Basel SBB

Hamburg to Basel / Bâle by train

How to travel from by train from Hamburg to Basel

On this route from northern Germany to north-west Switzerland travellers can choose between travelling during the day on smart ICE trains, or travelling through the night on a Nightjet train.

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Routes

Option 1: travelling by day

Travel Information

Final Destination: Zurich or Chur

All trains also call at: Karlsruhe; Baden-Baden and Freiburg

Departing from Hamburg:

Most of these trains commence their journeys at Hamburg-Altona station and call at Hamburg-Dammtor before they arrive at Hamburg Hbf.

So it can be a good idea to look up the starting point of your journey and then book tickets from the most convenient station; only Hamburg Hbf has connections with the U-Bahn (subway).

Arriving in Basel:

After calling at Basel Bad bf (Basel Baden railway station, these trains all go on to call or terminate at Basel SBB, the city's main station, which is located to the south of the central area

So If you're heading to Basel city centre, the quickest journey is usually to leave this train at Basel Bad bf.
There are easy tram connections from Basel Bad bf station to the central area.

Remain on the train until it arrives at Basel SBB if your final destination is to the south of the city centre, or if you will be connecting into trains to other destinations in Switzerland which don't have direct trains from Germany including Biel (easy connection to Geneve), Brig, Lugano, Luzern, Interlaken and Visp.

However, because DB categorises the journey on to Basel SBB as an international journey, tickets can be more expensive if you book to Basel SBB.
In contrast, despite its location in Switzerland, DB applies the same fare rules for journeys to Basel Bad Bf as it does to other journeys wholly within Germany, so booking to Basel Bad bf is also a cheaper option,

5 x trains per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

On the DB booking site look for journeys that have

  • 0 in the Chg. column
  • ICE (and only ICE) in the Products 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.

Reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on 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.

Opting to reserve is particularly recommended for a long journey such as this one, at busy times you'll be fortunate to be able to remain in the same seat all the way from Hamburg to Basel if you don't reserve.

A choice of stations in Basel:

These trains call first at Basel Bad Bf station before going on to terminate at Basel SBB station.

If you want to travel to Basel Bad Bf, which is the city centre station then select it from the station options in the 'To' Box.
However, tickets booked to Basel Bad Bahnhof are not valid to Basel SBB station, so work out which of the two main stations in Basel suits your needs BEFORE you buy a ticket.
If you want to travel to Basel SBB, select this station in the 'To' box.

However, because DB categorises the journey on to Basel SBB as an international journey, tickets can be more expensive if you book to Basel SBB.
In contrast, despite its location in Switzerland, DB applies the same fare rules for journeys to Basel Bad Bf as it does to other journeys wholly within Germany; hence tickets to Basel Bad Bf being cheaper.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB Bahn from €17.90

DB Bahn Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

Save A Train from €17.90

Save A Train Guide

Happy rail from €17.90

Happy rail Guide

Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland.

HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost.
That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'.
Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee.

Omio from €17.90

Omio Guide

Omio is an online ticket agency which offers tickets for rail journeys in France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy and Spain.

The three key advantages of using Omio are

  • it offers prices in multiple currencies
  • it usually offers price comparison with other modes of travel including flights and buses
  • when visiting Europe, you can book journeys in multiple countries in one transaction.

The disadvantage of booking with Omio is that it often adds a booking fee to the final price; therefore when it does so without offering a price advantage, SMTJ doesn't tend to offer Omio as a booking option.

On this journey

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

These trains reverse direction on departure from Frankfurt (Main).

You'll have a pleasant, but not particularly scintillating journey on a comparatively comfortable train.

But this is a journey without any spectacular scenery, so having something to watch or read with you is highly recommended.

The only thrills to be had come when the trains travel on the high speed lines between:
(1) Hannover and Fulda; though this part of the train does have a wow factor when the trains flash across the viaducts between the numerous tunnels
(2) and then between Baden Baden and Offenburg

Option 2: travel through the night

Travel Information

This train is usually scheduled to depart from Hamburg Hbf at 22:07 and to arrive in Basel Bad Bf station shortly before 08:00.

Before arriving in Hamburg Hbf, the train will have commenced its journey at Hamburg-Altona - and will have also called at Hamburg-Dammtor.

Final Destination: Zurich

The train also calls at: Hannover and Basel SBB

If you're heading to Basel city centre, the quickest journey is usually to leave this train at Basel Bad bf.
There are easy tram connections from Basel Bad bf station to the central area.

After the train departs from Basel Bad Bf it will go on to call at Basel SBB station.
Remain on the train until it arrives at Basel SBB if your final destination is to the south of the city centre, or if you will be connecting into trains to other destinations in Switzerland - including Brig, Luzern, Interlaken and Visp

1 x train per night

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open:
6 months ahead of the travel date on OBB
3 months ahead of the travel date on DB Bahn

Our guide to booking night train tickets on the OBB (Austrian national railways) website is available HERE.

Our guide to booking night train tickets on the DB (German national railways) website is available HERE.

The train conveys:

- 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 (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins

The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.

Click the train button above for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:

Using rail passes:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding this 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.

Or you can avoid the booking fees by arranging the reservations when you arrive in Germany, by purchasing them at a Reisezentrum travel desk, which you will find in any hauptbahnhof.
Though it's best to do this at the first hauptbahnhof (city centre station) that you will arrive at, the later you leave booking your accommodation, the more likely it is that your preferences will be sold out.

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
OBB *

OBB Guide

OBB is the national rail operator and its booking service offers journeys by express trains within Austria, as well as international journeys which don't involve making a connection outside of Austria.

It pays off to book online, as the discounted 'Sparscheine' tickets are only ever made available on the website, and when making international journeys to and from Austria, these Sparscheine tickets tend to be cheaper.
OBB can offer particularly good value for money when travelling with children on international rail journeys, but something to watch out for when travelling between Austria and Germany on daytime trains, is that reservations are an optional extra; but if you book 1st class tickets with the Germany railways website DB, the reservations are complimentary.

OBB often takes a unique approach to its booking path, but a key thing to keep in mind is that the first price you will see for any journey is that of a Second Class seat.
The costs of upgrading to first class, a reservation, or a sleeping cabin etc, is then added to this price.

DB Bahn *

DB Bahn Guide

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees.
It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany.

Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets.

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