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The train link to Denmark & Scandinavia...
Air-conditioned Intercity trains link Hamburg with Copenhagen in around 4h40 with fares from €28.90. There are 3 trains a day in each direction all year round, but in summer this expands to 5 trains each way. You can check train times & buy tickets at the German Railways website int.bahn.de.
Since December 2019 these Hamburg-Copenhagen trains take the long way round through Flensburg & Odense via the Great Belt Fixed Link and no longer go on the Puttgarden-Rødby train ferry. On the plus side, this is 18 minutes quicker and as trains are no longer limited to 3 cars to fit on the ferry. Trains will use this route while the direct line via Puttgarden is rebuilt and the Fehmarn Link constructed, fast trains Hamburg-Copenhagen won't start using this new fast route until at least 2029.
Train times northbound 2023
Hamburg to Copenhagen is 522 km or 324 miles by train via this route.
Train times southbound 2023
Copenhagen to Hamburg is 522 km (324 miles) by train via this route.
What are the trains like?
Until 16 June 2023, Hamburg-Copenhagen trains were operated by Danish IC3 diesel trains. From 17 June 2023 these IC3 are replaced by former DB (German Railways) Intercity cars hauled by a DSB electric locomotive, bringing a welcome increase in capacity and a welcome switch to electric power. This is only temporary, because at some point in 2024 brand new articulated trains built by Talgo will enter service on this route.
The trains are air-conditioned, spacious & smooth-riding, with toilets, at-seat power sockets & free WiFi - but minimal catering, so bring your own supplies.
In 2023, service remains 3 train per day all year increasing to 5 in summer, but from 2024 it is hoped to run 4 trains per day all year, 5 most of the year and up to 7 per day in summer. The two daily Hamburg to Aarhus trains remain operated by Danish IC3s.
On 17 June 2023, the first Copenhagen to Hamburg train to use the 'new' German intercity cars is boarding at Copenhagen. Photo courtesy of Peter Kincey.
2nd class seats are almost all open-plan like this. There are a handful of 6-seat 2nd class compartments in one of the coaches, but only a few.
The 1st class car has 6-seater compartments like this. Larger photo. Larger photo.
The trains no longer go on a ferry
The highlight of the journey used to be the 50-minute ferry crossing between Puttgarden in Germany & Rødby in Denmark where the train went onto a ship. The Vogelfluglinie (as the crow flies) route from Hamburg to Copenhagen via the Puttgarden-Rødby train ferry dates from 1963, but trains ceased using it (and the train ferry) as of 15 December 2019. The planned Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link will ultimately replace the ferry with a tunnel, dramatically cutting travel time between Germany and Copenhagen, probably from 2029. The associated railway lines are being modernised and Hamburg-Copenhagen trains are currently being re-routed the long way round via Padborg, Kolding, Odense and the Great Belt Fixed Link.
The Rendsburg Loop & High Bridge
There are still things to see on the way. Just north of Hamburg, the trains to Copenhagen cross the high and imposing Rendsburg High Bridge (Rendsburger Hochbrücke) over the Kiel Canal, built 1911-1913, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendsburg_High_Bridge. The bridge is 42m (138 feet) above the canal, it's also a transporter bridge, with a gondola suspended below the deck ferrying cars across the canal. The trains then go around the Rendsburg Loop to lose height (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendsburg_Loop) before passing non-stop through Rendsburg station. You can see Rendsburg marked on the route map below. On the map you'll see another loop at Flensburg, but these trains don't call at Flensburg and by-pass that loop.
The Little Belt
Between Kolding and Odense, the Hamburg-Copenhagen trains cross a bridge over the Little Belt (Lillebælt in Danish) from Jutland (mainland Denmark) to Funen, the island on which Odense is located, see the route map below.
The Great Belt
Between Odense and Ringsted, the Hamburg-Copenhagen trains cross the Great Belt Fixed Link from Funen to Zealand, the island on which Copenhagen is located, see the route map below. For a century, trains were ferried across this stretch of water on a train ferry, this ended when the Fixed Link opened to trains in 1997. It opened to road traffic in 1998. The Great Belt Fixed Link is 18 km (11 miles) long, consisting of a box-girder bridge for the western section for both road and railway, then a suspension bridge for road traffic and tunnel for the railway for the eastern section. It's a major piece of engineering, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Belt_Fixed_Link. The photo below shows the view of the Great Belt Fixed Link from a Hamburg to Copenhagen train about to cross it. The train crosses the West Bridge next to the road, then uses the East Tunnel while the road passes over the East Bridge, visible in the background here. Photo courtesy of Peter Kincey.
Travel tips
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1st or 2nd class?
2nd class is absolutely fine. 1st class seats are leather and arranged in 6-seat compartments. Second class seats are in open-plan cars, but with a handful of 6-seat 2nd class compartments in one of the cars.
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Seating plans: Danish IC3 (until April 2023). Ex-German carriages (starting April 2023).
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Food & drink on board
There's no restaurant or cafe car. A member of staff may walk through offering light refreshments, but that's all, so bring your own food & drink.
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A seat reservation is strongly recommended, and compulsory in summer
Seat reservations are optional for most of the year on this route as on most German & Danish trains, but they are compulsory for the peak summer period from June to September as demand for seats can exceeds supply in the summer months. However, I strongly recommend reserving a seat at any time of year as they are popular trains.
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Tickets appear to be on sale, but booking won't complete?
German Railways put tickets on sale up to 6 months ahead. But seat reservations are compulsory on this route in summer, so a ticket cannot be sold without one. Seat reservation inventory is handled by DSB (Danish Railways), who usually just load seat reservation inventory only 2 months ahead. So if you try to book but it fails to go through and this is usually the reason. A known issue! If it'll let you, buy the ticket to lock in the price, then come back 2 months ahead and make a seat reservation. If it won't let you buy, come back closer to travel date.
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To make a seat reservation if you have a Eurail or Interrail pass or have already bought a ticket
Bahn.de lets you add a seat reservation when you buy a ticket, and most of the time it can sell stand-alone seat reservations on this route if you already have a ticket or have an Interrail or Eurail pass. Seat reservations usually open 2 months ahead, you simply run the enquiry using the Book seat only link under the red search button. If booking isn't open or can't be done for any other reason it'll say reservation impossible.
If you have any problems reserving at bahn.de, you can also make a stand-alone seat reservation at the Danish Railways website www.dsb.dk: Click In English right at the bottom of the page, then scroll back up & click Train ticket to Europe. Now click Buy your international seat reservation and run the relevant enquiry. Here's a direct link to save you doing all that: travel.b-europe.com/dsb-rail/en/reservation-only (please let me know if it changes). The seat reservation costs around 30Kr, about €4. The fact that a price is shown doesn't mean booking is open, you only know that it's open and space is available when you click to reserve. You print your own reservation.
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Finding & boarding your train
As with most European trains, there's no check-in, just board the train any time before the doors close and off it goes. The platform number will be shown on the departure screens all around the station. If you run an enquiry at German Railways int.bahn.de it'll usually tell you the planned platform number at Hamburg Hbf.
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First class lounges
In Hamburg, if you have a full-fare Flexpreis first class ticket you can use the DB Lounge at Hamburg Hbf before or after your journey, with complimentary refreshments & free WiFi. However, you can't use the lounge with an Interrail or Eurail pass, or an advance-purchase Sparpreis or Supersparpreis fare.
In Copenhagen, anyone with any 1st class ticket including a 1st class Interrail or Eurail pass may use the DSB 1 lounge on the main concourse, with complimentary tea, coffee & free WiFi. It's only open on Mondays-Fridays, see the Copenhagen station page for opening hours.
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Luggage & bikes
Like any European train, you take your bags into the train with you and stick them on any suitable rack near your seat. There are overhead racks above your seat which take anything up to backpack size. Nobody weighs or measures bags, so no worries. Bikes are not carried on this route.
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Power sockets and WiFi
You'll find power sockets at all seats and free WiFi.
Route map
How much does it cost?
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Advance-purchase tickets start at €28.90 in 2nd class, €59.90 in 1st class.
If you're happy to book ahead and commit to a specific train, these Sparpreis fares are what you want. They are only valid on the specific train you book, limited or no refunds or changes to travel plans. Prices vary, with limited availability at each price level, they sell out close to departure, but they're often available even a few days in advance.
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The fully-flexible fare is around €98 in 2nd class, €151 in 1st class.
If you want to stay flexible and/or buy a ticket at the station on the day, the Flexpreis fare is what you pay. This is good for any train that day. Unlimited availability, they can't sell out.
How to buy tickets
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Buy online at the German Railways website int.bahn.de.
Booking opens up to 6 months in advance, but significantly less than this when the mid-December timetable change intervenes.
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Seat reservation is optional for a small extra charge (about €5 per seat) except May-September when it becomes compulsory and is included free of charge. Reservation is strongly recommended all year round as these trains get very busy.
Tip: You can only add a seat reservation within 2 months of departure, the booking may fail if you try to buy a ticket with seat reservation added more than 2 months before travel. The solution if booking 3-6 months out is to buy the ticket without any seat reservation to lock in the cheap price, then come back later and make a separate seat reservation 2 months or less before departure, as explained in the Travel tips section above.
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You print your own ticket or can show it on your laptop or phone.