🇩🇪 Same-country drive · Germany
Driving from Hamburg to Stuttgart
Essential road trip advice for the drive from Hamburg to Stuttgart, covering key motorways, traffic patterns, and navigation tips across Germany.
- Drive time
- 6h 38m
- Distance
- 653 km
- Same day?
- Yes, doable
- under 8 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €101
- petrol · diesel ≈ €82
- Tolls
- Toll-free
- no charges en route
- EV charging
- Unknown
- not yet surveyed
On this page
Route map
Route options
Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.
Avoids motorways
+4h 18m- Distance:
- 675 km (+22 km)
- Duration:
- 10h 57m
Via: B 252 · B 3 · B 469 · B 27
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
6h 38m
653 km · €101 fuel
See details ↓
Not realistic
653 km is far beyond a typical multi-day cycle tour. Try a shorter pair like a day or weekend stage.
8h 3m
FlixTrain-eu · FlixBus-eu
See details ↓
2h 7m
from €40
See details ↓
6h 42m
metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH · DB Fernverkehr AG
See details ↓
What the drive is like
Drafted from the route's computed data on April 25, 2026 and reviewed against the route summary card. Read our methodology.
You peel away from the Hamburg city center and join the A7, a high-traffic artery that defines the first major leg of your journey south. The initial stretch through Lower Saxony is predominantly flat and often congested around Hannover, where you will transition toward the A7’s long-distance southern route. Stay vigilant for the heavy lorry traffic that dominates these lanes, as the speed differential between heavy vehicles and passenger cars often triggers sudden braking zones that catch distracted drivers off guard.
As you pass through the hilly terrain of the Fulda Gap and descend toward the Würzburg interchange, the character of the drive shifts noticeably. You will weave through sections of the A3 and eventually link onto the A81, which winds through the verdant landscapes of northern Baden-Württemberg. Keep in mind that while the Autobahn offers stretches of unrestricted speed, the reality of German motorway driving is a disciplined dance; the right-hand lane rule is strictly enforced, and you should anticipate rapid closing speeds from high-performance vehicles, particularly as you approach the Stuttgart industrial hub.
Approaching Stuttgart requires careful navigation, especially if you are heading directly toward the headquarters of Porsche or Mercedes-Benz. The transition from the A81 onto the B10 or local feeder roads into the city center often brings you into dense urban traffic. Ensure your vehicle meets the local emissions standards, as the city mandates specific environmental stickers for access to the core zones. If you are travelling in winter months, ensure your tires are rated for sub-zero conditions, as sudden frosts in the higher elevations near the Swabian Jura can make the asphalt unexpectedly slick.
Route highlights
- The transition through the Fulda Gap along the A7
- The sprawling Würzburg interchange connecting the A7 and A3
- The final approach into the Stuttgart valley, home to global automotive engineering giants
- Scenic stretches of the A81 passing through rural Baden-Württemberg
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Long day — start early
Doable in one day but it is a full day behind the wheel. Start before 9am, plan one proper lunch stop, keep the driver rested.
- Distance:
- 653 km
- Duration:
- 6h 38m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Isernhagen Farster Bauerschaft 🇩🇪 de
≈131 km≈ 7.3 km detour from the main route
-
Rosdorf 🇩🇪 de
≈261 km≈ 6 km detour from the main route
-
Burghaun 🇩🇪 de
≈392 km≈ 7.2 km detour from the main route
-
Waldbüttelbrunn 🇩🇪 de
≈523 km≈ 6.6 km detour from the main route
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Long rural stretch on B 19
Plan for about 12 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
City access & emission zones
Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart need a green Umweltplakette
Must knowGermany's low-emission zones (Umweltzone) are simpler than the French system but stricter on entry. You need a colour-coded sticker physically on your windscreen before entering. The vast majority of zones today require a green sticker (Euro 4+ petrol, Euro 6+ diesel). Order via TÜV / DEKRA / certified workshops — about €6–13, ships in days. Driving without one costs €100 even if your car would qualify.
Two streets in Altona ban older diesels — Max-Brauer-Allee and Stresemannstrasse
Must knowHamburg
Hamburg doesn't run a citywide LEZ but has Germany's only **street-level** diesel ban: Max-Brauer-Allee (Euro 6 only) and Stresemannstrasse (trucks Euro 6+ only) since 2018. Cameras enforce both. Sat-nav usually routes around them automatically; check your route if you've set "shortest" mode.
What your car must carry
Triangle, first-aid kit, hi-vis vest — all three
Must knowGermany requires a warning triangle, a first-aid kit (compliant with DIN 13164, with a "use by" date — €10 at any pharmacy), and a reflective vest in every passenger car. Roadside checks do happen at borders. The first-aid kit is the one foreign drivers most commonly miss.
Driving rules & habits
Left lane is for overtaking only — return immediately
UsefulOn unrestricted Autobahn sections (where you'll see no speed-limit-end signs), faster cars expect to use the left lane unobstructed. Drift into it without checking the mirror and a 911 closing at 250 km/h becomes your problem. Indicate, overtake, return right — every time. Slowing in the left lane to "make space" is more dangerous than predictable speed.
Phone-mounted radar warnings are illegal
UsefulActive radar-detector apps (and the "police nearby" feature on Waze / Google Maps) are technically banned in Germany — fines hit €75. Most drivers leave them on without consequence, but if you're stopped for any reason, the officer can ask to see your phone. Switch the warning layer off when crossing into DE if you want to play it strict.
Elbtunnel queue 17:00–19:00 weekdays
UsefulHamburg
The A7 Elbtunnel under the river is the only continuous north-south route through Hamburg. Weekday 17:00–19:00 it backs up to 30 minutes both directions; Sunday evening returning from coastal weekends adds the same. The Köhlbrandbrücke is a 12 km detour but flows reliably.
Fuel stations
Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump
TipMajor brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.
Money & connectivity
EU roaming covers calls, texts and data at no extra cost
TipYour home EU SIM works at home rates across every EU member, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The "fair use" cap on data only applies if you're abroad more than four months. For a 2-week road trip, just use your phone normally — but switch off "data roaming" if you're leaving the EU into UK / CH for any segment.
Emergency & breakdown
112 works everywhere in the EU and continental neighbours
TipSingle number for police, ambulance, fire — works from any phone, any network, any country. On motorways, the orange SOS pillars every 2km connect direct to the regional traffic control centre and pinpoint your location. Use them over your phone if you can — it speeds the response.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
A 7 —477 km
-
A 81 —121 km
-
A 1 —13 km
-
B 19 —12 km
-
B 10 —6 km
-
A 3 —6 km
-
A 255 —3 km
-
B 27 Heilbronner Straße3 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 95%
- Secondary
- 4%
- Other / rural
- 1%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Moderate
Manageable but pay attention — long enough that a second driver or a planned lunch break is smart.
- Long drive: 6h 38m behind the wheel at free-flow speeds.
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €101
49 L × €2.06 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €82
39.2 L × €2.09 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €71
114 kWh × €0.62 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Prices last refreshed 2026-05-04.
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇩🇪 Hamburg
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5°
1°
|
7°
2°
|
11°
3°
|
14°
5°
|
19°
10°
|
22°
13°
|
22°
15°
|
23°
14°
|
21°
13°
|
14°
9°
|
8°
4°
|
6°
3°
|
| 92mm | 58mm | 51mm | 64mm | 56mm | 87mm | 128mm | 72mm | 57mm | 118mm | 83mm | 68mm |
hot mild cold
🇩🇪 Stuttgart
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6°
-0°
|
8°
2°
|
12°
3°
|
15°
5°
|
19°
10°
|
24°
14°
|
25°
15°
|
25°
15°
|
21°
12°
|
16°
8°
|
9°
3°
|
6°
1°
|
| 68mm | 54mm | 67mm | 71mm | 98mm | 87mm | 97mm | 90mm | 95mm | 82mm | 81mm | 61mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Stuttgart
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Tue 12
☀️
6° / 5°
—
-
Wed 13
🌧️
13° / 3°
17.2mm
-
Thu 14
🌧️
12° / 5°
24.3mm
-
Fri 15
⛅
12° / 3°
1.4mm
-
Sat 16
⛅
13° / 6°
0.2mm
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 19 manoeuvres
- Rathausmarkt
- Neue Elbbrücke (B 4; B 75) 0.3 km
- (A 255) 3 km
- (A 1) 13 km
- (A 7) 106 km
- (A 7) 143 km
- (A 7) 97 km
- (A 7) 131 km
- — 0.4 km
- (B 19) 12 km
- (A 3) 6 km
- — 1 km
- (A 81) 121 km
- — 0.7 km
- (B 10) 6 km
- (B 10; B 27) 1 km
- Heilbronner Straße (B 27) 0.2 km
- Heilbronner Straße (B 27) 3 km
- Friedrichstraße (B 27)
By coach from Hamburg to Stuttgart
Indicative duration of the fastest direct long-distance coach found in the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus EU schedules.
- Travel time
- 8h 3m
- Direct
- Operator
- FlixTrain-eu
- + 1 more
- Departures / day
- ~1
- Approximate based on the published schedule.
All operators on this route
- FlixTrain-eu
- FlixBus-eu
Show coach corridor on map
Schedules sourced from the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus GTFS feeds via transport.data.gouv.fr. Times are indicative; verify on the operator's site before booking.
Booking link coming soon.
By plane from Hamburg to Stuttgart
Indicative travel time on a non-stop flight, based on great-circle distance, average commercial cruise speed (850 km/h), and a 90-minute allowance for taxi, security, and boarding.
- Total time
- 2h 7m
- Door-to-door from :from airport.
- In the air
- 38 min
- At ~850 km/h cruise speed.
- On the ground
- 90 min
- Taxi + security + boarding (typical short-haul).
- Route
- HAM → STR
- 533 km great-circle.
Indicative fare: from €40 — fares vary by season, day of week, and how far ahead you book. Always check the airline or a meta-search before planning around this number.
Show flight path on map
Estimate-only. We don't pull live schedules or fares for flights — see the methodology page for how this number is computed.
Air travel emits roughly 5–10× the CO₂ per passenger-km of rail for the same distance.
By train from Hamburg to Stuttgart
Fastest cross-border rail itinerary from the public Transitous planner. Times reflect a typical Monday-morning departure on the next available service-day.
- Fastest journey
- 6h 42m
- 3 changes
- Lead operator
- metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH
- + 2 more
- Alternatives
- 6
- Itineraries returned by the planner.
Trains on the fastest itinerary
- RE4
- ICE 789
- FLX10
All operators across alternatives
- metronom Eisenbahngesellschaft mbH
- DB Fernverkehr AG
- FlixTrain-de
Includes a high-speed rail leg (TGV, ICE, AVE, Frecciarossa-class).
Show route on map
Routing via the public Transitous OTP planner (community-run MOTIS instance). Cached 24 hours; verify on the operator's site before booking.
Frequently asked
Are there any vignettes required for this route?
No, Germany does not require a vignette for passenger vehicles on its motorway network, though you should ensure your vehicle has the appropriate emissions sticker for city centers.
What should I expect regarding speed limits?
While many sections of the A7 and A81 have advisory speed limits of 130 km/h, look for permanent and temporary signs that override this, particularly near major interchanges and construction zones.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, and Google Gemini drafts the narrative and FAQ from the computed route data. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.