Operator: Deutsche Bahn (DB)
Headcode: ICE775
Route: HAM-HAN
Class: 1st Class
Seat: C11 S54 S53
Date: Tuesday 23rd September 2025
After a full day of exploring the wonderful city of Hamburg which included the obligatory visit to Miniatur Wunderland as well as plenty of other sights (read about that here), it was time to make my way back to Hildesheim. For this return journey, I’d be travelling on a Deutsche Bahn (DB) ICE service from Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) to Hannover Hbf where I’d change on to the Hannover S-bahn network to get back to Hildesheim. And so, with about an hour before the train departed I was sat nursing a coffee in the McDonalds overlooking the platforms at Hamburg Hbf as although DB do have a lounge for first class passengers, access isn’t allowed for those travelling on cheaper tickets.
I was booked on ICE775, the 1924 departure from Hamburg Hbf to Karlsruhe, however as I was drinking my coffee I had noticed that the service actually started one station further north at Hamburg Damntor station. Deciding to try my luck by starting my journey there, with the thought that I’d be able to get some pictures before the majority of passengers boarded at Hbf, I jumped on the Hamburg S-bahn and got to Damntor around half an hour before the train departed, However, with around 15 minutes to go (thankfully 20+ minutes before it departed Hbf) the departure screen changed to show that it had been cancelled from Damntor and would be starting at Hbf. So it was back onto the S-bahn and I got back to Hbf 13 minutes before departure and still well before the train arrived.
After all that faffing, my journey to Hannover eventually started properly from Hamburg Hbf’s platform 14, with the ICE4 trainset arriving at 1922, two minutes before our scheduled departure time. I was in coach 11, the third from the front for this southbound journey, and after boarding swapped my booked seat 54 (a single seat) for seat 53 (one of a pair) on the other side of the aisle as it was better placed next to the window. From what I could tell the double airline style seats have additional cup holders compared to the single seats, along with some netted storage on the back of the seat in front. With the train having only arrived two minutes before departure, there was a slight delay whilst everyone boarded and we set off south at 1926, two minutes late.
As with all of DB’s ICE trains, first class seating onboard this ICE4 was laid out in a 1-2 configuration either side of the aisle with a mix of airline style and table seating. Obviously, the trains also have all the modern amenities of power sockets and WiFi, with the WiFi portal also having a wide selection of entertainment options included. Unfortunately, this particular train was a bit tired and could do with a refresh as my seat had a broken cup holder, whilst one across the aisle had a broken arm rest. However, it was still comfortable, and I settled down for my journey of around an hour and fifteen minutes, deciding to just enjoy the journey and not do any writing for the short trip.
ICE trains have an onboard restaurant called the Bordrestaurant which is located between first and second class, however the WiFi portal also allows for online ordering and at seat service. It does take a while after departure for the crew to get this up and running through and we were about half an hour into the journey before I was able to place my order. Payment is collected by the staff on delivery of your order, and my Spezi (a cola-based energy drink) and currywurst cost me €11.80 which I didn’t think was too bad for what was a ‘proper’ meal.
ICE775 is an ICE service that connects the industrial heart of north Germany with Karlsruhe in the south-east, close to the border with France. My journey between Hamburg and Hannover was non-stop, with the capital of Lower Saxony being the first stop after Hamburg Hbf, however after Hannover the train would have another five intermediate stops before arriving into Karlsruhe at 0036. Running for 234km along Hannover–Würzburg high-speed railway as far as Fulda, the service calls at Göttingen and Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe before leaving the high-speed line and heading to Frankfurt Hbf and Frankfurt Airport. After Frankfurt, it once again joins a high-speed line, this time the Frankfurt-Mannheim line, before the final intermediate stop at Mannheim itself. From Mannheim it joins another high-speed line, the Rhine Valley Railway which connects Mannheim to the Swiss border at Basel.
On the stretch between Hamburg and Hannover, we reached speeds of 200kph, with the speed helpfully displayed on the onboard screens. I was surprised with how far east the line between Hamburg and Hanover goes given Hannover is almost directly south of Hamburg, with us passing through Ulezen around half an hour before our arrival in Hannover. We were still travelling at 200kph as we passed through Großburgwedel on the outskirts of Hnanover at 2030, although we began slowing shortly after before pulling into Hannover Hbf’s platform 4 at 2041, three minutes late. Thankfully although I did have a fairly tight connection, our arrival into platform 4 meant I had a nice easy cross-platform change to my next train which I made with ease.
This journey from Hamburg to Hannover was a nice way to end my day exploring Hamburg. It’s disappointing that DB don’t include lounge access for the cheaper first-class tickets, but the McDonald’s at Hamburg Hbf is great for watching the trains. Onboard, the seats are comfortable and the food is tasty, although it was noticeable that the interior was becoming a bit worn. All in all though a pretty good journey with DB.
Lounge 0*
Seat/Facilities 3*
Food 4*
Service 5*
Punctuality 5*
Overall Rating 17/25 (read about my rating system here!)
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