We'll be in Hamburg for 5 wks this summer from mid July to mid August. We plan to purchase transit passes, but can't figure out how the monthly or weekly passes work. Does the monthly transit pass start on July 1st or if you buy it on July 7th will it be good for 30 days, that is, until August 6 or thereabouts.? Thanks in advance for your help.

Any other thoughts concerning them would be appreciated, too. Thanks.

Monthly Passes on HVV (the transport for Hamburg association including S-trains, the metro, buses and port ferries) are valid for the month which is indicated on them and expire on the end of the first working day of the following month. They are not valid for a period of 30 days.
You can add-on a weekly pass for the remainder of the time. A weekly pass is valid for the specific calendar week registered on it, not a 7-day period, though.
If you plan to use public transport only during off-peak hours, i.e. after 9 a.m. through 4 p.m. and then again after 6 p.m., you could opt for a CC-Card and save approx. 50% vs a monthly pass.

Thanks, hsv. I was thinking of addressing this directly to you! I thought you would be able to answer my question.

We arrive in Hamburg on 8 July and leave 11 Aug. Please advise on the best way to buy a pass. Should we buy 5 weekly passes? Thanks again.

Asking me about public transport is probably the equivalent to puttting the fox in charge of the henhouse (I don't like public transport at all), especially since I don't live in the best of all (German) cities any longer (although I still travel there a lot).

Still, a quick search of the HVV website brings up the following results:

I assume a pass covering the Greater Hamburg area ("Grossbereich"), which includes all of the city plus the major portion of suburbs, but is not valid in the total HVV network area ("Gesamtbereich"), which stretches out even further, would be the appropriate option. I don't know if any discounts (senior > 63 yars of age etc.) would apply, so assume standard fares.

Weekly Pass for the Greater Hamburg area EUR 23.50 per person.
Monthly Pass for the Greater Hamburg area EUR 89.00 per person.
3-day pass for the Greater Hamburg area: EUR 15.90 per person.
1-day pass for the Greater Hamburg area: ERU 5.40 per person.

Option 1 - Total of EUR 128.40:
- monthly pass (valid until 02 Aug): EUR 89.00
- weekly pass (valid until 08 Aug): EUR 23.50
- 3-day pass (valid until 11 Aug): EUR 15.90

Option 2 - Total of EUR 131.20:
- 1 day pass (08 July): EUR 5.40.
- 1 3-day pass (valid until 11 July): EUR 15.90
- 4 weekly passes (until 08 Aug): EUR 94.00
- 1 3-day pass (until 11 Aug): EUR 15.90

As you can see, it's pretty much of a toss-up between the two options. As the one involving a monthly pass buys each of the travellers an additional scoop of ice-cream or a small (0.33 l) Holsten Pilsener and involves less of a hassle with regards to renewals, this appears to be preferable.

For full disclosure, there may be other options more savvy users could work out that may work better for you. For making full use of potential savings on top of the EUR 2.80 per person we worked out above and that may help to finance a trip to Europe I recommend you talk to one of the HVV selling points found at the more relevant stations or at Steinstr. 27, roughly behind Petrikiche on Moenckebergstr.

http://www.hvv.de/en/

hsv: Thanks very much for so much information. It is very helpful and also very kind of you. We are looking forward to our exchange in Hamburg; I don't think we will run out of things to see and enjoy during our 5 weeks there. Annetti