Getting There

How to get there

Hamburg is of course a major port and it’s really quite easy to get there. The following notes are based on travel from England, but as time goes on I will try to extend it to include travel from North of the border, and over the Irish Sea. If you have any hints on travel please forward them to me.

By Air

The quickest way is of course by air, although that’s not always the most convenient. Hamburg has a modern and efficient airport. Direct flights go to there from :-

Bristol by airline OLT

Birmingham by airline Flybe and British Airways

Manchester by airline BMI and Lufthansa

London Gatwick by Germanwings

London Luton by Easyjet

London Heathrow by British Airways and Lufthansa

London City by Lufthansa

There are more options if you travel via a stop-over at (for instance) Amsterdam.

Ryanair fly from London Stansted to somewhere they call Hamburg, but its actually Lubeck about 1 hours coach transfer from Hamburg. All the same, Lubeck is a nice enough place to visit and it isn't too far. Ryanair also fly from Manchester to Bremen on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays with a bus connection to Hamburg which is quite handy for Northerners

If you don’t mind flying to Hannover (1 hour from Hamburg by train) or Berlin (1.5 hours away by train) the possibilities multiply. Once you start looking at Dusseldorf, Cologne/Bonn or Frankfurt there are even more opportunities.

By train

Take the Euro star from London to Brussels and then transfer to a fast Thalys train to Koln and then transfer to the ICE train to Hamburg. The fares start at 60pounds for the Euro star and 90euro for the ICE train. Alternatively take a sleeper train from Brussels to Hamburg and arrive at Hamburg refreshed after a good nights sleep the following morning.

The train takes around 8.5 to 9 hours, with a change at Brussels and Koln. Booking the train is quite challenging, but with perseverance it can be done. Prices are substantially cheaper, the earlier you book. For a comprehensive instruction go to www.seat61.com

By coach

National Express / Eurolines run a twice daily service from London to Hamburg. The journey takes a hefty 16 hours with a change of coach at Brussels onto a night coach to Hamburg. If you enjoy coach travel and have plenty of time, it can be a pleasant way to travel (really!).

By ferry

Sadly DFDS abandoned their service from Harwich to Hamburg several years ago, and have now stopped their sailings to Cuxhaven. But you can still get a good crossing from Hull to Rotterdam or Harwich to Hook of Holland and then transfer to train for the rest of the journey.

Especially good value is the the crossing from Harwich to Hook of Holland. You can extend your ticket to include all the trains in Netherlands which will take you quite close to Hamburg (at Groningen). The benefit is that you get a good nights sleep on the ferry, but it does take quite a long time. Book your ticket on the Dutch flyer.

Links

www.OLT.de Flights to / from Bristol

www.flybe.com Flights to / from Birmingham, flights to/from Manchester (from/to Hannover)

www.easyjet.com Flights to/from Luton

www.ba.com Flights to / from Heathrow, Birmingham

www.airberlin.com Flights to / from Manchester

www.lufthansa.com Flights to / from London City, Heathrow, Manchester

www.germanwings.com Flights to / from Gatwick

www.ryanair.com Flights to / from Stansted (from/to Lubeck only) Flights to / from Manchester (from/to Bremen)

www.seat61.com For non-flight (especially train) information

www.bahn.de Site of Deutsche Bahn, the German Railways

https://buchung.nachtzugreise.de/book/1.asp?sd=1043653643 to book night trains

www.eurostar.com High speed trains London - Brussels

www.eurolines.com Coach services

www.dutchflyer.co.uk Inclusive ferry / train service between Britain and Netherlands