New direct train will connect Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg and Copenhagen

Deutsche Bahn, Czech Railways (ČD) and Danish State Railways (DSB) are set to launch a new, daily direct train service connecting Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg and Copenhagen.

New direct trains from Germany to Copenhagen

Copenhagen just got a little closer for people living in northern and eastern Germany. Starting May 1, Deutsche Bahn, ČD, and DSB will run a daily direct train connecting Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg and Copenhagen.

The service will begin in Prague, depart from Dresden at 8.53am, from Berlin Hauptbahnhof at 10.38am and from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 1.25pm before arriving in the Danish capital at 7.38pm.

According to the Deutsche Bahn website, tickets for a journey from Dresden to Copenhagen on June 15 are currently on sale for 89,99 euros. Until now, Deutsche Bahn has only run direct trains between Hamburg and Copenhagen.

Route will be diverted until June 14

There is one substantial caveat to the May 1 launch. Between May 1 and June 14, the direct trains will be partially diverted due to construction work on the line between Berlin and Hamburg.

As such, between May 1 and June 14, journeys will take somewhere between 90 minutes and two hours longer and will include an extra stop at Hamburg-Altona. During this initial six-week period, passengers might also have to change trains during their journey.

From June 14, two trains will run in both directions every day. During the busier holiday periods, the three railway operators plan to add a third daily connection in both directions.

One more thing worth mentioning for those travelling to Copenhagen by train: CopenPay. Since summer 2025, the Danish capital has been rewarding tourists who arrive by a sustainable means of transport. 

Anyone who arrives by train and can show proof of their travel can receive rewards such as a free visit to a sauna, yoga class, Too Good To Go lunch, 45 minutes free bike hire or 50 percent off a visit to the University of Copenhagen library. Find out more about the scheme on the CopenPay website.