London to Stockholm in 24 hours without flying.  No airports, no flights...

This is the fastest option, with daily departures.  Leave London in the afternoon and arrive in central Stockholm late afternoon the next day.

London ► Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö

• Day 1:  Travel from London to Brussels by Eurostar, leaving London St Pancras daily except Saturdays at 15:04, arriving Brussels Midi at 18:05.  On Saturdays, depart London at 12:58 arriving Brussels Midi at 16:08.  Advice on connections in Brussels.

• Day 1:  Travel from Brussels to Cologne by ICE high-speed train leaving Brussels Midi at 18:25 and arriving Cologne at 20:15.  On Saturdays you can also take the earlier 17:28 Thalys train arriving Cologne at 19:15.  You've time for dinner in Cologne.

• Day 1:  Travel overnight from Cologne to Copenhagen on the City Night Line sleeper train Borealis, leaving Cologne daily at 22:28 and arriving next morning in Copenhagen main station at 10:07.  This train has a sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments, economy with washbasin or deluxe with private shower & toilet), couchettes (4-berth & 6-berth) & seats.  More pictures & information about City Night Line sleeper trains.  A bistro car is available in the morning, between Hamburg and Copenhagen.

• Important:  From 20 July to 1 September 2013, the Cologne-Copenhagen sleeper won't run due to engineering work, but here's the alternative:  During this period, simply remain on board the 18:25 ICE from Brussels as far as Frankfurt arriving 21:30.  Another part of the same City Night Line sleeper leaves Frankfurt (Main) Hbf at 22:19, still  arriving in Copenhagen at 10:07 next morning.  By all means use an earlier London-Frankfurt connection if you'd like a safer connection and dinner in Frankfurt, see the London-Germany page.

• Day 2:  For Stockholm, travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm by X2000 high-speed tilting train, leaving Copenhagen main station at 11:15 daily except Saturdays and arriving in Malmö at 11:56 and Stockholm Central at 16:40.  On Saturdays, you leave Copenhagen at 12:37 arriving Malmo at 12:59 and Stockholm at 17:40.  Soon after leaving Copenhagen, the X2000 train to Stockholm crosses the Öresund Fixed Link, opened in 1999 to connect Denmark with Sweden.  It's part tunnel, part double-decker road/rail bridge, and on the long bridge section your train seems to 'fly' across the sea to Sweden...

• Day 2:  For Gothenburg, travel from Copenhagen to Gothenburg by Öresund link train, leaving Copenhagen at 10:32 and arriving in Gothenburg at 14:15.  These trains usually run every hour, by all means catch a later one if you like.  You'll also find a few daily SJ X2000 high-speed tilting trains on this route, sometimes with cheaper pre-bookable prices, but being hourly, the  Öresund link trains usually provide the best connections.

Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö ► London

Take Eurostar to Brussels, then a German ICE high-speed train to Cologne...

ICE3 2nd class.  ICEs are perhaps the most comfortable trains in Europe...		ICE3 1st class, with leather seats.  Seats in both classes have power sockets.		An ICE to Cologne waiting to leave Brussels Midi.  More ICE info.

Introducing the City Night Line sleeper train Borealis from Cologne to Copenhagen...

The Cologne to Copenhagen overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent City Night Line sleeper trains with a choice of sleepers, couchettes & seats.  The modern Comfortline sleeping-car offers proper beds in 1, 2 or 3-berth deluxe compartments with shower & toilet, or 1, 2 or 3-berth economy compartments with washbasin.  All sleepers have power-points for laptop computers, hotel-style cardkey locks, and there is a shower at the end of the corridor.  The air-conditioned couchette car offers simple flat padded berths with a rug & pillow in shared 4 & 6-berth compartments.  There are also ordinary seats in 6-seater compartments, but you should always book a couchette.  A bistro car is attached between Hamburg and Copenhagen in both directions.  The train actually starts its journey in Amsterdam.  More pictures & information about this City Night Line train. 

Dinner in Cologne before you board?  For a traditional German meal in Cologne before boarding your sleeper, try the Brauhaus Sion (www.brauhaus-sion.de), 5 minutes walk from Cologne hauptbahnhof, or the Malzmuehle restaurant (www.muehlenkoelsch.de), 10-15 minutes walk from Cologne Hauptbahnhof, or there's a restaurant inside the Hauptbahnhof itself at the Schweinske, www.schweinske.de.  Feedback is always appreciated!

1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper: The most civilised option, economy with washbasin or deluxe with shower & toilet.		4-berth couchettes:  Ideal for families, much more space per person than 6-berth couchettes.		6-berth couchettes:  The budget option, far more comfortable than a seat for just a few euros more...		A modern Comfortline sleeping-car on the Cologne-Copenhagen City Night Line sleeper train Borealis. More pictures & information about City Night Line

... and the 125mph X2000 trains from Copenhagen to Stockholm.

A 125 mph X2000 train from Copenhagen to Stockholm, at Copenhagen station....		2nd class seating on the X2000.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles...		Self-service buffet car on the X2000 to Stockholm. More information about X2000 trains

How much does it cost?

How to buy tickets online...

Anyone from any country can buy tickets this way, at the cheapest prices direct from the operators.  Booking opens 120 days ahead for Eurostar, 92 days ahead for other trains, but I strongly recommend waiting and buying all tickets together, doing a dry run on all sites to check times, prices and availability before booking for real.  Hotel accommodation can be booked before booking your trains risk-free if you use a site such as www.booking.com with free cancellation.

• Step 1, book the trains from London to Cologne & back.

  First, check prices from London to Cologne at the German Railways website using the special links I'm about to give you, just enter your departure date, obviously remembering that on the inward journey, departure from Cologne will be the day after departure from Stockholm.  You simply print out your own ticket.  I recommend booking a round trip as two one-ways, as it's easier to see where the availability is.  I also recommend registering when this is offered, so you can log in at any time and check or re-print tickets:

  Buy a ticket from London to Cologne leaving London at 12:58 on Saturdays or leaving London at 15:04 Mondays-Fridays & Sundays.

  Buy a ticket from Cologne to London leaving Cologne at 07:43 Monday-Saturday or leaving Cologne at 07:43 on Sundays.

  Now compare these prices with the Belgian Railways international website www.b-europe.com.  This can sell London to Cologne tickets using Eurostar+ICE or Eurostar+Thalys, with print-at-home tickets.  It may or may not be cheaper than bahn.de, just buy from whichever site has the cheaper fare.

  Alternatively, you can book London to Cologne in two stages direct with the relevant operators.  This is more work, but it allows you to pick an exact seat on Eurostar and buy a through ticket to Brussels from 130 UK towns & cities outside London.  First, book from London or another UK station to Brussels and back at www.eurostar.com.  You print your own ticket.  Towards the end of the process, look for the link allowing you to book a specific seat.  Tips on choosing the best Eurostar seats.  Then book the ICE train from Brussels to Cologne and back at www.bahn.de.  You print your own ticket.  I strongly recommend registering, so you can log in and re-print or change bookings at any time.  The best connections for this particular journey are by ICE, as shown in the train times above, but if you want to stop off in Brussels or Cologne so want to book one of the Thalys trains between Brussels & Cologne instead, you can do this at www.thalys.com, also with self-print tickets.

• Step 2, now book the trains from Cologne to Stockholm & back.

  German Railways have Spezial fares from German cities to Stockholm.  So first try booking from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Stockholm all in one go at www.bahn.de, looking for the evening CNL sleeper connecting with the X2 (X2000) to Stockholm.  I recommend booking a round trip as two one-way trips.  When booking from Cologne to Stockholm, you won't see any cheap Cologne-Stockholm fares via the City Night Line to Copenhagen and the direct Copenhagen-Stockholm train unless you enter Copenhagen in the 'via' box and '01:30' in the stopover box, but don't worry, I've set these links up with all the necessary parameters, just enter your departure dates and look for the trains I've described above in the search results.  You pay online and print out your own ticket on your own PC printer.  I recommend registering so you can log in and re-print tickets at any time.

  Buy an outward ticket from Cologne to Stockholm

  Buy an inward ticket from Stockholm to Cologne

  DB have a relatively small allocation of spezial tickets to Stockholm.  So if you don't see any cheap fares from Cologne to Stockholm when you book all in one go, split the journey like this:

  First, go to the German Railways website, www.bahn.de and book a sleeper or couchette on the City Night Line sleeper train from Cologne (Köln Hbf) to Copenhagen and back, looking for the cheap 'Savings' fares on the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  You pay online and print out your own ticket in .PDF format on your own PC printer.  Easy!   I strongly recommend registering when it asks you before completing the purchase, so you can easily retrieve any bookings.

  Now book the Copenhagen-Stockholm train online direct with Swedish Railways at www.sj.se (see my advice on using it here).  If you can't get the SJ site to work for any reason, try www.bokatag.se instead (though they add a small fee) or simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  The price you'll pay using www.sj.se or SJ telesales is the actual Swedish Railways price, which varies like budget airline fares.  The cheap deals start 90 days before departure.  If you book several months in advance you can find really cheap fares available, rising to higher levels closer to departure.  You simply print out your own ticket or collect your tickets from the silver-grey Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machines which are installed at Copenhagen main station, on the left as you walk in the main entrance.  SJ.se sometimes has problems with non-Scandinavian credit cards, if you have any payment problems you can also book this train at www.bokatag.se.

• If you're going to Gothenburg rather than Stockholm, book from Cologne to Copenhagen using www.bahn.de, looking for the direct CNL train with 0 changes.  Then buy a Copenhagen to Gothenburg ticket either at the station in Copenhagen (as the price is fixed and no seat reservation is necessary) or buy it online at www.sj.se or www.bokatag.se.

• Starting your journey from a UK town or city outside London?  You can buy a special add-on ticket to connect with Eurostar from almost any station in Britain, with better terms and conditions than buying a regular domestic UK train ticket to London, see the advice here.

How to buy tickets by phone...

You can buy tickets through a number of UK agencies, but the best for this trip is probably Deutsche Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards), or European Rail on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturday, £35 booking fee per transaction).  Click here for a list of agencies and more info on how to book.

Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements...

If you want a compete tailor-made trip with all your rail travel expertly booked for you and good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761.  US & Canadian residents can call them toll-free on 1-800-408-3280 or see www.us.railbookers.com.  Australian residents can call their Sydney office toll-free on 1300 971 526 or see www.railbookers.com.au.  New Zealand residents call toll-free on 0800 002 034 or see website.  Just tell them what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains, routes & hotels and sort it all out for you, hassle-free.  They get very positive reviews and take good care of their guests.

Watch the video:  Stockholm to London by train...

London to Stockholm by Eurostar & daytime trains

	Train on a ferry!  This is a Hamburg to Copenhagen ICE-TD EuroCity train on board the Puttgarten to Rodby ferry.  This is one of the few remaining routes in Europe where trains go onto ferries, the other major route being mainland Italy to Sicily.  The Rodby-Puttgarten crossing takes about 50 minutes, and you must leave the train and go up into the ferry whilst it is at sea.  The ferry has bars, lounges restaurants & shops.  Naturally, you can leave your bags on the train...
	First class real leather seats on the Hamburg-Copenhagen ICE-TD train.  There's a bistro car serving drinks, snacks and meals...
	Second class seats on the Hamburg-Copenhagen ICE-TD train.  All seats have power sockets for laptops & mobiles...

London to Stockholm by train from €98!

It's not as time-effective as the City Night Line sleeper, but you may prefer daytime trains with an overnight hotel.  Travel London to Hamburg on day 1 from just €59, stay overnight in Hamburg, then travel from Hamburg to Stockholm on day 2 from as little as €39.  Take a bottle of wine and a good book, and enjoy a 2-day train ride across Europe on modern & comfortable trains with not an airport security queue in sight.  And best of all, this is the cheapest option, if you manage to find a German Railways London Spezial fare between London and Hamburg, and Sweden Spezial between Hamburg and Stockholm!

London ► Stockholm or Gothenburg by day trains

• Day 1, travel from London to Hamburg using any of the services suggested on the London to Germany page.  For example, you can leave London St Pancras at 10:58 (08:58 on Sundays) by Eurostar to Brussels and ICE train to Cologne, then InterCity train to Hamburg, arriving Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 21:12.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Hamburg.  In ascending order of cost, hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.

• Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by fast ICE-TD EuroCity train, leaving Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 09:28 and arriving Copenhagen at 14:14.  The Hamburg-Copenhagen train is shunted onto a ferry for the crossing from Puttgarten in Germany to Rodby in Denmark, one of the few places in Europe where trains still go onto ferries.  An interesting experience in itself!  You need to leave the train and go upstairs onto the ferry during the crossing.

• Day 2, for Stockholm:  Travel from Copenhagen to Stockholm by 125 mph X2000 high-speed tilting train, leaving Copenhagen at 14:29 and arriving Stockholm Central at 19:40.  You can check train times from Hamburg to Stockholm using www.bahn.de.  The connection in Copenhagen is tight, but if you buy a Hamburg to Stockholm through ticket you will be re-booked on a later train to Stockholm at no extra charge in the event that the Hamburg-Copenhagen train runs late.  Trains from Copenhagen to Malmö & Stockholm no longer use train ferries but cross the Öresund Fixed Link, a tunnel & double-decker road/rail bridge opened in 1999 linking Denmark with Sweden.

• Day 2, for Malmo & Gothenburg:  There are frequent Oresund Link trains from Copenhagen to Malmo & Gothenburg, check times from Hamburg to Malmo or Hamburg to Gothenburg (Goteborg Central) at www.bahn.de.

Stockholm or Gothenburg ► London by day trains

• Day 1, travel from Stockholm to Copenhagen by 125 mph X2000 tilting train, leaving Stockholm Central at 08:21 and arriving Copenhagen at 13:23.

• Day 1, travel from Copenhagen to Hamburg by ICE-TD EuroCity train, leaving Copenhagen at 15:44 and arriving Hamburg Hauptbahnhof at 20:16.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Hamburg.  In ascending order of cost, hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.

• Day 2, travel from Hamburg to London by InterCity train to Cologne, ICE train to Brussels and Eurostar to London, using any of the services suggested on the London to Germany page.  For example, the 10:46 from Hamburg will get you back to London at 21:03 (19:57 on Sundays).

How much does it cost?

• London to Hamburg can cost as little as €59 each way with a London Spezial fare from Germany Railways (DB).  The price varies, book early and pick your date carefully for the cheapest prices.  Booking usually opens 92 days before departure.

• Hamburg to Stockholm, Malmo or Gothenburg can cost as little as €39 with a Sweden Spezial fare from German Railways.

How to buy tickets...

• Step 1, check the price of London Spezials between London & Hamburg using these special links.  I strongly recommend registering when prompted, as you can then log in and check or re-print tickets whenever you like, from any PC.  Booking usually opens 92 days ahead, you can't book before bookings open.

  From London to Hamburg:

  Departing London at 08:58 Sundays

  Departing London at 10:58 Mondays-Saturdays

  From Hamburg to London:

  Departing Hamburg at 06:46

  Departing Hamburg at 10:46 daily except Saturdays

  Departing Hamburg at 10:46 on Saturdays

• Step 2, buy your ticket between Hamburg and Stockholm using these links:

  From Hamburg to Stockholm departing 09:28

  From Stockholm to Hamburg departing 08:21

  From Hamburg to Gothenburg departing 09:28

  From Gothenburg to Hamburg departing 10:42

• London Spezial fares have limited availability, as DB (German Railways) only have a small allocation on Eurostar.  If you cannot find availability from London to Hamburg, try booking exactly the same trains, but using www.eurostar.com for the London to Brussels train and www.bahn.de for Brussels to Hamburg trains.  Alternatively, try www.b-europe.com for London to Cologne and www.bahn.de for Cologne to Berlin.

• Similarly, availability of Sweden Spezials is also limited.  If you don't find any cheap fares between Hamburg and Stockholm, split the booking.  First book Hamburg to Copenhagen using www.bahn.de.  Then book Copenhagen to Stockholm using either the Swedish railways website www.sj.se (no booking fee, see advice on using it below) or Swedish transport site www.bokatag.se (English button bottom right, booking fee added).  If you can't get your credit card to work, simply call SJ telesales on +46 771 75 75 75 (touch tone 6 for English).  The price varies like budget airline fares.  If you book several months in advance you can find really cheap fares available, rising to pretty much higher prices closer to departure.  You simply print out your own ticket or you can choose to collect your tickets from the Swedish Railways (SJ) ticket machines installed at Copenhagen main station.

London to Stockholm by ferry to Hoek van Holland

	London to the Netherlands by Dutch Flyer train & ferry...  Take a train from London's Liverpool Street station directly to the ferry terminal at Harwich.  You walk off the train, into the terminal, get your boarding card & cabin key at the Stena Line check-in desk and walk straight onto the overnight ferry to Hoek van Holland.  The superferry Stena Hollandica is the largest ferry of its kind in the world.  See the Netherlands page and see the video...
	Cosy cabins:  The overnight Harwich-Hoek ferry is a floating hotel.  All passengers travel in a cosy private cabin with en suite shower & toilet and satellite TV.  This is the cheapest 2-berth cabin...
	... and this is a Captain's Class cabin with double bed & complimentary bubbly in the minibar.
	Next day, travel from Hoek van Holland to Hamburg by train and stay there overnight.  Next morning, travel from Hamburg to Copenhagen by ICE train.  This ICE goes onto a train ferry (above) between Puttgarten & Rodby, an interesting experience.  You must leave the train whilst it is on the ferry...
	This is the X2000 train to Stockholm, boarding in Copenhagen...

The Dutch Flyer, a useful alternative to Eurostar...

It takes a bit longer than the Eurostar options shown above, but with inexpensive fares, daily departures, quality private cabins with shower, toilet, free WiFi & satellite TV, the integrated Dutch Flyer train-ferry-train service between London and Hoek van Holland makes a useful alternative to Eurostar.  It's shown in orange on the route map above.  The Dutch Flyer is a good option if you need to travel at short notice when Eurostar is expensive, if you live in East Anglia, or if you want to avoid the Channel Tunnel due to an incident or because you are claustrophobic.  Indeed, you may simply prefer this relaxing journey to the faster Eurostar options, cruising overnight to Holland on the overnight Stena Line superferry in an en suite cabin (see the Dutch Flyer video), then on to Sweden by daytime trains with a comfortable overnight hotel in Hamburg plus an evening at leisure to explore that city.

London ► Gothenburg & Stockholm

• Day 1, evening:  Travel from London to Hoek van Holland overnight by Dutch Flyer train & ferry.  You leave London's Liverpool Street station at 19:32 by train to Harwich International, reaching Harwich just before 9pm.  At Harwich, the station is right next to the ferry terminal and you simply walk off the train into the terminal, through a simple security and passport check, check in at the Stena Line desk to get your boarding card & cabin key, then walk straight onto the Stena Line ferry to Hoek van Holland.  All passengers travel in cosy private cabins with en suite toilet & shower, satellite TV & free WiFi.  Deluxe Comfort class & Captains class cabins with complimentary minibar are also available.  You can have a late dinner in the restaurant and settle into your cabin.  The ferry sails at 23:15 and arrives at Hoek van Holland at 07:45 Dutch time next morning.  At Hoek, the station is right next to the ferry terminal.  See the Netherlands page for full details of the Dutch Flyer service.  Dutch Flyer tickets are valid not just from London but from any National Express East Anglia railway station, for example, Cambridge, Norwich or Chelmsford, to any station in the Netherlands.

• Day 2, travel from Hoek van Holland to Hamburg.  For example, at www.bahn.de you'll find journeys leaving Hoek at 09:56, changing at Rotterdam, Amersfoort and Osnabruck to arrive Hamburg 16:12.  You can buy one ticket for the whole journey at www.bahn.de.  As your Dutch Flyer ticket is valid to any Dutch station, you could catch the first available train from Hoek after the ferry arrives and have a coffee in Rotterdam or Amersfoort before travelling onwards to Hamburg.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Hamburg.  In ascending order of cost, hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.

• Day 3, travel from Hamburg to Stockholm using the 09:28 Hamburg-Copenhagen ICE train then the 14:29 Copenhagen to Stockholm X2000, arriving Stockholm at 19:40.  You can buy one ticket for this whole journey at www.bahn.de.  Note that the Hamburg to Copenhagen ICE train is loaded into the hold of a train ferry between Puttgarten & Rødby, one of the few places left in Europe where trains still go onto ships.  You must leave the train and go upstairs into the ferry's passenger accommodation or open decks while it is on board the ship.  To find Hamburg-Gothenburg trains, simply use www.bahn.de.

Stockholm & Gothenburg ► London

• Day 1, travel from Stockholm to Hamburg.  You'll find various options, but I recommend the 08:21 Stockholm to Copenhagen X2000 arriving Copenhagen at 13:23. Have lunch in Copenhagen, then take the 15:44 ICE train from Copenhagen to Hamburg arriving 20:16.  You can buy one ticket for this journey at www.bahn.de.  Note that the Copenhagen to Hamburg ICE train is loaded into the hold of a train ferry between Rødby & Puttgarten, one of the few places left in Europe where trains still go onto ships.  You must leave the train and go upstairs into the ferry's passenger accommodation or open decks while it is on board the ship.  To find Gothenburg-Hamburg trains, simply use www.bahn.de.

• Spend the night in a hotel in Hamburg.  In ascending order of cost, hotels next to Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with good reviews include the Hotel Continental Novum, Hotel Furst Bismarck, Hotel Europaischer Hof, Hotel Atlantic Kempinski.

• Day 2, travel from Hamburg to Hoek van Holland.  You can book the whole journey at www.bahn.de, for example an 11:46 departure from Hamburg will get you to Hoek van Holland at 18:01 with easy changes at Osnabrück, Amersfoort & Rotterdam.  Don't risk any tight connections with the ferry - as your Dutch Flyer ticket is valid from any Dutch station, you could take the 11:46 from Hamburg and have dinner in Rotterdam, catching a later train to Hoek van Holland, as long as you arrive at least 45 minutes before the ferry sails.

• Day 2, evening:  Travel from Hoek van Holland to London overnight by Dutch Flyer train & ferry service.  At Hoek van Holland, the ferry terminal is right next to the station.  Walk onto the ferry and sail overnight in a snug private cabin to Harwich.  The ferry sails at 22:30 Mondays-Fridays or 21:30 Saturdays & Sundays and arrives at Harwich International at 06:30 next morning, UK time.  Take a train on to London next morning (day 3) arriving 08:48-08:59.  See the Netherlands page for full details.

How much does it cost?

• London to any Dutch station by Dutch Flyer starts at £45 per person one-way, plus the cost of a cabin.  Cabins start at £30 for a single berth cabin or £43 for a 2-berth (per cabin, not per person), and are compulsory on the night sailing.  The fare covers the train from London to Harwich, the ferry, and onward Dutch trains from Hoek van Holland Haven to any station in the Netherlands, see the Netherlands page for full details of fares and cabin types and costs.

• Hoek van Holland to Hamburg starts at just €39 each way with a German Railways spezial ticket.

• Hamburg to Stockholm or Gothenburg also starts at just €39 each way with a German Railways spezial ticket.

How to buy tickets online...

• Step 1, buy a Dutch Flyer train & ferry ticket from London to Any Dutch Station online at www.dutchflyer.co.uk.  You can select any type of cabin, and add an excellent 3-course dinner in the a la carte restaurant plus a buffet breakfast if you like.  For one-way journeys starting in the Netherlands, see the advice on the Netherlands page.

• Step 2, buy a ticket from Hoek van Holland to Hamburg at the German railways website bahn.de using this link:

  Buy ticket from Hoek van Holland to Hamburg - for a return journey simply add a return leg.

• Step 3, buy a ticket from Hamburg to Stockholm or Gothenburg at the German railways website bahn.de using these links:

  Buy ticket from Hamburg to Stockholm - outward leg.

  Buy ticket from Stockholm to Hamburg - return leg, with added short stopover in Copenhagen so you get 1 change of train not 2 or 3.

  Buy ticket from Hamburg to Gothenburg - for a return journey simply add a return leg.

• I recommend registering on bahn.de when prompted, so you can log in and re-print your tickets at any time from any PC.

• Alternatively, you can book by phone, first booking the Dutch Flyer with Stena Line on 08445 762 762 (lines open 08:30-20:00 Mondays-Fridays, 09:00-18:00 Saturdays, 09:00-17:00 Sundays), then booking the trains with DB's UK office on 08718 80 80 66, lines open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 weekends.

London to Stockholm by ferry to Esbjerg