Where can you cross the Elbe?
Between Hamburg and the North Sea, the Elbe has no bridge and no tunnel. The nearest fixed crossing is the A7 Elbe Tunnel in Hamburg, so driving from Lower Saxony (Cuxhaven, Stade) to Schleswig-Holstein (Brunsbüttel, Glückstadt, Husum) means a long detour through the city and its traffic jams. The ferry from Wischhafen to Glückstadt cuts that detour out.
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Map: crossing the lower Elbe
The map shows the Elbe crossing near the river mouth. The Cuxhaven to Brunsbüttel ferry stopped when its operator Elbferry went bankrupt at the end of 2021. A feasibility study says a new service could work, but no restart has been announced, so Wischhafen to Glückstadt is the only ferry across the lower Elbe.
Wischhafen to Glückstadt
FRS Elbfähre sails the Wischhafen to Glückstadt crossing every day of the year, roughly every 30 minutes. In summer (1 May to 31 October) the first ferry leaves Wischhafen at 04:30 on weekdays and the last one leaves Glückstadt at 23:15; at weekends and in winter the first sailings are later. At busy times the ferries shuttle continuously, and exact times can shift with the tide.
| Ticket (one way) | Price 2026 |
|---|---|
| Car up to 4.50 m | €9.00 |
| Car 4.51 to 5.00 m | €10.50 |
| Car 5.01 to 6.00 m | €13.50 |
| Motorcycle | €5.50 |
| Adult | €3.40 |
| Child (4 to 14) | €1.80 |
| Bicycle | €3.00 |
| Dog | €1.50 |
From frs-elbfaehre.de, October 2026. Drivers and passengers pay on top of the vehicle fare, and a fuel surcharge applies (car €1.30, passenger €0.30). Payment by card is accepted.
Expect queues on summer weekends
The ferries are fairly small and you cannot book, so on sunny weekends and at the start of the holidays you may have to wait for one or more sailings. Travelling early in the morning or in the evening usually helps.
Will there be a tunnel?
A tunnel for the A20 motorway between Glückstadt and Drochtersen has been planned for years. The last court challenges against the planning approval were dismissed in 2026, but construction has not started yet and no opening date has been set. Until then, the ferry remains the way across.
Other Elbe ferries
The Elbe flows into Germany from the Czech Republic near Dresden, and there are many small river ferries along the way. In Hamburg, the HADAG harbour ferries are part of the public transport network: line 62 runs from the Landungsbrücken past Altona and Övelgönne to Finkenwerder, and you can use a normal HVV ticket. Heading out to sea? See our guide to the ferry to Helgoland, which leaves from Hamburg, Brunsbüttel and Cuxhaven.
FAQ: the Elbe ferry
Only one: FRS Elbfähre between Wischhafen and Glückstadt. The Cuxhaven to Brunsbüttel ferry has not run since the end of 2021.
In 2026 a car up to 4.50 metres costs €9.00 one way. The driver and any passengers pay on top of that: €3.40 per adult and €1.80 per child aged 4 to 14, plus a small fuel surcharge.
About 20 to 25 minutes. Ferries leave roughly every 30 minutes, more often when it is busy.
No, it is turn up and go. On summer weekends you may have to wait for the next sailing.
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Can I travel with a Caravan on the FRS Elbfaehre? Please let me know! Are there also tickets still open for September?