Köln/Cologne Hbf (Köln / Cologne / Koeln)

Aachen is close enough to Köln/Cologne to be served by Regio trains and if you will be buying tickets at the station for a spontaneous day trip, they are the logical option, they provide both the most frequent and cheapest service.

Taking the train from Cologne / Köln / Koeln to Amsterdam is usually blissfully simple, as the cities are usually linked every other hour by swish ICE trains.
Though what's a tad odd about this route is that the ICEs are high speed trains, but they only have the opportunity to travel at more than 270 kmh south of Köln/Cologne.
On this route to The Netherlands there are no high speed lines for them to whizz along.

There are three options for a taking a direct train from Cologne/Köln to Basel:

1. The fastest and most frequent option for a daytime journey are the swish ICE trains.
2. For those who favor a scenic journey over a train ride with a wow factor, there are the EC trains which take the beautiful route through the Rhine Valley.
3. Or if you need to be in Basel in time for breakfast, there is also an overnight train

All of these trains call at two stations in Basel, the first stop is the Basel Bad Bf, which is managed by DB, the German national rail operator, which therefore creates the illusion that you won't have left Germany.
The trains then continue on to Basel SBB station where connections are available to a swathe of Swiss destinations without direct trains from Cologne/Köln, including Luzern, Lugano, Locarno, Brig and Biel (for Lausanne and Geneva)

What matters about this is that the tickets to Basel Bad Bf will be cheaper as DB classifies this is a national journey, but the journey on to Basel SBB becomes an international journey.
So if you will be heading to Basel city centre, book tickets to Basel Bad Bf.

As is the norm when travelling between major German cities by train, smart ICE trains provide hourly direct connections throughout the day on this route, so this is typically a very straightforward journey.

And now there are also three additional 'Sprinter' services per day which are non-stop from Köln to Berlin
Then for travel overnight, sleeper trains aren't available on this route, but one of the ICE trains is made available.

Cities including Aachen, Bonn and Koblenz have less frequent trains from Berlin, so when the timings of those trains don't suit, connections are available in Koln hbf.

Despite there being no high speed lines between Koln/Cologne and Bremen most of the trains between the two cities are ICE trains.
Two of the trains in the timetable, the departures which typically leave at 17:09 and 19:09 are EC trains as these trains will have commenced their journeys in Switzerland; so you may find yourself on a Swiss train.

What's fairly unusual about taking the journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Brussels/Bruxelles to is that alternative services operate on this route; the Thalys trains managed by the French & Belgian national rail operators and the ICE trains operated by Germany's national rail company.

They depart from Köln hbf in different hours so if you need to depart from Cologne/Köln or arrive in Brussels/Bruxelles at a specific time, you'll be travelling on an ICE or a Thalys train.

Though if travelling at the cheapest price is your key criteria, be guided by that; it is timings rather than the type of train, which have a bigger impact on prices, the cheapest tickets inevitably sell out faster on the more popular departures.
SMTJ prefers the on the board ambience of the ICE trains, but it's not worth paying more to travel by them, particularly on such a comparatively short route.

Though rail pass users should take the ICE trains and ignore the Thalys trains.

Despite the distant between these two cities, Köln and Dresden are not connected by direct high-speed ICE trains.
So taking a rail journey which involves connecting between two ICE trains can typically more than an hour faster than taking these direct IC trains.
However, most of those quicker journeys which involve taking 2 x ICE trains, are dependent on making a non guaranteed connection of under 15 minutes between trains.
Taking the direct trains is also typically the cheaper option.

There are two options for a taking a direct train from Cologne / Köln to Frankfurt (Main).

1. The fastest and most frequent option for a daytime journey are the swish ICE trains, though around half of these trains depart from Koln Messe-Deutz station and not the city's main station, Koln hbf.
2. For those who favor a scenic journey over a train ride with a wow factor, you can also take the beautiful route through the Rhine Valley.

Despite being one of Germany's busiest railway routes, there is no high speed line between Cologne/Köln and Hamburg, this part of country is so densely populated that it would send construction costs into the stratosphere.

Though ICE trains are increasingly being switched to this route, as they have a more comfortable ambience than the IC trains and they also convey restaurant cars.

There are two options for taking the train from Cologne/Köln to Hannover:
1: the ICE trains which are more frequent and faster; despite the lack of a high speed line between Cologne/Köln and Hannover
2. Slower IC trains, which are typically cheaper.

These direct trains from Köln / Cologne to Heidelberg all take a highly scenic through The Rhine Gorge instead of using the high speed line.
So taking a combination of the ICE trains, which do use a high speed line + a local train can save around an hour.
However, the second train is typically a local S-Bahn train.
Also these direct trains tend to be the cheapest option.

There are three options for taking a train from Cologne/Köln to Innsbruck:

1. The direct daytime option is the IC train which takes one of Europe's most epic rail journeys; it is the only train which travels through both the Upper Rhine Valley and the Arlberg Pass.
2. A much faster daytime option is to take a different route via Munich/Munchen on a combination of two trains.
3. The direct overnight train

Ride one of Europe's most breathtaking rail routes by taking the direct train.

Or forsake the delightful scenery of The Rhine Gorge, by rushing to Basel on an ICE train, to connect there into a train on Interlaken.
Though not only is the direct train more scenic, it tends to be cheaper too!

Step on board for one of Europe's most epic rail journeys!
The route includes a journey through the majestic Rhine Gorge and the stunning Tauern Railway.
Though for much of 2025 this train's usual route and destination will be impacted by construction works.

Use this journey guide to access good to know info for the stations, trains and tickets.

Koblenz is close enough to Köln/Cologne to be served by Regio trains and if you will be buying tickets at the station for a spontaneous day trip, they are the logical option, they provide both the most frequent and cheapest service.

There are no direct trains from Cologne/Köln to Denmark, but is typically a straightforward journey with only one connection required.
Though travelling overnight is not an option on this route.

Despite the distant between these two cities, Köln and Leipzig are not connected by direct high-speed ICE trains.
So taking a rail journey which involves connecting between two ICE trains can typically more than an hour faster than taking these direct IC trains.
Though taking these IC trains is typically the cheapest option.

The journey by train from Cologne/Köln to London involves making a transfer between high speed trains at Bruxelles-Midi station.
Eurostar provides the services on to London from the Belgian capital, but ICE and Thalys trains share the route between Köln and Bruxelles.
The split between these two services impacts on the end-to-end journey times and the ticketing; in terms of price, availability and if a delayed arrival into Bruxelles causes a missed connection into the booked Eurostar.

When looking up a journey by train from north-west Germany to central and southern France most of the options on the ticket booking services will involve taking a Thalys train from Köln to Paris and then a TGV on from Paris to Lyon.
However that routing involves an awkward cross Paris transfer, which can be avoided when following the two journey options set out below.
So they're worth looking out for when travelling by train between these areas of Europe.

Taking the train from Cologne/Köln to Milano is typically a fabulous experience, with only one easy transfer required between two of Europe's smartest trains.
When looking up this journey you will see other options which require additional conditions, but there is no need to make more than one transfer.

Travelling overnight is a tad more awkward, despite a sleeper train now being available for the first part of the journey between Koln and Basel.
However, it is typically due to arrive in Basel SBB station only 8mins prior to the departure of an EC express train on to Milano; so a better option is to remain on the train to Zurich and make the connection on to Milano there.
There aren't any overnight trains available from Switzerland to Milano

Taking a train from Cologne/Köln to Munich/München is very straightforward but there is an unusually high number of options for taking a direct train, and in summary they are:
1: the most frequent service of high speed ICE trains, which happen to depart from Köln Messe/Deutz station.
2. faster 'Sprinter' ICE services which also depart from Köln Messe/Deutz station
3: other ICE trains which depart from the city's main central rail station, Köln hbf.
4. taking a more scenic, but slower route.
5. Travelling in a bed or a bunk on a Nightjet train
6. Travelling through the night on an ICE train

There are two very different routes taken by direct trains from Cologne/Köln to Nuremberg/Nürnberg.

1. The faster ICE trains which use the high speed line between Cologne and Frankfurt, depart from Koln Messe/Deutz station and not the city center station, Koln Hbf
2. The slower trains do depart from Koln Hbf and they take the more scenic route between Cologne and Frankfurt.

There are no direct trains from Koln to Praha, but it's usually a straightforward journey with only one connection between express trains on the easiest route via Berlin.

There are four optimum routings to choose from when taking a journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Salzburg.

1. Boarding the only direct daytime train
2. The fastest option, but it involves departing from Koln Messe/Deutz station
3. Departing from Koln Hbf and also making a connection between trains in Frankfurt.
4. Taking a sleeper train to Munich and connecting there for a morning train on to Salzburg.
5. Taking the overnight high speed train and connecting in Munich

There are three options for taking a journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Stuttgart:

1. The ICE trains which depart from the main city centre rail station.
2. Alternative ICE trains, which leave from Messe/Deutz station.
3. Slower trains which take a more scenic route.

There is no getting away from the fact that this is a long journey which predominantly involves travelling across the flat plains of northern Europe.
Though despite the distance it is comparatively straightforward, with only transfer between trains to negotiate.

The journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Vienna/Wien is one of those routes on which travellers have a choice between:

1. making a long, but scenic journey during the day, or
2. travelling through the night on an overnight train

When looking up a daytime Cologne/Köln to Zurich journey by train on the ticket booking websites there will be a swathe of options available, most of which involve making connections between trains.
Of these journey options, SMTJ's recommendations is to opt for the routing which involve making connections in Basel, because if the train from Germany is delayed, you will then be able to simply hop on any train on to Zurich.

However, there is usually a daily direct train available, so if the timings suit and you'd rather avoid making any connections, it's then becomes the obvious best option for making this journey by.
It also takes a scenic route.

If you want or need to travel overnight there is a newly introduced Nightjet train available which conveys sleeping cabins and couchettes.

There are theree options available when taking a direct train from Basel to Cologne/Köln:

1. Taking the scenic option of travelling through the gorgeous Rhine Gorge on an EC train.
2. The fastest option of travelling during the day on an ICE train, which rushes along Germany's fastest railway during its journey.
3. Taking a new sleeper train, though it has an early arrival time.

Departing from Basel:

All three services depart from Basel SBB station, the main station in the city, and then call at Basel Bad bf.
Though if you'll be commencing an end-to-end journey in Basel city center, the quickest option is to join these trains at Basel Bad bf.
It will be cheaper too as the German national operator classifies the journey from Basel Bad bf as a national journey, but the trip from Basel SBB is classified as international route.

Though join the trains at Basel SBB station if you will be connecting from other destinations in Switzerland.
Rail pass users are also more like to find unoccupied seats on these trains, on which reservations are optional, when boarding at Basel SBB.

Every hour during the day a swish ICE train travels from Berlin to Köln / Cologne so this is an exceptionally easy journey.
And now there are also two 'Sprinter' services per day which are non-stop from the German capital to Koln.
Then for travel overnight, sleeper trains aren't available on this route, but one of the ICE trains is made available.

Cities including Aachen, Bonn and Koblenz have less frequent trains from Berlin, so when the timings of those trains don't suit, connections are available in Köln hbf.

When looking up a journey by train from Bern to Cologne/Köln on the ticket booking websites most of the travel options will involve making a connection in Basel, or at a station in Germany.
However, there is a daily direct train available and it also happens to take a much more scenic route!

What's fairly unusual about taking the journey by train from Brussels/Bruxelles to Cologne/Köln is that alternative services operate on this route; the Thalys trains, which are now managed by Eurostar, and the ICE trains operated by Germany's national rail company.

They depart from Bruxelles/Brussels in different hours so if you need to depart from Brussels/Bruxelles or arrive in Cologne/Köln at a specific time, you'll be travelling on an ICE or a Eurostar (formerly Thalys) train.

Though if travelling at the cheapest price is your key criteria, be guided by that; it is timings rather than the type of train, which have a bigger impact on prices, -the cheapest tickets inevitably sell out faster on the more popular departures.

SMTJ prefers the on the board ambience of the ICE trains, but it's not worth paying more to travel by them, particularly on such a comparatively short route.

Though rail pass users should take the ICE trains and ignore the Thalys trains.

When taking a train from Frankfurt (Main) to Cologne / Köln there are three things to keep in mind.

1. The route: Most of the trains rush along Germany's fastest high speed line, but some trains still take the slower, but much more beautiful route through the Rhine Gorge and Bonn.
2. The location of your ultimate destination: Many of the fast trains which take the high-speed route arrive at a secondary station in Cologne / Köln, located on the east bank of the River Rhine.
   Other trains, including all those on the slower route, arrive at the city's main station, Koln Hbf.
3. Price: The popularity of a departure and not the route it takes, or the station it arrives at, are what most greatly affects the cost of taking each specific train.

Despite this being one of Germany's busiest railway routes there is no high speed line between Hamburg and Köln / Cologne.
Hence a wide variety of trains both share the route and have comparable journey times.

There are typically three optimum options for taking a train from Innsbruck to Cologne/Koln:

1. The direct daytime train, which also happens to take the most scenic possible route between the two cities.
2. The fastest daytime option is to travel via Munchen/Munich and make a connection there.
3. Travelling through the night on a direct Nightjet service.

The journey from London to Köln / Cologne / Koeln by train involves making a connection at Bruxelles-Midi station, which is also known as Brussel Zuid station.
Eurostar is the sole provider of the train service between London and Bruxelles/Brussels but both ICE and Eurotar Thalys trains are available between Bruxelles and Köln.
Which of these two train services you take when travelling on to Köln matters to both the end-to-end journey time and when booking tickets.

There are multiple options for travelling from München/Munich to Köln/Cologne by train during the day and overnight

During the day ICE trains take two different routes from München/Munich to Köln/Cologne.
(1) The more frequent services (and a new fastest 'Sprinter' service) take a route via Nurnberg and Frankfurt - But they don't arrive at the main station in Köln/Cologne as their route takes them through a station named Köln Messe/Deutz.
(2) Other ICE trains from München/Munich take a route via Stuttgart and do arrive at the main station, Köln hbf.

So check the location of your final destination in Köln/Cologne and use the station info below, to see which route will suit you better.

Köln Messe/Deutz is further from the city centre, but if your ultimate destination is located along the U-Bahn (metro) routes; 1, 3, 4 or 9 then connections are available to these lines at Messe/Deutz.
While U-Bahn lines 5, 16 and 18 have stations linked to Köln hbf.

If your final destination is

• within walking distance of Köln hbf and you won't be travelling with luggage etc
• you can find a cheaper price for train Messe/Deutz; or if the arrival times of those trains suit you better,
  then take the trains heading to Messe-Deutz.
  You can then hop on a local S-Bahn train at Messe-Deutz (if you book to Koln hbf) - and can be at the main station less than 10 minutes after you have stepped off the train at Messe/Deutz.

However, if you will be heading to a location near Koln hbf and

• do have luggage etc
• will bemaking an onward connection in that station
  do target the direct ICE trains to Koln hbf.
  That's because the interchange between the ICE and S-Bahn trains at Messe/Deutz involves walking up a staircase.

When travelling overnight you will arrive at Koln hbf - but can choose between

• travelling in a bed or bunk on the Nightjet train
• travelling on the same ICE trains as used for the daytime services.

The only direct trains between Paris and north-east Germany are the high speed Thalys trains, so this is a straightforward journey.

Köln hbf, the main station in Cologne, offers connections on to a swathe of destinations with no direct trains from Paris, including Berlin, Bonn, Hannover, Koblenz and Wuppertal.

Look up a journey from Salzburg to Cologne on a ticket booking service and most of the options will involve making a connection into an ICE train on to Köln / Cologne.

However, there is one daily option for taking a direct train from Salzburg to Köln / Cologne, which can get lost amidst the alternatives, hence it being singled out.
It also takes a much more scenic route!

Take care when looking up the journey that Köln hbf and not Koln Messe/Deutz is the station that you will be arriving at.

Despite the distance it's a very simple journey by train from Wien/Vienna to Köln/Cologne, thanks to direct connections between these two fabulous cities, both during the day and overnight.

When looking up a journey by train from Zurich to Cologne/Köln on the ticket booking websites most of the travel options will involve taking two ICE trains and making a connection at a German station, but there is a daily direct train available.
It also happens to take a much more scenic route!

There is also a recently introduced overnight direct train, but this Nightjet train is on route to Amsterdam so it calls in Cologne/Köln before 06:00.