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How to travel from by train from Hamburg to Zurich
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Hamburg to Zürich / Zurich by train
On the new timetable the daytime ICE trains which take the route via Hannover and Frankfurt won't be travelling on beyond Basel.
The remaining direct train will be taking a much longer route through Dortmund and Koln.
Hence the faster journey will be taking a train via Frankfurt to Basel, the connecting in Basel for a train on to Zurich.
Routes you can take to go from Hamburg to Zürich / Zurich
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?
Route Information
Via stations: Basel SBB / Bâle CFF
Option 1: travelling by day connecting in Basel
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
from 7hr 55min
Frequency
Daily
Travel Info
6 x connections per day
Purchase Tickets
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.
Other Ticket Providers
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.
On journeys within Germany and on most international journeys from and to Germany on trains operated by DB:
- For journeys by the express trains, EC. IC and ICE trains an adult (on German railways an adult is a person aged 15 and over) can take up to four children aged 6 - 14 with them at no additional charge.
- Tickets need to be booked for children aged 0 - 5, but there is no charge for them.
- Those aged 65 and over can take journeys at a discounted rate.
- Dogs, which are too large to be placed in pet carriers, require tickets which cost 50% of the adult rate.
When booking both types of the discounted 'Sparpreis' tickets seat reservations are an optional extra, so need to be added when booking if you want an assigned seat(s).
Happyrail 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.
Travel Information
The direct ICE trains from Hamburg to Zurich will be on a longer route via Bremen and Cologne - with the journey time increased to more than 9hr 30mins!
Hence when taking the daytime trains from Hamburg to Zurich it's possible to save 90mins by taking a combination of two trains and making a connection at Basel SBB station.
Though the journey time of around 7hr 55mins is dependent on making a non-guaranteed connection of around 10mins.
It won't particularly matter of if the train from Hamburg is delayed, as there are fast express trains which depart every 30mins on to Zurich - and tickets will be valid on the alternative trains.
Though when taking the final combination of the day, which departs Hamburg at around 16:20, by the time of the the arrival into Basel SBB, the final express trains of the day will have departed.
Hence there will a a 50 minute connection into an IR service.
This journey is made up of 1 change.
Train 1
Between Hamburg Hbf and Basel SBB / Bâle CFFYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
Depart Hamburg at around 08:20 you will typically travelling on a Giruno train to Basel.
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.
Train 2
Between Basel SBB / Bâle CFF and Zürich HB / Zurich main stationYou will be travelling on one of these trains...
Good to Know
When leaving Hamburg at around 06:20; 08:20; 12:20 and 14:20, if you can make the 11min connection between trains in Basel SBB station, the train on to Zurich will be a Lyria service which will have travelled from Paris.
By Swiss standards the journey between Basel and Zurich is unexceptional, but there are some fleeting views over the landscape to be enjoyed, which anywhere else in Europe would be exceptional; particularly around 20 minutes into the journey when the train has passed through Sissach.
Tickets
Book early and save:** Yes
Online bookings usually open:
Tickets for travel on this route can now be booked up until a year ahead!
A choice of tickets
Four types of tickets are available:
Two types of discounted tickets, which will be cheaper the further ahead you book - Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus
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 and Flexpreis Plus 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 both types of 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.
When travelling to and from the major cities, the Sparpreis, Flexpreis and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in Hamburg city centre and Hamburg Hbf.
Seat reservations
For ticket holders seat reservations are always optional on this route, but if you will be using a rail pass they are now mandatory when travelling between mid-June and mid-August - check the Train guide for the exact dates.
Regardless of whether you will be using tickets or rail passes they cost €5.50 when travelling in 2nd Class and €6.90 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.
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 and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis Plus tickets.
Though despite seats being automatically assigned when booking these three types of ticket - and these tickets being valid on any departure, you will need to pay to re-book the reservations, if you subsequently decide to travel on an alternative train.
So because you won't save by booking these types of tickets in advance, it can be a good idea to wait until you are sure when you will want to travel.
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.
1st Class tickets
No matter what type of ticket booked, if you choose to travel 1st class, you will have access to the same seating areas on the train, ICE trains do not have Business or Executive lounges.
Though only those who have booked 1st class Flexpreis or Flexpreis Plus tickets can access the DB Lounges at the major stations.
*Booking on the DB website
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.
Route Information
Option 2: The slower, but direct train
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
9hr 15min
Frequency
Nightly
Travel Info
1 x train per day
Purchase Tickets
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 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.
Travel Information
Final Destination: Zurich
This train also calls at: Basel SBB
Departing from Hamburg:
This train typically departs from Hamburg Hbf at around 10:45 and arrives in Zurich at around 20:00 / 8pm.
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
What else is good to know about German rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in Germany
What else is good to know about Swiss rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in Switzerland.
This is a journey with nine distinct phases:
(1) From Hamburg to Dortmund the train will travel across a largely featureless landscape.
(2) From Dortmund to Koln the railway threads a route through the cities of North Rhine Westphalia.
(3) From Koln to Siegburg/Bonn the train remains on a 'classic route'.
(4) On departure from Siegburg/Bonn comes the part of the journey with a wow factor, when the train spends around 40 minutes racing along the rollercoaster that is the high speed line to Frankfurt Flughafen, at more than 280 km/h.
(5) Between Frankfurt Flughafen and Baden-Baden the train will travel on a 'classic railway' which passes through Mannheim and Karlsruhe.
(6) Then between Manheim and Offenburg the train will travel at up to 250 k/h for around 20 mins on another high speed line.
(7) On to Basel the train will travel through rolling countryside either side of Freiburg (Breisgau).
(8) The train will reverse direction on departure from Basel SBB station.
(9) Then for the final 55mins the train will take the Swiss main line to Zurich, which isn't one of Switzerland's most scenic routes, though there are some nice moments.
Tickets
Book early and save:** Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 12 months ahead of the travel date!
A choice of tickets
Four types of tickets are available:
Two types of discounted tickets, which will be cheaper the further ahead you book - Sparpreis and Super Sparpreis
Two types of non-discounted ticket - Flexpreis Aktion 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.
- Flexpreis Aktion tickets can't be refunded either - but their higher cost is due to...
...the other key difference is that both types of Flexpreis tickets live up to their name, as they can be used on any departure on your travel date - in contrast, both types of Sparpreis tickets are only valid on the specific departures selected when booking,
Note that none of the tickets can be exchanged to a different departure.
There's no need for this to be available for both types of 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.
When travelling to and from the major cities, the Sparpreis, Flexpreis Aktion and Flexpreis Plus tickets also include 'City tickets', which can be used on public transport between locations in the Berlin and Munich city centres and the stations where the trains depart and arrive.
Seat reservations
For ticket holders seat reservations are always optional on this route, but if you will be using a rail pass they are now mandatory when travelling between mid-June and mid-August - check the Train guide for the exact dates.
Regardless of whether you will be using tickets or rail passes they cost €5.50 when travelling in 2nd Class and €6.90 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.
When a journey involves two or more trains on which seat reservations are available, the fees when first booking, cover all trains.
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 Aktion tickets and both 1st and 2nd class Flexpreis tickets.
Though despite seats being automatically assigned when booking these three types of ticket - and these tickets being valid on any departure, you will need to pay to re-book the reservations, if you subsequently decide to travel on an alternative train.
So because you won't save by booking these types of tickets in advance, it can be a good idea to wait until you are sure when you will want to travel.
When booking Super Sparpreis, Sparpreis and 2nd class Flexpreis Ation 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.
1st Class tickets
No matter what type of ticket booked, if you choose to travel 1st class, you will have access to the same seating areas on the train, ICE trains do not have Business or Executive lounges.
Though only those who have booked 1st class Flexpreis or Flexpreis Aktion tickets can access the DB Lounges at the major stations.
Booking on the DB website
You can find this 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.
Route Information
Option 2: travelling overnight
Station Guides
Travel Time (approx)
11hr 5min
Frequency
Nightly
Travel Info
1 x train per night
Purchase Tickets
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 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.
Travel Information
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Hamburg Hbf at 22:07 and to arrive in Basel Bad Bf station shortly after 10:00.
Check here to check whether the route will be affected by construction work
The first daytime train of the day isn't due into Zurich until 14:00.
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
Connect in Zurich for Chur, Lugano, St Gallen and Zug
The train also calls at: Basel SBB.
Connect in Basel SBB for Bern, Biel (connect for Geneve), Brig, Luzern and Interlaken
This is a direct journey
You will be travelling on one of these trains...
Journey Features
Good to Know
In early 2026 the new upgraded version of the Nightjet train will begin to be used on this route.
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.
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