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Find trains from Copenhagen to Hamburg

Search for cheap train tickets from copenhagen to hamburg and book your trip in minutes., copenhagen to hamburg train information, find information about ticket prices, popular stations, and train companies that offer trains from copenhagen to hamburg, copenhagen train station directory, location of major train stations in copenhagen, hamburg train station directory, location of major train stations in hamburg, faqs for booking trains from copenhagen to hamburg, what stops are along the train from copenhagen to hamburg.

Nearly all of the trains to Hamburg from Copenhagen make stops at various stations along the way. One of the shorter routes that takes around 4 h 30 mins makes four intermediate stops. All the stops are in Denmark and spaced about 30-40 minutes apart. The first is at Ringsted station, the second at Odense station, the third at Kolding station, and the fourth at Padborg station. After departing Padborg, the trains cross into Germany and head straight for Hamburg Central Station, arriving around 2 h later. One of the longer routes that takes around 5 h 40 mins stops at three places before reaching its destination. The first stop is at Fredericia station in Denmark. The second and third stops are at Flensburg and Neumunster in Germany. After departing Neumunster, it’s about an hour before the trains arrive at Hamburg Central Station.

Do Deutsche Bahn trains from Copenhagen to Hamburg have Wi-Fi?

Yes, all the Deutsche Bahn InterCity Express, Regional-Express, and Danish InterCityLyn trains from Copenhagen to Hamburg offer free Wi-Fi to their passengers. Although Deutsche Bahn provides two Wi-Fi networks for passengers, they both offer more or less the same quality of internet service. It’s a public network, however, so sensitive activities like entering personal or financial information should be kept to a minimum because not all information is safe from interception. If you feel the need for extra security, it’s recommended to use a VPN or to restrict yourself to HTTPS sites. When you log onto the Wi-Fi network, Deutsche Bahn offers some preloaded entertainment options for you to watch or listen to. Other amenities offered by Copenhagen to Hamburg trains include power outlets for charging devices, on board restrooms, and on-board food and beverage options.

What luggage is allowed on Copenhagen to Hamburg trains?

Passengers on trains to Hamburg from Copenhagen may wish to pay attention to luggage policies so they know what they’re allowed to bring. Deutsche Bahn, the main company offering train lines for this route, allows passengers to bring both hand luggage and larger pieces of luggage on board free of charge. Although there are no weight restrictions on items of luggage, a general rule of thumb is that each passenger should be able to safely and comfortably carry their own luggage. Examples of hand luggage include laptop cases, briefcases, and backpacks that can be kept in your lap, placed overhead, or stowed away under your seat. Examples of larger luggage include suitcases or other specialty items (sports equipment, folding bikes, pushchairs, etc.). These may be stored in the luggage rack space in the middle or end of each passenger car on Copenhagen to Hamburg trains.

What train stations are used when traveling from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

If you’re taking one of the trains from Copenhagen to Hamburg, then there are three main train stations to keep in mind. The first is Copenhagen Central Station, the second is Hoje Taastrup Railway Station, and the third is Hamburg Central Station. Most international trains to Hamburg depart from Copenhagen Central Station. However, if you’re taking an overnight train, many of those depart from Hoje Taastrup Railway Station, which is west of the central station. To get from one station to the other, you may take one of the frequent S-Bahn trains (the Green or B Line) or local buses. They generally make the trip in around 15 mins or so. When Copenhagen trains arrive in Hamburg, they usually stop at the Hamburg Central Station, also known as Hamburg Hauptbahnhof. This central station has frequent domestic service to other train stations around Hamburg.

How long is the train ride from Kastrup Copenhagen to Hamburg?

The quickest train available from Kastrup Copenhagen will take 4h 35m to arrive in Hamburg. The time it takes to travel between these two locations can vary by up to 0h 09m, depending on whether your train has stops or different departure times.

How far is Kastrup Copenhagen to Hamburg by train?

Kastrup Copenhagen and Hamburg are 180.0 mi apart from one another, but the actual distance by train depends on the route taken. 4h 35m is a normal train duration for this route.

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Hamburg to copenhagen.

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Air-conditioned Intercity trains link Hamburg with Copenhagen in around 4h40 with fares from €28.90.  There are now 5 trains a day in each direction all year round, 7 a day in summer.  You can check train times & buy tickets at the German Railways website int.bahn.de .

Since December 2019 these Hamburg-Copenhagen trains take the long way round through Flensburg & Odense via the Great Belt Fixed Link and no longer go on the Puttgarden-Rødby train ferry.  On the plus side, this is 18 minutes quicker and as trains are no longer limited to 3 cars to fit on the ferry.  Trains will use this route while the direct line via Puttgarden is rebuilt and the Fehmarn Link constructed, fast trains Hamburg-Copenhagen won't start using this new fast route until at least 2029.

Train times northbound 2024

Hamburg to Copenhagen is 522 km or 324 miles by train via this route. 

The 08:55 leaves at 08:50 in 30 July to 31 October 2024.

Summer = 14 June to 25 August 2024.

Train times southbound 2024

Copenhagen to Hamburg is 522 km (324 miles) by train via this route.

Summer = Runs 14 June to 26 August 2024.

What are the trains like ?

Until June 2023, Hamburg-Copenhagen trains were operated by Danish IC3 diesel trains.  They are now operated by former DB (German Railways) Intercity cars hauled by a DSB (Danish Railways) electric locomotive, bringing a welcome increase in capacity and switch to electric power.  This is an interim measure, as from February 2025, brand new articulated trains built by Talgo for DSB will enter service on this route.

The IC trains are air-conditioned, spacious & smooth-riding, with toilets, at-seat power sockets & free WiFi - but minimal catering, so bring your own supplies.

On 17 June 2023, the first Copenhagen to Hamburg train to use the 'new' German intercity cars is boarding at Copenhagen.  Photo courtesy of Peter Kincey .

2nd class seats are almost all open-plan like this.  There are a handful of 6-seat 2nd class compartments in one of the coaches, but only a few.

The 1st class car has 6-seater compartments like this. Click the images for larger photos.

The trains no longer go on a ferry

The highlight of the journey used to be the 50-minute ferry crossing between Puttgarden in Germany & Rødby in Denmark where the train went onto a ship.  The Vogelfluglinie (as the crow flies) route from Hamburg to Copenhagen via the Puttgarden-Rødby train ferry dates from 1963, but trains ceased using it (and the train ferry) as of 15 December 2019.  The planned Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link will ultimately replace the ferry with a tunnel, dramatically cutting travel time between Germany and Copenhagen, probably from 2029.  The associated railway lines are being modernised and Hamburg-Copenhagen trains are currently being re-routed the long way round via Padborg, Kolding, Odense and the Great Belt Fixed Link .

The Rendsburg Loop & High Bridge

There are still things to see on the way.  Just north of Hamburg, the trains to Copenhagen cross the high and imposing Rendsburg High Bridge ( Rendsburger Hochbrücke ) over the Kiel Canal, built 1911-1913, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendsburg_High_Bridge .  The bridge is 42m (138 feet) above the canal, it's also a transporter bridge , with a gondola suspended below the deck ferrying cars across the canal.  The trains then go around the Rendsburg Loop to lose height (see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendsburg_Loop ) before passing non-stop through Rendsburg station.  You can see Rendsburg marked on the route map below .  On the map you'll see another loop at Flensburg, but these trains don't call at Flensburg and by-pass that loop.

The Little Belt

Between Kolding and Odense, the Hamburg-Copenhagen trains cross a bridge over the Little Belt ( Lillebælt in Danish) from Jutland (mainland Denmark) to Funen, the island on which Odense is located, see the route map below .

The Great Belt

Between Odense and Ringsted, the Hamburg-Copenhagen trains cross the Great Belt Fixed Link from Funen to Zealand, the island on which Copenhagen is located, see the route map below .  For a century, trains were ferried across this stretch of water on a train ferry, this ended when the Fixed Link opened to trains in 1997.  It opened to road traffic in 1998.  The Great Belt Fixed Link is 18 km (11 miles) long, consisting of a box-girder bridge for the western section for both road and railway, then a suspension bridge for road traffic and tunnel for the railway for the eastern section.  It's a major piece of engineering, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Belt_Fixed_Link .  The photo below shows the view of the Great Belt Fixed Link from a Hamburg to Copenhagen train about to cross it.  The train crosses the West Bridge next to the road, then uses the East Tunnel while the road passes over the East Bridge, visible in the background here.  Photo courtesy of Peter Kincey.

Travel tips

A seat reservation is strongly recommended, and compulsory in summer

Seat reservations are optional for most of the year on this route as on most German & Danish trains, but they are compulsory for the peak summer period from early June to early September as demand for seats exceeds supply in the summer months.  However, I strongly recommend reserving a seat at any time of year as these are popular trains.

Tickets appear to be on sale, but booking won't complete?

German Railways put tickets on sale up to 6 months ahead.  But seat reservations are compulsory on this route in summer, so a ticket cannot be sold without one.  Seat reservation inventory is handled by DSB (Danish Railways), who usually just load seat reservation inventory only 2 months ahead.  So if you try to book but it fails to go through and this is usually the reason.  A known issue!  If it'll let you, buy the ticket to lock in the price, then come back 2 months ahead and make a seat reservation.  If it won't let you buy, come back closer to travel date.

First class lounges

How much does it cost ?

Advance-purchase fares start at €28.90 in 2nd class, €59.90 in 1st class.

If you're happy to book ahead and commit to a specific train, these Sparpreis fares are what you want.  They are only valid on the specific train you book, limited or no refunds or changes to travel plans.  Prices vary, with limited availability at each price level, they sell out close to departure, but they're often available even a few days in advance.

The fully-flexible fare is around €104 in 2nd class, €162 in 1st class.

If you want to stay flexible and/or buy a ticket at the station on the day, the Flexpreis fare is what you pay.  This is good for any train that day.  Unlimited availability, they can't sell out.  The price varies slightly by date.

How to buy tickets

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Find cheap flights from Copenhagen to Hamburg from $123

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a kayak user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from copenhagen to hamburg departing on 7/3. fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. click the price to replicate the search for this deal., search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to hamburg.

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Cheap flight deals from Copenhagen to Hamburg (CPH-HAM)

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In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Copenhagen to Hamburg was $123 for a one-way ticket and $177 for a round-trip.

Do I need a passport to fly between Copenhagen and Hamburg?

Yes, you'll most likely have to show a valid passport before boarding the plane in Copenhagen and on arrival in Hamburg.

Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

The Canadair (Bombardier) Regional Jet 900 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Copenhagen to Hamburg flight route.

Which airline alliances offer flights from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

Star Alliance is the only airline alliance operating flights between Copenhagen and Hamburg.

On which days can I fly direct from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

There are nonstop flights from Copenhagen to Hamburg on a daily basis.

How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Copenhagen to Hamburg.

How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Hamburg from Copenhagen is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Hamburg with an airline and back to Copenhagen with another airline. Booking your flights between Copenhagen and HAM can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Hamburg from Copenhagen up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Top tips for finding a cheap flight from CPH to Hamburg

• Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $99 or less one-way and $186 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly non-stop from Copenhagen to Hamburg?

Find which airlines fly direct from Kastrup Copenhagen to Hamburg, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Nonstop departures

Kastrup Copenhagen to Hamburg

Etihad Airways, Icelandair, Scandinavian Airlines, +2 more

Etihad Airways, Icelandair, +3 more

Icelandair, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, +1 more

Icelandair, Scandinavian Airlines, +2 more

Icelandair, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways, +1 more

Nonstop returns

Hamburg to Kastrup Copenhagen

Top airline flying from copenhagen to hamburg.

This was my first time flying SAS and used them for 4 flights. The crews, flight and communication was outstanding. I flew premium economy and was extremely impressed by their SAS lounges. I will 100% ise SAS again. Everyone was so pleasant!

I upgraded to economy plus and it’s so worth the price. The crew is exceptional and the food is pretty decent. I would definitely fly with them again.

I had economy plus and it’s definitely worth the price. The seats are so comfortable, so much space, great large TV screens, and you get fed often. Really decent food (although other fish was overcooked.) They do need better movie choices. The crew is the best. Super friendly and accommodating. So much better than most American run Airlines.

They lost my luggage. Tromso in winter without warm clothes is not fun.

The flight was on time and loading was fine. I really disliked that all drinks other than coffee or tea had a cost. Deplaning was also an issue as people did not wait for those in front of them to get out before they pushed forward

I paid for wifi and it worked about a total of 5 min. Feel ripped off

I couldn’t make it to the airport for my original flight due to bad weather; roads were shut down, buses and trains were closed. Since the plane wasn’t cancelled, I still had to pay $720 to change my ticket.

Overall, this flight team did a fantastic job. They came often with the water, coffee and tea. There was no meal choice in coach, but the lasagna lunch was decent. The sandwich snack just before landing was tasty. The baggage bins were large, so no trouble holding carry on luggage.

Good friendly service and food - The seats in business class are old, too hard and not very comfortable.

Last minute cancelation, though a substitute flight was found I could not pick my meal or seat. The hotel offered didn't have working air control or shower.

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How to take the rail journey from Copenhagen / København to Hamburg

Share this journey with a friend..., københavn / copenhagen to hamburg by train.

These trains provide the only year round service from the Danish capital to northern Germany. So for most of the year if you want to travel entirely by train from Norway or Sweden to continental Europe, this is the route to take. Though early booking is recommended, particularly during June to September, when some departures can sell out days in advance! Though there are now also two direct overnight train services from Stockholm and on to Berlin via Hamburg. One of which, the Berlin Night Express, calls at a station in the Kobenhavn suburbs, so will provide an overnight alternative to these IC trains.

Routes you can take to go from København / Copenhagen to Hamburg

When travelling between most cities by train there is only one logical option, though on other journeys there is a choice between different trains or alternative routes. If different options are available you can use the info to decide which is best for you.

Choose one of the following options:

Looking for connections, route information, station guides.

Travel Time (approx)

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3 - 6 x trains per day

Purchase Tickets

ShowMeTheJourney earns a small commission on Trainline ticket sales. It can be a particularly good option for: Comparing different train services; Booking international journeys with connections; Travelling between the UK to destinations beyond Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris - and for international travellers who don't reside in western Europe.

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Other Ticket Providers

DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees. It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service.

It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB.

On journeys within Germany and on most international journeys from and to Germany on trains operated by DB:

• For journeys by the express trains, EC. IC and ICE trains an adult (on German railways an adult is a person aged 15 and over) can take up to four children aged 6 - 14 with them at no additional charge.
• Tickets need to be booked for children aged 0 - 5, but there is no charge for them.
• Those aged 65 and over can take journeys at a discounted rate.
• Dogs, which are too large to be placed in pet carriers, require tickets which cost 50% of the adult rate.

When booking both types of the discounted 'Sparpreis' tickets seat reservations are an optional extra, so need to be added when booking if you want an assigned seat(s).

Travel Information

Final Destination: Hamburg

All trains also call at: Ringtsted and Odense (they do not call at Roskilde)

Until June 14th and from Aug 26th: These trains to Hamburg are usually scheduled to depart from Kobenhavn at 07:26; 09:26 11:26; 13;26 and 15:26 - the service has been increased by more than 60% on the new timetable!

June 14th to Aug 26th:

Between these dates two additional departures will be available on the summer timetable, with an earlier first train of the day at 05:26; and a later final train of the day at 17:26.

The overnight option:

During the 2024, from March 31st to November 1st on Monday to Friday and Sunday The Berlin Night Express will depart from Høje Taastrup st at 23:06. Local S-Tog trains on line ,B link multiple stations in central Copenhagen/Kobenhavn to Høje Taastrup st.

This train, which is direct to Berlin, will typically due to arrive in Hamburg at around 05:30.

This is a direct journey

You will be travelling on one of these trains....

Good to Know

Some of the departures are now operated by German IC trains, which have more than twice as many seats as the Danish IC trains

These trains used to be shunted on to a ferry for a sea crossing between Denmark, but the Danish part of that route is being affected by engineering works in preparation for the opening of the Fehmarn Fixed Link tunnel  in around 2028.

Hence this train service between the Danish capital and Hamburg has been re-routed to travel overland via the Jutland peninsular .

So a less fascinating journey than the previous route and this route is scenically uninteresting too, but it does have three highlights, which you can't miss if you will be travelling when it's daylight.

(1) Around 15 mins after departing Ringsted, the train will cross the Great Belt Fixed Link between Zealand and the island of Funen.

(2) After departure from Odense he train will cross the Little Belt Bridge , which connects the island of Funen to Jutland.

(3) The spectacular crossing of the Kiel Canal on the Rendsburg High Bridge - the corkscrew ascent from the town and its station is quite something.

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date.

Seat Reservations:

Book 1st class ticket journey tickets  and your seat reservation is included - but they're usually optional* when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass .

If you won't be purchasing 1st class tickets, reservations are highly recommended; particularly on Friday and Sunday afternoons.

Travelling Between June 18tth and Aug 21st: which is when the summer timetable is operating.

During this time rail pass users will need to pay a reservation fee prior to boarding - €5.90 1st class, €4.50 2nd class; though reservations are recommended at any time, these can be popular trains.

Rail pass reservations can be booked through the DSB website (the tech is provided by the B-Europe reservation system); 30kr = approx €4.

When booking 1st AND 2nd class tickets between these dates, your seat(s) will be automatically assigned.

Finding Tickets

If you will be using DB  to book tickets, enter KOBENHAVN- in the 'from' box and look for journeys that have '0' in the Chg. column

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day,

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Swede dreams are made of this: wild swimming and forest walks in West Sweden

Dissolving into nature is possible in West Sweden, where a new holiday concept offers low-impact stays that don’t compromise on Scandi style

A s I slip off the jetty into the chilly water of Lagmanshagasjön, the world loses all distinction. Low mist blurs everything; I can’t see where the lake ends and the sky begins. It is like breaststroking into a silvery infinity. I haven’t bothered with swimwear. Between the tannin-dark water and early morning brume, I can barely see myself, let alone be seen. And dissolving into nature feels delicious: wearing nothing and seeing nothing, I am feeling everything.

I eventually climb out (flashing an unsuspecting heron), dress quickly and walk back to my “room” – a dazzling cabin made of glass hidden among mossy mounds, blueberry bushes and pine trees. Before long, Katarina arrives with a basket of home-baked sourdough and local cheese. She leaves, and I eat in a silence so loud it seems to vibrate.

That’s partly because I’m well off the tourist trail in Västergötland (West Gotland). Though that may change with places to stay as lovely as this. I’m at Erikson Cottage , a fourth-generation family farm two hours east of Gothenburg . It is a perfect marriage of Swedish taste and sustainability, with three greenhouse-like cabins scattered around the grounds. It’s run by sisters Elisabeth and Katarina, and everything is just so: from the lovely linen to the hygge-ness of Elisabeth’s bakery-cafe – all fresh flowers, candlelight and coffee in handmade mugs.

But there’s substance to the style. The glasshouses are off-grid, and if lifted away would leave no trace. The site has solar panels and its own well. Food is mostly from local suppliers, the bread made with heritage grains. There’s an EV charging point and two nearby train stations from which guests can be picked up.

Activities on offer at the farm are low-impact, too. Guests can swim (naked or otherwise), kayak and paddleboard out on the lake, walk in the forest and learn to make pizza.

“But 90% of guests do nothing,” says Elisabeth. “They read, lie in bed, read some more. They enjoy slowing down.”

Which is, increasingly, what West Sweden is all about.

In 2021 West Sweden launched Stepping Up Sustainability, a tourism programme looking to minimise the industry’s environmental footprint. But it’s more than a nice green manifesto: West Sweden has put its morals where its money was. The tourist board has ceased marketing to North America and Asia, instead focusing on domestic and European travellers who don’t have to fly from far away. Or even fly at all (I travelled by train).

Then, last year, the region launched “climate smart holidays”, a tourism industry initiative working with a handful of low-carbon accommodation providers to create experience-rich itinerary ideas for exploring western Sweden. The places to stay are between 0.2kg and 1.5kg CO2-equivalent per person per night; the average Swedish hotel creates 6.8kg. (Erikson Cottage scores 0.3kg.) Which is all great, but could be boringly worthy if they weren’t also exceptional places.

I drive to Erikson Cottage in an electric car as part of a tour of several of West Sweden’s climate-smart spots. After a few days of green-chic forest living, I head north, into the land between two huge lakes, Vättern and Vänern, for something different.

Lugnåsberget Ekohotell is a guesthouse converted from a 19th-century farm on one of West Gothland’s hills. Indeed, I barely realise it is on a hill at all until Pia Åkesson, co-owner of the Ekohotell, takes me into its bowels.

The bedrock below the hotel – 1.5bn-year-old gneiss – is especially suitable for making millstones, which people have been doing here since the 12th century. I walk the Stonecutter’s Trail and find the scars of old quarries (about 600 were dug here) and millstones scattered like loose change.

Then Pia leads me into Minnesfjället, one of the area’s mines, now a small museum. She sweeps her torch across the floor: smooth round holes, like cookies cut from pastry, show where men had hacked out the stones using simple picks. Next, she raises her light to the ceiling: “Here you have the first life on Earth – animals that lived 540m years ago.”

We are essentially looking up at an ancient sea floor, left rippled by waves and flecked with fossils of brachiopods and trilobites. “The miners called them planets, moons and stars,” says Pia. They didn’t know, or care, how rare and extraordinary they were. They were too busy trying to extract a livelihood.

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This is what Pia and her partner Jesper Persson are doing. “There’s no tradition of B&Bs here,” Jesper says, back at the Ekohotell, over homemade cinnamon buns. “But we long dreamed of having a hostel, and we wanted to show people there are different ways of living.”

For this couple, sustainability isn’t a fad – it’s fundamental. Their solar panels generate more energy than the Ekohotell uses, and produce for the kitchen comes from the couple’s own smallholding or local farms. I plug my car into the on-site charger, but there’s a train station a few miles away, on the scenic Kinnekulle Line. Best of all, guests who stay here, exploring the surrounding biosphere reserve , are pumping money into this little-visited region.

My next stop is in Dalsland, a province between the west bank of Vänern lake and the Norwegian border. It is awash with lakes but has few people. Swedish Country Living , a stylish group of “hermitages” and holiday cottages, looks fresh from a photoshoot, which, as owners Marie and David Naraine previously worked in fashion, is perhaps no surprise. My cabin, the Slate House Hermitage, looks plucked from a fairytale: a little gingerbread home with smoke twirling from the chimney.

But it isn’t just good-looking. It was handmade using wood felled on site, recycled slate tiles and salvaged antique doors and windows, and insulated with wool from the Naraines’ sheep. The shower block runs on a circular system that takes water from the lake, purifies it after use, then pumps it back into the lake. Waste from the toilet becomes compost for the permaculture garden or feed for the apple trees.

David also used to be a chef, and his food – the lamb he rears, goodies from the veg patch – is delicious. There are pilgrim trails and nature reserves on the doorstep. And guests are free to use the lake as they choose.

One day I borrow a canoe. These waterways are sleepy now, the domain of ducks and reeds. So it’s hard to fathom that this was once a trade highway, part of the Dalsland Canal system, linking Lake Vänern with the North Sea. There are no other vessels in sight as I paddle over to uninhabited Björkon island, hauling ashore at the remains of an 18th-century shipyard.

I have the place to myself and spend a while exploring the ruins amid the toadflax and wild strawberries. I clamber through the overgrown dry dock where, a sign reveals, the 28-metre schooner Clara was constructed in 1867. And I sit on a stone slab – part of the old forge, maybe? – trying to imagine the hubbub when Clara set sail for the Black Sea.

Eventually I paddle back. I can see smoke coming from Swedish Country Living’s outdoor spa, the hot tub – hidden discreetly behind the reeds – being fired up for my return. But I am in no rush. I’ve slowed down to West Sweden speed.

The trip was provided by the West Sweden tourist board and Sustainable Journeys . Eri kson Cottage ’s 48-hour package is £ 563 (7,500 krona) for two , including breakfasts and dinner s. Doubles at Lugnåsberget Ekohotell from £1 19 for two nights. A two-night package at Swedish Country Living is £79 6 for two, full board . Sustainable Journeys offers a 14- day Low Carbon Grand Tour of West Sweden , staying at five climate-smart places and including EV hire , from around £1,92 0 pp. The author travelled from London to Gothenburg by train via Brussels, Cologne, Hamburg and Copenhagen; the journey time (with an overnight stay) is from 32 hour s

• Sweden holidays
• Health and fitness holidays
• Green travel
• Europe holidays
• Walking holidays
• Canoeing and kayaking holidays

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