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 41m€31–112Rideshare
cheapest- Take the rideshare from Cologne to Heidelberg251.4 km
2h 45m€10–19Bus
- Take the bus from Cologne to Mannheim, ZOBbus
4h 31mDrive 251.5 km
- Drive from Cologne to Heidelbergcar 251.5 km
2h 12m€36–52Train, fly
- Take the train from Köln Hbf to D-Flughafen Bftrain
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Frankfurt (FRA)plane DUS - FRA
- Take the train from Frankfurt to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhoftrain
3h 44m€105–271Train
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Heidelberg, Hauptbahnhoftrain 62 / ...
2h 6m€35–110Train, tram
- Take the train from Köln Hbf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhoftrain 43 / ...
- Take the tram from Mannheim Hbf to Heidelberg, Seegartentram Rnv 5
2h 29m€26–132Train via Mainz
- Take the train from Köln Süd Bf to Mainz, Hauptbahnhoftrain Rb26
- Take the train from Mainz, Hauptbahnhof to Ludwigshafen, Mittetrain S5 / ...
4h 57m€53–76
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 41m and costs €30 - €120.
No, there is no direct bus from Cologne to Heidelberg. However, there are services departing from Cologne and arriving at Heidelberg Pre Waypoint via Mannheim central bus station. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 4h 31m.
Yes, there is a direct train departing from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf and arriving at Heidelberg, Hauptbahnhof. Services depart twice daily, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 2h 6m.
The distance between Cologne and Heidelberg is 256 km. The road distance is 251.5 km.
The best way to get from Cologne to Heidelberg without a car is to train via Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof which takes 1h 41m and costs €30 - €120.
It takes approximately 1h 41m to get from Cologne to Heidelberg, including transfers.
Cologne to Heidelberg bus services, operated by Hak Bus, depart from Cologne 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 41m and costs €30 - €120. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs and takes 4h 31m.
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 every 3 hours. Tickets cost €29–90 and the journey takes 1h 21m. Alternatively, Hak Bus operates a bus from Cologne to Mannheim, ZOB twice a week, and the journey takes 3h 30m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €30–230
- Website
- lufthansa-city.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 50 min
- When
- Tuesday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- €30–230
- Website
- condor.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- €60–200
- Phone
- +49 30 311 682904
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 21m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- €29–90
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Hbf to D-Flughafen Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 30 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €7–23
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Frankfurt to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 35 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €10–28
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Heidelberg, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 6m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- €35–110
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Köln Hbf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 32m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €28–100
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
#/media/File:ICE_4_Berlin_Hauptbahnhof_(3).jpg "ICE 4 Berlin Hauptbahnhof")
- Phone
- +44 343 218 6186
- Website
- eurostar.com
Train from Köln Hbf to D-Flughafen Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 35 min
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- €25–60
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €25–40
- Comfort
- €27–40
- Premium
- €40–60
- Phone
- +31 30 751 5155
- Website
- ns.nl
Train from Frankfurt to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 23m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- €12–40
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- €12–19
- 1st Class
- €23–40
Train from Köln Hbf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 36m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- €35–130
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- €35–55
- 1st Class
- €75–130
- Phone
- +32 70 79 79 79
- Website
- belgiantrain.be
Train from Köln Hbf to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 22m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- €21–30
- Website
- https://www.belgiantrain.be/en
- 2nd Class
- €21–30
- 1st Class
- €30–50
- 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/english/
- Phone
- +49-261-98887070
- service@trans-regio.de
- Website
- mittelrheinbahn.de
Train from Köln Süd Bf to Mainz, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 51m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €30–45
- Schedules at
- mittelrheinbahn.de
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Mainz, Hauptbahnhof to Ludwigshafen, Mitte
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 16m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €13–19
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- 0621 8301200
- Website
- suewex.de
Train from Mainz, Hauptbahnhof to Ludwigshafen, Mitte
- Ave. Duration
- 46 min
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €14–20
- Schedules at
- suewex.de
- 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 Hak Bus, arrive at Mannheim, ZOB station.
Cologne to Heidelberg train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at Heidelberg, Hauptbahnhof station.
Yes, the driving distance between Cologne to Heidelberg is 252 km. It takes approximately 2h 12m to drive from Cologne to Heidelberg.
Book your Cologne to Heidelberg train tickets online with Omio.
There are 1182+ 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.