Cheapest€43.63
- FlixBus FB308416:1214h 3m06:15Budapest NepligetKoln Breslauer Platz
Door to door 14h 47mCO2 25.8 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Budapest to Cologne costs €43.63 at the cheapest and takes 4h 49m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 4 operators. The route covers 976 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Flight.
At a glance
- Distance
- 976 km
- Fastest
- 4h 49m
- Average
- 7h 38m
- Services per day
- 21
- Cheapest
- €43.63
- CO2 per passenger
- 178.6 kg
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 28, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | 4h 49m | 1h 39m | 3h 10m | €101.62 | 242.3 kg | 13 |
| Coach | 14h 23m | 13h 39m | 44m | €50.78 | 25.8 kg | 5 |
- 4h 49mFastest, by Flight
- €50.78Cheapest, by Coach
- 25.8 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 976 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 28, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€111.06
- Lufthansa L654818:001h 39m19:39Budapest BUDKöln CGN
Door to door 4h 49mCO2 242.3 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
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.
| Operator | Service | Departs | Arrives | Takes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MÁV4 changes | Z30 | 08:40 | 20:32 | 12h 9m |
| MÁV2 changes | Z30 | 09:40 | 22:10 | 12h 46m |
| MÁV3 changes | Z30 | 09:40 | 21:10 | 11h 45m |
| MÁV4 changes | Z30 | 10:40 | 22:31 | 12h 8m |
| MÁV3 changes | Z30 | 11:40 | 03:44 | 16h 15m |
| MÁV5 changes | Z30 | 11:40 | 03:02 | 15h 35m |
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 Budapest to Cologne | ThuSep 10 | FriSep 11 | SatSep 12 | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €115.13 | €94.78 | €94.78 | €73.88 | €72.78 | €60.13 | €66.18 | €67.28 | €61.23 | €60.68 | €56.83 | €52.43 | €50.78 | €57.38 |
| Flight | €224.93 | €202.51 | €186.58 | €143.51 | €125.81 | €128.76 | €126.99 | €133.48 | €123.45 | €125.22 | €115.19 | €101.62 | €101.62 | €105.75 |
| Train | €245.64 | €220.89 | €215.39 | €148.84 | €137.84 | €128.49 | €150.49 | €171.39 | €140.04 | €147.19 | €128.49 | €108.14 | €104.29 | €129.04 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-28 · €43.63
The flight gets you into Cologne. It does not get you a bed, and neither do we.
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.
Search Cologne on Booking.comOr compare on Expedia
Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.
When to book Budapest to Cologne
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €39.7890 days
- €38.1360 days
- €41.9845 days
- €40.3330 days
- €46.3821 days
- €57.3814 days
- €66.187 days
- €94.783 days
- €115.131 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €38.13.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 202 percent. The most expensive point is €115.13, 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.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 60 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €56.83Sun
- €52.43Mon
- €50.78Tue
- €57.38Wed
- €67.28Thu
- €61.23Fri
- €60.68Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €60.13Sep
- €47.48Oct
- €44.73Nov
- €39.23Dec
- €41.98Jan
- €33.73Feb
The route
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
- 81% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 19% involve one connection.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 976 km against 956 km in a straight line, a detour of 2 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Linz, Frankfurt am Main, Vienna, Nuremberg. The gap between arriving and leaving is 58 minutes, of which about 14 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 16 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 Budapest at 06:16 and the last at 18:38, across 13 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Budapest
Rail
- Budapest Keleti
- Budapest-Déli railway station
- Budapest-Közvágóhíd HÉV station
Bus
- Budapest Nepliget
- Budapest, Kelenföld vasútállomás
Air
- BUD
Ferry
- Dock 42
- Dráva utca
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 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.
Book a ride from CGN with Welcome PickupsOr check Daytrip
Partner links. We do not operate transfers. We earn a commission on a booking, and the fare is the same as going direct.
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From | Fastest | Typical speed | Flexibility | On board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Eurowings | €83.92 | 4h 49m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 FlixBus | €43.63 | 13h 9m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
 Lufthansa | €82.74 | 4h 49m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 Ryanair | €86.87 | 4h 49m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €36.50 | 84% |
| Taxes | €3.65 | 8% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 3% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 5% |
| Total you pay | €43.63 | 100% |
Check-in is at three and you will be in Cologne well before then. Lockers are not something we run.
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.
Check Cologne on StasherOr try Bounce
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 Budapest 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 Budapest to Cologne?
The fastest journey from Budapest to Cologne takes 4h 49m door to door, of which 1h 39m is spent moving, on the Flight. Most services take around 7h 38m, 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 Budapest to Cologne?
The cheapest fare from Budapest to Cologne is €43.63, checked on September 28, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €121.73. 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 Budapest to Cologne?
The cheapest way from Budapest to Cologne is by Coach, at €50.78 for one passenger on September 28, 2026. That journey takes 14h 23m 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 Budapest to Cologne?
The fastest way from Budapest to Cologne is by Flight, at 4h 49m door to door. Only 1h 39m of that is spent moving; the remaining 3h 10m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €101.62.
When should I book Budapest to Cologne?
Fares from Budapest to Cologne bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €38.13. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 202 percent, measured on September 28, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Budapest to Cologne?
Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Budapest to Cologne, at €50.78. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 28, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Budapest to Cologne?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Budapest to Cologne, at €33.73 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 Budapest to Cologne?
4 operators sell services from Budapest to Cologne across 2 modes: Eurowings, FlixBus, Lufthansa, Ryanair. 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 Budapest to Cologne?
81 percent of the services we sell from Budapest to Cologne are direct. The rest connect at Linz, Frankfurt am Main, Vienna, Nuremberg, with about 58 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 Budapest to Cologne produce?
Traveling from Budapest to Cologne by Coach produces about 25.8 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Flight produces about 242.3 kg, roughly 9 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Budapest to Cologne use?
Services from Budapest to Cologne by Flight leave from Budapest BUD and arrive at Köln CGN. Allow about 3h 10m 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 Budapest to Cologne?
1 of the 4 operators we sell from Budapest 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 Budapest to Cologne on September 9, 2026: 976 km of route against 956 km in a straight line, 21 services a day, 4 operators, a cheapest fare of €43.63, and 4h 49m 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.
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.
See Cologne on GetYourGuideOr browse Viator
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
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.