Elbphilharmonie to charge €5 for access to balcony from October

From October 2026, visitors will have to pay 5 euros to access the Elbphilharmonie Plaza balcony in Hamburg. Local government says the change is “unavoidable”.

Hamburg to charge entrance to Elbphilharmonie Plaza

Hamburg's local government has announced that, starting in October, visitors to the Elbphilharmonie Plaza balcony will have to pay a 5-euro entrance fee. There will also be a reduced-price entrance ticket sold for 3 euros. 

Until now, visitors had to book a ticket to visit the balcony, but the entrance was free. The new policy comes as part of a draft budget by the city’s SPD-Greens local government. The coalition said the move was “unavoidable” and that charging for access to the balcony had always been planned, according to NDR.

Scholz inaugurated Plaza as “our balcony”

The balcony sits 37 metres above ground level, is accessed via the longest curved escalator in western Europe, offers a panoramic view of the port city and is the most-visited attraction in Hamburg.

An estimated 17.000 people visit the balcony every day, 3 million every year, and a total of 25 million have visited since the site opened in 2016, according to local authorities.

Opening the balcony, then-mayor of Hamburg and later federal chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) promised the site would be “our balcony” and a “public place with free access for every man and woman”.