How to take a rail journey all the way from Budapest to northern Germany

Come on board for one of Europe's most epic daytime train journeys.

Note that this train service now departs from Budapest-Nyugati station and NOT Budapest-Keleti station.

It is usually scheduled to depart from Budapest-Nyugati station at around 07:30 and arrive into Hamburg Hbf at around 21:15,
A train on to Stockholm typically departs from Hamburg shortly after 22:00.

Final Destination: Hamburg

The Train also calls at: Vac, Dresden and Berlin

A choice of tickets

Three types of tickets are available:
Two types of discounted tickets, which will be cheaper the further ahead you book - Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis
One type of non-discounted ticket - 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 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.

The Sparpreis and Flexpreis tickets also include 'City tickets' for Hamburg which can be used on public transport between locations in the city centre and Hamburg hbf.

Seat reservations

Seat reservations are optional 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.
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.
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.

Booking on the DB website

You can find this direct train 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.

Taking this combination of trains enables a departure from Budapest at around 09:40 - though note that it departs from a different station than that used by the direct train - Option 1.

The transfer between trains at Wien Hbf is scheduled to be easily timed, with around a comfortable 55 mins between trains - making the connection will be step-free, all platforms / tracks in Wien Hbf can be accessed by using lifts / elevators.

There are other similar journey options available which involve connecting into ICE trains on to Hamburg in Wien or Munchen, but this combination of trains has been singled out for two reasons:

1. The time between trains in Wien allows for contingency - train from Budapest could arrive more than 45 mins late and you would still make the train on to Hamburg.
2. The train on from Wien takes the most direct route from Austria to Hamburg, hence it's the fastest of the alternative options to the direct train.

The ticket agents will offer dozens of journey options for taking a journey by train from Budapest to Hamburg and this optimum combination of trains typically departs Budapest at 09:40, so hone in on this time when looking up the journey.

This combination of trains tends to be the cheapest option for an overnight journey from Budapest to Hamburg and it's also the fastest, which is why it has been singled out.

Though the end-to-end journey time shown by the ticket agents will be dependent on making a connection between trains on arrival in Berlin, of under 20 mins.
Though the train on to Hamburg will depart from the same part of Berlin station that the train from Budapest will arrive at - the lower level platforms / tracks.
Making the connection on time won't particularly matter, because if the train from Berlin has a delayed arrival, as tickets can be swapped to a subsequent departure at the Reisezentrum travel desk in Berlin Hbf.

Onward connections from Hamburg

There will typically be a train on to Copenhagen / Kobenhavn depart from Hamburg shortly before 11:00.
A separate ticket booking will be required for this train and the advice is to book the subsequent departure - as making the 11:00 departure will be dependent on also making that connection in Berlin - and making both connections on time is very much not guaranteed.

The alternative journey options

When the usual timetable is available there will be multiple other options available for making the journey by train from Budapest to Hamburg offered by the ticket agents, many of which involve making more than one connections between trains.
As those options with more than one transfer don't tend to offer a price or time advantage, they can be discounted but there area also other options with one only one change of train;

1. It's possible to arrive in Hamburg before 07:00 but the journey involves taking a combination of two trains that are typically used for daytime services.
   The German national rail operator, DB, doesn't provide sleeper trains, instead it operates its ICE on overnight routes
   The 15:40 train from Budapest connects in Munich with an overnight ICE train on to Hamburg

2. It' possible to depart Budapest later, because the sleeper train to Stuttgart is usually scheduled to depart more than an hour after the train to Berlin - and there are ICE trains on from Stuttgart to Hamburg.
   However, this end-to-end journey is typically more than two hours slower than journey via Hamburg.

3. Making the connection between trains in Wien Hbf - as per Option 4

Book early and save: Yes

This train is usually scheduled to depart from Budapest at 19:30, so target that time when looking up this journey.

Online bookings typically open: 3 months ahead of the travel date

The choice of accommodation - summary:

• Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
• Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
• Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
• Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins

Click the Train details for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Travelling with a rail pass:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding this night train.

However, these rail pass reservations can NO longer be booked online the DB website, but you can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.

This combination of trains is typically more than an hour slower than travelling overnight via Berlin (option 3), and it tends to be more expensive - particularly when travelling with Eurail or InterRail passes.
However, it has been singled out for two reasons:

1. It arrives in Hamburg before 09:00 - so it offers an easily time connection into the train on to Copenhagen / Kobenhavn, which typically departs shortly before 11:00.
2. The newer type of Nightjet train is now being used for the Wien to Hamburg service - and this train conveys the Mini-Cabins which offer a cost-effective and more private accommodation option for solo travellers.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings typically open: 3 months ahead of the travel date

The choice of accommodation - summary:

• Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
• Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berths
• Mini-Cabins
• Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
• Comfort sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins

Click the Train details for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Travelling with a rail pass:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding this night train.

However, these rail pass reservations can NO longer be booked online the DB website, but you can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).
Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.