Jodif

My husband and I are looking to make a trip from Hamburg to Amsterdam and are wondering how to find the cheapest train ticket. I seem to be finding only tickets $245 round trip which seems pretty pricey.

I believe it is around a 4 hour journey, is that correct?

Any suggestions would be appreciated! THANKS!

tom22

I do not know your exact travel time and where you have looked for price information.

I have entered fictive travel dates on www.bahn.de and I have found a special price from Hamburg hbf to Amsterdam Central for 75,70 EUR (approx 91$ per person roundtrip). The price is with tax and is valid for advance bookings (Sparpreis 50D).

Travel time is between 5 and 6 hours depending on the connection.

Alternative specials are offered by Lufthansa (99€ per person for a flight from Hamburg to Amsterdam). Special prices are subject to availibilty and canclellation restrictions.

Jodif

THANKS! I will go check that out now.

Intrepid1

If you go by rail you'll probably end up changing trains in Osnabruck which is VERY easy to do so don't be put off by that possibility.

PamR

I just did this, but I ended up cashing in airplane miles and flying. Decided to do this because the train took 5-6 hours and involved at least one change; we weren't travelling light and I didn't want to haul bags around; you can fly intra-Europe using less miles than a US flight. (We have United miles, and Lufthansa is a partner; the flights were 20,000 miles each.) I also checked prices of flights and they were VERY expensive, like $700. There aren't many carriers that fly direct between Hamburg and Amsterdam -- Lufthansa may be the only one, and of course a monopoly means you pay. Hope this information helps you. Both cities are great places to visit, and Hamburg was a real surprise. Beautiful city.

Intrepid1

If you check sites such as www.skyscanner.net you'll find there are no non-stop budget flights between Hamburg and Ams; if you check the Luftansa site you'll find they don't have a non-stop, either; at least not one I could find.

As to that change of trains in Osnabruck: you'll have to go down one level from your arriving train to the departure platform.

Unfortunately there are no rail timings which don't require at least one change.

hsv

I second the suggestion of flying.

1. Lufthansa does have nonstop flights between Hamburg and Amsterdam.

2. KLM offers non-stop service, too.

3. Lufthansa has very competitive prices on this route (and others). I looked for a flight with 3 days notice and was quoted a fare of EUR 124.00. This includes taxes, but you need to add EUR 10.00 ticket charge.
In general, Lufthansa is trying to compete with budget airlines by having introduced a number of seats available at EUR 99.00 and up on most every flight within Europe. If you can get one of those (and it is often possible from my experience) it is hardly worth looking elsewhere IMHO.

Larryincolorado

The fare from DB for two people from Hamburg to Amsterdam varies depending on advance purchase, but going from Hamburg to Hannover with full fare and then using the Europa-Special fare from Hannover to Amsterdam you could get €110 per person RT.

Using SparPreis (2 people, 3 day advance, Sat. night stay) to Hannover plus the Europa-Spezial fare you could get €78 per person RT.

Finally, using SparPreis all the way you could get €112 for 2 people RT (€56 pP).

Larryincolorado

Tom22,

you were right about the SparPreis fare for ONE person, but she is traveling with her husband, and DB gives a big "Mitfahrer" discount for the second person on the SparPreis fare.

hopscotch

If you decide to fly find out about luggage allowances before buying your ticket. Alowances within Europe are less generous than trans-Atlantic allowances.

Your train price is about right. I paid 126 euro, roughly $150, for a one way 2nd class from Dresden to Amsterdam. I paid an extra 35 euro for a bed on the train, including continental breakfast.

You might consider getting a rail saver pass. For example, for two or more traveling together in Germany and Benelux you can get a pass allowing 5 days of travel in a two month period for $204 each in second class. You'll have 3 days of train travel and $41 left over after your Amsterdam trip.

Larryincolorado

I went looking for fares from Hamburg to Amsterdam on bahn.de. By looking for the most expensive trains, I was able to come up with a fare of €186 ($227) per person round trip, nothing higher. I was also able to find fares as low as €149 ($182).

The only place I found fares of around $250 per person round trip was from Rail Europe. They are known for charging a lot.

If you really want to get your tickets before you go, order them from German Rail. For a round trip without a Sat. night stay, the SparPreis fare for two people can be as low as €170 ($104 each round trip). With a Sat. night stay, the entire fare is €112 ($68 each, round trip).

You can also buy the SparNight tickets in Germany as long as you have a three day advance purchase and they haven't already sold out.