Berlin to Copenhagen by train

A direct train linking Berlin and Copenhagen returned to the timetable on 1 May 2026, after years when every journey needed a change, then doubled to two trains a day each way from 14 June 2026. It isn't the old ferry route revived. The new ComfortJet service runs the long way round, via Hamburg, Kolding and Odense.

Berlin to Copenhagen by train at a glance

These are current timetable figures, not a promise for every departure. See the trackwork note below if you are travelling between 31 August and 31 October 2026.

The old ferry crossing is gone

If you have read older guides to this route, forget the train ferry across the Fehmarn Belt. The Puttgarden to Rødby train ferry stopped carrying trains in December 2019, and the direct line through the strait has been closed for construction ever since. Every Berlin to Copenhagen train now takes the long way round: north from Hamburg through Flensburg and Kolding, onto the island of Funen, then across the Great Belt Fixed Link to Zealand and Copenhagen.

A Fehmarnbelt road and rail tunnel is being built to eventually shorten this crossing again. It is still under construction on both the Danish and German sides. No date has been confirmed for fast trains to start using it. Plan around the current Hamburg routing for any journey you book now.

Direct ComfortJet or a change at Hamburg: the choice is comfort, not speed

Two ComfortJet trains run direct from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Copenhagen every day, departing around 10:34 and 14:34 and arriving about 7 hours later. Built for Czech Railways and shared with Deutsche Bahn and DSB, the trains carry a restaurant car, power sockets at every seat, and free WiFi. DSB's own locomotives haul the train for the Hamburg to Copenhagen half of the journey, handing over to Czech Railways locomotives toward Prague on the return working. Choose direct if you would rather not change trains.

If neither direct time suits you, several more departures run with a change at Hamburg Hauptbahnhof, at broadly similar journey times of just over 7 hours. You travel Berlin to Hamburg by ICE, then join a EuroCity Express, DSB's Talgo-built train, on to Copenhagen, calling at Kolding and Odense along the way. The change adds a station stop, not extra travel time, so it suits anyone who wants more departure options through the day.

Interrail and Eurail Global Passes cover both the direct ComfortJet and the change-at-Hamburg EuroCity Express. Reservation is optional most of the year for a few euros (EUR 3 on the ComfortJet, EUR 5.50 to EUR 6.90 on the EuroCity Express), but becomes compulsory from 26 June to 31 August, when you should book a seat through the pass provider's reservation service before travelling.

An overnight option to Copenhagen, Malmö or Stockholm

Snälltåget, a private Swedish operator, runs a sleeper train most nights from Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 21:09, reaching København Syd at 06:03. That isn't Copenhagen's main station. København Syd sits about 4.5 km southwest of the centre, so continue into the city on the frequent local train, which takes 8 to 9 minutes and runs roughly every 15 minutes. The Snälltåget service continues to Malmö and Stockholm, so it is worth booking even if Copenhagen is your only stop.

The train runs most nights, though not on Saturdays in the main season, and it pauses over the depths of winter before resuming after Easter. Seated tickets start from SEK 399, a berth in a shared six-person couchette compartment costs more, and a private compartment sleeping up to six people starts from SEK 1,499 for two travellers, rising with each extra person. Interrail and Eurail Global Passes are valid on this train too, with a separate paid reservation bought through Snälltåget's own site.

Check the Banedanmark trackwork before you book

Danish infrastructure manager Banedanmark is renewing track on this corridor. This is a current disruption, not a historical one. It runs from 31 August to 31 October 2026, overlapping any trip you book right now. Two EuroCity Express departures each direction do not run in that window. DSB replaces them with a connecting InterCity train plus a rail-replacement bus between Kolding and Hamburg. On the weekend of 17 and 18 October, international trains skip Copenhagen's main station entirely and call only at København Syd. If your dates fall in this window, check your exact train with DSB or Deutsche Bahn before you travel, since the affected departures can still change.

Tickets, fares and which currency you will see

Book through Deutsche Bahn's international site and fares are quoted in euros. Sparpreis Europa saver fares for this route start from EUR 46.99, bookable up to six months ahead and cut by 25 percent on the German portion with a BahnCard. Book through DSB instead and prices show in Danish kroner. DSB's own Orange Europa fares for the same corridor start from DKK 456, also released around six months ahead on selected departures, and since the direct service began, that fare covers the ComfortJet with no change needed, the same as booking through Deutsche Bahn. Compare both currencies for your date rather than assuming either railway is automatically cheaper.

Both Deutsche Bahn and DSB let children up to 14 travel free with an adult fare, up to four children per adult on DSB tickets, though both still require a paid seat reservation for each child. Bikes are not currently accepted on the international Copenhagen to Hamburg trains, so cyclists need to route via Fredericia and Flensburg on regional services instead.