How to travel from Zurich to Cologne

Sun, Mar 22
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Deutsche Bahn
Eurowings
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Eurowings
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Smartwings
1,000+ more
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Travel Information

Compare train, bus, and flight for Zurich to Cologne

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Zurich 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 21m. 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 €77.

Distance: 413 km

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Flight
Bus

€136

Average price

€195

Average price

€50

Average price

Cheapest

7h 4m

Average total duration

6h 34m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

4h 21m

Average total duration

Fastest

1h 21m

Onboard

+

3h 0m

Additional time*

8h 27m

Average total duration

7h 57m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

0.1 - 0.4kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

1.2 - 2.5kg

CO2 emissions

0.4 - 1.0kg

CO2 emissions

Deutsche Bahn

Most popular train company

Eurowings

Most popular airline

BlaBlaCar

Most popular bus company

Direct Options

Direct Options

Direct Options

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

Travel options
from Zurich to Cologne

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

Our recommendation

bus

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

FlixBusFlixBus
09:25PM9h20
Kloten, Zürich Flughafen (Bahnhof)
06:45AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
381One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

FlixBusFlixBus
09:25PM9h20
Kloten, Zürich Flughafen (Bahnhof)
06:45AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
381One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

Eurowings EW769
09:00PM1h05
Zurich Airport
10:05PMCologne Bonn Airport
1651One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Deutsche BahnICE 200
07:59AM5h07
Zurich HB
01:06PMCologne Messe/Deutz
1221One-way
0 transfers
Deutsche BahnICE 272 · ICE 510
06:59PM5h20
Zurich HB
12:19AMCologne Hbf
1021One-way
1 transfer
Deutsche BahnS 9+SBBS62+Südwestdeutsche Verkehrs-AG69884+Deutsche Bahn17676
08:07PM9h57
Zurich HB
06:04AMCologne Messe/Deutz
891One-way
4 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus · FlixBus
05:25PM10h10
Kloten, Zürich Flughafen (Bahnhof)
03:35AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
451One-way
1 transfer
FlixBusFlixBus · FlixBus
06:20PM11h40
Kloten, Zürich Flughafen (Bahnhof)
06:00AMKöln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen)
451One-way
1 transfer
BlaBlaCar Bus4739 · 52119
11:59PM14h26
Zürich, Sihlquai Bus Terminal (Carparkplatz Sihlquai)
02:25PMKöln, Köln Bonn Flughafen (Terminal 2)
581One-way
1 transfer
Eurowings EW8765 · EW9
02:10PM8h00
Zurich Airport
10:10PMCologne Bonn Airport
3801One-way
1 transfer
Austrian AirlinesOS142+Eurowings OS8917
05:45PM4h15
Zurich Airport
10:00PMCologne Bonn Airport
4241One-way
1 transfer
Eurowings LX4430
09:00PM1h05
Zurich Airport
10:05PMCologne Bonn Airport
4321One-way
0 transfers

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

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FAQs: Travel from Zurich 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 Zurich to Cologne.

FAQs
There are 3 options to travel between Zurich and Cologne including taking a train, bus, and flight.
The cheapest way to travel from Zurich to Cologne is a bus with an average price of €26.

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

A bus is €25 less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Zurich to Cologne costing on average €51.

A bus is €51 less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Zurich to Cologne costing on average €77.

The fastest way to travel from Zurich 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 55m.

Bus takes on average 9h 20m.

The Zurich to Cologne distance is approximately 413 km.
The average frequency per day from Zurich to Cologne is:
  • Around 12 trains per day.
  • Around 7 flights per day.
  • Around 4 buses per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route between Zurich 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 Zurich to Cologne:
  • Flights mostly depart from Zurich Airport and arrive in Cologne Bonn Airport.
  • Trains mostly depart from Zurich HB and arrive in Cologne Hbf.
  • Buses mostly depart from Kloten, Zürich Flughafen (Bahnhof) and arrive in Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen).
If finding a good deal is your main consideration for your trip from Zurich to Cologne, then we'll help you find the best value travel companies for you:
  • Travel with Eurowings , Smartwings, TUIfly, Lufthansa, Edelweiss Air to go to Cologne by flight.
  • Travel with BlaBlaCar, FlixBus to go to Cologne by bus.
  • Travel with Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB Nightjet, ÖBB | ICE, ÖBB | Euro City (EC), ÖBB | InterCity, Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) to go to Cologne by train.
Yes, there are direct services available from Zurich to Cologne with the following travel companies:
  • 3 direct flights per day with Eurowings , Smartwings.
  • 1 direct buses per day with BlaBlaCar.
  • 1 direct trains per day with Deutsche Bahn.
Omio customers who travel from Zurich 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.

Travelling from Zurich to Cologne: related information

Here are some other resources that might have the information you need

HomeTravelTravel to CologneHow to travel from Zurich to Cologne

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