Essen to Stuttgart

Compare trains, coaches, flights and ferries from Essen to Stuttgart. From €18.88, fastest 3h 23m, with the total price and every fee shown up front.

Travelling from Essen to Stuttgart costs €18.88 at the cheapest and takes 3h 23m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 10 operators. The route covers 385 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Train.

Checked 10 September 2026Priced for 29 September 2026One passenger, all fees included

At a glance

Distance
385 km
Fastest
3h 23m
Average
4h 54m
Services per day
40
Cheapest
€18.88
CO2 per passenger
11.6 kg
Door to door

Every way to make this journey

Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on 29 September 2026.

Door to door means the whole journey, including reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. Fares are the cheapest sold on each mode.
ModeDoor to doorMovingAt the endsFromCO2Per day
Train3h 29m2h 45m44m€48.1912.7 kg20
Coach5h 48m5h 4m44m€21.6310.4 kg20
  • 3h 29mFastest, by Train
  • €21.63Cheapest, by Coach
  • 10.4 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
  • 385 kmDistance travelled
Real services

The cheapest and the fastest on 29 September 2026

Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.

Cheapest€18.88
  1. BlaBlaCar BB343714:415h 47m20:28Essen FreiheitStuttgart SAB

Door to door 6h 31mCO2 10.4 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee

Fastest€47.09
  1. SBB SB313918:362h 45m21:21Essen HauptbahnhofStuttgart Hauptbahnhof

Door to door 3h 29mCO2 12.7 kgChanges 0Refundable

Today's real departures

Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modelled until our booking connectors are live.

Today's real departures
OperatorServiceDepartsArrivesTakes
TRI Train Rental GmbH2 changesRE100 (63606)08:0411:343h 30m
DB Fernverkehr AGdirectICE 51709:2012:113h 51m
DB Regio AG NRW2 changesRE2 (10213)08:4012:113h 31m
TRI Train Rental GmbH2 changesRE100 (63608)10:0413:263h 22m
DB Fernverkehr AG1 changesICE 91911:1014:164h 8m
National Express2 changesRE6 (89718)10:3314:163h 53m

Prices over the next three weeks

Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of travelling are marked.

Cheapest fare by mode and day for Essen to Stuttgart
Cheapest fare by mode and day for Essen to StuttgartFri11 SeptSat12 SeptSun13 SeptMon14 SeptTue15 SeptWed16 SeptThu17 SeptFri18 SeptSat19 SeptSun20 SeptMon21 SeptTue22 SeptWed23 SeptThu24 Sept
Coach€43.63€42.53€36.48€26.58€26.03€29.33€34.83€26.03€26.58€24.93€22.18€21.63€22.73€27.68
Train€107.04€94.94€92.19€62.49€60.29€64.14€82.29€62.49€65.24€57.54€52.59€48.19€53.14€69.64

Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €18.88

The coach gets you into Stuttgart. It does not get you a bed, and neither do we.

A hotel room

Rooms within reach of Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof

Hotels and flats near the centre, most of them with free cancellation, on a map that shows what is walkable.

Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.

Booking window

When to book Essen to Stuttgart

The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.

  1. €18.8890 days
  2. €15.0360 days
  3. €17.7845 days
  4. €18.8830 days
  5. €22.7321 days
  6. €27.6814 days
  7. €34.837 days
  8. €36.483 days
  9. €43.631 days
Cheapest lead time
Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €15.03.
How much it moves
The gap between the cheapest and dearest lead time is 190 percent. The dearest point is €43.63, 1 days out.
What that means
Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 60 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
€43.63€15.031371421304560

Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 60 days ahead. You are inside that window.

Day of the week

Which departure day costs least

Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.

  1. €24.93Sun
  2. €22.18Mon
  3. €21.63Tue
  4. €22.73Wed
  5. €27.68Thu
  6. €26.03Fri
  7. €26.58Sat
Across the year

How the fare moves month by month

The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.

  1. €26.03Sept
  2. €19.98Oct
  3. €18.33Nov
  4. €17.78Dec
  5. €17.78Jan
  6. €15.58Feb

The route

EssenEssenStuttgartStuttgart
The journey

What the journey actually looks like

Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.

How far it really runs
The route covers 385 km against 335 km in a straight line, a detour of 15 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
First and last departure
The first service of the day leaves Essen at 06:15 and the last at 18:42, across 20 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Terminals

Where you leave from and where you arrive

The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.

Essen

Rail
  • Essen Hauptbahnhof
  • Essen Hbf
  • Essen-Steele Süd
Coach
  • Essen Freiheit
  • Essen Hbf
Ferry
  • Fahrgastschiffanleger Nordsternpark
  • Fahrgastschiffanleger Zweigertbrücke

Stuttgart

Rail
  • Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
  • Stuttgart Hbf
  • Stuttgart-Sommerrain
Coach
  • Stuttgart SAB
  • Stuttgart-Airport-Busterminal
Air
  • STR
Ferry
  • Wasen
  • Mühlgrün

The fare from STR into Stuttgart is the one price on this journey we cannot show you, because it is not ours.

A taxi rank outside an airport terminal

Getting from STR into Stuttgart?

Settled in advance, so the ride into Stuttgart costs what it said it would rather than what the rank says.

Partner links. We do not operate transfers. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.

Carriers

Who runs this route

Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.

Every operator we sell on this corridor. Speed is the carrier's own typical cruising speed, not the average over this route.
OperatorFromFastestTypical speedFlexibilityOn board
BlaBlaCar€18.885h 48m72 km/hChangeablePower sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi
bodo Verkehrsverbund€19.985h 47m72 km/hChangeablePower sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi
DB Fernverkehr€44.893h 23m140 km/hRefundablePower sockets, Wi-Fi
European Sleeper€45.993h 23m140 km/hRefundablePower sockets, Sleeper berths, Wi-Fi
FlixBus€19.435h 48m72 km/hChangeablePower sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi
Nmbs/sncb€42.693h 23m140 km/hRefundablePower sockets, Wi-Fi
NVBW€19.985h 50m72 km/hChangeablePower sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi
SBB€43.793h 23m140 km/hRefundablePower sockets, Wi-Fi
SNCF€41.043h 23m140 km/hRefundablePower sockets, Wi-Fi
VPE€19.985h 47m72 km/hChangeablePower sockets, Toilets, Wi-Fi
The price

What the fare is made of

Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.

The cheapest Coach fare we sell on 2026-09-29, broken into its parts. Nothing is added after this.
PartAmountShare
Operator fare€14.0074%
Taxes€1.407%
Supplier fees€1.498%
Our service fee€1.9911%
Total you pay€18.88100%

The coach gets in hours before any room is ready. Holding a bag is not what we sell.

Left luggage lockers

Somewhere to leave the bags in Stuttgart?

Shops, cafes and hotels that take luggage, with the opening hours on the map so you know what is still open when you come back.

Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.

Questions about Essen to Stuttgart

The questions people actually ask about this journey, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.

How long does it take to get from Essen to Stuttgart?

The fastest journey from Essen to Stuttgart takes 3h 23m door to door, of which 2h 45m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 4h 54m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.

How much does it cost to travel from Essen to Stuttgart?

The cheapest fare from Essen to Stuttgart is €18.88, checked on 29 September 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €49.76. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.

What is the cheapest way to get from Essen to Stuttgart?

The cheapest way from Essen to Stuttgart is by Coach, at €21.63 for one passenger on 29 September 2026. That journey takes 5h 48m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.

What is the fastest way to get from Essen to Stuttgart?

The fastest way from Essen to Stuttgart is by Train, at 3h 29m door to door. Only 2h 45m of that is spent moving; the remaining 44m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €48.19.

When should I book Essen to Stuttgart?

Fares from Essen to Stuttgart bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €15.03. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the dearest lead time is 190 percent, measured on 29 September 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.

Which day of the week is cheapest for Essen to Stuttgart?

Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Essen to Stuttgart, at €21.63. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on 29 September 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.

Which month is cheapest for Essen to Stuttgart?

February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Essen to Stuttgart, at €15.58 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.

Who runs services from Essen to Stuttgart?

10 operators sell services from Essen to Stuttgart across 2 modes: BlaBlaCar, bodo Verkehrsverbund, DB Fernverkehr, European Sleeper, FlixBus, Nmbs/sncb. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.

Is there a direct service from Essen to Stuttgart?

Every service we sell from Essen to Stuttgart is direct, with around 40 departures a day and a fastest journey of 3h 23m door to door. No connection is needed, so there is no missed connection risk to plan around on this corridor.

How much CO2 does the journey from Essen to Stuttgart produce?

Travelling from Essen to Stuttgart by Coach produces about 10.4 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Train produces about 12.7 kg, roughly 1 times as much for one passenger.

Which station or terminal do services from Essen to Stuttgart use?

Services from Essen to Stuttgart by Train leave from Essen Hauptbahnhof and arrive at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. Allow about 44m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.

Can I change or refund a ticket from Essen to Stuttgart?

10 of the 10 operators we sell from Essen to Stuttgart allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.

Where these numbers come from

Derived from service area No carrier record names this exact pair. The operators listed publish a service area covering both places at a distance their mode plausibly carries people, which is evidence that the corridor is served and not evidence of a specific service. Pages state which, because presenting the two as the same thing would be dishonest.

Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modelled number pass for a filed one.

Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances

On this page
Every figure above was computed for Essen to Stuttgart on 10 September 2026: 385 km of route against 335 km in a straight line, 40 services a day, 10 operators, a cheapest fare of €18.88, and 3h 23m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.

Plenty of what is worth seeing sits outside Stuttgart and elsewhere in Germany. None of it is ours to sell.

A guided tour group

What to book in Stuttgart before you go

The tickets worth having in advance, because the queue at the door is usually the whole morning.

Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.

Other ways to make this journey

Arriving in Stuttgart

Leaving Stuttgart

  • 222Places you can leave for
  • 41Countries
  • 76Operators

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