Getting Around Magdeburg

Magdeburg, Germany

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Getting Around Magdeburg

Magdeburg sits on the Elbe river in central Germany, and its compact centre makes it easy to explore on foot, while a unified public transport network covers the wider city. Trams, buses, S-Bahn trains and even ferries all share the same ticketing system, so you can mix and match modes without buying separate fares.

One Network, One Ticket: Marego

Magdeburg's public transport is part of a linked transport system called Marego. Within this system, Magdeburg forms a single zone, and visitors need a ticket for Zone 010 (Magdeburg). The key advantage is that the same ticket is valid across S-Bahn trains, buses, trams and ferry services throughout the city, regardless of which operator you buy it from.

Tickets can be purchased from MVB (Magdeburger Verkehrsbetriebe), the operator of the city's trams and buses. MVB has box offices around the city, as well as vending machines outside and inside all trams and buses (located in the front part of the vehicle). Note that most box offices are closed on weekends. Outside vending machines only accept coins, while the machines inside vehicles accept notes up to €10. You can also buy tickets from Deutsche Bahn vending machines, since Deutsche Bahn operates the S-Bahn in Magdeburg.

If you buy your ticket outside a vehicle, you must punch it inside the vehicle to make it valid. Tickets bought inside the vehicle are valid immediately.

Reduced fares are available for children. You can search online to find specific connections within the city.

Trams: The Easiest Way for Tourists

Using the tram is probably the easiest way for visitors to get around, since most stops are located near busy places and main attractions. Magdeburg has ten tram lines, plus an additional line number 15 that is used during times of heavy traffic or for special events.

Waiting times vary widely depending on location, time and day. In the centre you will rarely wait more than five minutes, even on Sundays. At stops served by only one or two lines, you may wait ten to twenty minutes. Timetables are posted at every stop, and electronic timetables are used within the city centre. Night schedules are different.

Buses

Buses serve all areas of the city and usually run every ten to twenty minutes during the day. The main bus lines include numbers 51, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 59, 61, 66, 69, 71, 72 and 73. Special lines such as the 48 or the 15 operate for replacement services, heavy traffic or special events. As with trams, timetables are posted at every stop, and night schedules differ.

S-Bahn

There is one S-Bahn line crossing Magdeburg from south to north. S-Bahn stations are marked with a white S on a green filled circle. Trains run every 30 minutes, with different night schedules. If you need to cross the city from south to north or north to south, this is probably the fastest option rather than taking buses and trams. S-Bahn stations are also often connected to DB train stations.

Ferries

Two ferry services cross the Elbe: the Fähre Westerhüsen and the Fähre Buckau. Ferry services operate from March to October, Tuesdays to Sundays, 10:00 to 18:00. Other river services are listed in the freetime section of local guides.

Public Transport at Night

Night schedules for trams and buses apply from 23:15 until 04:15 Monday to Friday, and until 06:15 on Saturdays and Sundays. Nine night lines (N1 to N9) are in service during this time, meeting at Allee-Center or Alter Markt for transfers. The night trams are numbered N1 and N2, while the other night lines are served by buses. If you plan to go downtown at night, check schedules before you go, since not all outer parts of the city are served at night. S-Bahn service at night is limited, with trains usually running every hour on weekends.

Taxis

Most taxis in Magdeburg are operated by the Taxi-Genossenschaft Magdeburg eG. When you are in town, call 737373 (0049-391-737373 from a mobile phone) to request a taxi at any time.

Walking and the Street Network

The Magdeburger Ring (road B71) crosses Magdeburg and is the most important road, functioning like an inner-city highway. To get quickly into another part of town, you can use the B71 and exit where you want. Using the B71 can be better if you want to avoid traffic lights and long routes through the city. For visitors staying in the centre, however, many of the main attractions are close enough to reach on foot, and the tram network fills in the gaps for longer hops.

Getting into the City from the Airport

Magdeburg–Cochstedt Airport has not had regular passenger service since 2013; today it serves as a research site for the German Aerospace Center. If you travel by plane, you can use one of the following airports:

You can search for train connections from any of these airports to "Magdeburg Hbf" on the Deutsche Bahn website.

Arriving by Train or Long-Distance Bus

Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof (main railway station) serves as an important hub for east-west rail traffic, with frequent connections to major cities like Berlin, Dresden and Leipzig, as well as long-distance services towards Cologne and Hanover.

Magdeburg is also well-connected to several domestic and international bus lines. The most prominent provider is FlixBus, offering frequent direct connections to major German cities like Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. For international routes, especially towards Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, Ecolines operates regular services from the city. Most long-distance buses arrive and depart at the Central Bus Station (ZOB), which is next to the Hauptbahnhof — making transfers between bus and train straightforward.

Sources

  1. Magdeburg
  2. Wikivoyage: Magdeburg

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