One thing I love about traveling in Europe is that public transportation options are usually plentiful and inexpensive. It’s quite the opposite from my options here in Texas!
For my Europe trip next summer, I need to get from Amsterdam, Netherlands to Hamburg, Germany. I looked at Rome2Rio to see my options.
Plane
Eurowings and KLM both offer nonstop flights between Amsterdam and Hamburg for as low as $65 a person. Baggage and seat reservations are extra (or Eurowings). The flight is just over one hour.
This flight is bookable with United miles. However, the taxes required are more than the fare itself!
KLM also has high taxes for this award flight:
The downside to flying between these two cities is that Amsterdam Schiphol airport is overcrowded, and I hope to avoid it as much as possible.
Train
There is no non-stop train between Amsterdam and Hamburg. However, with just one connection, the journey is only 5 hours and 15 minutes. The cost for me and my daughter combined with reserved seats is about 62 Euros (around $65 USD).
The downside to the train trip is having to change trains in an unfamiliar city. But, I’ve done it before, and it’s usually not too bad.
Bus
FlixBus has a non-stop bus between Amsterdam and Hamburg. A friend of mine rode on FlixBus in Europe this past summer and had a good experience. The bus journey is around 7 hours long (unless you take the overnight bus, which is closer to 5 hours). The cost for the two of us including seat reservations is $68.
The downside to the bus is that it takes longer than the train by ~2 hours. But, we wouldn’t have to disrupt our journey by changing busses–it’s a non-stop route.
Car
Renting a car for a one-way journey is not something I would do. But, Europe has a car-sharing service called BlaBlaCar that enables you to hitch a ride with someone who is driving their own personal car. The cost is around 72 Euros for the two of us, and the journey takes a little less than 5 hours.
The major downside to this is that you can only book 2-3 days in advance.
Overall Thoughts
I like having so many options to get from Amsterdam to Hamburg. I’m leaning towards taking the train, as trains are usually reliable and we can avoid airport traffic and highway traffic.
What is your favorite option for traveling around Europe?
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Out of those options I’d certainly choose the train. Bring some food and drinks on board, play a card game, watch Europe go by. Maybe have a snack in the layover city (it will be very easy to transfer, everything will be in English.)
@bc Great idea!
We had done the exact journey this summer from Amsterdam to Hamburg specially to take my son to the Miniatur Wunderland via Deutsche Bahn IC with one connection in Osnabrück- we travelled 1st class for $68 (1A+1C). We did not have any luggage with us since our luggage did not arrive in Amsterdam but it was a blessing in disguise since the train had some issues and we barely made it to another connection to Osnabrück on another platform. Was definitely an adventure made easy without luggage. If not for the issue, it would have been smooth sailing, since everything is well marked and easy to figure out- seat 61 has detailed info on how to get to the train at Osnabrück which was very handy. Would also recommend 1st class if available at the discounted rate.
@Preeti Thanks for the info! Did your son enjoy Miniatur Wunderland?
One thing you haven’t mentioned is the impact on the environment flying has. Nearly every European country has curtailed flying as an option, and built super fast trains that are so good that they have actually been forcing airlines to abandon short haul routes. It’s a win/win for everyone. Definitely the train (or bus) is the superior option for many reasons, quick check in, save the transport from town to the airport, smoother ride, more room, and much much better for the environment.
@TM Great point!
Yes- he loved it especially the airport section! He is 10 but I loved it too 🙂
@Preeti Great! I’m most interested in the airport section. 🙂
Flixbus is a mode of transportation I frequently take. In your case Flixbus is high priced and I would opt for train. I took Flixbus to travel from Berlin to Nuremberg last month and from Regensburg to Munich. Bus tickets were 25% of the train price.
@Ric Glad to hear you’ve had good experiences on Flixbus. If I had more time in Hamburg, I’d be tempted to take Flixbus from Hamburg to Heide Park for a day.