🇩🇰 Cross-border drive · Denmark → Germany 🇩🇪
Driving from Copenhagen to Hamburg
- Drive time
- 4h 15m
- Distance
- 331 km
- Same day?
- Yes, doable
- under 8 h
- Fuel cost
- ≈ €60
- petrol · diesel ≈ €47
- Tolls
- Toll-free
- no charges en route
- EV charging
- Plenty fast
- 27 of 93 ≥50 kW
On this page
Route map
Route options
Other paths OSRM found between the two cities — handy when traffic, tolls, or scenery matter more than raw speed.
Alternative
+47m- Distance:
- 469 km (+138 km)
- Duration:
- 5h 3m
Via: E 20 · A 7 · E 20; E 45 · E 20; E 47
Avoids motorways
+2h 16m- Distance:
- 328 km (−3 km)
- Duration:
- 6h 32m
Via: B 432 · B 501 · 151 · 153
How else can you make this trip?
Driving is the focus of this guide; here's how cycling, coach, and (soon) train and plane stack up for the same pair.
Trip plan
How to think about the drive: one day, split, or overnight.
Easy one-day drive
Comfortable as a single day for one driver. Leave after breakfast, arrive with time to settle in.
- Distance:
- 331 km
- Duration:
- 4h 15m (free-flow, no traffic)
Where to stop
Places along the route that make natural breaks for coffee, lunch, or a night.
-
Vordingborg 🇩🇰 dk
≈110 km≈ 12.6 km detour from the main route
-
Lensahn 🇩🇪 de
≈221 km≈ 2.9 km detour from the main route
Key moves
Things to know before you set off — borders, sides of the road, tolls.
Cross-border drive · DK → DE
You'll leave one country and enter another on this trip. Keep your ID close, even inside Schengen, and check current border-control status before you go.
Long rural stretch on B 207
Plan for about 19 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Long rural stretch on Rødby (DK) - Puttgarden (D)
Plan for about 19 km of two-lane country roads. Slower than motorway, but often the pretty part — fewer overtakes after dark.
Must-know before you go
The things a driver from another country wouldn't think to ask about — fines, stickers, payment cards, opening hours.
City access & emission zones
Berlin, Munich, Stuttgart need a green Umweltplakette
Must knowGermany's low-emission zones (Umweltzone) are simpler than the French system but stricter on entry. You need a colour-coded sticker physically on your windscreen before entering. The vast majority of zones today require a green sticker (Euro 4+ petrol, Euro 6+ diesel). Order via TÜV / DEKRA / certified workshops — about €6–13, ships in days. Driving without one costs €100 even if your car would qualify.
Two streets in Altona ban older diesels — Max-Brauer-Allee and Stresemannstrasse
Must knowHamburg
Hamburg doesn't run a citywide LEZ but has Germany's only **street-level** diesel ban: Max-Brauer-Allee (Euro 6 only) and Stresemannstrasse (trucks Euro 6+ only) since 2018. Cameras enforce both. Sat-nav usually routes around them automatically; check your route if you've set "shortest" mode.
What your car must carry
Triangle, first-aid kit, hi-vis vest — all three
Must knowGermany requires a warning triangle, a first-aid kit (compliant with DIN 13164, with a "use by" date — €10 at any pharmacy), and a reflective vest in every passenger car. Roadside checks do happen at borders. The first-aid kit is the one foreign drivers most commonly miss.
Driving rules & habits
Left lane is for overtaking only — return immediately
UsefulOn unrestricted Autobahn sections (where you'll see no speed-limit-end signs), faster cars expect to use the left lane unobstructed. Drift into it without checking the mirror and a 911 closing at 250 km/h becomes your problem. Indicate, overtake, return right — every time. Slowing in the left lane to "make space" is more dangerous than predictable speed.
Phone-mounted radar warnings are illegal
UsefulActive radar-detector apps (and the "police nearby" feature on Waze / Google Maps) are technically banned in Germany — fines hit €75. Most drivers leave them on without consequence, but if you're stopped for any reason, the officer can ask to see your phone. Switch the warning layer off when crossing into DE if you want to play it strict.
Elbtunnel queue 17:00–19:00 weekdays
UsefulHamburg
The A7 Elbtunnel under the river is the only continuous north-south route through Hamburg. Weekday 17:00–19:00 it backs up to 30 minutes both directions; Sunday evening returning from coastal weekends adds the same. The Köhlbrandbrücke is a 12 km detour but flows reliably.
Fuel stations
Contactless cards work at virtually every motorway pump
TipMajor brand stations (Shell, Total, BP, Repsol, Cepsa, OMV, Eni, Esso) take Visa and Mastercard contactless without an issue. American Express and Diners are spotty south of the Alps. A €100 pre-authorisation hold is normal — it releases within 5 days. Carry €50 cash for the rare independent station.
Money & connectivity
EU roaming covers calls, texts and data at no extra cost
TipYour home EU SIM works at home rates across every EU member, plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The "fair use" cap on data only applies if you're abroad more than four months. For a 2-week road trip, just use your phone normally — but switch off "data roaming" if you're leaving the EU into UK / CH for any segment.
Emergency & breakdown
112 works everywhere in the EU and continental neighbours
TipSingle number for police, ambulance, fire — works from any phone, any network, any country. On motorways, the orange SOS pillars every 2km connect direct to the regional traffic control centre and pinpoint your location. Use them over your phone if you can — it speeds the response.
Rules, fees, and thresholds change. Always verify against the official source the day before you drive — this page is a checklist, not a legal reference.
Main roads
The highways this route spends the most kilometres on.
-
E 47; E 55 Sydmotorvejen120 km
-
A 1 —116 km
-
B 207 —19 km
-
E 20; E 47 Køge Bugt Motorvejen19 km
-
21 Holbækmotorvejen9 km
-
A 24 —7 km
-
O4 Motorring 43 km
Route character
How much of the drive is motorway vs. secondary vs. rural.
Motorway drive — fast, predictable, uneventful.
- Motorway
- 80%
- Secondary
- 6%
- Other / rural
- 14%
Drive difficulty
At-a-glance feel: how demanding is this drive for one driver?
Overall
Moderate
Manageable but pay attention — long enough that a second driver or a planned lunch break is smart.
- Cross-border: dk → de. Keep documents accessible and check border rules.
Elevation profile
Highs, lows, and the total climb / descent along the route.
- Lowest point
- 0 m
- Highest point
- 103 m
- Total ascent
- ↑ 261 m
- Total descent
- ↓ 267 m
Fuel & tolls
Rough cost expectation for a typical EU passenger car. Treat as an estimate — pump prices change weekly.
Petrol (RON 95)
≈ €60
24.8 L × €2.44 / L · 7.5 L/100 km
Diesel
≈ €47
19.8 L × €2.39 / L · 6 L/100 km
Electric (DC fast)
≈ €34
58 kWh × €0.58 / kWh · 17.5 kWh/100 km
Public DC fast charging — slower AC charging at home or hotels typically costs about half.
Prices last refreshed 2026-10-12.
Fuel and EV charging along the route
Stations within a few kilometres of the road, sampled at evenly-spaced waypoints.
EV charging
27 at 50 kW or above (fast / ultra-fast).
Fastest first
- IONITY Vordingborg — Vordingborg 350 kW
- EWE Go Reinfeld — Reinfeld 300 kW
- EnBW Action Reinfeld — Reinfeld 300 kW
- Tesla Supercharger Maribo 250 kW
- Tesla Supercharger Reinfeld 250 kW
- Lily-Braun-Straße 34 — Bad Oldesloe 150 kW
- Käthe-Kollwitz-Str. 14 — Bad Oldesloe 150 kW
- Comfortcharge Ladestation — Neustadt in Holstein 100 kW
- Mercur Hotel — Copenaghen 50 kW
- Vester Søgade — København V 50 kW
- Recharge IKEA Copenhagen — KØBENHAVN V 50 kW
- Borgergade — Københavns Kommune 50 kW
Weather by month
Average daytime high / overnight low and typical monthly rainfall, over the past five years.
🇩🇰 Copenhagen
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4°
1°
|
5°
1°
|
7°
2°
|
11°
5°
|
16°
9°
|
19°
13°
|
20°
15°
|
20°
15°
|
19°
14°
|
13°
9°
|
8°
5°
|
6°
3°
|
| 80mm | 48mm | 42mm | 42mm | 28mm | 47mm | 88mm | 70mm | 46mm | 87mm | 73mm | 46mm |
hot mild cold
🇩🇪 Hamburg
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
5°
1°
|
7°
2°
|
11°
3°
|
14°
5°
|
19°
10°
|
22°
13°
|
22°
15°
|
23°
14°
|
21°
13°
|
14°
9°
|
8°
4°
|
6°
3°
|
| 92mm | 58mm | 51mm | 64mm | 56mm | 87mm | 128mm | 72mm | 57mm | 118mm | 83mm | 68mm |
hot mild cold
Next 5 days at Hamburg
Live forecast — refreshes every few hours.
-
Mon 26
⛅
12° / 9°
4.8mm
-
Tue 27
⛅
16° / 11°
2mm
-
Wed 28
☀️
14° / 11°
—
-
Thu 29
⛅
15° / 10°
—
-
Fri 30
⛅
12° / 9°
—
Forecast: MET Norway
Directions
Turn-by-turn summary of the main manoeuvres, generated by OSRM.
Show all 15 manoeuvres
- Jernbanegade
- Vigerslev Allé 4 km
- Holbækmotorvejen (21) 9 km
- Vallensbækgrenen 1 km
- Motorring 4 (O4) 3 km
- Køge Bugt Motorvejen (E 20; E 47) 19 km
- Sydmotorvejen (E 47; E 55) 120 km
- Rødby (DK) - Puttgarden (D) 19 km
- Rødby (DK) - Puttgarden (D)
- (B 207) 19 km
- (A 1) 116 km
- (A 24) 7 km
- Sievekingsallee
- Adenauerallee
- Rathausmarkt
Cycling from Copenhagen to Hamburg
Touring-pace bicycle route generated by BRouter, with elevation gain and matched against the EuroVelo cycle network.
- Distance
- 352 km
- vs 331 km driving
- Riding time
- 17h 7m
- Touring pace; experienced riders cut this 20–30%.
- Total climb
- ↑ 763 m
Routed on the BRouter trekking profile — balanced for paved leisure tourers; gravel and fast-bike profiles produce different lines.
On the EuroVelo network
Sections of this route follow signed EuroVelo cycle routes — well-maintained, signposted, and bike-friendly:
- EV10 Baltic Sea Cycle Route · 62 km
- EV7 Sun Route · 17.5 km
Total: 62,0 km on EuroVelo (18% of the route).
Show route on map
By coach from Copenhagen to Hamburg
Indicative duration of the fastest direct long-distance coach found in the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus EU schedules.
- Travel time
- 5h 10m
- Direct
- Operator
- FlixBus-eu
- Departures / day
- ~2
- Approximate based on the published schedule.
Show coach corridor on map
Schedules sourced from the FlixBus and BlaBlaCar Bus GTFS feeds via transport.data.gouv.fr. Times are indicative; verify on the operator's site before booking.
Booking link coming soon.
By train from Copenhagen to Hamburg
Fastest cross-border rail itinerary from the public Transitous planner. Times reflect a typical Monday-morning departure on the next available service-day.
- Fastest journey
- 4h 58m
- 1 change
- Lead operator
- Dänische Staatsbahnen
- + 5 more
- Alternatives
- 5
- Itineraries returned by the planner.
Trains on the fastest itinerary
- ECE
All operators across alternatives
- Dänische Staatsbahnen
- DSB
- DB Fernverkehr AG
- DSB Vores Tog
- Norddeutsche Eisenbahn Gesellschaft
- DB Regio AG Nord
Show route on map
Routing via the public Transitous OTP planner (community-run MOTIS instance). Cached 24 hours; verify on the operator's site before booking.
How this page is built
Compiled by COD Solutions Oy from open European data — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for the route geometry, BRouter for the bicycle route, EuroVelo GPX (ODbL) by the European Cyclists' Federation for the cycle-network overlay, Open-Meteo for monthly climate normals, OpenTopoData SRTM 30m for elevation, EU Weekly Oil Bulletin for cross-border fuel-price bands, and Open Charge Map for EV charging stations. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.