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Paris to Köln / Cologne / Koeln by train
How to take a train journey from Paris to Köln / Cologne
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.
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Routes
From Paris Gare Du Nord/Paris Nord to Köln/Cologne Hbf
Journey Summary
3hr 21min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
As a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the services on this route are operating to a slightly more limited schedule compared to the usual timetable.
Details of the departures which are available can be found on the Thalys website, (change the departure and arrival stations).
Note that these trains depart from Gare du Nord in Paris.
The usual first train of the day does not depart on Sundays.
Final Destination: Dortmund or Essen or Köln
All trains also call at: Aachen
Monday to Friday: 5 x trains per day
Sat/Sun: 4 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 4 months ahead of the travel date
Seats will automatically be assigned when booking tickets for this journey.
Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.
Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.
Also when making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains - on the B-Europe booking site look for journeys that are marked 'direct' train and only have a Thalys logo and no other.
Rail Pass Users:
If you will be travelling with an InterRail or Eurail pass, you will have to pay a comparatively expensive reservation fee prior to the boarding these Thalys trains.
You can save (at least €10) and experience a much more scenic journey by following this routing:
- Paris to Luxembourg on TGV trains
- Luxembourg to Koblenz on the hourly Regio trains; this is an exceptionally scenic route
- Any of the 1 - 3 x trains per hour from Koblenz on to Koln/Cologne.
Or avoid paying any reservation fees at all by making multiple connections.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| B-Europe | from €35 | |
| SNCF Connect | from €35 | |
| Trainline | from €35 | |
| Save A Train | from €35 | |
| Happy rail | from €35 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
For a stress-free journey it's a good idea to be at the Gare Du Nord at least 20 minutes before departure as all passengers taking the Thalys trains have to pass through security checks.
So being at the back of the queue wondering if you'll be able to board in time is a scenario best avoided.
Journey Description
This is a fascinating journey of six distinct phases.
- Around seven minutes after departure the train will move on to the high speed line and it will then travel at more than 280 km/h for around 80 minutes until it reaches the suburbs of Bruxelles; this is the fastest part of the trip.
- On departure from Bruxelles-Midi the train will cross the city centre in a tunnel.
- Then after Bruxlles-Nord the train will move on to a re-engineered railway until Leuven.
- Between Leuven and five minutes before arrival in Liege the train will travel up to 250 km/h on a high speed line.
- After Liege and until Aachen the train will again achieve speed in excess of 280 km/h as it heads over the border into Germany.
- Then from Aachen until the suburbs of Koln/Cologne, the train will travel at 200 kn/h on a re-engineered railway.
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This second version of ShowMeTheJourney is exciting and new, so we are genuinely thrilled that you are here and reading this, but we also need your help.
We’re striving not to let anything get in the way of providing the most useful service possible, hence a facility has been set up with DonorBox which can be used to support the running costs and make improvements.
Instead of advertising or paywalls, your financial support will make a positive difference to delivering an enhanced service, as there’s a lot of ideas which we want to make happen.
So if you have found the info provided here to be useful, please consider saying thank you.
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