How to travel from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne

Sun, Apr 26
+ Add return
Travel by train, bus with
Deutsche Bahn
FlixBus
BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar Bus
Hessische Landesbahn
1,000+ more
Deutsche Bahn
FlixBus
BlaBlaCar
BlaBlaCar Bus
Hessische Landesbahn
1,000+ more
QR-Code
Scan to get our free app
Use our app to get live travel updates and book mobile tickets for trains, buses, flights, and ferries.
App Store
rate4.9
42K ratings
Google Play
rate4.6
136K reviews

Travel Information

Compare train and bus for Frankfurt am Main to Cologne

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from €9. For those with little time consider booking a bus which can get you there in 2h 6m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.0 - 0.1kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of €9, and a train costs an average of €10.

Distance: 153 km

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus

€22

Average price

€17

Average price

Cheapest

2h 44m

Average total duration

2h 14m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

2h 36m

Average total duration

Fastest

2h 6m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

0.0 - 0.1kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

0.2 - 0.4kg

CO2 emissions

Deutsche Bahn

Most popular train company

FlixBus

Most popular bus company

Direct Options

Direct Options

Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.

Travel options
from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne

How to get from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

bus

The best way to travel from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

  • FlixBusFlixBus
    10:30 AM2h10
    Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof)
    12:40 PMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
    171One-way
    0 transfers

Cheapest

  • RegioJet a.s.(Prague -> Amsterdam)
    5:55 AM2h10
    Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36)
    8:05 AMKöln, Köln Bonn Flughafen (Terminal 2)
    141One-way
    0 transfers

Fastest

  • Deutsche BahnICE 1010
    11:41 AM0h48
    Frankfurt Airport long-distance station
    12:29 PMCologne Messe/Deutz
    811One-way
    0 transfers

Other options

  • Deutsche BahnIC 2241
    6:58 AM2h26
    Frankfurt Airport long-distance station
    9:24 AMCologne Hbf
    231One-way
    0 transfers
  • Deutsche BahnIC 2241
    6:43 AM2h41
    Frankfurt (Main) Hbf
    9:24 AMCologne Hbf
    231One-way
    0 transfers
  • Deutsche BahnICE 920
    11:25 PM2h40
    Frankfurt (Main) Hbf
    2:05 AMCologne Hbf
    171One-way
    0 transfers
  • FlixBusFlixBus
    10:00 AM2h10
    Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof)
    12:10 PMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
    171One-way
    0 transfers
  • FlixBusFlixBus
    9:35 AM2h10
    Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof)
    11:45 AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
    171One-way
    0 transfers
  • FlixBusFlixBus
    8:30 AM2h15
    Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof)
    10:45 AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
    171One-way
    0 transfers

Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .

Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights

Compare train and bus prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.

Sat
Apr 25
Sun
Apr 26
Mon
Apr 27
Tue
Apr 28
Wed
Apr 29
Thu
Apr 30
Fri
May 01
Sat
May 02
Sun
May 03
Mon
May 04
Tue
May 05
Wed
May 06
Thu
May 07
Fri
May 08
Sat
May 09
Sun
May 10
Mon
May 11
Tue
May 12
Wed
May 13
Thu
May 14
Fri
May 15

More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne

Travel to Cologne easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne.

FAQs
There are 2 options to travel between Frankfurt am Main and Cologne including taking a train and bus.
The cheapest way to travel from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne is a bus with an average price of €9.

This is compared to other travel options from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne:

A bus is €1 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne costing on average €10.

The fastest way to travel from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne is by bus with an average journey time of 2h 0m.

Other travel options to Cologne take longer:

Train takes on average 51m.

The Frankfurt am Main to Cologne distance is approximately 153 km.
The average frequency per day from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne is:
  • Around 30 trains per day.
  • Around 29 buses per day.
  • Around 1 flights per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route between Frankfurt am Main and Cologne as scheduled services by train and bus can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne:
  • Flights mostly depart from Frankfurt am Main Airport and arrive in Cologne Bonn Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from Frankfurt Airport long-distance station and arrive in Cologne Hbf.
  • Buses mostly depart from Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36) and arrive in Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen).
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne, then we'll help you find the best value travel companies for you:
  • Travel with FlixBus, BlaBlaCar, BlaBlaCar Bus to go to Cologne by bus.
  • Travel with Deutsche Bahn, Hessische Landesbahn to go to Cologne by train.
Yes, there are direct services available from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne with the following travel companies:
  • 29 direct buses per day with FlixBus, BlaBlaCar.
  • 25 direct trains per day with Deutsche Bahn.
Omio customers who travel from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne often also extend their vacation to go to Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, London. Omio can help you plan your trip by finding the best connections between Cologne and these popular destinations at a great price.
HomeTravelTravel to CologneHow to travel from Frankfurt am Main to Cologne

The Omio App Makes Travel Planning Easy

We’ll get you where you want to go. From live train updates to mobile tickets, our innovative app is the ideal way to plan and keep track of your travel.

ios-badge
android-badge
Hand With Phone