Berlin to Hamburg by train

How to make a train journey from Berlin to Hamburg by train

There isn't high speed railway between Berlin and Hamburg as the line has always been engineered for higher than average speeds, but over the years €billions have been spent on improving it, so that trains can spend the majority of the journey travelling at 200 km/h.

Slower than the maximum speed of the ICE trains, which is why the IC and EC trains can come close to matching their journey times.
It's the number of station calls made which has the greater impact on the journey times.
The fastest trains are non-stop between Berlin-Spandau and Hamburg hbf, while other trains make up to three additional calls.

The timetable is arranged so that there is at least once ICE train departure in every hour, with most hours also having an IC or EC train.

Though which type of train you travel by tends to make no difference to the ticket prices; the most popular departure times will be more expensive, irrespective of what train is used.

If you want to travel with a non-folding bicycle you will need to take the IC or EC trains, or now the ICE 4 trains, but need to avoid the ICE 1, ICE 2 or ICE 3 trains.

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Routes

Option 1: taking the ICE trains

Travel Information

Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona or Kiel

All trains also call at: Berlin-Spandau*; Hamburg-Dammtor

Departing from Berlin:

*If you will be setting off from West Berlin, your best option may be to commence your journey at Berlin Zoologischer Garten (Berlin-Zoo) station.

Take Regio or S-Bahn trains from there to Berlin-Spandau station, where you can connect into these trains

Some trains also depart from: Berlin-Sudkreuz

At Berlin Hbf the train should depart from the lower level (tief) platforms/gleis.

Arriving in Hamburg:

Check the location of your final destination in Hamburg before booking.

All trains will call at Hamburg Hbf, but most trains travel on beyond Hamburg Hbf to also call at Hamburg-Dammtor station and then at Hamburg-Altona.

So leaving the trains at either of those stations, could give you easier access to your final destination in the city.

1 x train per hour

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

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

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.
On the DB booking site look for journeys that have:

0 in the Chg. column

ICE  (and only ICE) in the Products column - if you want to travel by these ICE trains.

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.
Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.

Seat reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on DB Bahn and your seat reservation is included - but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €17.90

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.

Happyrail from €17.90

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

Omio from €17.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

Saveatrain from €17.90

Saveatrain Guide

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

This route is unusual because four of the five types of ICE train are used
Most departures are by the newer ICE 4 trains, which have bike racks, but if you want to travel with a bike it's best to use the 'further options' button on the DB booking website and tick the travelling with bicycles box.

The next most common type of train used are the ICE 1 trains, but some departures are by the ICE 3 and ICE-T trains.

The train will spend virtually the entirety of its journey travelling through pleasant, but unremarkable countryside, so having something to read or watch with you is recommended.

Option 2: taking the other trains

Travel Information

Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona or Westerland

Departing from Berlin:

At Berlin Hbf the train should depart from the lower level (tief) platforms/gleis.

All of these trains also call at: Berlin-Spandau

If you will be setting off from West Berlin, your best option may be to commence your journey at Berlin Zoologischer Garten (Berlin-Zoo) station.
Take Regio or S-Bahn trains from there to Berlin-Spandau station, where you can connect into these trains

Some trains also depart from: Berlin-Sudkreuz

Arriving in Hamburg:

Check the location of your final destination in Hamburg before booking.

All trains will call at Hamburg Hbf, but most trains travel on beyond Hamburg Hbf to also call at Hamburg-Dammtor staion and then at Hamburg-Altona.

So leaving the trains at either of those stations, could give you easier access to your final destination in the city.

7 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

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

Ticket prices for this route tend to depend on the time of day that you want to travel, rather than the type of train, so target the alternative faster ICE trains if possible.

You often won't save money by taking these slower IC/EC trains.

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.
On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have:
0 in the Chg. column

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.
Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.

Seat reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on DB Bahn and your seat reservation is included - but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €17.90

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.

Saveatrain from €17.90

Saveatrain Guide

Omio from €17.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

Happyrail from €17.90

Happyrail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

On this journey

Journey Features

Scenic - NoNot High Speed

Good to Know

The EC trains on this train have travelled from Czechia or Hungary, so if you'll be departing Berlin after midday after don't be surprised at finding yourself on a Czech or Hungarian train.

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