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Wien / Vienna to Hamburg by train
How to take a rail journey from Wien/Vienna to Hamburg
Despite the distance it's a very simple journey by train from Wien/Vienna to Hamburg, thanks to direct rail connections between these two fabulous cities, both during the day and overnight.
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Routes
Option 1: travelling by day
Journey Summary
8hr 39min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Hamburg-Altona
This train also calls at: Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe and Hannover
Departing from Wien/Vienna:
If your journey in Vienna is commencing in the south-west corner of the city, or the area on the ring road around the Opera House - then it's likely that you'll have a faster and more convenient journey if you join the train at Wien-Meidling station.
Wien Meidling is connected to line U6 of the Vienna Metro, which serves the western side of the city centre.
Though we particularly recommend opting to make reservations on these trains if you want to join this train at Wien-Meidling.
Arriving in Hamburg:
Check the location of your final destination in Hamburg before booking.
This train will call at Hamburg Hbf, the main station in the city, but it will travel on beyond Hamburg Hbf to also call at Hamburg-Dammtor station and then at Hamburg-Altona.
So leaving the trains at either of those stations, could give you easier access to your final destination in the city.
1 x direct train per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date - usually
This train is usally scheduled to depart from Wien Hbf at 13:15 so hone in on that time when looking up this journey.
It can be worth comparing prices on the different ticket agents, the cheapest 'Europa Spezial' tickets can still be available on DB, the German railways website, when the most heavily discounted 'Sparschiene' tickets are sold out on OBB, the Austrian railways website.
And the reverse can be true, cheaper Sparschiene tickets can still be available on OBB, meaning that DB can be more expensive.
Seat reservations:
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets on DB 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.
If you will be travelling 2nd class we highly recommend opting to add a reservation when booking, the ICE trains to Germany from Austria are always comparatively busy.
So if you don't reserve, being able to remain in the same seat all the way from Vienna to Hamburg, is something you definitely can't take for granted.
Note that if you opt to book 1st class tickets on OBB, your seat reservation WON'T be automatically be included, so you will need to be proactive and add it to your booking.
Alternative Connections:
There are also usually up to 4 x alternative options available per day that involve a change of train; making a connection at Wurzburg Hbf from the Wien-Frankfurt/Koln trains into ICE trains on to Hamburg from Wurzburg.
And these options with a connection, tend to be cheaper than this direct train.
However, the trains on to Hamburg (that will be sold by DB and the other ticket agents) depart Wurzburg only 5 mins after the arrival of these trains from Wien.
So ideal IF the train from Wien is on time, but if it's too late to make the connection, you'll have to visit the Reisezentrum desk in Wurzburg Hbf station to re-book any train specific tickets/reservations for the train on to Hamburg.
There is generally 1 x train per hour from Wurzburg to Hamburg.
You won't have to re-purchase, tickets/reservations can be swapped free of charge, but it's a hassle to be avoided if possible.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB | from €39.90 | |
| OBB | from €39 | |
| Trainline | from €39 | |
| Save A Train | from €39.90 | |
| Happy rail | from €39.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
This is train is suspended from April 1st to Dec 9th due to maintenance work on the the high-speed line in Germany between Fulda and Kassel.
During this time connections will be available at Wurzburg from the ICE trains which head to Frankfurt (Main) and a direct train service to Hamburg will be available thanks to an extension of the daily ICE train to Berlin, though that train will have a journey time of 10hr 2mins.
Journey description:
From Wien/Vienna until Wels the train will travel at up to 230 km/h (close to the high speed threshold) on the main Western Railway which crosses Austria.
On departure from Wells the train will head towards the border with Germany and to the south of Passau, the railway takes a charming route on the east bank of The River Inn, which can be seen on left.
Then between Passau and Regensburg the River Danube is on the right.
Between Regensburg and Nurnberg the train rushes across a delightful rolling landscape and then until Wurzburg the train remains on the conventional railway.
On departure from Wurzburg comes a part of the journey with a wow factor, because between the stations until Hannover, the train will be travelling at more than 270 km/h for around 2hr 30mins.
The first high speed line in Germany was blasted through dozens of tunnels, but between many of them, the train will whizz across viaducts, so keep your eyes peeled to see the views.
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Option 2: Travel through the night on a Nightjet
Journey Summary
12hr 34min
Nightly
Travel Information
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Wien Hbf at 20:13 and arrive in Hamburg Hbf at 08:47.
This train also departs from: Wien Meidling, St Polten and Linz (at 21:36)
This train also calls at: Hannover (arrives 06:49) and Hamburg-Dammtor
This train terminates at: Hamburg-Altona
1 x train per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
This train is usually scheduled to depart from Vienna/Wien at 20:12 so target that time when looking up this journey.
Online bookings open:
6 months ahead of the travel date on OBB
3 months ahead of the travel date on DB Bahn
The choice of accommodation - summary:
- 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
Click the train guide below for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats.
Travelling with a rail pass:
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 the step-by-step guide.
If you'd rather not do so, rail pass reservations can be arranged and paid for at the ÖBB Reisebüro desk in Wien Hbf; ideally do this when you first arrive at Wien Hbf on the preceding train on your itinerary.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| OBB | * | |
| DB Bahn | * |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
On departure from Wien Hbf the coaches heading to Hamburg will be joined to another train heading to Amsterdam, so if you see 'Amsterdam on the departure screens, then the info will also be for this train.
Don't be concerned about joining the wrong part of the train, your reservations will be in the part of the train that will be heading to Hamburg.
And the train conductor will greet passengers travelling in the sleeping cabins.
Travelling on to Denmark by train:
A train on to Kobenhavn/Copenhagen is usually due to depart Hamburg at 08:55, just eight minutes after this train is scheduled to arrive.
Though outside the summer months, seat reservations aren't mandatory on that train, so if you'll be heading on to Demark and the train from Wien arrives on time, you can dash to make the connection.
Alternatively there is usually a train heading to Aarhus in Denmark, which is typically scheduled to depart from Hamburg shortly before 11:00; and this train offers a good connection at Kolding station into a train on to Kobenhavn.
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.
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.
