Travel direct from the Czech capital to northern Germany on an easy and beautiful journey

Share this journey with a friend...

Praha / Prague / Prag to Hamburg by train

Despite most of this journey being a cross Germany, no German trains are used on this route; instead you will be travelling on a Czech or Hungarian train.

Routes you can take to go from Praha / Prague / Prag to Hamburg

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?

Journey guides for travel to Praha / Prague / Prag Journey guides for travel from Hamburg

Route Information

Station Guides

The old station building by platform/track 1

Praha hl.n. Rail Station Guide

Hamburg Hbf Rail Station Guide

Travel Time (approx)

6hr 44min - 6hr 48min

Frequency

Daily

Travel Info

4 x trains per day

Is the journey from Prague to Hamburg direct?
Yes, there is no need to make a connection when taking this route - Though there are multiple other daily journey options available which involve making connection

Is this journey scenic?
Between Prague and the outskirts of Dresden the railway is on the west bank of the River Elbe.
See the Journey Information for images.

What other tourist locations are along this route from Prague to Hamburg direct??
These trains also call in Bad Schandau and Dresden and Berlin.

When is the usual approximate earliest arrival in Hamburg?
After 15:15 daily

Source = [European Rail Timetable](https://www.europeanrailtimetable.eu/

How easy is it to travel on from the station in Hamburg?
Hamburg Hbf is linked to other areas of the city by frequent local (S-Bahn) trains and the metro (U-Bahn) - See the Station Guide above for more info, plus easy access to multiple options for booking somewhere to stay in its neighbourhood.

When is the usual approximate latest departure from Praha hl.n
Before 14:30 daily
Source = European Rail Timetable

How easy is it to get to the station in Prague?
Praha hl.n train station is located on the eastern edge of the city centre, so transferring to the Metro or trams can be good options.
See the Station Guide for more information, plus easy access to booking accommodation in its neighbourhood.

Are tickets cheaper if booked in advance for these Prague to Hamburg trains?
Yes, and they can be purchased from a choice of booking agents - see below.
Click on the 'Good to know info' to access guides to how rail tickets are managed in Germany, plus step-by-step guides on how to make a booking.

How soon ahead of travel are tickets typically placed on sale for these Prague to Hamburg trains?
It can be up to 3 months ahead of the travel date; though the booking period will be typically be shorter when looking up journeys for travel after the second Sunday in December; and when looking up summer travel in March to May.

Does the ticket for these Prague to Hamburg trains include assigned seats?
Only when booking the most expensive types of ticket = Flexpreise tickets for travel in 1st class.
So they are not included when booking tickets for travel in 2nd class, or any other type of ticket valid for travel in 1st class
They are available, so they can be added for an additional cost, when booking those types of ticket.
See the Train Guide in the Journey Information for insights on how to board the train.

Do rail pass users need to book reservations for these Prague to Hamburg trains?
Yes - between June 1st and Sept 1st
At other times of the year they are available, but are not mandatory, though they are recommended for this route.
See the rail pass guide for details of the booking options.

Is catering available on the Prague to Hamburg trains on this journey option?
Yes, there is a bar/bistro car and a restaurant car
See the Train Guide in the Journey Information.

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 Czech rail travel?
Check out the guide to travelling by train in Czechia.

Travel Information

Between around 08:30 and around 14:30 these EC trains depart from Prague/Praha every other hour; there are no longer any overnight trains on this route.

Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona or Kiel or Flensburg

All trains also call at: Praha-Holešovice, Berlin Hbf, Hamburg-Dammtor

Departing from Praha / Prague:

Don't assume that you have to board the train at Praha hl.n.

These trains also call at Praha-Holešovice and this station has easier connections (by tram) from some parts of the city, particularly those by the river.

Though if you will be boarding at Holešovice, you should reserve, the trains can fill up on departure from Praha hl.n.

Arriving in Hamburg:

All of these trains wlll 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.

On to Denmark:

The train which departs at around 08:30 is typically scheduled to arrive into Hamburg Hbf around 1hr 45mins prior to the departure of a train to Kobenhavn / Copenhagen.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains...

Exterior of Czech train at Dresden on a Praha - Hamburg journey

EC Metropolitan (Germany <> Czechia <> Hungary) Train Guide

Journey Features

Scenic - YesRiver views

Good to Know

The first three departures are by Czech trains managed by its national rail operator, CD; the final departure of the day is a Hungarian train, managed by its national rail operator, MAV.

Between Prague and Decin

Between Prague and Bad Schandau

Between Decin and Bad Schandau

For the first phase of the journey, between Prague and Dresden the train travels through the beautiful Elbe River valley - sit on the right of the train (when facing the direction of travel) for the best views.

However, once the train has left Dresden behind, it will spend more than 4hours travelling across a largely flat, featureless landscape - so having something to read or watch with you, is highly recommended.

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings usually open: up to 3 months ahead of the travel date

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

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.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge

Please support ShowMeTheJourney

Help keep us advertising and paywall free!

Donate

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.

Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.

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

See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.

Leaving From

Going To

This is one of more than 100 train travel guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.

Related Content