There are 10 ways to get from Munich to Cologne by train, bus, night train, car train, car, rideshare, 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 München Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf47 / ...
4h 10m€45–180Rideshare
cheapest- Take the rideshare from Munich to Cologne552.7 km
6h€21–35Bus
- Take the bus from Munich central bus station to LeverkusenN28
8h 22m€26–50Night train
- Take the night train from Muenchen Ost to Koeln HbfNj
7h 43m€50–370Car train, drive
- Take the car train from München Ost to Würzburg Hbf1392
- Drive from Würzburg Hbf to Cologne
4h 10m€134–169Bus via Köln/Bonn Airport
- Take the bus from München, ZOB to Köln/Bonn Airport
10h 34m€45–58Drive 552.7 km
- Drive from Munich to Cologne552.7 km
5h 11m€78–112Fly to Cologne Bonn Airport
- Fly from Munich International Airport (MUC) to Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN)MUC - CGN
3h 3m€89–260Fly to Düsseldorf International Airport, train
- Fly from Munich International Airport (MUC) to Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS)MUC - DUS
- Take the train from Duesseldorf Hbf to Koeln Hbf
3h 52m€99–297Fly to Frankfurt, train
- Fly from Munich International Airport (MUC) to Frankfurt (FRA)MUC - FRA
- Take the train from Frankfurt to Köln Hbf
3h 38m€103–293
Munich to Cologne by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Munich to Cologne is to rideshare which costs €21 - €35 and takes 6h.
The fastest way to get from Munich to Cologne is to fly which takes 3h 3m and costs €85 - €260.
No, there is no direct bus from Munich station to Cologne. However, there are services departing from Munich central bus station and arriving at Köln Heumarkt via Wiesdorf Leverkusen Mitte Bf. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 8h 22m.
Yes, there is a direct train departing from München Hbf and arriving at Köln Messe/Deutz Bf. Services depart hourly, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 4h 10m.
The distance between Munich and Cologne is 580 km. The road distance is 552.7 km.
The best way to get from Munich to Cologne without a car is to train which takes 4h 10m and costs €45 - €180.
The train from München Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf takes 4h 10m including transfers and departs hourly.
Munich to Cologne bus services, operated by FlixBus, depart from Munich central bus station.
Munich to Cologne train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), depart from München Hbf station.
The best way to get from Munich to Cologne is to train which takes 4h 10m and costs €45 - €180. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs €26 - €50 and takes 8h 22m, you could also fly, which costs €85 - €260 and takes 3h 3m.
What companies run services between Munich, Germany and Cologne, Germany?
Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC) operates a train from München Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf hourly. Tickets cost €45–140 and the journey takes 4h 10m. Two other operators also service this route. Alternatively, FlixBus operates a bus from Munich central bus station to Leverkusen once daily. Tickets cost €26–50 and the journey takes 7h 20m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Munich International Airport to Cologne Bonn Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €40–280
Flights from Munich International Airport to Düsseldorf International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €40–280
Flights from Munich International Airport to Düsseldorf International Airport via Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 48m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €80–280
Flights from Munich International Airport to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 1h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €160–220
- Website
- lufthansa-city.com
Flights from Munich International Airport to Cologne Bonn Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 5m
- When
- Monday to Saturday
- Estimated price
- €40–280
Flights from Munich International Airport to Düsseldorf International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- When
- Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- €40–270
- Website
- condor.com
Flights from Munich International Airport to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €75–160
- Website
- eurowings.com
Flights from Munich International Airport to Cologne Bonn Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- When
- Wednesday
- Estimated price
- €40–210
Flights from Munich International Airport to Düsseldorf International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- When
- Monday and Friday
- Estimated price
- €55–190
- Phone
- +49 30 311 682904
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from München Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 10m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €45–140
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Frankfurt to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 54 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €18–70
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +32 70 79 79 79
- Website
- belgiantrain.be
Train from München Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 43m
- Frequency
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- €45–70
- Website
- https://www.belgiantrain.be/en
- 2nd Class
- €45–70
- 1st Class
- €70–110
- Phone
- +43 5 1717
- Website
- konzern.oebb.at
Train from München Hbf to Köln Messe/Deutz Bf
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 43m
- Frequency
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- €110–180
- Website
- https://konzern.oebb.at/en/
- Phone
- +43 51717
- Website
- nightjet.com
Night train from Muenchen Ost to Koeln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 43m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- €50–265
- Website
- https://www.nightjet.com/en/#/home
- Sleeper Carriage
- €259–265
- Couchette Carriage
- €140–170
- Seating Carriage
- €50–65
- Phone
- +49 (0) 221 800 20 820
- info@urlaubs-express.de
- Website
- urlaubs-express.de
Night train from Muenchen Ost to Koeln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- €95–370
- Website
- https://urlaubs-express.de/?lang=en
- Single
- €95–180
- Compartment
- €170–370
Car train from München Ost to Würzburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 37m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- €90–110
- Website
- https://urlaubs-express.de/?lang=en
- Phone
- 0221 13 999 444
- Website
- nationalexpress.de
Train from Duesseldorf Hbf to Koeln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 32 min
- Frequency
- Every 15 minutes
- Estimated price
- €9–13
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
- Phone
- +31 30 751 5155
- Website
- ns.nl
Train from Duesseldorf Hbf to Koeln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 24 min
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- €8–21
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- €8–12
- 1st Class
- €12–21
Train from Frankfurt to Köln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 57 min
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- €27–90
- Website
- https://www.ns.nl/en
- 2nd Class
- €27–40
- 1st Class
- €50–90
- Phone
- +44 343 218 6186
- Website
- eurostar.com
Train from Duesseldorf Hbf to Koeln Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 26 min
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- €24–55
- Website
- https://www.eurostar.com/rw-en
- Standard
- €24–35
- Comfort
- €25–35
- Premium
- €40–55
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- service@flixbus.com
- Website
- flixbus.fr
Bus from Munich central bus station to Leverkusen
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 20m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- €26–50
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +387 35 320-321
- info@transturist.ba
- Website
- transturist.ba
Bus from München, ZOB to Köln/Bonn Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 10h 5m
- Frequency
- 3 times a week
- Estimated price
- €35–50
- Schedules at
- transturist.ba
- Phone
- +3 318 576 2228
- Website
- blablacar.com
Rideshare from Munich to Cologne
- Ave. Duration
- 6h
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €21–35
- Schedules at
- blablacar.com
Want to know more about travelling around Germany
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.
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More Questions & Answers
Munich to Cologne bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Leverkusen station.
Munich to Cologne train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at Köln Messe/Deutz Bf station.
Yes, the driving distance between Munich to Cologne is 553 km. It takes approximately 5h 11m to drive from Munich to Cologne.
Book your Munich to Cologne train tickets online with Omio.
There are 1754+ hotels available in Cologne.
Check out Blablacar's carpooling service for rideshare options between Munich and Cologne. A great option if you don't have a driver's licence or want to avoid public transport.







































