European Railroad Discussion > Buying tickets on DB for Germany and Denmark

Later this week will be going from Nuremberg to Hamburg and then on the following day going on to Copenhagen. I need to travel first class on account of traveling companion's back problems and need for luggage space. When I go to DB ticket office in Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof, how to I make sure I am getting decent seats and traveling on lesser used trains. ICE to Hamburg is not a necessity.

A couple of days after our arrival in Copenhagen, we need to make it back to Frankfurt in one day. Listed connections have very short time for connection in Hamburg. Any suggestions for making a less strenuous connection.

Thank you,

John

DocJohn Wrote:
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> Later this week will be going from Nuremberg to
> Hamburg and then on the following day going on to
> Copenhagen. I need to travel first class on
> account of traveling companion's back problems and
> need for luggage space. When I go to DB ticket
> office in Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof, how to I make
> sure I am getting decent seats and traveling on
> lesser used trains. ICE to Hamburg is not a
> necessity.
>
> A couple of days after our arrival in Copenhagen,
> we need to make it back to Frankfurt in one day.
> Listed connections have very short time for
> connection in Hamburg. Any suggestions for making
> a less strenuous connection.
>
> Thank you,
>
> John

On your 1st question, reasonable layovers appear possible in Hamburg. If you take slower trains, the long day trip, already more than 10 hours, would just get longer. You can ask the agent for less busy trains but will probably get a questioning look. If you have seats, why would it matter.

To your 2nd question, it's possible to get from CPH to FRA with one stop: Hamburg. If you're going to FRA Airport, it's possible to get there with one stop, too. Transfer times in Hamburg appear to be reasonable, with some being 90 minutes. Consider the overnight sleeper, which does not require a transfer. The day trains go on the ferry; the night train does not.

Thank you for your reply. Apparently I was not clear on one question. When buying tickets, how does one specify seats (ICE Nuremberg Hamburg)? On previous trips, have always gotten seats over the wheels.

John

DocJohn Wrote:
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> Thank you for your reply. Apparently I was not
> clear on one question. When buying tickets, how
> does one specify seats (ICE Nuremberg Hamburg)?
> On previous trips, have always gotten seats over
> the wheels.
>
> John


I've never perceived seats over the wheels as being less advantageous than any other seats.

In any case, you can study seat diagrams for the train in question. On ICEs, you can make seat reservations on line (bahn.com) as part of a ticket purchase, or separately...with print-out tickets. For informational purposes, during that process, you have the option to select individual seats, and seat diagrams pop up. There are several different types of configurations. This info is available even if you do not complete a purchase.

After looking at the seat diagrams, you can see how many cars are likely to be available on your train(s), and which seats are best for you. Then you can ask the agent if certain seats are available when you get your tickets. The agent may not know anything about train wheels, however.

I was in Germany a couple weeks ago and travelled from Hamburg to Copenhagen. When filling out the reservation online, the only thing I saw regarding seat preference was Windor or Aisle, and my seat was automatically assigned to me. Not sure if I just missed the pop out seat selection window, or if you have to go through another site to select your seat, but it's something to watch out for. You might want to send them an email asking for clarification on how to make sure you can pick your seat.

Thank you for your replies. So0, if I purchase tickets DB website, where do I pick them up? I am at a hotel across the plaza from Nuremberg Hbf, but conference schedule and other work duties keeping free time down.

John

DocJohn Wrote:
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> Thank you for your replies. So0, if I purchase
> tickets DB website, where do I pick them up? I am
> at a hotel across the plaza from Nuremberg Hbf,
> but conference schedule and other work duties
> keeping free time down.
>
> John


If you buy tickets from Bahn.de you will get an e-ticket that you need to print out. This has a 2D barcode that the guard reads with the ticket machine. You will need to specify a piece of ID (passport, credit card or Bahncard if you have one) that you also need to show.

With the help of the front desk staff at the Le Meridien Grand Hotel here in Nuremberg, now have tickets to Hamburg, printed out at the hotel's business center.

John