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

At face value this will probably seem a long and complicated journey by train, but it's more than likely to be stress-free.

Our top tip for those travelling with heavy luggage, small children etc, is to seek out and use the lifts/elevators, that will be available at all four stations; in Amsterdam, Osnabruck, Hamburg and Kobenhavn.

Change trains in: Osnabruck and Hamburg

The connection between trains at Osnabruck is around 17 - 19 mins

This matters if you depart Amsterdam at 07:00, because if the train arrives in Osnabruck too late to connect into the train on to Hamburg, you won't then make the optimum connection on to Kobenhavn - you will then have to spend more than two hours in Hamburg awaiting the next departure on to Denmark.

Depart Amsterdam by the 09:00 train and your end-to-end journey will be slower by at least an hour, but you will be more likely to make the connections.
Make the connection in Osnabruck and you'll be spending over two hours in Hamburg between trains (if you don't take the train heading to Arhus and make another connection in Kolding).
But there will be contingency against the possibility of missing that connection in Osnabruck.

Depart Amsterdam at 11:00 and the journey will be faster, but making the connections into what is the final train of the day on Kobenhavn will be far from guaranteed.
You will be relying on making an 18 min connection in Osnabruck and a 39 min connection in Hamburg

If you depart Amsterdam at 07:00 or 09:00 and train delays cause you to miss booked connections, tickets/reservations etc can be transferred free of charge to later departures.

Book in advance and save: YES

Online bookings open: Three months ahead of the travel date

On NS International look for the journeys that have 'x2' and 'Intercity Berlijn > IC > Eurocity.

How to buy tickets on NS International (PC version) – follow this GUIDE

Seat reservations

In the summer months reservations are mandatory on the train from Hamburg to Kobenhavn - and when they are they will automatically be included when booking,.
But at other times they are optional so they need to be proactively added for an additional charge.

Seat reservations are optional on the trains between Amsterdam and Hamburg
They cost €4.90 when travelling in 2nd Class and €5.90 when travelling in 1st class - take note if you will be using a rail pass.
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.

They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.

On this journey which involves two trains on which seat reservations are available, the fees cover all trains - if reservations are added when initially booking.

When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets, you have the option of purchasing seat reservations later.
It can be worth re-looking up a journey a week or two ahead of travel, because the DB website will indicate how busy a departure will be.
Though if you opt to add reservations later you will have pay the fees per train.