There are 8 ways to get from Cologne to Heidelberg by train, bus, car, plane, tram, or rideshare
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train via Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
best- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhoftrain 47 / ...
1h 40m€47–191Rideshare
cheapest- Take the rideshare from Cologne to Heidelberg250.4 km
2h 45m€10–19Bus via Frankfurt am Main
- Take the bus from Köln to Frankfurt, Hauptbahnhof FOBbus Ivano-Frankivsk
- Take the bus from Frankfurt central train station to Heidelberg Pre Waypointbus FlixBus 108 / ...
4h 19mDrive 250.4 km
- Drive from Cologne to Heidelbergcar 250.4 km
2h 13m€36–52Fly, train
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Frankfurt (FRA)plane DUS - FRA
- Take the train from Frankfurt to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhoftrain
3h 51m€114–230Train, tram
- Take the train from Köln Hbf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhoftrain 43 / ...
- Take the tram from Mannheim Hbf to Heidelberg, Seegartentram Rnv 5
2h 29m€32–186Train
- Take the train from Köln Hbf to Heidelberg, Hauptbahnhoftrain 55 / ...
2h 41m€45–200Bus
- Take the bus from Cologne to Mannheim, ZOBbus
4h 34m
Cologne to Heidelberg by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Cologne to Heidelberg is to rideshare which costs €10 - €19 and takes 2h 45m.
The fastest way to get from Cologne to Heidelberg is to train via Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof which takes 1h 40m and costs €45 - €200.
No, there is no direct bus from Cologne to Heidelberg. However, there are services departing from Köln and arriving at Heidelberg Pre Waypoint via Frankfurt central train station. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 4h 19m.
Yes, there is a direct train departing from Köln Hbf and arriving at Heidelberg, Hauptbahnhof. Services depart every three hours, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 2h 41m.
The distance between Cologne and Heidelberg is 256 km. The road distance is 250.4 km.
The best way to get from Cologne to Heidelberg without a car is to train via Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof which takes 1h 40m and costs €45 - €200.
It takes approximately 1h 40m to get from Cologne to Heidelberg, including transfers.
Cologne to Heidelberg bus services, operated by GrandBus, depart from Köln station.
Cologne to Heidelberg train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), depart from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf station.
The best way to get from Cologne to Heidelberg is to train via Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof which takes 1h 40m and costs €45 - €200. Alternatively, you can bus via Frankfurt am Main, which costs and takes 4h 19m.
What companies run services between Cologne, Germany and Heidelberg, Germany?
Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC) operates a train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof hourly. Tickets cost €40–180 and the journey takes 1h 23m. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Köln to Heidelberg Pre Waypoint via Frankfurt central train station in around 4h 19m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €28–210
- Website
- lufthansa-city.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- €28–210
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 23m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €40–180
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Frankfurt to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 35 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €13–55
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Hbf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 32m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €40–180
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Hbf to Heidelberg, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 41m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- €45–200
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
#/media/File:ICE_4_Berlin_Hauptbahnhof_(3).jpg "ICE 4 Berlin Hauptbahnhof")
- Phone
- +31 30 751 5155
- Website
- ns.nl
Train from Frankfurt to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 32 min
- Frequency
- 5 times a day
- Estimated price
- €8–17
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
Train from Köln Hbf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 35m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- €27–55
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- Phone
- +42 621 465 4444
- info@rnv-online.de
- Website
- rnv-online.de
Tram from Mannheim Hbf to Heidelberg, Seegarten
- Ave. Duration
- 52 min
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- €5–7
- Website
- https://www.rnv-online.de/
- Phone
- +38 098-888-11-08
- igoruzhanskyi@grandbus.com.ua
- Website
- grandbus.com.ua
Bus from Köln to Frankfurt, Hauptbahnhof FOB
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 3m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Website
- https://www.grandbus.com.ua/en
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.fr
Bus from Frankfurt central train station to Heidelberg Pre Waypoint
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 44m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €8–14
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +389 75 209 209
- hakkomerc@gmail.com
- Website
- hakbus.org
Bus from Cologne to Mannheim, ZOB
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Website
- https://www.hakbus.org/
- Phone
- +3 318 576 2228
- Website
- blablacar.com
Rideshare from Cologne to Heidelberg
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 45m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- €10–19
- Schedules at
- blablacar.com
Want to know more about travelling around Germany
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More Questions & Answers
Cologne to Heidelberg bus services, operated by GrandBus, arrive at Frankfurt, Hauptbahnhof FOB station.
Cologne to Heidelberg train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof station.
Yes, the driving distance between Cologne to Heidelberg is 250 km. It takes approximately 2h 13m to drive from Cologne to Heidelberg.
Book your Cologne to Heidelberg train tickets online with Omio.
Book your Cologne to Heidelberg bus tickets online with Omio.
There are 1268+ hotels available in Heidelberg.
Check out Blablacar's carpooling service for rideshare options between Cologne and Heidelberg. A great option if you don't have a driver's licence or want to avoid public transport.