Amsterdam to Hamburg by train

All that’s good to know about taking the train from Amsterdam to Hamburg

Despite the two cities not being connected buy direct trains, taking the train from Amsterdam to Hamburg isn't particularly complicated

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Routes

From Amsterdam Centraal / Amsterdam CS to Hamburg Hbf

Travel Information

There are no direct trains between Amsterdam and Hamburg, but this is usually a straightforward journey, with just the one comparatively simple connection between trains.
And travelling by train from Amsterdam to Hamburg has the tick in the box, of the stations in both cities having ultra convenient locations!

Change trains in: Osnabruck

Osnabruck station is unconventional because it is shaped like a cross, the railway line from Amsterdam goes west to east. under the railway which links Dortmund to Hamburg.

So at Osnabruck Hbf the trains on to Hamburg via Bremen depart from a different part of the station, which is at an upper level.
There is an elevator, in addition to the stairs, to help facilitate the connection.

Also keep the connecting time in Osnabruck front of mind when planning this journey, most connections won't allow much time to do anything at the station between trains, such as buying something to eat and drink.

The connecting time between trains at Osnabruck Hbf will be around 17mins.
IF the train from Amsterdam does arrive too late in Osnabruck to make the booked connection, then tickets/reservations can be transferred free of charge to a later departure on to Hamburg
And there are 1 or 2 x trains per hour during the day from Osnabruck to Hamburg.

Tickets

Book in advance and save: YES

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date (usually)

On DB Bahn look for the journeys that have '1' in the Chg. column and 'IC' or 'IC, ICE' in the 'Products' column.

On NS International look for the journeys which have '1 x' and IC Berlijn > IC or IC Berlijn > ICE.

Combinations of trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.

Reservations:

Seat reservations are included when booking 1st class tickets.
However, if you book 2nd class tickets, or will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass, reservations are optional.

If you won't be taking the first and last trains of the day, our advice is too pay the reservation fee, particularly if you will also be travelling on Friday - Sunday.
These can be very busy trains, so you'll be quite fortunate to find a spare seat available for the entire journey.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from  €29 (approx)

DB Bahn Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

NS International rom  €29 (approx)

NS International Guide

NS is the Dutch national rail operator and it operates a bespoke website for the booking of international rail journeys from and to The Netherlands.
Therefore it offers tickets for journeys by:

  • Thalys trains to Bruxelles and Paris
  • IC trains to Berlin via Hannover and Bruxelles via Antwerpen
  • Eurostar to London
  • ICE trains to Basel and Frankfurt (Main) via Koln
  • the Nightjet trains to Austria and Germany

NS International also sells tickets to a range of destinations in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, which involve a change of train in Germany, along with the destinations in France, which can be accessed by making a connection in Bruxelles.

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

Final Destination: Berlin

You may not see Osnabruck on the departure screens at Amsterdam's central station, so the train you will be looking for is the train going to Berlin.

Train also calls at: Amersfoort

A slightly odd feature of this rail journey is that you'll be travelling from west to east right across The Netherlands on a German train.
The train will pass through a sequence of Dutch and German towns, this is a heavily populated area of Europe, but those different townscapes are the only interesting aspects of this journey, so having something to read or watch with you is recommended.

Train 2

Between
Osnabrück
Image coming soon...
Osnabruck Hbf
And

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

You will be travelling on an IC or ICE train between Osnabruck and Hamburg, but which train you will be travelling by makes no difference to the journey time, as there are no high-speed lines/routes between the two cities.

Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona or Kiel

The train also calls at: Bremen and Hamburg-Dammtor.

If you will be heading to Hamburg to make a connection into another train, then leave the train at Hamburg Hbf (Hauptbahnhof).

If you will be heading for the city centre check the location of your final destination in Hamburg, it's likely that the best option will be leaving the train at the city's main station, Hamburg hbf
However, remaining on the train until it arrives at Hamburg-Dammtor or Hamburg-Altona stations may be an easier option.

Avoid leaving the train at Hamburg-Harburg, it is located in the southern suburbs of the city, some distance from the central area.

From a scenic perspective this is an unexceptional journey across the flat farm land of northern Germany, so having something to watch or read with you is recommended.

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