Stuttgart to Cologne

Compare trains, buses, flights and ferries from Stuttgart to Cologne. From €16.68, fastest 3h 1m, with the total price and every fee shown up front.

Traveling from Stuttgart to Cologne costs €16.68 at the cheapest and takes 3h 1m door to door at the fastest, across 2 modes and 10 operators. The route covers 331 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Train.

Checked September 9, 2026Priced for September 29, 2026One passenger, all fees included

At a glance

Distance
331 km
Fastest
3h 1m
Average
4h 19m
Services per day
40
Cheapest
€16.68
CO2 per passenger
9.9 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
Train3h 1m2h 17m44m€42.1410.9 kg20
Coach5h 6m4h 22m44m€18.888.9 kg20
  • 3h 1mFastest, by Train
  • €18.88Cheapest, by Coach
  • 8.9 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
  • 331 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€16.68
  1. BlaBlaCar BB256014:414h 49m19:30Stuttgart SABKoln Breslauer Platz

Door to door 5h 33mCO2 8.9 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee

Fastest€41.04
  1. SBB SB259510:102h 17m12:27Stuttgart HauptbahnhofKoln Hauptbahnhof

Door to door 3h 1mCO2 10.9 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.

No live timetable for this trip yet.

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.

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 Stuttgart to Cologne
Cheapest fare by mode and day for Stuttgart to CologneThuSep 10FriSep 11SatSep 12SunSep 13MonSep 14TueSep 15WedSep 16ThuSep 17FriSep 18SatSep 19SunSep 20MonSep 21TueSep 22WedSep 23
Coach€41.98€33.18€37.03€26.58€23.28€22.73€25.48€24.93€22.73€23.28€21.63€19.98€18.88€19.98
Train€103.74€79.54€81.74€65.24€54.24€52.04€55.34€56.99€54.24€56.44€49.84€45.44€42.14€45.99

Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €16.68

Cologne sits on the water, which usually settles which side of town you want to wake up on. Rooms are not ours to sell.

A hotel room

Where to stay in Cologne

Filter by neighborhood and by nightly price, and the map tells you what is a walk and what is a cab.

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 Stuttgart to Cologne

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

  1. €16.1390 days
  2. €15.0360 days
  3. €16.6845 days
  4. €16.1330 days
  5. €17.7821 days
  6. €19.9814 days
  7. €25.487 days
  8. €37.033 days
  9. €41.981 days
Cheapest lead time
Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €15.03.
How much it moves
The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 179 percent. The most expensive point is €41.98, 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.
€41.98€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. €21.63Sun
  2. €19.98Mon
  3. €18.88Tue
  4. €19.98Wed
  5. €24.93Thu
  6. €22.73Fri
  7. €23.28Sat
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. €22.73Sep
  2. €17.78Oct
  3. €16.13Nov
  4. €16.13Dec
  5. €15.58Jan
  6. €13.93Feb

The route

StuttgartStuttgartKölnKöln
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 331 km against 288 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 Stuttgart 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.

Stuttgart

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

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€16.685h 6m72 km/hChangeablePower outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi
bodo Verkehrsverbund€17.235h 5m72 km/hChangeablePower outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi
DB Fernverkehr€38.843h 1m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
European Sleeper€39.943h 2m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Sleeper berths, Wi-Fi
FlixBus€17.235h 6m72 km/hChangeablePower outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi
Nmbs/sncb€36.643h 1m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
NVBW€17.785h 6m72 km/hChangeablePower outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi
SBB€37.743h 1m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
SNCF€35.543h 2m140 km/hRefundablePower outlets, Wi-Fi
VPE€17.235h 6m72 km/hChangeablePower outlets, Restrooms, 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€12.0072%
Taxes€1.207%
Supplier fees€1.499%
Our service fee€1.9912%
Total you pay€16.68100%

We cannot promise Koln Hauptbahnhof still has a baggage check, because plenty of stations closed theirs.

Left luggage lockers

Baggage storage near Koln Hauptbahnhof

Priced by the bag and by the day, booked before you get there, and insured while it sits.

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 Stuttgart 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

The fastest journey from Stuttgart to Cologne takes 3h 1m door to door, of which 2h 17m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 4h 19m, 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

The cheapest fare from Stuttgart to Cologne is €16.68, checked on September 29, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €43.44. 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

The cheapest way from Stuttgart to Cologne is by Coach, at €18.88 for one passenger on September 29, 2026. That journey takes 5h 6m 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

The fastest way from Stuttgart to Cologne is by Train, at 3h 1m door to door. Only 2h 17m 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 €42.14.

When should I book Stuttgart to Cologne?

Fares from Stuttgart to Cologne bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €15.03. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 179 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

Tuesday is the cheapest day to depart from Stuttgart to Cologne, at €18.88. 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Stuttgart to Cologne, at €13.93 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

10 operators sell services from Stuttgart to Cologne 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

Every service we sell from Stuttgart to Cologne is direct, with around 40 departures a day and a fastest journey of 3h 1m 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 Stuttgart to Cologne produce?

Traveling from Stuttgart to Cologne by Coach produces about 8.9 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Train produces about 10.9 kg, roughly 1 times as much for one passenger.

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

Services from Stuttgart to Cologne by Train leave from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof 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 Stuttgart to Cologne?

10 of the 10 operators we sell from Stuttgart 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

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 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 Stuttgart to Cologne on September 9, 2026: 331 km of route against 288 km in a straight line, 40 services a day, 10 operators, a cheapest fare of €16.68, and 3h 1m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.

Being on the water gives Cologne a set of days out that do not start at a station. We do not sell those either.

A guided tour group

Things to do in Cologne

Timed entry, guided walks and half-day trips out of Cologne, with free cancellation on most of it.

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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