Getting There By Rail

Rail Services
Hamburg's rail system is efficient and well connected nationally and internationally across Europe. In fact, it's possible to make a rail journey from London to Hamburg in under a day.
There are four main train stations in Hamburg, the Hauptbahnhof is the largest of these, and lying slightly east of the city centre, this is the terminus for most trains arriving in Hamburg, as well as being a hub for buses and the U-Bahn (Hamburg's underground rail network). The other three main stations - Dammtor, Altona and Harburg - are also centrally located and directly connected to the U-Bahn and S-Bahn (the city's overground light railway). Altona is the departure point for many long-distance and international journeys, although most also stop at Hauptbahnhof. There are regular hourly services to Hamburg's nearest towns and cities, including Lubeck, Kiel, Hanover and Bremen, all taking between 45 minutes and 1 hour 15 minutes. Further afield, Germany's excellent IC (Intercity) trains connect with Berlin, while high-speed ICE (Intercity Express) trains leave regularly for Frankfurt, Cologne and Munich. There is also a twice-daily service northwards into the Danish capital Copenhagen and southbound, a night train runs directly to Paris.

Rail Operators
Deutsche Bahn (DB) (tel: 0180 599 6633; www.bahn.de) is the national service provider. To travel by train from London to Hamburg, take a Eurostar train (tel: 0843 218 6186, in the UK; www.eurostar.com) to Paris, a high-speed Thalys or ICE train from Paris to Cologne, and then an IC train from Cologne to Hamburg.