Hamburg, Bremen and Lübeck

[Masbroughlad]

Planning my usual jaunt to the German Christmas markets. Few questions for the forum:

1) If there are two of us and we intend buying a day return from Hamburg to each of Lubeck and Bremen, are there any ticket offers we can make use of? We will also be using public transport in Hamburg.

2) Any thoughts on things to do in Bremen and Lubeck? Other than the markets? (Been to Hamburg before).

3) Are there any ferry routes between the UK and Hamburg and also, from Norway to Hamburg (we're going to Norway first).

Any other thoughts gratefully received.

(Definitely going to Miniatur Wonderland in Hamburg)

 

[duesselmartin]

Lübeck, take a local train to Travemünde. A wonderful little town, very popular for bathing in the summer. But always worth seeing.
Lübeck City: Holsten Gate, cathedral, town hall, a wonderful station.
I believe there is a ferry service to Kiel from Norway.
Kiel ist, however not that impressive. Best to travel in to Lübeck or Hamburg.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

How is Hamburg Market? I am thinking of a quick double-header in December, along with Copenhagen (as a sneaky excuse to take the boat train before it disappears)

 

[coppercapped]

Planning my usual jaunt to the German Christmas markets. Few questions for the forum:

1) If there are two of us and we intend buying a day return from Hamburg to each of Lubeck and Bremen, are there any ticket offers we can make use of? We will also be using public transport in Hamburg.

2) Any thoughts on things to do in Bremen and Lubeck? Other than the markets? (Been to Hamburg before).

3) Are there any ferry routes between the UK and Hamburg and also, from Norway to Hamburg (we're going to Norway first).

Any other thoughts gratefully received.

(Definitely going to Miniatur Wonderland in Hamburg)

To 3) first! At the moment - no. There used to be a car ferry, the Prinz Hamlet, which did the Harwich - Hamburg - Harwich run. It was excellent - leave Harwich late afternoon early evening, arrived in the centre of Hamburg the following morning having cruised up the Elbe. Unfortunately it was cut back to Cuxhaven and then abandoned about 10 or 15 years ago. Pity.

To 2). How much time do you have in Lübeck? It's a fascinating town with rich history centred around the sea and trade - it was one of the principle centres of the Hansa, the trading 'organisation' in the Middle Ages. There is an excellent museum about the Hansa near the Burgtor. Travemunde is well worth a vist - a short train ride from Lübeck Hbf - where, if you like ships the Passat is moored. Back in Lübeck 'Kaffee und Kuchen' of an afternoon at Niederegger in the Breite Strasse is an experience. Opposite is the Rathaus from the Middle Ages which is worth a look and returning to the nautical theme the Schiffergesellschaft has been going since 1535. Just go in to look round, and up - you can just have a drink or a coffee if you want to, but if so avoid meal times when it can get quite full.

Cross the footbridge on the Unter Trave and look at the 'artists corner' brick gothic frontages from the Middle Ages.

Walk from the Hbf down the Konrad-Adenauer-Straße over the 'Puppenbrücke' to the Holstentor and so into the city centre.

In the undamaged (from the WW2 bombing) parts of the old town are the 'Gänge', small houses built in the Middle Ages on tiny alleyways built in the gardens of the bigger houses on the street. This website is in German, but just use Google Translate.

Plenty to see and do.

...and enjoy your visit!

 

[30907]

On ticketing: provided you dont mind using regional trains, a Niedersachsen Ticket will do you both for Bremen and a Schleswig-Holstein Ticket might be worth it for Lübeck. However, ISTR there are occasional offers for day returns on IC/ICE routes.

 

[Masbroughlad]

How is Hamburg Market? I am thinking of a quick double-header in December, along with Copenhagen (as a sneaky excuse to take the boat train before it disappears)

First of all, the boat train is amazing! The one I went on.sounded lile voyager engine (that isn't the amazing part!). To be on a train that slickly rolls on and rolls off a ship is fascinating. Is it due to be scrapped? Shame if it is. It waa very popular when I went on it.

Copenhagen is a great.city. If you don't have long there, definitely recommend the bus tour. Tivoli gardens are good at Christmas time.

Hamburg's markets are very good. They spread out across the city. The main one in the town square is big. Look out for the flying santa sleigh! There is another good market around the inner see.

Have fun!

 

[Bletchleyite]

To 3) first! At the moment - no. There used to be a car ferry, the Prinz Hamlet, which did the Harwich - Hamburg - Harwich run. It was excellent - leave Harwich late afternoon early evening, arrived in the centre of Hamburg the following morning having cruised up the Elbe. Unfortunately it was cut back to Cuxhaven and then abandoned about 10 or 15 years ago. Pity.

Cutting back to Cuxhaven was the nail in the coffin in my view. The Elbe cruise was the best bit.

First of all, the boat train is amazing! The one I went on.sounded lile voyager engine (that isn't the amazing part!). To be on a train that slickly rolls on and rolls off a ship is fascinating. Is it due to be scrapped? Shame if it is. It waa very popular when I went on it.

It's not getting scrapped for that reason, it's going to be replaced with a fixed link, I forget if it's a bridge or a tunnel.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

First of all, the boat train is amazing! The one I went on.sounded lile voyager engine (that isn't the amazing part!). To be on a train that slickly rolls on and rolls off a ship is fascinating. Is it due to be scrapped? Shame if it is. It waa very popular when I went on it.

I believe a bridge is being built on the route - although looking online it looks like it won't be finished until 2028 at the earliest, so still plenty of time to catch the ferry.

 

[gordonthemoron]

Bunker Valentin north of Bremen is worth a visit, submarine factory from WWII, you can get most of the way there by train and then walk

 

[Gordon]

3) Are there any ferry routes between the UK and Hamburg and also, from Norway to Hamburg (we're going to Norway first).

North Sea ferry routes linking to the UK have ebbed away gradually, and disintegrated in the last 10 years. Very long standing ferry routes such as Newcastle - Bergen and Harwich - Esbjerg have all followed Harwich - Hamburg into oblivion. There is now nothing from the UK to anywhere north of Amsterdam. I believe that it is because there is insufficient lorry-based freight traffic from the Nordic countries to the UK (the only products I can think of which might arrive in the UK this way are Lurpak butter and Danish bacon, but the latter ( a staple in my youth) seems to have disappeared from the shops.

So, your only options are:

1) DFDS: Oslo - Copenhagen (recommended - a nice cruise ferry experience), then direct train to Hamburg

2) Color Line: Oslo - Kiel

3) ferry from Oslo or the south coast of Norway across to northern Jutland (Denmark) , then make your way south across Jutland to the Padborg border crossing


.

 

[JonasB]

I believe a bridge is being built on the route - although looking online it looks like it won't be finished until 2028 at the earliest, so still plenty of time to catch the ferry.

It will be a tunnel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fehmarn_Belt_Fixed_Link

Combined with electrification and increased speeds on both the German and Danish sides, it will decrease the travel time between Hamburg and Copenhagen with around 1 h 30 min.

 

[dutchflyer]

@1- provided you start after 9.00 (Mo-fr, sat/sun anytime) and use only the REgional trains:
yes, for 2 the Niedersachsenticket (for Bremen) and the Schleswig-Holstein ticket (for Lübeck) is best buy- for 1 person its 23//29, add just a few € for the 2nd (up to 5th) companion. ALSO valid on local transport in all these towns, incl Hamburg. Note: cannot be bought from HVV=Hamburg Metro stations-machines, only from real DB, you can buy advance, but never no money back then for not using it.
HH (=on car plates,) Hansestadt Hamburg to HB=Hansestadt Bremen has those nice yellow/blue doubledeck MetroNom trains, just a few mins slower as the fast IC.
In fact the S-H ticket is valid also in Mecklemburg-Vorpommern, which means one could use it to travel from Danish border to Polish city of Szczecin.

 

[brandenburger]

I believe a bridge is being built on the route - although looking online it looks like it won't be finished until 2028 at the earliest, so still plenty of time to catch the ferry.

Yes, but before that no train will go on the ferry because they will build the new route. I give these trains three or four years, so don't be late.

Relatively near to Lübeck Hbf is the YMCA Hostel in a historic building that I can recommend.
https://www.cvjm-luebeck.de/hotel-hostel/altstadt-hostel/

 

[Groningen]

There is a large Duty Free shop on a ferry in Puttgarden.

 

[bradford758]

@1- provided you start after 9.00 (Mo-fr, sat/sun anytime) and use only the REgional trains:
yes, for 2 the Niedersachsenticket (for Bremen) and the Schleswig-Holstein ticket (for Lübeck) is best buy- for 1 person its 23//29, add just a few € for the 2nd (up to 5th) companion. ALSO valid on local transport in all these towns, incl Hamburg. Note: cannot be bought from HVV=Hamburg Metro stations-machines, only from real DB, you can buy advance, but never no money back then for not using it.
HH (=on car plates,) Hansestadt Hamburg to HB=Hansestadt Bremen has those nice yellow/blue doubledeck MetroNom trains, just a few mins slower as the fast IC.
In fact the S-H ticket is valid also in Mecklemburg-Vorpommern, which means one could use it to travel from Danish border to Polish city of Szczecin.

In fact you can cross into Dänmark to the town of Tønder on a S-H ticket. So three countries in a day? About 9 hours traveling time from Tönder to Stettin on RE trains plus break

 

[Groningen]

The normal price for Tonder to Stettin is 110 or 133 euro. Luebeck to Stettin is in one go without changing in 5 hours. Fastest time i can find is 10 hours. Only 4 times a day possible with the last one via Berlin; so not possible with SH Ticket.

 

[bradford758]

The normal price for Tonder to Stettin is 110 or 133 euro. Luebeck to Stettin is in one go without changing in 5 hours. Fastest time i can find is 10 hours. Only 4 times a day possible with the last one via Berlin; so not possible with SH Ticket.

Sorry I didn't mean you could do it in 9 hours, I meant you'd be on the train for around 9 hours plus a break in Lübeck (I haven't checked that)

Tønder to Lübeck 4¼ hours (there's a 20-min connection somewhere en route)
Lübeck to Szczecin 5 hours