How to travel from Hamburg to Cologne

Fri, Mar 06
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Deutsche Bahn
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Travel Information

Compare bus, train, and flight for Hamburg to Cologne

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Hamburg to Cologne among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the train with prices starting from €18. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 1h 50m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.1 - 0.3kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a train costs an average of €18, and a flight costs an average of €298.

Distance: 360 km

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight

€30

Average price

Cheapest

€33

Average price

€599

Average price

5h 56m

Average total duration

5h 26m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

5h 51m

Average total duration

5h 21m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

4h 50m

Average total duration

Fastest

1h 50m

Onboard

+

3h 0m

Additional time*

0.1 - 0.3kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

0.4 - 0.9kg

CO2 emissions

1.1 - 2.2kg

CO2 emissions

Deutsche Bahn

Most popular train company

BlaBlaCar

Most popular bus company

Eurowings

Most popular airline

Direct Options

Direct Options

Direct Options

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

Travel options
from Hamburg to Cologne

How to get from Hamburg to Cologne by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

train

The best way to travel from Hamburg to Cologne is by taking a train because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

FlixTrainFlixTrain
09:01AM3h55
Hamburg Harburg
12:56PMCologne Hbf
431One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

Deutsche BahnICE 921
10:45PM4h21
Hamburg Hbf
03:06AMCologne Hbf
231One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

Deutsche BahnICE 1521
08:19AM3h26
Hamburg Harburg
11:45AMCologne Hbf
1151One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Deutsche BahnICE 209
08:45PM4h12
Hamburg Hbf
12:57AMCologne Hbf
321One-way
0 transfers
FlixTrainFlixTrain
03:01PM3h55
Hamburg Harburg
06:56PMCologne Hbf
491One-way
0 transfers
Deutsche BahnICE 619
07:45PM4h14
Hamburg Hbf
11:59PMCologne Hbf
601One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
06:45PM6h40
Hamburg, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof
01:25AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
341One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
12:10AM7h30
Hamburg, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof
07:40AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
381One-way
0 transfers
LufthansaLH2051 · LH1978
08:45AM3h50
Hamburg Airport
12:35PMCologne Bonn Airport
5951One-way
1 transfer

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

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FAQs: Travel from Hamburg 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 Hamburg to Cologne.

FAQs
There are 3 options to travel between Hamburg and Cologne including taking a bus, train, and flight.
The cheapest way to travel from Hamburg to Cologne is a train with an average price of €18.

This is compared to other travel options from Hamburg to Cologne:

A train is €1 less than a bus for this route with tickets for a bus from Hamburg to Cologne costing on average €20.

A train is €280 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Hamburg to Cologne costing on average €298.

The fastest way to travel from Hamburg to Cologne is by flight with an average journey time of 3h 10m.

Other travel options to Cologne take longer:

Bus takes on average 6h 40m.

Train takes on average 3h 55m.

The Hamburg to Cologne distance is approximately 360 km.
The average frequency per day from Hamburg to Cologne is:
  • Around 15 trains per day.
  • Around 5 buses per day.
  • Around 3 flights per day.

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

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from Hamburg to Cologne:
  • Flights mostly depart from Hamburg Airport and arrive in Cologne Bonn Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from Hamburg Hbf and arrive in Cologne Hbf.
  • Buses mostly depart from Hamburg, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof and arrive in Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen).
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from Hamburg to Cologne, then we'll help you find the best value travel companies for you:
  • Travel with Eurowings , Lufthansa, Avion Express Malta, TUIfly to go to Cologne by flight.
  • Travel with BlaBlaCar, FlixBus to go to Cologne by bus.
  • Travel with Deutsche Bahn, FlixTrain, Metronom to go to Cologne by train.
Yes, there are direct services available from Hamburg to Cologne with the following travel companies:
  • 0 direct flights per day with Eurowings .
  • 4 direct buses per day with BlaBlaCar, FlixBus.
  • 9 direct trains per day with Deutsche Bahn, FlixTrain.
Omio customers who travel from Hamburg 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.
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