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Basel / Bâle to Köln / Cologne / Koeln by train
How to take a rail journey from Basel to Cologne/Köln
There are theree options available when taking a direct train from Basel to Cologne/Köln:
- Taking the scenic option of travelling through the gorgeous Rhine Gorge on an EC train.
- The fastest option of travelling during the day on an ICE train, which rushes along Germany's fastest railway during its journey.
- 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.
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Routes
Option 1: the most scenic
Journey Summary
4hr 29min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Hamburg (or Dortmund)
These trains also call at: Mainz and Koblenz and Bonn
These EC trains are usually scheduled to depart daily from Basel Bf station at 12:28 and 14:33.
2 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
When looking for tickets to Köln on DB Bahn type ‘K‘ into the ‘to‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
These EC trains are usually scheduled to depart daily from Basel Bf station at 12:28 and 14:33, so target those departure times when looking up this journey, if you want to take the more scenic route.
These trains will have also called at Basel SBB station at 12:20 and 14:27, but you'll save money if you book tickets from Basel Bad bf station.
If the departure times suit and you don't mind a longer journey than the alternative ICE trains, these EC trains can be the cheapest option for a Basel to Koln/Cologne journey.
Reservations are highly recommended for this journey, book a 1st class ticket and your seat will be assigned, but not if you book 2nd class.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €19.90 | |
| Trainline | from €19.90 | |
| Save A Train | from €19.90 | |
| Happy rail | from €19.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Take these EC trains rather than the alternative ICE trains and the journey will be slower, but much more scenic.
It's so fabulous that a special observation car, which can be accessed by First Class ticket holders with no need for an additional charge, is included within the train.
Journey description:
Sit on the right of the train when facing the direction of travel because after Mainz comes the fabulous climax to the day's travels, the stunning views of The Rhine Gorge between Bingen and Koblenz.
(the videos were taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction).
After Bingen there are some fabulous views of The Rhine Gorge from the right of the train, when facing the direction of travel.
After Boppard the train will travel right by the river for the final part of the journey all the way to Koblenz; the views of the valley aren't quite as spectacular north of Boppard, but they're still fabulous!
This part of the journey is a delight, you can't miss the endless parade of boats travelling up and down the river and look out for the multitude of castles perched on top of the hills.
Then after Koblenz, north of Remagen there are yet more fine views of the Rhine Valley, even on a grey day!
(Though trains can be diverted to run along the east bank of the river north of Mainz, and if that does occur, the equally fabulous Rhine Valley views will be on the left).
Option 2: the fastest
Journey Summary
3hr 39min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Hamburg* or Koln or Amsterdam
*- Most of these trains have had their journeys extended beyond Koln so they also call in Dusseldorf, Essen, Dortmund and Bremeb
All trains also call at: Frankfurt-Flughafen (Airport)
Most trains also call at: Seigburg-Bonn where connections are available to Bonn city centre.
These ICE trains are faster than the alternative daytime service of the EC trains because they travel at more than 275 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line between Frankfurt Flughafen and Seigburg-Bonn
1 x train every other hour
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
When looking for tickets to Köln Hbf on DB Bahn website type ‘K‘ into the ‘to‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.
On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have
- 0 in the Chg. colum
- ICE (and only ICE) in the Products column.
Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.
Our step-by-step guide to booking train tickets on the DB (German national railways) website is available HERE.
Seat reservations
Reservations are recommended for this journey; book a 1st class ticket on DB Bahn and your seat will be assigned, but not in 2nd class.
They can also be booked separately at a later date on the DB website.
For rail pass users reservations are optional, but if you do choose to reserve (recommended) book the reservation online on DB Bahn; and avoid the booking fees you would be charged at the station in Switzerland.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
| Trainline | from €17.90 | |
| Save A Train | from €17.90 | |
| Happy rail | from €17.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
This route taken by the ICE train is a journey of five distinct phases:
- From the suburbs of Basel to Offenburg, the railway travels through a rolling landscape.
- Then from Offenburg to Karlsruhe a high speed line has been constructed beside the conventional route.
- Between Karlsruhe and Frankfurt Flughafen the train will race through a string of towns.
- Then the travel will travel at more than 275 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line between Frankfurt Flughafen and Seigburg-Bonn.
- The train switches back to conventional tracks for the remainder of the journey
The video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, but it showcases why the high speed section of this journey has a wow factor.
Option 3: travelling overnight
Journey Summary
6hr 30min
Nightly
Travel Information
Final Destination: Amsterdam
The train also calls at: Koblenz and Bonn
The train is usually scheduled to depart from Basel SBB station at 23:13 and from Basel Bad bf at 23:23 and arrive in Koln hbf shortly before 06:00.
Though if you need to be in Koln/Cologne for breakfast, you will need to take this train, the first ICE train of the day on Monday-Friday isn't due into Koln until after 09:00.
This is now the only overnight train between these two cities, it has in effect replaced an ICE train that happened to run overnight.
1 x train per night
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
The train conveys:
- Compartment Seats (Sitzwagen)
- Couchettes (Liegewagen); 4 berths AND 6 berthsm
- Standard sleeping cars (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
- Deluxe sleeping cars with showers (Schlafwagen) with 3 bed, 2 bed and 1 cabins
The first price you will see on the OBB ticketing site will be for the compartment seats (OBB operates this train).
Click the train details below for more info including the rail pass reservation fees:
Rail pass users must reserve before boarding these trains,
You can now book rail pass reservations without paying booking fees on the OBB website (OBB operates these trains).Though the process for doing so isn't particularly obvious, hence this step-by-step guide.
By booking online you can avoid the booking fees which will be payable at the station in Switzerland.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €29.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
This train takes the same non-high speed route as the daytime EC trains, but it is slower because it makes more station calls.
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