Hamburg tips

[telstarbox]

I'm staying in Hamburg for a few days shortly and will have some time for train exploration. Staying near the Hbf so would appreciate any tips for interesting or unusual train action (and / or pubs!)

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I can't answer specifically for what you're asking, but I very much hope that you'll be visiting the Miniatur Wunderland while you're in Hamburg... there's certainly a lot of rail interest in it!

 

[Railsigns]

I once did a day trip by train to Copenhagen from Hamburg, travelling out via the Rendsburg High Bridge with a change at Fredericia, and returning via the Rødby-Puttgarden train ferry.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

I can't answer specifically for what you're asking, but I very much hope that you'll be visiting the Miniatur Wunderland while you're in Hamburg... there's certainly a lot of rail interest in it!

I would second that - and it is open into the evenings, something to do after dark.

I once did a day trip by train to Copenhagen from Hamburg, travelling out via the Rendsburg High Bridge with a change at Fredericia, and returning via the Rødby-Puttgarden train ferry.

The latter route of course no longer available.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Not a railway thing but I can thoroughly recommend a visit to the Old Elbe Tunnel, opened in 1911. It was originally designed for road vehicles and is accessed by lifts at either end. However, according to this website, it is no longer accessible to vehicles and seems to have been turned into a linear art exhibition: https://www.hamburg-travel.com/see-explore/maritime-hamburg/old-elbe-tunnel/

I can also recommend riding U-bahn line 3 on the section where it goes alongside the river through Baumwall.

 

[306024]

For a train ride Lübeck is a historic city worth a visit. In Hamburg the boat tour of the port may be of interest, but yes Miniature Wonderland is fascinating.

 

[Cheshire Scot]

the Rendsburg High Bridge

and harking back @Railsigns comment and my earlier response, a trip over the Rendsburg Bridge is spectacular

 

[Gloster]

The AKN is a thoroughly efficient local railway. My favourite bit of the S-Bahn is the line out to Wedel.

 

[telstarbox]

I can't answer specifically for what you're asking, but I very much hope that you'll be visiting the Miniatur Wunderland while you're in Hamburg... there's certainly a lot of rail interest in it!

Yes!

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 30 Oct 2022 ==

I once did a day trip by train to Copenhagen from Hamburg, travelling out via the Rendsburg High Bridge with a change at Fredericia, and returning via the Rødby-Puttgarden train ferry.

Going to Copenhagen as the next stage of the trip although I understand the train doesn't go on the ferry any more?

 

[Gloster]

Going to Copenhagen as the next stage of the trip although I understand the train doesn't go on the ferry any more?

The only through service runs via Rendsburg, Padborg and Odense. Through trains no longer operate via old Puttgarden-Rødby route and the sections of line on either side of the Femern Bælt are closed.

 

[Richard Scott]

It depends how far you want to go and how much you want to spend. The local Laender ticket (Schleswig-Holstein) will take you to Westerland with diesel haulage (admittedly very quiet 245s) and Niebuell worth stopping off at to watch Autozug trains to Westerland (may see a few diesel hydraulic 218s on Autozug and IC work on this route). The Hamburg Hbf to Cuxhaven trains are diesel hauled and plenty of loco haulage out of Hamburg Hbf towards Bremen. Hamburg Harburg worth spending a few hours at if you like freight activity.

 

[Tetchytyke]

I can't answer specifically about trains, though the AKN railcars are interesting and worth a ride out for. Miniatur Wunderland is fantastic. So is the Elbe foot tunnel.

Bars? If you like jazz, and Covid hasn't killed it, the Feuerschiff (as the name suggests, its an old fire ship) is interesting. And if its re-opened after Covid, I always liked the Groeninger bierkeller between the City Hall and the Speicherstadt.

If the Hamburger Dom is in town when you go, that's a laugh too.

I'm jealous!

 

[Bletchleyite]

AKN is a lovely little curiosity - basically a rural U-Bahn with U-Bahn like stations and (formerly) units. I find the northern part of the Manchester Metrolink Oldham line to have a similar feel. I really like the idea of it and think some concepts could be adopted in the UK.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

The line to Westerland crosses the canal too, not by a spiral but it is quite strange and a bit exciting, the track gradually rises and suddenly you are on the bridge.

The line towards Bremen has three tracks, not quite sure how that works.

 

[telstarbox]

AKN is a lovely little curiosity - basically a rural U-Bahn with U-Bahn like stations and (formerly) units. I find the northern part of the Manchester Metrolink Oldham line to have a similar feel. I really like the idea of it and think some concepts could be adopted in the UK.

Thanks - do you happen to know which one day ticket I could use to go from the city centre to Kaltenkirchen and back in?

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thanks - do you happen to know which one day ticket I could use to go from the city centre to Kaltenkirchen and back in?

I think you want 3 Ringe (A-C). There is also an off peak (9 Uhr) version.

 

[telstarbox]

Danke!

 

[dutchflyer]

Day tickets: come either as from HVV=Verkehrsverbund, the very first such a thing in Germany. These come as all-day or cheaper from 9.00 (on sat/sun also all day) and work with circular zones- city itself is A and B. Clear maps and ample publicity in its many offices-in HBF at least 2. Also valid on Hafenfaehre=ferries, some make splendid boat tours, from Landunhsbrücken
For longer trips the Landestickets, these are also valid in the zones A-B. Valid on mo-fr from 9.00.
Schleswig Holstein is to the north and also includes Mecklenburg Vorpommern to Polish border. In S-H only valid in trains, but there is also an only S-H NAH dayticket for trains and buses and valid all day at higher price.
Niedersachsen covers land south and is quite big-untill dutch border and beyond Hannover as far as Göttingen.
You are too late to use the 9€ all month anywhere.

 

[YorkshireBear]

Minatur wonderland and Lübeck I agree are worth a visit

 

[telstarbox]

Many thanks - I will get the A- C one to allow a bit more AKN aktion.

 

[telstarbox]

Thanks for all your tips - a few photos below. (Not pictured but the ICE train from Koln was exceptional for a long distance journey too.)

Alt Elbe tunnel
Soviet spooky sub which you can walk through
U1 at Klosterstern
U1 / AKN start of A2 at Norderstedt Mitte
AKN unit with shouty moquette!
AKN typical rural station on A2
AKN interchange at Ulzburg Sud
One of the many incredible scenes at Miniatur Wunderland.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Great to see AKN's "bogied Pacers" still in use - thought they had gone!

 

[telstarbox]

Haha. We met up with a friend of a friend to visit the Dom and she laughed at the "slow and noisy bumpkin trains"! The A1 and A3 had a more modern / generic type of unit.

Also didn't have a ticket check all day.

 

[TRXsouth]

Very helpful information for planning a visit - thanks. Further to the mention of the year round attraction of Miniatur Wunderland, are there any model railway shows in the Hamburg/Lubeck region, or northern Germany in general?

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

There is a model railway exhibition in Bad Schwartau 21-22 January 2023. Should be worth a visit.

The annual exhibition in Bad Oldesloe was on 12+13 November.

There has been an exhibition in Friedrichstadt on the way to Sylt, looks like that is closed now.
..
Just remembered the gauge 1 layout in the Museum fuer Hamburgische Geschichte/history museum. Looks like that is still running despite plans to modernise the museum, but after 73 years it will soon be dismantled and set up elsewhere (early 2023).

 

[TRXsouth]

Many thanks for the pointer to Bad Schwartau. Map shows a short train ride north of Lubeck and found a flyer online with details indeed indicating a promising show. I foresee a January break through Hamburg!

Are you aware of any listing of model railway shows in Germany?

 

[telstarbox]

On a side note if anyone likes model ships, an old school pub near the fish market area "Zur Scharfen Ecke" has several on display.

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

Many thanks for the pointer to Bad Schwartau. Map shows a short train ride north of Lubeck and found a flyer online with details indeed indicating a promising show. I foresee a January break through Hamburg!

Are you aware of any listing of model railway shows in Germany?

You can buy Modelleisenbahner monthly magazine at the station bookstall, €5.90, it advertises lots of events. Despite the name it has lots of coverage of prototype railways, not just models. Worth buying for the pictures and to learn German railway vocabulary.

 

[themiller]

the Feuerschiff (as the name suggests, its an old fire ship) is interesting.

In actual fact, it’s a retired lightship.

 

[Gloster]

...the Feuerschiff (as the name suggests, its an old fire ship) is interesting.

In actual fact, it’s a retired lightship.

Fireships don’t tend to have a long life.