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.
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
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.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
Happyrail | from €17.90 | |
Omio | from €17.90 | |
Saveatrain | from €17.90 |
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.
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
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.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
Saveatrain | from €17.90 | |
Omio | from €17.90 | |
Happyrail | from €17.90 |
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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This is one of more than 1000 journey guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.