How to travel from Munich to Cologne

Fri, Feb 13
+ Add return
Travel by train, bus, flight with
Deutsche Bahn
FlixBus
Eurowings
BlaBlaCar
Lufthansa
1,000+ more
Deutsche Bahn
FlixBus
Eurowings
BlaBlaCar
Lufthansa
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, bus, and flight for Munich to Cologne

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Munich to Cologne among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from €26. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 1h 7m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.1 - 0.4kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of €26, and a flight costs an average of €66.

Distance: 456 km

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight

€65

Average price

€41

Average price

Cheapest

€212

Average price

5h 28m

Average total duration

4h 58m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

7h 17m

Average total duration

6h 47m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

4h 7m

Average total duration

Fastest

1h 7m

Onboard

+

3h 0m

Additional time*

0.1 - 0.4kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

0.5 - 1.1kg

CO2 emissions

1.4 - 2.7kg

CO2 emissions

Deutsche Bahn

Most popular train company

FlixBus

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 Munich to Cologne

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

Our recommendation

bus

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

FlixBusFlixBus
08:15AM8h15
Munich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
04:30PMKöln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
501One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

FlixBusFlixBus
08:15AM8h15
Munich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
04:30PMKöln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
501One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

LufthansaLH1972
07:20AM1h05
Munich Airport
08:25AMCologne Bonn Airport
1991One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Deutsche BahnICE 990 · IC 60402
08:45PM9h23
Munich Hbf
06:08AMCologne Hbf
571One-way
1 transfer
Deutsche BahnICE 698 · 15344 · ICE 826
10:46PM8h28
Munich Hbf
07:14AMCologne Messe/Deutz
641One-way
2 transfers
Deutsche BahnICE 698 · 15344 · ICE 18
10:46PM8h54
Munich Hbf
07:40AMCologne Hbf
641One-way
2 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
07:00AM8h35
Munich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
03:35PMKöln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
511One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
10:00AM9h40
Munich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
07:40PMKöln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
531One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
02:00AM8h00
Munich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
10:00AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
501One-way
0 transfers
Lufthansa City AirlinesLH4050
11:25AM1h05
Munich Airport
12:30PMCologne Bonn Airport
3731One-way
0 transfers
Lufthansa CitylineLH1986
05:55PM1h05
Munich Airport
07:00PMCologne Bonn Airport
3731One-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, bus, and flight 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.

Fri
Feb 13
Sat
Feb 14
Sun
Feb 15
Mon
Feb 16
Tue
Feb 17
Wed
Feb 18
Thu
Feb 19
Fri
Feb 20
Sat
Feb 21
Sun
Feb 22
Mon
Feb 23
Tue
Feb 24
Wed
Feb 25
Thu
Feb 26
Fri
Feb 27
Sat
Feb 28
Sun
Mar 01
Mon
Mar 02
Tue
Mar 03
Wed
Mar 04
Thu
Mar 05

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

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from Munich 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 Munich to Cologne.

FAQs
There are 3 options to travel between Munich and Cologne including taking a train, bus, and flight.
The cheapest way to travel from Munich to Cologne is a train with an average price of €20.

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

A train is €7 less than a bus for this route with tickets for a bus from Munich to Cologne costing on average €26.

A train is €46 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Munich to Cologne costing on average €66.

The fastest way to travel from Munich to Cologne is by flight with an average journey time of 1h 5m.

Other travel options to Cologne take longer:

Train takes on average 4h 11m.

Bus takes on average 7h 45m.

The Munich to Cologne distance is approximately 456 km.
The average frequency per day from Munich to Cologne is:
  • Around 13 trains per day.
  • Around 11 buses per day.
  • Around 6 flights per day.

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

These are the most popular departure and arrival points from Munich to Cologne:
  • Flights mostly depart from Munich Airport and arrive in Cologne Bonn Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from Munich Hbf and arrive in Cologne Hbf.
  • Buses mostly depart from Munich, Central Bus Station (ZOB) and arrive in Köln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen).
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from Munich to Cologne, then we'll help you find the best value travel companies for you:
  • Travel with FlixBus, Trans Turist to go to Cologne by bus.
  • Travel with Eurowings , Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cityline, Lufthansa City Airlines, Smartwings, TUIfly, Air Dolomiti, Air Baltic, CityJet to go to Cologne by flight.
  • Travel with Deutsche Bahn, BlaBlaCar, TGV to go to Cologne by train.
Yes, there are direct services available from Munich to Cologne with the following travel companies:
  • 9 direct buses per day with FlixBus, Trans Turist.
  • 6 direct flights per day with Eurowings , Lufthansa, Lufthansa Cityline, Lufthansa City Airlines, Smartwings, Air Dolomiti, Air Baltic.
  • 7 direct trains per day with Deutsche Bahn, BlaBlaCar.
Omio customers who travel from Munich 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 Munich 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