Journeys from Stockholm
Alasdair Skelton
Stockholm to Hamburg Hamburg to Bucharest Hamburg to Brussels Hamburg to Glasgow Hamburg to Lausanne Hamburg to Salzburg Hamburg to Tübingen Hamburg to Milan Milan to Rome Milan to Athens Hamburg to Paris Paris to Marseille Paris to Madrid
Travel from Stockholm to Malmö on an SJX2000. Trains usually run every hour and the journey time is typically 4 ½ hours. I recommend choosing the first departure after 6 a.m. Seat reservations are required. Interrail passengers can purchased them from SJ (see "Seat reservations"). Travel with Öresundståg from Malmö to Copenhagen. Trains usually run every 15 minutes and the joureny time is typically 45 minutes. Seat reservations are not required. Plan on a stopover of 2- 2½ hours in Copenhagen. This is to allow for delays between Stockholm and Malmö and/or between Malmö and Copenhagen. If both trains are on time, 2½ hours is plenty of time to walk to the harbour in Nyhavn (30 minutes from the station) for an open sandwich and a beer - a Danish favourite. If not, you won't need to stress about missing your onwards connection to Hamburg. Travel from Copenhagen to Hamburg on a German IC train. These are operated by DSB International and DB International . Direct t rains usually run every 2 hours and the journey time is typically 4 ½ hours. If you opt for the first departure after 2 p.m., you should reach Hamburg in time for an evening meal. Seat reservations are recommended (required in the summer). Interrail passengers can purchase them from DSB International or DB International (see "Seat reservations"). Stay overnight in Hamburg before continuing your journey, unless you are continuing with an ÖBB NightJet (see below).
Travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen on a German IC train. These are operated by DSB International and DB International . Direct t rains usually run every 2 hours and the journey time is typically 4 ½ hours. If you are beginning your journey after an overnight stay in Hamburg, I recommend choosing the first departure after 8 a.m., so that you have time for breakfast in Hamburg as there is little (or no) food on the train. If you are arriving in Hamburg on a ÖBB NightJet (see below), I recommend choosing the first depature after 10 a.m. Travel with Öresundståg from Copenhagen to Malmö. Trains usually run every 15 minutes and the joureny time is typically 45 minutes. Plan on a stopover of 1- 1½ hours in Malmö. This is to allow for delays between Hamburg and Copenhagen and/or between Copenhagen and Malmö. If both trains are on time, 1½ hours is plenty of time to walk to the main square for a coffee or a beer. If not, you won't need to stress about missing your onwards connection to Stockholm. Travel from Malmö to Stockholm on an SJX2000. Trains usually run every hour and the journey time is typically 4 ½ hours. If you opt for the first departure after 4 p.m., you should reach Stockholm before 9 p.m.
Travel from Stockholm to Hamburg by day trains (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 1. Stay overnight in Hamburg. Take an ICE train from Hamburg to Vienna on Day 2. Trains run every 1-2 hours, mostly via Nürnberg, but with one direct train (recommended). This train departs from Hamburg at 08:02 and reaches Vienna at 16:47. Seat reservations are recommended (but not required). Enjoy an evening meal near the railway station in Vienna. Take the Dacia Express from Vienna to Bucharest. You need a reservation and I recommend a sleeper cabin on this train. This night train departs from Vienna at 19:42 and reaches Bucharest at 15:26 on Day 3.
Take the Dacia Express from Bucharest to Vienna. This night train departs from Bucharest at 15:07 on Day 1 and reaches Vienna at 08:02 on Day 2. Enjoy breakfast at or near the railway station in Vienna. Take an ICE train from Vienna to Hamburg on Day 2. Trains run every 1-2 hours, via Nürnberg. I recommend choosing the first departure after 10 a.m. from Vienna. I also recommend allowing a minimum of 45 minutes for changing trains in Nürnberg. You should then reach Hamburg at around 8 p.m., which is still in time for an evening meal. Stay overnight in Hamburg. Travel from Hamburg to Stockholm by day trains (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 3.
Travel from Stockholm to Hamburg by day trains (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 1. Stay overnight in Hamburg. Continue with ICE/IC trains from Hamburg to Brussels via Cologne on Day 2. There are connections at least every 2 hours. I recommend 1–2 hours for changing trains on your outward journey. This is because cross-border trains run less frequently and are often quite busy. If your inbound train is on time, you can enjoy lunch near the railway station and/or visit Cologne Cathedral. If your inbound train is delayed (likely), you might still make your onwards connection to Brussels. Seat reservations are recommended (but not required).
Travel on IC/ICE trains from Brussels to Hamburg via Cologne on Day 1. There are connections at least every 2 hours. Forty-five minutes (or less) is sufficient for changing trains in Cologne on your return journey. This is because trains run at least every hour from Cologne to Hamburg. If you miss your connection, just hop on the next one. Stay overnight in Hamburg. Travel from Hamburg to Stockholm by day trains (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 2.
Stockholm to Glasgow
day trains between Hamburg and Brussels, Eurostar between Brussels and London, and night trains between London and Glasgow. day trains between Hamburg and Amsterdam/Schiedam (for Hoek van Holland), overnight ferry between Hoek van Holland and Harwich, and days trains between London and Glasgow.
Travel from Stockholm to Hamburg by day trains (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 1. Stay overnight in Hamburg. Continue with DB International from Hamburg to Brussels via Cologne on Day 2. There are connections at least every 2 hours. I recommend 1–2 hours for changing trains on your outward journey. This is because cross-border trains run less frequently and are often quite busy. If your inbound train is on time, you can enjoy lunch near the railway station and/or visit Cologne Cathedral. If your inbound train is delayed (likely), you might still make your onwards connection to Brussels. Continue with Eurostar to London St. Pancras International 2–3 hours after reaching Brussels. This is to allow for delays in Germany (very likely) as well as 45–90 minutes for Eurostar check-in. In the (unlikely) event of arriving in Brussels on time, consult the Man in Seat 61 for recommended places to eat. Seat reservations are required (see below). Walk (20 minutes) from London St. Pancras along Euston Road to London Euston Station. Continue with Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston to Glasgow. I recommend a private sleeper cabin. Reservations are required (see below).
Travel with the Caledonian Sleeper to London Euston, starting on Day 1. Walk (20 minutes) from London Euston Station along Euston Road to London St. Pancras Station. Continue with Eurostar to Brussels on Day 2. Travel on ICE/IC trains from Brussels to Hamburg via Cologne on Day 2. There are connections at least every 2 hours. Forty-five minutes (or less) is sufficient for changing trains in Cologne on your return journey. This is because trains run at least every hour from Cologne to Hamburg. If you miss your connection, just hop on the next one. Stay overnight in Hamburg. Travel from Hamburg to Stockholm by day trains (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 3.
Travel from Stockholm to Hamburg by day trains (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 1. Stay overnight in Hamburg. Continue on ICE/IC trains from Hamburg to Amsterdam via Osnabrück (or Duisburg) on Day 2. There are connections at least every 2 hours. I recommend 1–2 hours for changing trains on your outward journey. This is because cross-border trains run less frequently and are often quite busy. Continue from Amsterdam to Schiedam Centrum with Dutch National Railways . Trains run every 30 minutes and the journey time is approximately 1 hour. You do not need (and cannot buy) seat reservations. Take the metro (line B) from Schiedam Centrum to the Stena Line ferry terminal at Hoek van Holland Haven . Trains run every 15–30 minutes and the journey time is approximately 30 minutes. The metro is not included with your Interrail pass, but you can check in and out with your credit card. Aim to arrive at the ferry terminal at around 19:30, because this is when check-in starts. Boarding closes at 21:15 and the ferry sails at 22:00. You buy tickets from Stena Line (see “Overnight ferries”). Disembarkation at Harwich International begins at 06:30. You will be on the railway platform (which is beside the ferry terminal) with plenty of time to continue your journey by train to London Liverpool Street (possibly with a change of trains at Manningtree), arriving there in time for (second) breakfast on the morning of Day 3. You do not need seat reservations for this train. Take the Elisabeth Line from London Liverpool Street to Farringdon and Thames Link from Farringdon to London St. Pancras (30 minutes). Walk (20 minutes) from London St. Pancras to London Euston. Travel by day train from London Euston to Glasgow Central.
Travel by day train from Glasgow Central to London Euston on Day 1. Walk (20 minutes) from London Euston to London St. Pancras. Take the Thames Link from London St. Pancras to Farringdon and the Elisabeth Line from Farringdon to London Liverpool Street (30 minutes). Take a train from London Liverpool Street to Harwich International (possibly with a change of trains at Manningtree). Aim to arrive at the ferry terminal at around 20:30, because this is when check-in and boarding starts. Boarding closes at 22:15 and the ferry sails at 20:30. Disembarkation at Hoek van Holland begins at 08:00 on Day 2. Take the metro to Schiedam Centrum and continue to Amsterdam with Dutch National Railways . Continue with Deutsch Bahn from Amsterdam to Hamburg via Osnabrück (or Duisburg). There are connections at least every 2 hours. A short transfer works because trains between Osnabrück and Hamburg run frequently and there are usually free seats. Stay overnight in Hamburg Continue from Hamburg to Stockholm (see “ Stockholm to Hamburg ”) on Day 3.