There are 6 ways to get from Cologne to Rotterdam by train, bus, car, or plane
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train
best- Take the train from Köln Hbf to Utrecht CentraalIce / ...
2h 57m€50–129Bus
cheapest- Take the bus from Leverkusen to Rotterdam Central Station268
6h 50m€28–70Bus via Duisburg
- Take the bus from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis to Mercatorstraße, DuisburgMykolayiv
- Take the bus from Duisburg Portsmouthplatz to Rotterdam ConradstraatUnion Ivkoni - Unibus 3631
4h 19mDrive 246.4 km
- Drive from Cologne to Rotterdam246.4 km
2h 44m€44–63Train, fly
- Take the train from Köln Hbf to D-Flughafen Bf
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS)DUS - AMS
- Take the train from Schiphol Airport to Rotterdam Centraal
3h 4m€119–389Train via Venlo
- Take the train from Neuss Hbf to VenloSneltrein RE13 / ...
- Take the train from Venlo to Rotterdam BlaakIntercity
5h 50m€56–160
Cologne to Rotterdam by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Cologne to Rotterdam is to bus which costs €27 - €70 and takes 6h 50m.
The fastest way to get from Cologne to Rotterdam is to drive which takes 2h 44m and costs €40 - €65.
No, there is no direct bus from Cologne to Rotterdam. However, there are services departing from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis and arriving at Rotterdam Conradstraat via Duisburg Portsmouthplatz. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 4h 19m.
No, there is no direct train from Cologne to Rotterdam. However, there are services departing from Köln Hbf and arriving at Rotterdam Centraal via Utrecht Centraal and Gouda. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 2h 57m.
The distance between Cologne and Rotterdam is 274 km. The road distance is 246.4 km.
The best way to get from Cologne to Rotterdam without a car is to train which takes 2h 57m and costs €45 - €130.
It takes approximately 2h 57m to get from Cologne to Rotterdam, including transfers.
Cologne to Rotterdam bus services, operated by OrionBus, depart from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis station.
Cologne to Rotterdam train services, operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), depart from Köln Hbf station.
The best way to get from Cologne to Rotterdam is to train which takes 2h 57m and costs €45 - €130. Alternatively, you can bus via Duisburg, which costs and takes 4h 19m.
What companies run services between Cologne, Germany and Rotterdam, Netherlands?
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) operates a train from Köln Hbf to Utrecht Centraal every 3 hours. Tickets cost €30–120 and the journey takes 2h 10m. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis to Rotterdam Conradstraat via Mercatorstraße, Duisburg and Duisburg Portsmouthplatz in around 4h 19m.
- Website
- klm.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
- Ave. Duration
- 56 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €30–250
- Phone
- +31 30 751 5155
- Website
- ns.nl
Train from Köln Hbf to Utrecht Centraal
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 10m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- €30–120
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- €30–55
- 1st Class
- €70–120
Train from Schiphol Airport to Rotterdam Centraal
- Ave. Duration
- 26 min
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- €10–28
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- €10–15
- 1st Class
- €16–28
Train from Venlo to Rotterdam Blaak
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 7m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €35–130
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- €35–60
- 1st Class
- €75–130
- Phone
- +49 30 311 682904
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Köln Hbf to D-Flughafen Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 30 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €7–24
- 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
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- €25–60
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €25–40
- Comfort
- €27–40
- Premium
- €40–60
Train from Schiphol Airport to Rotterdam Centraal
- Ave. Duration
- 26 min
- Frequency
- Every 2 hours
- Estimated price
- €26–60
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €26–40
- Comfort
- €28–40
- Premium
- €45–60
- Phone
- 0180 6 9 27 37 27
- info@eurobahn.de
- Website
- eurobahn.de
Train from Neuss Hbf to Venlo
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €11–16
- Website
- https://www.eurobahn.de/en/
- Website
- traincharter.eu
Train from Neuss Hbf to Venlo
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- Frequency
- 5 times a week
- Schedules at
- traincharter.eu
- Phone
- +38 (050) 010-01-04
- orionbilet@gmail.com
- Website
- orionbus.net
Bus from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis to Mercatorstraße, Duisburg
- Ave. Duration
- 34 min
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Website
- https://orionbus.net/en
- Phone
- 07001 8282
- booking@union-ivkoni.com
- Website
- union-ivkoni.com
Bus from Duisburg Portsmouthplatz to Rotterdam Conradstraat
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 45m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- €8–13
- Website
- https://union-ivkoni.com/en
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- flixbus.fr
Bus from Leverkusen to Rotterdam Central Station
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 30m
- Frequency
- 5 times a week
- Estimated price
- €21–60
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
Want to know more about travelling around Netherlands
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
Related travel guides
Heading to Europe? Read this before you buy a Eurail Pass
Read the travel guide
Want to know more about Flixbus?
Read the travel guide
More Questions & Answers
Cologne to Rotterdam bus services, operated by OrionBus, arrive at Mercatorstraße, Duisburg station.
Cologne to Rotterdam train services, operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), arrive at Utrecht Centraal station.
Yes, the driving distance between Cologne to Rotterdam is 246 km. It takes approximately 2h 44m to drive from Cologne to Rotterdam.
Book your Cologne to Rotterdam train tickets online with Omio.
There are 812+ hotels available in Rotterdam.