How to travel from Munich to Hamburg by train

Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona (or Kiel)

All trains also call at: Hannover, Hamburg-Harburg and Hamburg-Dammtor

All of these trains will call at two stations adjacent to Hamburg city centre - Hamburg Hbf and Hamburg Dammtor

So it can be worthwhile working out which of these stations in the city, will suit your needs best, before making the journey.

The trains

A variety of different types of ICE trains are used on this route.
Most departures are by the ICE 4 trains,
The services which divide at Hannover, where the other part of the train will head off to Bremen, comprise ICE 2 trains.
One departure per day, the train which is typically scheduled to depart at around 17:15, is formed by an ICE-T train.

The alternative route:

On arrival at Muchen Hbf you may see trains to Hamburg on the departure screens, leaving at a different time to the train that will be on your ticket.
That's because there also are trains to Hamburg via Berlin from Munchen; so avoid confusing them with the train via Hannover that you will likely be taking.
The trains via Berlin are predominantly slower than these trains - though two 'Sprinter' services have been added to the timetable, which only make station calls in Nurnberg and Berlin, when travelling from Munchen to Hamburg.
So they have a travel time of 5hr 55mins and they typically depart at around 07:55 and 11:55.

Book early and save:** Yes
Online bookings usually open: up to 6 months ahead of the travel date - but this period of time is shorter when looking up journeys in August to October.

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 the city centres of Munich / Hamburg and the stations where the trains depart and arrive.

Seat reservations

Seat reservations are optional on ICE trains for journeys within Germany - 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.
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 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

You can find these trains 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.

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.

Using rail passes

Rail pass users should ignore the ICE trains that travel from Munchen to Hamburg via Berlin, the journey time will be longer compared to these trains that travel via Hannover.
Tickets for Munchen to Hamburg journeys can't be booked on those trains via Berlin.

This train is usually scheduled to depart from Munchen Hbf at around 22:50 and arrive in Hamburg Hbf shortly after 09:00.

Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona

This train also calls at: Hannover

This train will call at two stations adjacent to Hamburg city centre; Hamburg Hbf and Hamburg Dammtor.
So it can be worthwhile working out which of these stations in the city, will suit your needs best, before making the journey.

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

These Nightjet trains are managed by the Austrian national rail operator OBB, hence its sells tickets for this route, which doesn't travel through Austria.

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 with showers (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:

Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains and these can be booked in advance on the OBB website, without paying booking fees.
Though the required steps are far from obvious, hence their inclusion in the step-by-step guide to using the OBB website.