Germany
Hamburg
From Copenhagen: EuroCity and Intercity trains run multiple times a day from Copenhagen via Odense and Kolding to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof. The journey takes about 4 hours and 45 minutes.
From Aarhus: Aarhus also has a direct train connection to Hamburg taking about 4 hours and 30 minutes.
Where to buy tickets?
You can buy tickets on the DSB, the Danish State Railways’ website.
Berlin
As a day train: a relatively new, direct route has been launched from Copenhagen to Berlin. It has several daily departures and takes about 7 hours.
Where to buy tickets?
You can get them directly on DSB’s website.
As a night train: SJ EuroNight and Snälltåget run from Stockholm, through Copenhagen (and Malmö), directly to Berlin. The train will pick you up at København Syd at 22.30, with an arrival in Berlin at about 7.30am.
Where to buy tickets?
You can buy tickets on Snälltåget’s website.
Sweden
Stockholm
As a day train: SJ (Swedish Railways) operates high-speed trains directly to Stockholm, taking just over 5 hours. Although the direct route from Copenhagen straight to Stockholm is suspended until autumn 2026, you can easily hop on an Øresunds Train to Malmø, and get a train to Stockholm from there.
Alternatively, if you need tickets earlier than autumn, you can opt for Snälltåget’s journey, departing from København Syd. The route takes slightly longer - between six and a half and seven and a half hours - but is direct.
Where to buy tickets?
For the direct route from København Syd, you can buy tickets on Snälltåget’s website.
From the end of October when operation starts up again, you can buy tickets on SJ’s website.
As a night train: Snälltåget and SJ EuroNight run sleeper services between Copenhagen and Stockholm. The train departs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from Copenhagen Airport, unfortunately in the middle of the night at about 3.30am.
Where to buy tickets?
On the German website, nachtexpress.de.
Malmö
The Øresundstog (regional commuter train) runs every 20 minutes and takes only 35–40 minutes. No reservations are required.
Gothenburg
The Øresundståg trains also run further up the Swedish west coast, often going as far as Gothenburg. This journey takes about 3 hours and 30 minutes.
Several other Swedish destinations such as Lund, Linköping, Kalmar, and Karlskrona.
Czechia
Prague: from September you’ll be able to take the train from Copenhagen Central Station directly to Prague. With multiple daily departures, this journey takes 11 hours and stops at Hamburg, Berlin and Dresden along the way.
You can buy tickets on the DSB, the Danish State Railways’ website.
Popular 1-stop connections
Oslo, Norway: take the train to Gothenburg and transfer to the regional train to Oslo
Where to buy tickets? Head to Norway’s state railway website, vy.no.
Paris, France: You’ll find that Hamburg is a massive hub for international train travel. For Paris, take the direct train to Hamburg and transfer to a night train to Paris Gare du Nord
Where to buy tickets? The Copenhagen to Hamburg stretch can be found on DSB’s website, while the Hamburg to Paris stretch can be booked via European Sleeper.
Brussels, Belgium: Here you’re doing the exact same journey as if you were going to Paris, except you get off the train a stop earlier, at Brussels Midi station.
Where do I buy tickets? The same as for Paris: on DSB and European Sleeper.
Budapest, Hungary: take the direct train to Hamburg and transfer to the direct train to Budapest.
Where to buy tickets? On the German railway site, bahn.de.
Vienna, Austria: take the direct train to Hamburg and transfer to the direct train to Vienna.
Where to buy tickets? Similar to Budapest, you can find these tickets on German railway site, bahn.de.
Bratislava, Slovakia: hop on the train at Hamburg station and take it directly to Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava. This route goes via Berlin and Prague.
Where to buy tickets? Likewise for this route, your best option is to go to German railway site, bahn.de.
Direct route plans and updates
Oslo: From summer 2028, Denmark and Norway will once again share a direct rail link. A new Joint service by DSB, Vy (Norway), and Deutsche Bahn will run all the way from Oslo through Copenhagen and Hamburg, ending in Berlin. The trip from Copenhagen to Oslo is expected to take about seven hours.
The Fehmarnbelt Tunnel: Currently under construction, the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel will connect the Danish island of Lolland to the Northern German island of Fehmarn across the Baltic Sea. This added infrastructure will drastically cut the train journey between Copenhagen and Hamburg from roughly four and a half hours down to just two and a half hours. The construction of the tunnel is expected to be completed by 2031.
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