How to take direct trains from north-west Switzerland to northern Germany

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Basel / Bâle to Hamburg by train

When taking a rail journey from Basel to Hamburg, travellers can choose between making the journey by day on a sleek ICE train, or travelling through the night on a smart Nightjet service.

Routes you can take to go from Basel / Bâle to Hamburg

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections?

Journey guides for travel to Basel / Bâle Journey guides for travel from Hamburg

Route Information

Option 1: travelling by day

Station Guides

The main station hall at Basel Bad bf is enriched by the stunning light show

Basel Bad Bf Rail Station Guide

Hamburg Hbf Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

6hr 20min (approx)

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

5 x trains per day

Is this journey from Basel to Hamburg direct?
Yes, there is no need to make a connection when taking this route.

Is the journey scenic?
it isn't exceptional

What other tourist locations are along the route from Basel to Hamburg?
Basel and Freiburg(Breisgau) and Offenburg and Baden-Baden and Hannovr

When is the usual approximate earliest arrival at Hamburg Hbf on this journey option?
After 13:30 daily
Though the typical timings on this route are being impacted by construction work in Germany.
Source = European Rail Timetable

How easy is it to travel on from the main station in Hamburg?
Hamburg Hbf is linked to other areas of the city by frequent local (S-Bahn) trains and the metro (U-Bahn) - See the Station Guide above for more info, plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in its neighbourhood.

When is the usual approximate latest departure from Basel to Hamburg on this journey option

From Basel SBB station = After 16:10 daily
From Basel Bad Bf = After 16:20 daily
Source = European Rail Timetable

How easy is it to get to the station in Basel?

To Basel SBB = the station is located to the south of the city centre, but is connected from it by tram lines / routes 8, 10 or 11.
To Basel Bad Bf = the station is located to the east of the city centre, but is connected from it by tram lines / routes 6.
See the Station Guide to Basel SBB for more info, plus easy access to booking accommodation in its neighbourhood.

Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for these Basel to Hamburg trains?
Yes

How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale for these Basel to Hamburg trains?
Typically up to 6 months ahead of the travel date; though this period of time can be shorter, particularly when searching for journeys more than three months ahead during October and March.

What are the child ticket terms for these Basel to Hamburg trains?

Children aged 5 or younger travel free of charge.
Up to four children aged 6-14 and travelling with a person aged 15 and travel free or charge - see the Ticket Guide for more info.

Does the ticket for these Basel to Hamburg trains include assigned seats?
No, reservations are available, but are not mandatory.
See the Train Guide in the Journey Information for insights on how to board the train

Do rail pass users need to book reservations for these Basel to Hamburg trains?
No - and that includes when travelling in June to August.

Is catering available on these Basel to Hamburg trains?
Yes, there is a bar/bistro car and a restaurant
See the Train Guide in the Journey Information.

What else is good to know about Swiss rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in Switzerland.

What else is good to know about German rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in Germany.

Travel Information

Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona (or Kiel)

All trains also call at: Frankfurt (Main); Hannover; Hamburg-Harburg, and Hamburg-Dammtor.

Arriving in Hamburg:

All of these trains will call at two stations adjacent to Hamburg city centre; Hamburg Hbf and Hamburg Dammtor.
So it can be worthwhile working out which of these stations in the city, will suit your needs best, before making the journey.

Avoid leaving the train at Hamburg-Harburg, the first station call in the city, this station is in the southern suburbs.

Departing from Basel:

These trains will also call at Basel SBB station before they depart from Basel Bad bf.
If you'll be setting off from Basel city centre, then joining these trains at Basel Bad Bdf station is usually a quicker, easier and cheaper option.

Join these trains at Basel SBB, if you'll be making connections from trains that will be heading to Basel from other destinations in Switzerland.
Also if you're a rail pass user and have gambled on not making a reservation - then head to Basel SBB station to join these trains.
You'll have a better chance of finding spare seats at Basel SBB than at Basel Bad bf.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

ICE 4 (Germany) Train Guide

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

Avoid the morning EC train, which will be heading to Hamburg via Koln, it is more than three hours slower than these ICE trains.

Until February 29th

Due to construction work on the high speed line in Germany between Kassel and Gottingen, between these dates these trains will be diverted on to an alternative route between these stations, which will increase the journey time to around 7hr 15mins,

ICE trains on an alternative route

There are now also up to five ICE trains per day which take an alternative route to Hamburg via Koln, but these trains have a typical journey time of around 7h 45mins

This is a journey of six distinct phases:

From the suburbs of Basel to Offenburg, the railway travels through a rolling landscape.
Then from Offenburg to Karlsruhe a high speed line has been constructed beside the conventional route.
Between Karlrsruhe and Frankfurt (Main) the train will race through a string of towns.
The train will reverse direction on departure from Frankfurt (Main) Hbf.
After Fulda, the train will make use of Germany's first high speed line; this is the part of the journey with a wow factor as the trains will travel across dozens of viaducts and bridges, which occur as flashes between numerous tunnels.
Then the remainder of the journey on from Hannover is through the largely flat landscape of northern Germany.

So you won't be missing out on a particularly memorable journey if you opt to take the overnight train.

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Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

Choosing your departure station:

This train commences its journey at Basel SBB station and then calls at Basel Bad Bf.
So use Basel Bad Bf as the 'from' station when looking up tickets for this train; they can be much cheaper than journeys from Basel SBB.

A choice of tickets on the DB website

Three types of tickets are always available: Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis and Flexpreis.

A key difference between these types of tickets is refunds:

Super Sparpreis tickets are cheapest, but they can't be refunded at all.
Sparpreis tickets can be refunded for a fee, but the refund will be in the form of travel vouchers to be used for alternative / future journeys.
Flexpreis tickets can be refunded at no additional charge.

The other key difference is that both types of Sparpreis tickets are only valid on the specific departures selected when booking, but the Flexpreis tickets live up to their name, as they can be used on any departure on your travel date.

Note that none of the tickets can be exchanged to a different departure.
There's no need for this to be available for Flexpreis tickets, as they aren't train departure specific.
If you book a Sparpreis ticket and want to travel by a different departure you can refund it and then use the travel voucher towards the cost of the new booking.
Super Sparpreis tickets can't be exchanged or refunded.

Seat reservations

Seat reservations are optional on ICE trains on this route - take note if you will be using a rail pass.
They cost €4.90 when travelling in 2nd Class and €5.90 when travelling in 1st class.
They are included within the cost of booking 1st class Flexpreis tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.
Specific seats can be selected from seating plans - you don't have to accept the seat(s) that you will be automatically offered.

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.
Although if you do book your reservations later and your journey involves more than one train, you will then have to pay for separate reservations per train.

Booking on the DB website

You can find these direct trains more easily by making a proactive selection of 'Direct Trains Only'.
Or to see all the combinations of trains and journey options, some of which may be cheaper, take off the 'fastest connections' default.

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so if you can be flexible with your departure time use the 'best prices' tool - at the top right on the list of journey options.

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How to take direct trains from north-west Switzerland to northern Germany

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Basel / Bâle to Hamburg by train