Berlin to Hamburg by Train
Germany's Flagship ICE Journey

The journey begins at Berlin Hauptbahnhof, the vast glass-and-steel station opened in 2006 that is the largest crossing station in Europe - a cathedral of a building where the east-west and north-south lines cross on different levels, trains gliding through on multiple decks. It is modern, bright and fully step-free, with lifts and escalators between the levels, shops and services throughout, and it is worth allowing a couple of extra minutes to find your platform among the levels. The ICE trains to Hamburg leave from the through platforms.

Reaching the station is easy from anywhere in Berlin: the S-Bahn stops here (the elevated east-west lines), the U-Bahn line U5 runs beneath it, and trams and buses serve the entrances, while regional and airport trains connect to Berlin Brandenburg Airport in around 30 minutes. Boarding a long-distance train in Germany is refreshingly simple - there is no check-in, so arrive 10 to 15 minutes ahead, check the platform boards for your coach letter, and step aboard. With reservations optional, you can take whichever ICE suits.

The ICE slips west out of the city and calls at Berlin-Spandau, the last Berlin stop, on the edge of the capital - a handy boarding point for travellers from the western districts. Beyond it the train leaves Berlin behind and settles into the open country of Brandenburg, the flat, lake-scattered, pine-wooded land that rings the capital. The line runs fast and straight, and the city gives way quickly to fields, forest and the occasional glinting lake.

This is easy, unhurried-feeling travel even at speed - the Mark Brandenburg is quiet, level country, and the train makes short work of it. There is no drama to the landscape, but there is a pleasant sense of the north opening out as Berlin recedes and the line strikes toward the Elbe.

German intercity travel asks almost nothing of you: no check-in, no compulsory reservation, just a fast train every half hour and a seat by the window.

Roughly the midpoint of the run is Wittenberge, an old brick-built town in the Prignitz where the line meets the Elbe, the great river that flows on to Hamburg and the sea. Some ICE trains call here; the fastest run straight through. The Elbe is northern Germany's defining river, and the line keeps loose company with it from here on, crossing its tributaries and the wide, watery lowlands of the plain.

The country here is Elbe floodplain and farmland - big skies, dykes, meadows and the occasional church tower - the kind of calm, horizontal landscape that the north does so well. It will not fill a camera, but it is restful to watch slide past at speed, and it marks the crossing from Brandenburg into Mecklenburg and the final approach to Hamburg.

North of the Elbe the line runs through Mecklenburg, past Ludwigslust - a small town with a surprisingly grand baroque palace, sometimes called the "Versailles of Mecklenburg" - and on across the flat, sandy heathland that stretches toward Hamburg. This is heath-and-pine country, the northern edge of the great Lüneburg Heath landscape, a land of gorse, birch and open horizons that turns purple with flowering heather in late summer.

The final approach brings the train through the outskirts of Hamburg and across the waterways of the Elbe delta into the city. After the level plains, the arrival into one of Germany's greatest cities feels like a fitting finish - and Hamburg Hauptbahnhof puts the harbour, the old town and the whole northern network within easy reach.

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is the busiest station in Germany by passenger numbers, a grand 1906 hall of iron and glass in the heart of the city, and the hub of Hamburg's transport. It is fully equipped and largely step-free, with lifts to the platforms, and it sits between the city centre and the Alster lakes, so much of Hamburg is within easy reach on foot or a short ride. Some ICE trains continue beyond it to Hamburg-Dammtor and Hamburg-Altona, so check which Hamburg stop is best for where you are staying.

The city opens up quickly from here. U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines run from beneath and beside the station: the harbour and the famous Landungsbrücken are a few minutes away by U-Bahn line U3 or the S-Bahn, and the Speicherstadt warehouse district and HafenCity - home to the Elbphilharmonie concert hall and the Miniatur Wunderland model railway - are a short ride or a 15 to 20 minute walk south toward the water. The S-Bahn line S1 runs direct from the Hauptbahnhof to Hamburg Airport in around 25 minutes.

The ICE - InterCity Express - is Deutsche Bahn's flagship high-speed train, and it is a comfortable, civilised way to travel. Every ICE has free wifi (WIFIonICE), power sockets at the seats, air conditioning and a restaurant and bistro car serving hot meals, snacks and drinks. There is a quiet coach (the Ruhebereich) for those who want silence, a family area (the Kleinkindabteil) with space for prams and small children, and generous luggage racks. Seats are roomy in both classes, with tables, and the ride on this modernised line is smooth and quiet.

On the class question, for under two hours it comes down to taste. Second Class is genuinely comfortable, with 2+2 seating and all the same onboard features. First Class buys wider 2+1 seating, more space and legroom, a quieter carriage, at-seat service on some trains and access to the DB Lounge at major stations - a pleasant upgrade, often for a modest premium when booked early, but far from necessary on a journey this short. The single most important thing to know is the reservation policy: on the ICE it is optional, so you are never tied to one train.

It is honest to say that Berlin to Hamburg is not one of Europe's great scenic routes - it is a fast, efficient corridor across flat country. The line runs level across the north German plain: the lakes and pine woods of Brandenburg out of Berlin, the Elbe and its floodplain around Wittenberge, and the sandy heathland of Mecklenburg and Lower Saxony on the run in to Hamburg. It is pleasant, open, restful country - big skies and quiet horizons - rather than mountains, gorges or coastline.

Because the landscape is so level and much the same on both sides, there is no strongly preferred side of the train for views, so choose your seat for comfort rather than scenery. The real reasons to take this train are its speed, its frequency and the ease of stepping from one city centre to another in under two hours - the view is a calm bonus, not the point.

Hamburg is the railway gateway to the north of Germany and to Scandinavia - the point where the lines from Berlin, Cologne and Munich meet the routes to the North Sea and Baltic coasts, to Denmark and beyond. From Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, where you arrive, fast ICE trains fan out across Germany and international services head north into Denmark, which makes carrying on simple. Most leave from the Hauptbahnhof (some from Altona), and the fast trains all offer optional, not compulsory, reservations.

Reach Hamburg and the north opens up: the Baltic and North Sea coasts, the island of Sylt, and Copenhagen and Scandinavia beyond.

The reservation rule is the key to this route's flexibility: on the ICE within Germany a seat reservation is optional, never required. A flexible ticket (Flexpreis) or a rail pass lets you take any ICE and sit in any unreserved seat; the cheapest advance fares (Sparpreis) are tied to a specific train, but even then a seat reservation is a separate optional extra. Interrail and Eurail are accepted on the ICE with no compulsory reservation, which makes this one of the simplest and most flexible pass journeys anywhere - add an optional reservation only if you want a guaranteed seat on a busy departure. For the wider picture, see the rail passes and seat reservations guides linked below.

Luggage is easy - there is no strict weight limit, you carry your bags aboard and use the overhead shelves and the larger racks at the carriage ends and by the doors, so bring what you can manage and keep valuables with you. Bikes need more planning: ICE trains carry full bicycles only in a limited number of bike spaces that require a bike ticket and a compulsory bike reservation, and not every ICE is equipped, so book ahead; a folded or bagged bike travels free as luggage. If you are set on taking a full bike, an Intercity (IC) train on the route may be the easier option.

On accessibility, both Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Hamburg Hauptbahnhof are large, modern, staffed stations with lifts and step-free routes to the platforms, and the ICE has accessible spaces and toilets. Deutsche Bahn's Mobilitatsservice provides boarding assistance and should be booked in advance (there is a dedicated service centre) - do not assume every train and platform is equally straightforward. Accessibility depends on the specific train, platform and station, so arranging assistance ahead is the reliable approach.