Night trains from Hamburg: Explore the most beautiful destinations in Europe
Created: 05/09/2022, 17:14
By: Kevin Goonewardena
Night trains are making a comeback.
But not with Deutsche Bahn.
The Austrians are the market leaders.
Where Hamburg is already headed.
Hamburg – Night trains are experiencing a renaissance in Europe.
Not long ago, Deutsche Bahn stopped operating its night trains – in 2016, to be precise.
Less than five years later, the neighboring countries are once again increasingly opting for night train connections.
According to Stern magazine, the corona pandemic is speeding up the implementation of the plans.
A common version of the European railways envisages a network of night train lines by 2030, making it possible to travel from Stockholm to Lisbon, from London to Marseille or Naples to Budapest.
Not without changing, but the direct connections are getting longer and more numerous.
Hamburg is also served by some lines and there will be more, as reported by 24hamburg.de.
Surname: | Hamburg Central Station |
Opened: | 1906 |
tracks: | 12 |
Trains and travelers daily: | About 720 (without S-Bahn) / around 500,000 |
Sylt: On the night train via Hamburg to Austria
The night train lines in Germany are still offered either by the state railways of the neighboring countries or by private operators.
But Deutsche Bahn also wants to return to the night trains, which the group only abolished a few years ago.
One of the private providers is ASN, which stands for Alpen-Sylt-Nachtexpress.
A night train in the station shortly before departure: Night trains also start from Hamburg, for example to Sweden or from Sylt.
And there will be more to come.
© Zoonar.com/CGI/Imago
From Westerland on the celebrity island of Sylt, the route goes via Husum and Heide first to Hamburg and then on to Nuremberg, Augsburg and Munich to Salzburg in Austria.
Departure from Sylt is at 8:00 p.m., arrival in Austria at 12:00 p.m. the following day.
Driving time: 16 hours.
If you decide to take a night train, you have to do one thing first and foremost: bring your time.
So getting from A to B as quickly as possible is something that passengers on the night train can hardly do.
On the night train from Hamburg: Alpen-Sylt night express from 29 euros to 950 euros
If you want to travel on a night train as you can only do on a night train, i.e. if you want to spend the night in a bed, you can get tickets in a private or shared multi-bed compartment (1-5 people) from 39.00 euros from the provider ASN.
(29.00 euros for a seat).
In the best case, a family of five travels from Sylt to Austria for 200.00.
A toilet is in the corridor, bed linen is provided, breakfast must be booked separately.
There isn't just a shower.
There may be cheaper plane tickets here and there, but you have to find them first, especially since the prices fluctuate.
Also: There is no direct flight from Westerland to Salzburg. Travelers would first have to get to Hamburg, then go to Hamburg Airport, check in, wait and, after landing in Salzburg, first manage the way from the airport to the city.
The journey to Hamburg costs additional money, and parking fees at the airport are due by car.
You can only take as much luggage with you as you can carry.
On the plane, the kilos cost, on the train not.
And you are also more environmentally friendly on the road.
Since 2016, the night trains of the Austrian Federal Railways have replaced 12,000 flights.
Although it takes less than 16 hours by plane, it is significantly more expensive.
The same provider also offers a connection to Lörrach in Switzerland, also via Hamburg, then Frankfurt/Main, Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Basel.
The sleeping car costs from 550.00 euros, here there are not only beds instead of couches, but also a shower.
From 950.00 euros there is then the private toilet, the private shower and breakfast is no longer optional, but included.
The prices are by no means per person: 5 people in a couchette cost 200 euros, and 950.00 euros for up to four people.
And offers and specials are available from ASN and other providers.
Hamburg: With the night train to Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Sweden
In addition to the Urlaubs-Express, there are currently only two other providers from Hamburg.
While travelers can take the Holiday Express to Innsbruck, Vienna, St. Pölten, Bischofshofen, Bozen and Verona, among other places, the Austrian Federal Railways also take passengers to Vienna, Innsbruck and Zurich via Basel.
In the Holiday Express, individuals travel in a couchette car from EUR 115.00, sleeping cars are available for three people from EUR 49.00.
Unlike ASN, there are no seated carriages on the Urlaubs Express.
The Swedish train Snalltaget has been running from Berlin to Stockholm since autumn 2021.
The night train goes via Hamburg, Malmö, Linköping and Norrköping on the Vogelfluglinie (Puttgarden-Rodby) once a day from the German to the Swedish capital. Seasonally, the train starts in Dresden.
An overview for those interested can be found here
Traveling on the night train: Attractive for groups – cars, bicycles and pets can also be taken along
You always have to bring time, at least for the entire route, otherwise you can find the right offer for the different needs of travelers and budgets from all providers.
Pets and bicycles can also be taken with you for an extra charge, and from Hamburg-Altona on the route of the Holiday Express to Innsbruck or Bolzano even cars and motorbikes.