ is massive. Five keyboards, 86 stops, over 6,600 pipes. It’s one of the largest baroque organs in northern Germany and sounds spectacular. If you visit during a service or midday prayer, you’ll hear it. The church’s acoustics were designed around this instrument, and the effect is impressive.
The tower is why most tourists visit. You can climb 452 steps or take the lift (there are 52 steps to reach the lift, so it’s not entirely step-free). The viewing platform sits 106 metres up, with 360-degree views through windows. On clear days, you can see across Hamburg to the Elbe, the harbour with container ships and cruise vessels, the Elbphilharmonie concert hall, Speicherstadt warehouse district, and HafenCity development.
Photographs from different angles show different Hamburgs. Looking north, you see the city centre and Alster lakes. Looking south, it’s all harbour and industry. The platform can feel crowded when 15 people squeeze in simultaneously, but it’s large enough that you can wait for space at the best viewpoints.
The crypt houses exhibitions on Hamburg’s history, the church’s three iterations, and the city’s development over 1,000 years. A 30-minute film called “Hamburg HiStory” plays on loop, covering everything from medieval trading to modern container shipping. The exhibition uses the church’s perspective to tell Hamburg’s story, which works surprisingly well. Allow 30 to 45 minutes if you’re reading the information panels properly.
What’s included with your ticket
Tower ticket includes:
- Lift or stair access to the viewing platform at 106 metres
- 360-degree views from the observation deck
- Information displays about Hamburg’s skyline and landmarks
- Views of the tower clock mechanism on the way up
Crypt ticket includes:
- Access to the medieval crypt and burial vaults
- Hamburg HiStory exhibition and 30-minute film
- Historical displays covering 1,000 years of Hamburg’s development
- Graves of notable Hamburg residents including C.P.E. Bach
Church access (free):
- Main baroque interior with white and gold decoration
- View of the massive pipe organ (five keyboards, 86 stops)
- Seating in pews during free entry times
- Attendance at services and midday prayer with organ music
Not included: Audio guides (not available), guided tours (booked separately), evening Nachtmichel experience (separate ticket).
Things to do near St Michael’s Church
Rickmer Rickmers (250 metres, 3-minute walk) – A three-masted steel sailing ship from 1896, now a museum ship permanently moored at the Landungsbrücken. You can explore the entire vessel from cargo holds to captain’s quarters. Combination tickets available with the Michel.
Landungsbrücken (300 metres, 4-minute walk) – Hamburg’s historic harbour piers, lined with harbour tour boats, restaurants, and fish stalls. The covered jetties date from 1907. This is the departure point for most harbour cruises and a good spot to watch container ships and cruise vessels passing.
St Pauli Piers and Fish Market (600 metres, 8-minute walk) – The famous Sunday morning fish market (5am to 9:30am, summer starts at 7am) draws 70,000 people weekly for seafood, produce, and the general chaos of Hamburg’s most traditional market. St Pauli neighbourhood stretches behind, leading to the Reeperbahn entertainment district.
Speicherstadt (1.1 kilometres, 14-minute walk) – The world’s largest warehouse complex, built on timber piles between 1883 and 1927. Red-brick Neo-Gothic warehouses line narrow canals. Now houses museums including Miniatur Wunderland, the Hamburg Dungeon, and various spice and coffee merchants. UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Elbphilharmonie (1.3 kilometres, 16-minute walk or quick harbour ferry) – Hamburg’s wave-shaped concert hall completed in 2017. The free Plaza viewing platform at 37 metres offers harbour views (advance booking required). The building sits atop an old warehouse, creating the striking contrast between brick base and glass wave structure.
Practical tips
Location: Englische Planke 1a, 20459 Hamburg. In the old quarter, between the harbour and the city centre. The visitor centre where you buy tickets is at Englische Planke 9, right next to the church on the harbour side.
Getting there: U-Bahn to Baumwall or Rödingsmarkt (both about 5 minutes’ walk), S-Bahn to Stadthausbrücke (7 minutes’ walk), or take any of the numerous buses that stop near the Landungsbrücken. If arriving by harbour ferry, it’s a 5-minute walk from the Landungsbrücken pier.
Time needed: 30 minutes for just the tower, 45 minutes for tower plus crypt, or 1.5 hours if you’re attending a service or exploring the church interior thoroughly.
Photography: Allowed throughout. The tower platform has windows on all sides, so morning or afternoon light works depending on which direction you’re shooting. For harbour photos (looking south), afternoon light is better. For city centre shots (looking north), morning works best.
Dress code: None required, though remember this is a working church. Shorts and flip-flops are fine during tourist hours, but if attending a service, slightly smarter clothing is more appropriate.
Accessibility: The church interior and crypt are accessible without steps. To reach the lift for the tower, you need to climb 52 steps, which makes it partially but not fully accessible. The viewing platform itself is step-free once you’re up there.
Crowds: Busiest on summer weekends, particularly Saturday afternoons. Quietest on weekday mornings outside school holidays. The tower platform is small enough that 15 people make it feel crowded, so timing matters if you want space for photos.
Weather considerations: The tower viewing platform is enclosed with windows, so weather doesn’t matter much. However, on foggy days (common in Hamburg autumn and winter), visibility drops dramatically and the tower visit loses much of its appeal.
Facilities: Toilets available in the visitor centre. Small gift shop sells religious items, books about the church, and Hamburg souvenirs. No café, but dozens of options within 5 minutes’ walk at the Landungsbrücken.
Services and events: The church holds regular Lutheran services, primarily on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. Midday prayer with organ music happens most weekdays around noon. During services and events, the church and crypt close to tourists. Check the calendar on the website before visiting.
FAQs
Can I climb the tower stairs instead of taking the lift? Yes. There are 452 steps to the viewing platform. It’s a workout, but you see the tower clock mechanism and bell chamber on the way up. Even if you take the stairs up, you still need to climb 52 steps to reach the stair entrance.
How long does the lift take? About 45 seconds from ground level to the viewing platform. It’s a modern glass-sided lift that feels slightly incongruous inside a baroque church tower.
Is the tower view better than the Elbphilharmonie Plaza? Different rather than better. The Michel is higher (106 metres vs 37 metres) so you get a broader panorama of Hamburg and can see further. The Elbphilharmonie is closer to HafenCity and the harbour, giving you more detail of the new waterfront development. If I could only do one, I’d choose the Michel for the view, but the Elbphilharmonie Plaza is free.
Can I visit during a church service? You can attend services, but you cannot tour the church, climb the tower, or visit the crypt during service times. Services are religious events, not tourist attractions, so wandering about with a camera would be inappropriate.
What’s the Nachtmichel? An evening experience where you can visit the tower after regular closing time with classical music playing and a non-alcoholic drink included. It runs on select evenings (check the website for schedule) and costs more than regular admission. The atmosphere is different, more romantic and contemplative, but the view is the same.
How does St Michael’s compare to St Nikolai Memorial? Completely different experiences. St Michael’s is a working baroque church with an intact interior and a tower offering the best views in Hamburg. St Nikolai is a bombed-out shell left as a war memorial with a focus on the 1943 air raids. If you want traditional church architecture and harbour views, visit St Michael’s. If you want to understand Hamburg’s wartime destruction, visit St Nikolai.
Can I see the church bells? If you climb the stairs instead of taking the lift, you pass the bell chamber. The church has several historic bells, some dating back centuries. The tower clock is Germany’s largest church clock, with a face diameter of 8 metres.
More Hamburg travel
Other Hamburg travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- 9 reasons to take a Hamburg city break.
- Why Hamburg’s vibe comes from St Pauli, musicals and the port.
- Where to eat, drink, shop and stay in Hamburg.
- How to get cheap Hamburg to Berlin train tickets.
- How long should you spend at the International Maritime Museum Hamburg.
