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Helsinki cathedral |
UK to Finland without flying
It's easy to travel from London to Helsinki by train and ferry, a wonderful 2-day 3-night journey across Scandinavia with a lot to see on the way. It's a great alternative to an unnecessary flight. On this page you'll find a step-by-step guide to planning, booking & making a journey from the UK to Finland by train or ferry, with train & ferry timetables, approximate fares, and the best way to buy tickets.
Train times, fares & tickets
Which route should
you choose?
Route map for UK to
Scandinavia journeys
London to Helsinki
via Stockholm using a sleeper
London to Helsinki
via Stockholm with overnight stops
London to Helsinki via ferry from Travemünde
Train travel in Finland:
The Night
Train to Lapland
Trains & ferries from Helsinki to other European cities
Trains & ferries from other European cities to Helsinki
Useful country information
Which route should you choose?
There are several good options for reaching Finland in comfort without flying:
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Option 1, London to Helsinki using the Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper
This is the nicest way from the UK to Helsinki & Finland, taking 2 days, 3 nights, it's the route shown in red on the route map below. Those 2 days include an afternoon at leisure in Hamburg and the best part of a day exploring Stockholm - make sure you see the amazing Vasa museum! It includes a ride on a sleeper train from Hamburg to Stockholm and the highlight, a cruise across the Baltic from Stockholm to Helsinki, past the many beautiful islands. In the inbound direction it takes just 48 hours, still with a day to explore Stockholm. Times, fares & how to buy tickets are shown below.
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Option 2, London to Helsinki via Stockholm with overnight stops
This also follows the route shown in red on the route map below, but instead of sleepers & overnight ferries it uses daytime trains with an overnight hotel stop in Hamburg and Stockholm. That means it's not as time-effective as option 1, it takes 3 days & 2 nights and if you want any time in Hamburg or Stockholm you'll have to add a day. But if you prefer day trains and hotels to sleepers & ferry cabins, this is the option to take. Times, fares & how to buy tickets are shown below.
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Option 3, London to Helsinki by train to Hamburg then ferry from Travemünde to Finland
Take a morning Eurostar to Brussels & onward trains to Hamburg, spend the night there before taking a local train to Travemünde and the daily Finnlines ferry from Travemünde to Helsinki. This route is shown in dark blue on the route map below. Times, fares & how to buy tickets are shown below.
Option 1: London to Stockholm using the Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper
This is easily the nicest way from the UK to Helsinki & Finland, taking 2 days, 3 nights, including an afternoon at leisure in Hamburg and the best part of a day to explore Stockholm and its amazing Vasa museum. It includes a ride on a sleeper train from Hamburg to Stockholm and the highlight is a cruise across the Baltic from Stockholm to Helsinki, past the many beautiful islands. In the inbound direction this option takes just 48 hours, still with a day to explore Stockholm.
London ► Helsinki
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Day 1, travel from London to Brussels on any evening Eurostar you like.
The last Eurostar usually leaves London St Pancras at 19:34 arriving Brussels Midi at 22:38, but by all means travel earlier for a pleasant evening in Brussels. Check times at www.eurostar.com.
In theory, a same-day connection with the Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper is possible on Mondays-Fridays & Sundays but for reliability I strongly recommend an overnight stop in Brussels as shown here.
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Stay overnight in Brussels. I recommend the excellent Pullman Hotel Brussels Midi which is an integral part of Brussels Midi station itself, or the inexpensive Ibis Brussels Midi just across the road.
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Day 2, travel from Brussels to Hamburg, leaving Brussels Midi at 08:23 (08:25 weekends), change at Cologne Hbf, arriving Hamburg Hbf 15:14.
You travel from Brussels to Cologne & Cologne to Hamburg by superb German ICE train, with restaurant, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Enjoy an afternoon in Hamburg.
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Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Stockholm by sleeper train, leaving Hamburg Hbf at 22:03, arriving Stockholm Central 09:57 next morning.
Procured by the Swedish government and run by SJ (Swedish Railways), the train has sleeping-cars with compact 1 & 2 berth compartments with washbasin, several 1, 2 or 3 bed deluxe compartments with en suite toilet & shower, couchette cars with 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats. The sleeping-cars are former Austrian Railways AB32s, refurbished. More information about the Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper train.
Have dinner in Hamburg before you board, see suggested restaurants near Hamburg Hbf.
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Day 3, spend the day exploring Stockholm and sail overnight from Stockholm to Helsinki by Silja Line ferry.
Silja Line offers a luxurious overnight ferry from Stockholm direct to Helsinki, www.tallinksilja.com, sailing at 16:45 every day arriving in Helsinki at 10:30 next morning (day 4 from London). Their ships are the superb Silja Serenade and Silja Symphony.
Viking Line also operates this route, but now only every other day, sailing at 16:30. Their ship is the Gabriella.
It's a very scenic voyage, as the liner sails out of Stockholm past all the islands, see the video. You can have dinner in the restaurant and retire to your cabin, or party all night in the nightclub, it's up to you.
In Stockholm, the easiest way to reach Silja Line's Värtahamnen ferry terminal is to take the Tunnelbana (metro) from T-Centralen (Central Station) to Gärdet, just 3 stops on line T13 towards Ropsten. The Tunnelbana accepts contactless bank cards, you just touch in and out. From Gärdet station it's a easy well-signed 12-minute 1km walk to the Värtahamnen terminal, see walking map. You won't be the only person walking it!
Silja Line also operates a transfer bus from Stockholm Cityterminal (next to Stockholm Central) to the terminal, buy tickets from the ticket machines or from the driver, check times at the Silja Line website. Or you can take a taxi.
At the Värtahamnen terminal, check-in for the ferry is painless: Walk up to one of the self-service check-in machines, click the touch screen for English, scan the ferry ticket barcode on your phone or printout, click to confirm and out pops your ferry boarding pass which is also your cabin key. Go through the automatic gates using the boarding pass and walk onto the ferry.
In Helsinki, it's an easy 1.8 km 23-minute walk from Silja Line's Olympia ferry terminal to Helsinki station. Or if you walk out of the terminal and turn right, you'll see the tram terminus for trams 2 & 3. Buy a ticket from the machine using a contactless bank card, tram 2 will get you to a stop in the city centre a block away from Helsinki station, tram 3 takes a slightly longer route but goes to the tram stop right outside Helsinki station. Helsinki's iconic cathedral is a 1.3 km 16-minute walk from the ferry terminal.
See map of Stockholm showing ferry terminals. See map of Helsinki showing ferry terminals.
Tip: The direct Stockholm-Helsinki ferry is the nicest option, but the alternative ferry+train service from Stockholm to Helsinki via Turku is cheaper and allows a much later departure from Stockholm (so gives more of a day there) with a similar arrival time at Helsinki. See details here.
Helsinki ► London
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Day 1, travel from Helsinki to Stockholm overnight by luxurious Silja Line ferry.
Silja Line (www.tallinksilja.com) offers a luxurious overnight cruise ferry direct from Helsinki to Stockholm every day, sailing from Helsinki Olympia Terminal at 17:00 arriving in Stockholm Värtahamnen at about 09:45 next morning, after sailing past the many islands.
A range of comfortable cabins is available. Map of Helsinki showing Silja terminal.
Viking Line (www.sales.vikingline.com) also operates this route, but only every second day.
Spend day 2 exploring Stockholm.
Tip: The direct Helsinki-Stockholm ferry is the nicest option, but the alternative train+ferry service from Helsinki to Stockholm via Turku is cheaper and gets to Stockholm earlier for more of a day there - with a similar departure time from Helsinki. See details here.
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Day 2, travel from Stockholm to Hamburg by sleeper train, leaving Stockholm Central at 17:34 and arriving Hamburg Hbf at 06:00.
Procured by the Swedish government and run by SJ (Swedish Railways), the train has sleeping-cars with compact 1 & 2 berth compartments with washbasin, several 1, 2 or 3 bed deluxe compartments with en suite toilet & shower, couchette cars with 6 berth compartments, and ordinary seats. The sleeping-cars are former Austrian Railways AB32s, refurbished. More information about the Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper train.
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Day 3, travel from Hamburg to Brussels by train, leaving Hamburg Hbf at 08:45, change at Cologne Hbf, arriving Brussels Midi at 15:35.
You travel on comfortable ICE trains with restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi.
Tip: Allow at least 1 hour between trains in Hamburg when connecting out of the sleeper, ideally 1-2 hours.
Tip: An earlier arrival is possible using Eurostar (formerly Thalys) between Cologne & Brussels, but I recommend using the trains shown above as this gets you (a) a cheaper price and (b) a through ticket with cast-iron passenger rights in the event of a delay and missed connection in Cologne.
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Day 3, travel from Brussels to London by Eurostar, leaving Brussels Midi at 17:56 every day arriving London St Pancras at 18:57.
How much does it cost?
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London to Brussels by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £97 one-way, £140 return standard premier (1st class).
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Brussels to Hamburg starts at €27.90 each way in 2nd class or €59.90 each way in 1st class.
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Hamburg to Stockholm by sleeper train starts at €44.90 with a couchette in 6-berth, €69.90 with a couchette in 4-berth, €79.90 with a bed in a 2-bed sleeper or €164.90 with a single-bed sleeper all to yourself. All prices per person per bed.
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Stockholm to Helsinki by direct overnight ferry starts from around €88 including a bed in a shared 4-berth with Viking Line or €111 with sole occupancy of a cabin with Silja Line. But there are whole range of cabin types and prices, just check both ferry company websites.
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All these fares are dynamic, varying like air fares, so book ahead.
How to buy tickets
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Step 1, book London to Brussels by Eurostar at www.eurostar.com.
Tip: If returning, book Eurostar as a round trip, because unlike most other European trains, a return ticket costs less than two one-ways.
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Step 2, book Brussels to Hamburg at the German Railways website int.bahn.de.
Booking opens up to 6 months ahead. You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone. I recommend registering when prompted, so you can log on at any time and check or reprint tickets.
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Step 3, book Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper tickets at the Swedish Railways website www.sj.se.
Booking opens several months ahead, you print your own ticket or can show it on your phone.
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Step 4, book the Stockholm-Helsinki ferry at www.tallinksilja.com or the Direct Ferries website (which can book both Silja Line and Viking Line).
What's the journey like?
1. London to Brussels by Eurostar
Eurostar trains link London & Brussels in just 2 hours, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Brussels Midi station guide & short cut for changing trains in Brussels.
2. Brussels to Cologne by ICE3, Cologne to Hamburg by ICE4
Germany's superb ICEs have a bistro-restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. In 1st class, bistro orders are taken at your seat. 50 minutes after leaving Brussels the ICE calls at Liège, where you can admire the impressive station designed by celebrity architect Santiago Calatrava. As you approach Cologne Hbf you'll see the twin towers of Cologne Cathedral on the right, next to the station. More about ICE trains. Brussels Midi station guide. Cologne Hbf station guide. Hamburg Hbf station guide.
4. Hamburg to Stockholm by SJ EuroNight sleeper train
Run by SJ (Swedish Railways), this EuroNight train normally has one or sometimes two sleeping-cars, two or sometimes three couchette cars and two seats cars. Each sleeping-car has 14 narrow standard compartments with washbasin which can be sold as single or double, plus two deluxe compartments with shower & toilet which can be sold as single, double or triple. The couchettes come in 6-berth compartments. The seats cars have 6-seat compartments, but you should always book a couchette or sleeper if you can. The sleepers convert to private sitting rooms for evening or morning use, the couchettes convert to seats. Limited food & drink (including beer & wine) can be ordered from the train staff, you can see the menu at www.sj.se/en/travel-info/sj-euronight.html. A simple breakfast box with jam, butter, rolls, yoghurt and a tea or coffee is included in the sleepers and can be ordered the night before in the couchettes. Unlike most other European night trains, as this train is Swedish you are not permitted to consume your own alcohol. More photos & information about the Hamburg-Stockholm sleeper train.
5. Stockholm to Helsinki by overnight ferry
An Silja Line ferry links Stockholm with Helsinki overnight every day, and a Viking Line ferry sails overnight to a similar schedule every second day. It's a much more relaxed affair than the Stockholm-Turku route. You can board an hour an a half before sailing rather than 15 minutes before, the ferry sails late afternoon so you have a whole evening on the ship, and there's time for a lie-in and leisurely breakfast with a late-morning arrival. The facilities on board are top-class, from the Grande Buffet to the Lobster restaurant. A full range of cabins is available, including suites.
Option 2, London to Helsinki with overnight stops
You travel from London to Hamburg by Eurostar & onward trains on day 1, stay overnight in Hamburg, then travel from Hamburg to Stockholm on day 2. Take a bottle of wine and a good book, and enjoy a 2-day train ride across Europe on modern & comfortable trains with not an airport security queue in sight. Stay overnight in Stockholm then take the daytime ferry+train service to Helsinki next day. Or spend the day exploring Stockholm and take the overnight cruise ferry to Helsinki with a comfortable en suite cabin reserved. What's the journey like?
London ► Helsinki
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Day 1, travel from London to Hamburg by train, for example:
Leave London St Pancras at 11:04 by Eurostar to Brussels Midi, ICE3 train to Cologne, & EuroCity to Hamburg Hbf arriving 21:14.
By all means travel earlier for more of an evening in Hamburg, see the London-Hamburg timetable on the London to Germany page.
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Stay overnight in Hamburg.
The Hotel Reichshof Hamburg is the top choice here, just across the road 100m from the station's Kirchenallee exit, with art deco-based design and great reviews. Other hotels near Hamburg Hbf with good or great reviews include (starting with the cheapest) the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski. If you're on a budget, cheap private rooms in the A&O Hotel near Hamburg Hbf can be booked at www.hostelworld.com.
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Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Stockholm by train.
Leave Hamburg Hbf at 08:55 by EuroCity train arriving Copenhagen 13:34, then leave Copenhagen at 14:19 by X2000 train arriving Stockholm Central 19:37.
Check train times from Hamburg to Stockholm at int.bahn.de.
Tip: I recommend clicking Mode of transport and selecting Long-distance travel only. This avoids multi-change journeys with regional trains and limits the search to mainline trains with fewer changes.
Trains from Copenhagen to Stockholm cross the impressive Öresund Fixed Link, a tunnel & double-deck road/rail bridge opened in 1999 linking Denmark with Sweden. More information about the Hamburg to Copenhagen journey. More information about X2000 tilting trains.
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Stay overnight in Stockholm. Check hotels in Stockholm.
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Day 3, travel from Stockholm to Helsinki by ferry & train.
Viking Line (www.sales.vikingline.com) sails from Stockholm Stadsgården terminal at 07:45 every day, arriving in Turku at 19:50.
The luxurious Viking Grace or Viking Glory has a range of standard & deluxe cabins, restaurants, bars and lounges. A cabin is optional on the day crossing, but I recommend one as somewhere to nap, shower, relax in private. See map of Stockholm showing ferry terminals. How to reach Stockholm's Viking Line terminal.
In Turku, it's just 100m from the Viking Line terminal to Turku Port station, see map.
A connecting double-deck InterCity train leaves Turku Port (Turku Satama) station at 20:25 & arrives at Helsinki station at 22:56.
This is a boat train specifically timed to connect with the ferry from Stockholm. It has Eko (2nd) & Ekstra (1st) class, a bistro, playroom & various seating options, see more information about this Intercity train.
Update: For 2 years from Autumn 2022, a bus will replace the train between Turku Port & Kupittaa (east Turku), but the bus is well-signed & well-organised. The bus leaves from the car park next to Turku Port station platforms. More information about this Intercity train.
Alternatively, spend the day in Stockholm and take the direct ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki as in option 1.
Helsinki ► London
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Day 1, travel from Helsinki to Stockholm by train & ferry.
Leave Helsinki station at 05:28 Mondays-Fridays only by double-deck InterCity train, arriving Turku Port (Turku Satama) at 07:40.
This is a boat train specifically timed to connect with the ferry to Stockholm. It has Eko (2nd) & Ekstra (1st) class, a bistro, playroom & various seating options, see more information about this Intercity train.
In Turku, it's just 100m from Turku Port station to the Viking Line terminal, see map.
Update: For 2 years from Autumn 2022, a bus will temporarily replace the train from Kupittaa (eastern Turku) to Turku Port, but it' well-signed & well-organised. The bus arrives at the car park next to Turku Port station platforms.
Viking Line (www.sales.vikingline.com) sails from Turku at 08:45 arriving Stockholm Stadsgården ferry terminal at 18:55.
The luxurious Viking Grace or Viking Glory has a range of standard & deluxe cabins, restaurants, bars and lounges. A cabin is optional on the day crossing, but I recommend one as somewhere to nap, shower, relax in private. See map of Stockholm showing ferry terminals.
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Stay overnight in Stockholm. Check hotels in Stockholm.
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Day 2, travel from Stockholm to Hamburg by train.
Leave Stockholm Central at 08:20 by X2000 tilting train arriving Copenhagen 13:33, then leave Copenhagen at 15:26 by EuroCity train arriving Hamburg Hbf at 20:04.
You can check train times from Stockholm to Hamburg at the German Railways website int.bahn.de.
Tip: I recommend clicking Mode of transport and selecting Long-distance travel only. This avoids multi-change journeys with regional trains and limits the search to mainline trains with fewer changes.
Trains from Stockholm to Copenhagen cross the impressive Öresund Fixed Link, a tunnel & double-deck road/rail bridge opened in 1999 linking Denmark with Sweden. More information about X2000 tilting trains. More information about the Copenhagen to Hamburg journey.
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Stay overnight in Hamburg.
The Hotel Reichshof Hamburg is the top choice here, just across the road 100m from the station's Kirchenallee exit, with art deco-based design and great reviews. Other hotels near Hamburg Hbf with good or great reviews include (starting with the cheapest) the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski. If you're on a budget, cheap private rooms in the A&O Hotel near Hamburg Hbf can be booked at www.hostelworld.com.
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Day 2, travel from Hamburg to London by train.
For example, the first departure leaves Hamburg Hbf at 06:45, change at Cologne Hbf & Brussels Midi to arrive London St Pancras at 16:57.
Or you can leave Hamburg at 08:45 arriving London at 18:57. Or leave Hamburg at 12:50 arriving London at 21:57 (21:27 Saturdays), see the Hamburg to London timetable on the London to Germany page.
How much does it cost?
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London to Brussels by Eurostar starts at £52 one-way or £78 return in standard class, £97 one-way, £140 return standard premier (1st class).
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Brussels to Hamburg starts at €27.90 each way in 2nd class or €56.90 each way in 1st class.
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Hamburg to Stockholm starts at €56.90 each way in 2nd class.
These train fares are dynamic like air fares, so book early for the cheapest prices and avoid busy days such as Fridays or Sunday afternoons.
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Stockholm to Turku by Viking Line ferry costs as little as €15 each way without any cabin accommodation, but you can add various types of private cabin from €13 upwards. Silja Line is similarly priced.
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Turku to Helsinki by train costs starts at €7.90 in Eco (2nd) class or €18.80 in Ekstra (1st) class booked in advance.
How to buy tickets
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Step 1, book from London to Hamburg (and back, if returning) at www.raileurope.com and add to basket.
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Step 2, book from Hamburg to Stockholm at www.raileurope.com, add to basket and check out.
Booking tips
Anyone from any country can use www.raileurope.com, it allows you to book all your tickets together in one place in plain English, international credit cards accepted and fares shown in multiple currencies. There's a small booking fee.
Booking for Eurostar opens up to 6 months ahead, sometimes more. Onward trains from Brussels to Germany & Denmark open for booking up to 6 months ahead, but significantly less than this when the mid-December timetable change intervenes. I recommend waiting until all your trains are open for booking before committing to a non-refundable Eurostar ticket. More about when booking opens.
Fares are dynamic like air fares, for the cheapest prices book early and avoid busy days such as Fridays or Sunday afternoons.
Eurostar return fares are significantly cheaper than two one ways, so any return journey involving Eurostar is best booked as a round trip. However, with the Brussels-Hamburg & Hamburg-Stockholm tickets a round trip is simply two one-ways, so makes no difference.
A seat reservation is automatically included with every ticket on Eurostar and on Swedish X2000s. However, seat reservations on the German & Danish trains between Brussels & Copenhagen are usually optional, if you want a reserved seat it can be added during the booking process for fee of around €4.50 each way. A reserved seat is a good idea, especially at busy periods, so I'd add one when prompted.
You print your own tickets, or after booking you can load the Eurostar ticket into the Eurostar app, and show the DB tickets on your laptop or phone.
After booking you can use the Eurostar Manage Booking system to select an exact seat on Eurostar.
About those tight 20-minute connections at Brussels Midi:
The slick 20-minute connection in Brussels between Eurostar and an onward ICE, sometimes less than this, is usually a recognised connection which lots of people make. It's not usually a problem, especially if you use the Brussels Midi short cut between platforms. Even though the system sells you separate tickets either side of Brussels, you are protected by the Railteam Promise/HOTNAT so if there's a delay and you miss the connection you will be allowed to travel on later onwards trains at no extra charge. Just make sure that if you did miss that 20 minute connection in Brussels, there are later trains that would still get you to Hamburg by close of play that day.
Alternatively, nothing stops you booking an earlier Eurostar than the one which directly connects with your chosen onward ICE, if it has cheaper fares or if you want a more robust connection. To do this using www.raileurope.com, click More options, then enter Brussels (any station) as a via station with a stopover duration of (say) 1 or 2 hours. There are plenty of places for a meal, coffee or beer between trains in Brussels!
If you don't see any cheap Hamburg-Stockholm fares:
Availability of Hamburg-Stockholm tickets is limited, so if you don't find any cheap fares between Hamburg and Stockholm using www.raileurope.com, split the booking like this:
First book Hamburg to Copenhagen at German Railways int.bahn.de and print your own ticket.
Then book Copenhagen to Stockholm using either Omio.com (small booking fee, happily accepts overseas credit cards, you can pay in Swedish Kr, £, € and $) or www.sj.se (in Swedish Krona, no booking fee, you can usually choose a specific seat from a seating plan, but it can sometimes be fussy with overseas credit cards). You simply print out your own ticket or show it on your phone, or you can choose to collect tickets from the SJ ticket machines at Copenhagen station.
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Step 3, book the ferry from Stockholm to Turku.
You can check sailing dates & prices for both Viking Line & Silja Line ferries on both the Stockholm-Turku & Stockholm-Helsinki routes at the Direct Ferries website. Remember to select '18+' for adults and change With vehicle to No vehicle. The price you initially see is for a basic passenger place on the ferry, you can add a cabin at the next stage. When you book online you will be emailed a confirmation which you present at check-in to exchange for your boarding pass.
Alternatively you can book direct with the relevant operator at www.sales.vikingline.com or www.tallinksilja.com. You can book individual beds in shared cabins if you book directly with the operator, which is much cheaper than sole occupancy, that's the one thing Direct ferries can't do.
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Step 4, book the train from Turku to Helsinki: If you book the daytime or overnight Stockholm-Turku ferry, you'll need an onward train ticket to Helsinki. You can do this online at www.vr.fi (click 'EN' for English). It's Turku Harbour (Satama) station that you should select.
How to buy tickets by phone
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Step 1: Buy your train tickets from London to Stockholm. You can buy all these tickets through a number of UK agencies, but the best for this trip is probably Deutsche Bahn's UK phone line on 00 49 (0)30 311 68 29 04 (lines open 08:30-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday & Sunday UK time, 1.5% fee for phone bookings). Click here for a list of agencies and more info on how to book.
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Step 2: Book the Viking Line ferry at the Direct Ferries website or www.sales.vikingline.com or by phone though its UK agent, Emagine Ltd, on 01942 262662. Book the Silja Line ferry at the Direct Ferries website or www.tallinksilja.com or through their UK agents, DFDS Seaways, on 0871 522 9955.
Let Railbookers arrange it
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If you want a custom-made trip with train & ferry travel, hotels & transfers all arranged for you, contact Railbookers. Tell them what you want and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out. They get positive reviews and look after their customers very well.
UK call 0207 864 4600,
www.railbookers.co.uk.
US call free 1-888-829-4775,
see
website.
Canada call free 1-855-882-2910,
see website.
Australia call toll-free 1300 971 52
see website.
New Zealand call toll-free 0800 000 554 or
see
website.
What's the journey like?
1. London to Brussels by Eurostar
Eurostar trains link London & Brussels in just 2 hours, travelling at up to 300 km/h (186 mph). There are two bar cars, power sockets at all seats and free WiFi. Standard Premier and Business Premier fares include a light meal with wine (or breakfast, on departures before 11:00). There's a 30-minute minimum check-in as all border formalities are carried out before you board the train. More information about Eurostar including check-in procedure. St Pancras station guide. Brussels Midi station guide & short cut for changing trains in Brussels.
2. Brussels to Cologne by ICE3
Germany's superb ICEs have a bistro-restaurant car, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. In 1st class, bistro orders are taken at your seat. 50 minutes after leaving Brussels the ICE calls at Liège, where you can admire the impressive station designed by celebrity architect Santiago Calatrava. As you approach Cologne Hbf you'll see the twin towers of Cologne Cathedral on the right, next to the station. More information about ICE3. Brussels Midi station guide. Cologne Hbf station guide.
3. Cologne to Hamburg by Intercity train
Germany Intercity trains travel at up to 200km/h (120mph), with power sockets at all seats and a bistro car serving tea, coffee, wine, beer, snacks and hot dishes. On the Cologne to Hamburg route you'll find some departures are operated by high-speed ICEs (usually ICE1) rather than Intercity trains, although the ICEs are no faster than ICs on this section of line. More information about Intercity trains. Hamburg Hbf station guide.
You
should take a good guidebook.
For the independent traveller, I think this means either the Lonely Planet or the
Rough
Guide. I personally prefer the layout of the Lonely Planet, but
others prefer the Rough Guide. Both guidebooks provide the same
excellent level of practical information and historical background.
You won't regret buying one! My own book, an essential handbook
for train travel to Europe based on this website called "
