Looking down on Chur station from the PostBus terminal

Hamburg to Chur by train

How to take the rail journey from Hamburg to Chur in Switzerland

The typically direct trains from Hamburg to Chur won't be available until at least Dec 9th 2023

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Routes

From Hamburg Hbf to Chur

Travel Information

Due to maintenance works on the main north to south high-speed route in Germany, the direct trains from Hamburg to Chur won't be available until at least December 9th 2023.

Until April 1st direct ICE trains will still be available from Hamburg to Zurich where connections are available into trains on to Chur.
The end-to-end journeys with a time of 8hr 58min match the timings of the direct trains, but that timing is achieved by a non-guaranteed 7 min connection between trains.
Chur typically has 2 or 3 x trains per hour from Zurich, so arriving in Chur won't be problem if the train from Hamburg is delayed, but if you book Sparpreis tickets you will need to transfer them (free of charge) so that they can be used on the later train.

Or if you leave Hamburg before 06:30 on the first ICE train of the day on to Basel SBB station, the connecting time there between trains will be more than an hour.

With the connection in Zurich = 3 x connections per day

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

Reservations are included when booking 1st class tickets, but are optional when booking 2nd class tickets and if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.

However, opting to reserve on this route is recommended, particularly if you will be travelling on a Friday or Sunday

Where to book
Ticket Provider Approximate Cost
DB from €27.90

DB 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.

Two types of ticket have recently been made available;

  1. Cheaper 'Young' tickets which can only be booked by those aged 15-26 on the travel date.
  2. Flexi Plus tickets, which are now the most expensive type of ticket, but they're the only type of 2nd class tickets which DO include a seat reservation.
Omio from €27.90

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.

Happy rail from €27.90

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.

Journey Features

High Speed (partial journey)

Good to Know

Final Destination: Chur

These trains also call at: Basel SBB, Zurich HB and Landquart

Connect in Landquart for RhB trains on to Klosters and Davos.

Departing from Hamburg:

These trains commence their journeys at Hamburg-Altona station and then call at Hamburg-Dammtor before they arrive at Hamburg Hbf.

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

But this is a journey without any spectacular scenery, the prettiest views come shortly after Basel, 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 .

These trains reverse direction on departure from Frankfurt (Main) and Basel SBB stations.

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Journey Features

Scenic - YesLake viewsLandscape (Hills / Mountains)

Good to Know

Arriving in Chur:

Onward connections will be available at Chur by RhB trains on to St Moritz or Arosa - and at Landquart into RhB trains to Klosters and Davos.

Also connect at Chur for buses to the Laax-Flims-Falera ski resort; click the Chur station info button to access more info

Journey description:

From the left of the train (when facing the direction) of travel, there are fabulous views over Lake Zurich...

and then over the Walensee...

...before the train makes its first station call in Sargans

Then between Sargans and Chur there are very pleasant views of distant mountain ranges from both sides of the train.

Lake Zurich comes into view as soon as the train exits a long tunnel Lake Zurich comes into view as soon as the train exits a long tunnel
From the left there are great views over Lake Zurich for around 15 - 20 mins From the left there are great views over Lake Zurich for around 15 - 20 mins
Leaving Lake Zurich behind, but the highlight of the journey is yet to come Leaving Lake Zurich behind, but the highlight of the journey is yet to come
The spectacular Walensee can also be seen on the left The spectacular Walensee can also be seen on the left
The final view of the Walensee The final view of the Walensee
Between Sargans and Landquart Between Sargans and Landquart
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This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.

We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.

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So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.

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