Amsterdam to Cologne

Compare trains, buses, flights and ferries from Amsterdam to Cologne. From €12.28, fastest 2h 15m, with the total price and every fee shown up front.

Traveling from Amsterdam to Cologne costs €12.28 at the cheapest and takes 2h 15m door to door at the fastest, across 3 modes and 5 operators. The route covers 215 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Train.

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

At a glance

Distance
215 km
Fastest
2h 15m
Average
2h 51m
Services per day
13
Cheapest
€12.28
CO2 per passenger
12.0 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 September 29, 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
Train2h 15m1h 31m44m€29.497.1 kg10
Flight3h 53m43m3h 10m€34.3654.4 kg1
Coach3h 55m3h 11m44m€14.485.8 kg2
  • 2h 15mFastest, by Train
  • €14.48Cheapest, by Coach
  • 5.8 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
  • 215 kmDistance traveled
Real services

The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026

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

Cheapest€12.28
  1. BlaBlaCar BB792314:283h 16m17:44Amsterdam SloterdijkKoln Breslauer Platz

Door to door 4hCO2 5.8 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee

Fastest€31.14
  1. Eurostar E189714:511h 31m16:22Amsterdam CentraalKoln Hauptbahnhof

Door to door 2h 15mCO2 7.1 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 modeled until our booking connectors are live.

Today's real departures
OperatorServiceDepartsArrivesTakes
NS InternationaldirectICE 12308:3111:112h 54m
NS2 changesIntercity08:5612:284h 5m
NS3 changesIntercity08:5412:284h 3m
NS2 changesIntercity09:3612:513h 35m
NS3 changesIntercity09:3412:513h 34m
NS InternationaldirectICE 12510:3813:112h 48m

Prices over the next three weeks

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

Cheapest fare by mode and day for Amsterdam to Cologne
Cheapest fare by mode and day for Amsterdam to CologneFriSep 11SatSep 12SunSep 13MonSep 14TueSep 15WedSep 16ThuSep 17FriSep 18SatSep 19SunSep 20MonSep 21TueSep 22WedSep 23ThuSep 24
Coach€27.68€26.58€28.78€18.33€18.88€21.63€26.03€17.23€20.53€19.43€14.48€15.03€15.58€17.23
Train€64.69€63.04€54.24€36.64€39.39€37.19€46.54€38.84€36.09€33.89€29.49€31.69€33.89€40.49
Flight€61.50€59.73€57.96€35.54€40.26€41.44€53.83€43.21€40.85€39.08€39.67€34.36€40.26€41.44

Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €12.28

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

A hotel room

A room in Cologne for the night the flight gets in

Sort by distance from Koln Hauptbahnhof and you can see which places are ten minutes on foot and which are not.

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 Amsterdam to Cologne

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

  1. €15.0390 days
  2. €10.0860 days
  3. €12.2845 days
  4. €13.3830 days
  5. €14.4821 days
  6. €17.2314 days
  7. €26.037 days
  8. €28.783 days
  9. €27.681 days
Cheapest lead time
Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €10.08.
How much it moves
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 186 percent. The most expensive point is €28.78, 3 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.
€28.78€10.081371421304560

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. €19.43Sun
  2. €14.48Mon
  3. €15.03Tue
  4. €15.58Wed
  5. €17.23Thu
  6. €17.78Fri
  7. €20.53Sat
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. €18.88Sep
  2. €12.83Oct
  3. €13.93Nov
  4. €12.28Dec
  5. €15.03Jan
  6. €11.18Feb

The route

AmsterdamAmsterdamKölnKöln
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.

Direct or connecting
69% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 31% involve one connection.
How far it really runs
The route covers 215 km against 214 km in a straight line, a detour of 0 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
Where the change is
Connections are made at Mönchengladbach, Duisburg, Eindhoven, Krefeld. The gap between arriving and leaving is 50 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
If the connection is missed
The tightest connection we sell here has a 19 percent chance of not being made on the timetable alone. Part of this journey is a self transfer between separate tickets, so leave more time than the minimum and expect to check in again.
First and last departure
The first service of the day leaves Amsterdam at 06:09 and the last at 14:51, across 10 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.

Amsterdam

Rail
  • Amsterdam Centraal
  • Amsterdam-Centraal
  • Amsterdam Doklaan
Bus
  • Amsterdam Sloterdijk
  • P40
Air
  • AMS
Ferry
  • NDSM
  • IJplein

Köln

Rail
  • Koln Hauptbahnhof
  • Köln Hbf
  • Köln-Lövenich
Bus
  • Koln Breslauer Platz
  • Wahn S-Bahn
Air
  • CGN
Ferry
  • Weiß - Zündorf
  • Zündorf - Weiß

Cologne is large, and the road in from CGN can take longer than the last hour of the flight. Cars are not our business.

A taxi stand outside an airport terminal

A car waiting when you land in Cologne

Settled in advance, so the ride into Cologne costs what it said it would rather than what the cab stand 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€12.283h 36m72 km/hChangeablePower outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi
DB Fernverkehr€27.842h 15m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
Eurostar€26.742h 15m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
Eurostar International€25.642h 15m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines€31.413h 52m740 km/hFixed fareNot published
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€8.0065%
Taxes€0.807%
Supplier fees€1.4912%
Our service fee€1.9916%
Total you pay€12.28100%

Check-in is at three and you will be in Cologne well before then. Lockers are not something we run.

Left luggage lockers

Where to leave your bags in Cologne

Stores, cafes and hotels that take luggage, with the 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 Amsterdam to Cologne

The questions people actually ask about this trip, 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 Amsterdam to Cologne?

The fastest journey from Amsterdam to Cologne takes 2h 15m door to door, of which 1h 31m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 2h 51m, 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 Amsterdam to Cologne?

The cheapest fare from Amsterdam to Cologne is €12.28, checked on September 29, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €37.19. 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 Amsterdam to Cologne?

The cheapest way from Amsterdam to Cologne is by Coach, at €14.48 for one passenger on September 29, 2026. That journey takes 3h 55m 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 Amsterdam to Cologne?

The fastest way from Amsterdam to Cologne is by Train, at 2h 15m door to door. Only 1h 31m 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 €29.49.

When should I book Amsterdam to Cologne?

Fares from Amsterdam to Cologne bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €10.08. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 186 percent, measured on September 29, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.

Which day of the week is cheapest for Amsterdam to Cologne?

Monday is the cheapest day to depart from Amsterdam to Cologne, at €14.48. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 29, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.

Which month is cheapest for Amsterdam to Cologne?

February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Amsterdam to Cologne, at €11.18 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 service from Amsterdam to Cologne?

5 operators sell services from Amsterdam to Cologne across 3 modes: BlaBlaCar, DB Fernverkehr, Eurostar, Eurostar International, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. 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 Amsterdam to Cologne?

69 percent of the services we sell from Amsterdam to Cologne are direct. The rest connect at Mönchengladbach, Duisburg, Eindhoven, Krefeld, with about 50 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.

How much CO2 does the journey from Amsterdam to Cologne produce?

Traveling from Amsterdam to Cologne by Coach produces about 5.8 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Flight produces about 54.4 kg, roughly 9 times as much for one passenger.

Which station or terminal do services from Amsterdam to Cologne use?

Services from Amsterdam to Cologne by Train leave from Amsterdam Centraal and arrive at Koln 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 Amsterdam to Cologne?

4 of the 5 operators we sell from Amsterdam to Cologne 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

Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.

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 modeled 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 Amsterdam to Cologne on September 10, 2026: 215 km of route against 214 km in a straight line, 13 services a day, 5 operators, a cheapest fare of €12.28, and 2h 15m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.

The flight is the simple part. What you do once you are in Cologne is somebody else's catalog.

A guided tour group

Day trips out of Cologne and across Germany

The tickets worth having in advance, because the line 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 Cologne

Leaving Cologne

  • 232Places you can leave for
  • 49Countries
  • 72Operators

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