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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 additional ICE or an EC train, or an IC 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
Journey Summary
1hr 42 min approx
Daily
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 or 2 x trains per hour
The number of ICE trains has recently increased on this route.
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 | |
| Happy rail | from €17.90 | |
| Omio | from €17.90 | |
| Save A Train | from €17.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
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 IC or EC trains
Journey Summary
2hr 5min (IC/EC trains)
Daily
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 | |
| Save A Train | from €17.90 | |
| Omio | from €17.90 | |
| Happy rail | from €17.90 |
On this journey
Journey Features
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.
Option 3: taking the Flix trains
Journey Summary
2hr 5min - 2hr 50min (approx)
Not Every Day
Travel Information
Final Destination: Hamburg Hbf
In contrast to the other rail services on the Berlin to Hamburg route, the Flix trains only arrive at the main station in Hamburg.
Departing from Berlin:
In addition to the central station Berlin HBf, most of these Flix trains also depart from Berlin-Charlottenburg which is located in West Berlin.
- Friday = 3 x trains
- Saturday = 1 x train
- Sunday = 3 x trains
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 3 months ahead
Something to be aware of when booking tickets for journeys by FlixTrain is that Flix is predominantly a bus operator, so the train travel options for booking tickets are listed alongside the bus travel options; also some of the info around ticket exchanges and FAQs in general can point at the FlixBus website.
To make a it easier to hone in on a train journey it can be a good idea to look up the timetables to check the departure times which suit and then keep these times in mind looking for your rail ticket(s).
Much of the general advice around booking and using rail tickets in Germany doesn't apply to journeys by FlixTrain.
Tickets booked with DB, the German national rail operator, can't be used on FlixTrains, as Flix has used its own terms and conditions and set its own policies for how its tickets can be booked and used.
What are particularly different from DB is the reservation / seat selection on FlixTrain and how tickets can be exchanged (how tickets can be exchanged on FlixTrain also applies to FlixBus).
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Flix | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
These trains depart from the upper level in Berlin Hbf.
The morning departures have the journey time of around 2hr 5min, but the afternoon / evening departures are slower by around 45 mins.
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.
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