The two large cities with an "H" in the north of Germany are two hubs for long-distance transport. Hanover offers numerous transfer options, while Hamburg Hbf has the most passengers per day in Germany and the second most in Europe. In this blog, I'll explain how to get from Hanover to Hamburg by ICE.
Timetable
Status: timetable year 2025
Deutsche Bahn's ICE (InterCityExpress) and IC (InterCit) trains run between Hanover and Hamburg. Ideally, the ICE trains run non-stop, while the IC trains stop in Celle, Uelzen and Lüneburg. Please note that the journey time on the ICE is therefore between 1:14 hours and 1:20 hours, but an IC takes at least 1:22 hours and up to 1:51 hours (average 1:35 hours). There are also some ICE trains that make several stops and then take a similar time to an IC. I have categorised these as slow trains. All IC trains are marked with an *.
By the way: the line is to be upgraded by 2030 so that ICE trains will only need 1:02 hours for the route from then on!
Hanover railway station with a view of the television tower on an October afternoon.
Departures from Hannover Hbf to Hamburg are as follows:
Fast trains (all ICE): The fast trains always leave Hanover at minutes 20 and 36, with the train at .20 travelling non-stop (journey time approx. 1:15 hours) and the train at .36 stopping in Hamburg-Harburg (journey time approx. 1:18 hours). The journey times may vary by 1-2 minutes.
The first fast train leaves at 07:36. There are also some exceptions: one train leaves at 08:22 (instead of 08:20), one train leaves at 19:15 (instead of 19:20) and from 20:00 some trains stop more often (see: "slow trains"). The last really fast train departs at 22:39.
Incidentally, the train at .20 always comes from Stuttgart, the train at .36 from Munich.
My ICE train to Hamburg arrives. Departure time 15.36 (in the timetable at that time still from Stuttgart)
Slow trains (ICE/IC*): 05:10, 05:54*, 07:05 (NightJet), 07:59, 11:59, 13:01, 14:59, 15:59, 16:57*, 17:59, 19:18, 20:36, 20:58, 21:22, 21:36, 22:20, 22:36, 23:45
If this is all a little confusing: you can also simply change your journey for the relevant day of travel to here at Deutsche Bahn look up.
Did you already know? - Whether IC or ICE doesn't really matter on this route. Both trains travel at up to 200 km/h here. The only difference is the price. More on this in a moment.
Shortly after Hanover, the ICE accelerates to 200 km/h.
Buy tickets
The best way to buy tickets online at Deutsche Bahn. I will explain the fares in the next category.
Ticket prices
The ticket between Hanover and Hamburg costs between EUR 17.90 and EUR 57 in 2nd class without Bahncard on the ICE. And between EUR 17.90 and EUR 54 on the IC. The most expensive price is the flex fare, which only comes into effect when all saver fares are sold out. The earlier you book, the better your chances of getting a saver fare. Incidentally, you can get saver fares with a Railcard 25% discount, on the Flex fare 25 or 50% discount. This means that your ticket with a Bahncard always costs between EUR 13.40 and a maximum of EUR 33.50 (for BahnCard25) or a maximum of EUR 22.35 (for BahnCard 50).
Timetable ICE Hanover-Hamburg.
Interrail
With Interrail you travel free of charge on all IC and ICE trains within Germany. Optionally, for 4 EUR you can buy a Reserve a seat.
The ICE train
As I'm out and about on a dark autumn day, I don't get to see much of the landscape. Unfortunately, I also don't have a window seat. I'm travelling in a new ICE4 for the first time that day. It's funny that I only realise this when I get off the train. Unfortunately, the train is very full, which is why I don't have many photos, for example the on-board restaurant is missing. The good news: I'll give you a detailed introduction to the ICE4 in another blog. At least I was able to take some photos when the train emptied out in Hamburg.
Here are a few sporadic photos of 1st and 2nd class. I notice the large luggage racks.
What else is there on the ICE? - The ICE has free WLAN in both classes. There is an infant compartment for families and you can enjoy a meal in the on-board restaurant.
Recently, you can use the so-called "comfort check-in" to check your ticket yourself without the conductor coming. This service was still relatively new at the time. I will introduce it to you in detail in another blog.
Our journey is slowly coming to an end. In Hamburg we cross the Elbe at dusk and you can still see a few harbour cranes and part of the city from the train.
We arrive at Hamburg main station with a delay of 7 minutes. Somewhere along the line, the train had stopped for a short time, but it had caught up a bit. But I still make my connection to Copenhagen without any problems.
Here again the link to the Buying tickets with Deutsche Bahn. If you use our booking links for your trips, we will receive a small commission from the fare as a thank you for our work. The price for you remains the same - so thank you very much!
If you are looking for an overnight stay in Hamburg, then take a look at Booking.com.
Do you still need help planning your journey or Interrail trip? - Just write a comment and you'll get an answer.
Important links
Timetable / journey time from 1:14 hours: German railway
Buy train tickets from 17,90 EUR: German railway
Book a hotel: Booking.com
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