After almost ten years of free access, visiting the plaza of the Hamburg Elbphilharmonie will require a fee starting October 5. Adults will need to pay five euros, while the reduced price will be three euros. The city hopes to generate additional revenue and aims to relieve the Hamburg cultural budget.

The most important information at a glance:

• Starting from October 5th, access to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza will cost: five euros regular, three euros reduced. Concert visitors will still have access through their ticket included.
• Significant drop in visitors expected: The operators expect 25 to 30 percent fewer visitors – up to 660,000 people could stay away in the future.
• Hamburg expects millions in revenue: Around 6.4 million euros gross per year are to be generated from ticket sales. After previous subsidies, approximately 2.8 million euros remain additionally.
• Criticism of the measure: The Left criticizes the lack of transparency and accuses the Senate of making visits less attractive for hundreds of thousands to relieve the culture budget.

At the same time, the question arises as to how much the new fee will influence visitor numbers. The operators of the Elbphilharmonie expect a decline of about 25 to 30 percent. This would mean that between 550,000 and 660,000 spontaneous visitors could be absent each year. Nevertheless, around 1.5 million people are still expected to visit the observation platform each year.

For Hamburg, the introduction of an entry fee is primarily about money. The Senate estimates annual gross revenues of around 6.4 million euros. Until now, the city has paid about 3.6 million euros per year to the operating company to keep the plaza accessible for free. After deducting this amount, the city would theoretically have an additional 2.8 million euros available. This money is intended, among other things, to help avoid cuts at other cultural institutions.

The leftist cultural politician Marie Kleinert criticizes the plans. She lacks a concrete and transparent explanation of how the revenues will be used. Furthermore, she finds it problematic that the city is willing to accept a significant decline in visitors for budget relief.

The operator, on the other hand, points out that the demand for the plaza has been consistently high for years. There has not been a significant increase in visitors recently, anyway. In the first half of 2025, only a few thousand more visitors were counted than in the corresponding period of 2024 and 2026.

Since its opening at the end of 2016, the 37-meter-high Plaza has become one of the most popular landmarks in Hamburg. In the first year, more than three million people visited. Last year, over 2.2 million people visited the platform to enjoy the view over the harbor and the city. On particularly busy days, up to 17,000 visitors were counted. For concert guests, the Plaza visit is included in the ticket price of the events.

With the new regulation, Hamburg is following a trend: Other well-known attractions are now also charging admission. For example, tourists have had to pay twelve euros to visit the interior of Cologne Cathedral since July, while services can still be attended for free.