Est. 2006
Shining a light on the green and gorgeous
Produced by Green Traveller Media
What is green travel?
Flight-free from the UK to Europe
Foot passenger ferries to Europe
UK to Ireland
Map of UK Ferry Routes to Europe
Scotland to Europe
North of England to Europe
Wales to Europe
Southwest England to Europe
UK to Italy
UK to Spain
UK to France
Sleeper trains
in the UK
Train travel to Europe:
Eurostar Route Map
Under 5 hours
by train from London:
Amsterdam
Brussels
Cologne
Ghent
Lille
Paris
Arrive same day by train from London:
Antwerp
Avignon
Barcelona
Basel
Bayonne
Bordeaux
Brive
Geneva
Hamburg
Interlaken
Lausanne
Marseille
Milan
Munich
Nantes
Nice
Toulouse
Turin
Valence
Zürich
Snow Trains to French Alps
Require overnight stopover from London:
Copenhagen
Florence
Lisbon
Naples
Rome
Sicily
Venice
West Sweden
Train + Ferry:
Corsica
Formentera
Greece
Ibiza
Morocco
How to travel by train from London to Hamburg, Germany
It is possible to travel by train to Hamburg from London in less than 9 hours by travelling on the Eurostar via Brussels to Cologne and then a change of train to Hamburg.
Hamburg is a creative hub, bubbling with nightlife, bars, live music venues and a thriving student scene – there are 11 universities in town, so there are lots of young people to entertain. It is also Germany’s media centre - over half of the nation’s newspapers and magazines are based in the city.
Flight-free travel from London to Hamburg:
Journey Time: from 8 hours 37 mins
Sample timetable: Depart London 9.01am, arrive Hamburg 7.14pm
Changes: 2
Transfer: Quick same-station change of platform within Brussels Midi station and another at Cologne Hbf railway station
Carbon emissions: 23.1kg (flight would be 130.5kg)*
Tickets provided by Trainline, which allows you to buy tickets for multiple train operators in multiple European countries. It does charge a small booking fee, but offers several useful facilities, such as a free email alert service to let you know as soon as bookings open for your chosen route so you can snap up the cheapest tickets when they become available.
How to book train tickets as part of a package with accommodation
If you want someone to book the whole journey for you or combine it with staying in hotels en route, get in touch with the travel agent Byway through its page for booking enquiries.
On Board Eurostar
For ticket types (Standard, Plus and Premier) and information on what it's like on board, see our Guide to Eurostar
What's the journey like?
Take the Eurostar to Brussels Midi station where there's an easy same-station platform change to board the high-speed Thalys or ICE trains to Cologne. Keep an eye out on the platform at Brussels for the handy guide to the layout of incoming trains, which shows you where your carriage will arrive into the station so you can make your way to the correct part of the platform before the train arrives. On arrival at Cologne, you then have to change trains to take the Intercity train to Hamburg (a journey of about 4 hours).
Miss your connection?
Don’t panic. Railteam’s ‘Hop on the Next Available Train’ service means that if you have missed your connection because of a delay on the preceding leg of your journey, you’ll automatically be put on the next available high-speed train. NB Remember to get your ticket stamped by your Train Manager.
Stopover in Brussels 🏠
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Brussels while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near Brussels Midi.
Hotels close to Brussels Midi station 🚉
As their names imply, both Appart'City Confort Bruxelles Centre Gare du Midi and Park Inn by Radisson Brussels Centre Midi are just a few minutes walk from Gare du Midi (where you'll arrive on Eurostar). Rooms from about €100 per night. For more hotels near the station, see Hotels near Brussels Midi station
Green Traveller's Top Pick 💚
Aloft Brussels Schuman is the latest brand to join the Starwood Hotels group fold. Aimed squarely at a younger, socially connected, urban audience. This 147-room branch in the centre of Brussels features rooms with kingsize beds, a bar that’s home to both a resident DJ and a pool table, a 24-hour “grab and go” cafe and an in-house gym. It’s Green Key certified, with electricity supplied from renewable sources and rooms cleaned with biodegradable products.
Eco-certified hotels in Brussels ✔️
If you're looking for other sustainable green hotels in Brussels, then these have all been certified by an accredited ecolabel:
Hotel Made In Louise is a 15-min walk from The European Parliament (and just 5 mins walk from the Louise Metro Station, which is three stops from Gare du Midi).
Stanhope Hotel by Thon Hotels is an upmarket boutique hotel where you can have breakfast on a courtyard terrace. Nearest metro is Trone.
Stopover in Cologne 🏠
If you want to break the journey and stay overnight to see a bit more of Cologne while you're travelling through, there are lots of lovely places to stay conveniently near Cologne's railway station as well as certified green places to stay throughout the city.
Hotels near Cologne Station 🚉
For hotels near Cologne Hauptbahnhof - the city's main railway station, see Hotels near Cologne station
Green Traveller's Top Pick 💚
Hotel Domstern is a spick and span three-star 16-room hotel right by Cologne Haupbahnhof (the main railway station). Electricity comes from a green energy supplier and breakfasts are sourced ethically: organic, fair trade coffee comes from a small local roasting company; eggs, honey and more come from farmers around Cologne – the owners discovered their fruit juice supplier on a bicycle tour in the surrounding “Bergische Land”. Other items they make themselves, including yoghurt, jam, bread, butter and cream cheese.
Eco Certified Hotels in Cologne ✔️
Art’Otel has artistic sensibilities and a modern outlook. Its 218 guest rooms are bright and largely white, its restaurant serves pan-Asian food, it hosts a permanent exhibition of collages by Korean-born artist SEO and its terrace overlooks a harbour that was recently gentrified as part of the Rheinhaufen urban redevelopment project. Set in the southern reaches of the city’s Old Town, it’s also one of the city’s greener hotels with water-saving showers, sophisticated ventilation systems and energy-efficient lighting.
Radisson Blu Hotel Köln is an ultra-contemporary, four-star property in the city’s Deutz district, this 393-room hotel is a popular choice among business visitors. Free wifi, extensive gym and sauna facilities and easy access to the city’s leafy Rheinpark help guests unwind after hours, as does the hotel’s Feng Shui-inspired architecture. Motion detector lighting and green cleaning supplies help boost the hotel’s eco credentials.
Hostel Kohn is a modern, seven-story former office building (with 262 beds in 72 rooms) on a quiet side street between Neumarkt and Rudolph Place. It's just about the perfect place to stay for the flashpacker - rooms are smart, light and minimal, and cost from €19 in a 6-bed dorm, €24 in a 4-bed dorm, €30 per person for a twin room, or €45 for a single room to yourself. Prices include ample breakfast with wide choice of cereals, yogurt and bread.
On arrival in Hamburg:
Willkommen in Hamburg! By the banks of the River Elbe in northern Germany, Hamburg is a waterfront city with lots of great cafes, restaurants, shops, theatres, museums, galleries, and a vibrant nightlife scene. There are lots of hotels near the train station, see below:
Hotels in Hamburg
Hotels near Hamburg's main central railway station 🚉
Hotel Atlantic Hamburg is a plush upmarket hotel that's convieniently close to Hamburg Haupbahnhof - about 600 yds away. You might recognize it from the Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). Take afternoon tea in front of the fire in the elegant lobby and you’ll feel like you’ve wandered onto an Agatha Christie set.
Green Traveller's Top Picks 💚
East Hotel has a young, trendy vibe, with a clash of oriental design, boutique-style rooms and superb cocktails. It's a 4-star design hotel with a large rooftop spa in the heart of the St. Pauli district (close to the Reeperbahn) that's one of five East Cosmos hotels (another is the Boston Hotel in Hamburg, Hotel NewBerlin and Sly Berin in Berlin, and the Park Inn in Wismar). Certified by the German ecolabel Certified Green Hotel.
Superbude Hamburg St Pauli is one of three Superbude hotels dotted around Hamburg are all easily reachable from on foot, on the U-Bahn or S-Bahn trains from the city’s main railway station – the gateway to the Nordic countries as well as to the Rostock ferry port for travelling up the Baltic Sea to Stockholm and Helsinki. All the hotels have installed a range of eco-friendly initiatives from energy-efficient lighting and reduction of water consumption to drawing on renewable energy suppliers and plastic-free cups, straws and bags.
Certified eco-friendly hotels in Hamburg ✔️
Tortue Hamburg is in the city centre, right next to the Neuer Wall shopping street and five minutes from the Jungfernsteig. Certified by the German ecolabel Certified Green Hotel (see link above).
Clipper Boardinghouse is 5 minutes walk from the city's harbour in the Portuguese Quarter and also five minutes from Landungsbrücken Underground and S-Bahn Station. Certified by the German eco label Green Sign.
Map of hotels near the main railway station in Hamburg
More about Hamburg:
Considered by many to be Germany’s greenest city, every way you turn, you hit either a park or some water. With its network of canals and proximity to the River Elbe, Hamburg is said to have more bridges than Amsterdam and Venice combined (2300 if you’re counting!).
If you've time, take to the water. Tour Hamburg’s centrally located Alster lake, either during the day, or book a romantic twilight trip. To see the prosperous warehouse district as well as the partially-built Elbphilharmonie concert hall, soon to be Hamburg’s pride and joy, book a harbour cruise.