Many tourists come to Cologne not to travel around Germany: they go directly to the capital of the Netherlands. The distance between Cologne and Amsterdam is only 246 km by car. There are no direct flights between these cities, but there are direct trains and buses.

We describe all the options on how to get from Cologne to Amsterdam on your own and how to buy tickets in advance in the article below. Ticket prices and traffic information are presented as of 2019. Check the cost, availability of flights and schedule for the desired date when booking tickets.

From Cologne/Bonn Airport to Amsterdam by bus

If you want to get from Cologne Airport to Amsterdam, then choose the FlixBus bus. This carrier has all flights on this route without transfers, which means you will save time. Eurolines buses pass through Brussels, so the trip will be twice as long.

Train routes from the airport require a change in Cologne, so this option is more suitable for those planning a trip from Cologne itself.

FlixBus is the quickest way to get directly to the capital of the Netherlands. The direct route takes only about 4 hours. Flights from Köln/Bonn Flughafen operate several times a day: at 6.40, 9.05, 14.55, 16.05 and even 3.15 am.

All buses arrive at the Amsterdam Sloterdijk bus station.

Photo from the site www.flixbus.ru

The ticket price for early booking is approximately 19 Euros.

Eurolines bus

The cheapest way to travel from the airport to Amsterdam is with a Eurolines bus. However, this carrier’s flights are not direct: all routes require a transfer in Brussels at the Gare du Nord northern railway station.

Transfer time ranges from 1 to 3 or even more hours. On the other hand, this is a good opportunity to plan your trip so that you can also walk around the capital of Belgium.

The minimum travel time, including transfers, is about 8 hours. Departures are available only in the morning - at 8.45 and 11.45. Buses arrive at Station Duivendrecht.

Despite the length of the journey, tickets on Eurolines cost only about 14 Euros.

Buy a bus ticket Cologne - Amsterdam online

Compare all options for FlixBus and Eurolines buses in this direction and buy a ticket conveniently on a single Russian-language website www.omio.ru. There you need to set the parameters you are interested in: the system itself will give you all the suitable options. All you have to do is choose the most profitable flight and purchase a ticket that will be sent to your email.

In the case of the FlixBus bus, you do not need to print out the ticket - just download the mobile application to your phone and come to the bus to board. All information on the ticket will also be in Russian.

From Cologne to Amsterdam by train

If you need to get to Amsterdam directly from Cologne, then use the ICE high-speed train from the German company Deutsche Bahn. The cost of travel will be more expensive than taking a bus from the airport, but it will take less than three hours.

ICE High Speed ​​Train

Direct flights of high-speed trains Intercity-Express (ICE) operate from 6.41 am to 20.42 pm with a two-hour interval. The journey will take you only 2 hours and 47 minutes.

Departure from Köln Hbf main station, arrival at Amsterdam Centraal central station. The trains are very comfortable, so you will enjoy your trip!

Photo: hpgruesen / Pixabay.com

The cost of a ticket at the minimum fare in second class is about 30 Euros, and at a higher fare, which involves the return and exchange of a ticket, prices increase to 70 Euros.

Buy a train ticket Cologne - Amsterdam online

If you want to save money, it is better to buy tickets for the DB train in advance (preferably a month in advance), while tickets at the lowest fares are available. Closer to the trip, there are simply no tickets left at low fares for many flights. The easiest way to do this is in Russian on the website www.omio.ru.

After payment, the ticket will be sent to your email: print it out and show it to the train controller. This way, you don’t have to stand in line, understand information about train movements at a ticket office or machine in a foreign language, and overpay for a ticket just before departure.

From Cologne to Amsterdam by car

Travel time by car along the direct route is about 2 hours 40 minutes. Renting a car is an excellent opportunity to drive around picturesque places and interesting cities in Germany and Holland, planning the route yourself. Gasoline will cost approximately 45-50 Euros.

If you are traveling with a group of friends, you can divide this amount among all your fellow travelers: it will be even cheaper than taking a bus or train.

It’s better to see all the options and rent a car at a profit in advance in Russian on the website so that you don’t have to worry about finding a car in Cologne.

Save on a hotel in Amsterdam

Find out in advance where the best places to stay in Amsterdam are and save money. It’s profitable to compare hotel prices and choose the right offer using the website roomguru.ru.

Unlike individual booking systems, this aggregator presents many more hotel options: this way you can get a room at the lowest cost.

In particular, the distance from Cologne to Amsterdam is only about 270 kilometers, and the train covers it in about 2.5 - 3 hours - this time allows you to make a one-day excursion from Cologne to Amsterdam. The travel time by bus is longer, about 5 hours, but it also allows you to visit the city, especially if you take a ready-made excursion tour.

From Cologne to Amsterdam by train

There are many trains running between these cities, which you can take at (K?lnHbf) and Amsterdam (Amsterdam Central). You can travel on the trains of the German railway DeutscheBahn: by buying a ticket in advance via the Internet, you can significantly save on the cost of the ticket.

Train ticket price

For example, tickets purchased in advance for 6-46 am cost 29 euros, for 8-42 - 39 euros for high-speed international trains Cologne-Amsterdam ICE without transfers. But it’s also worth buying a seat reservation, because... There may simply not be any free seats on this popular route.

The left column with prices (Savings fares) is the cost of pre-purchasing a ticket, special offers (the number of tickets is limited), the right column (Standard fare) is the regular price at which you can buy a ticket at the station or.

Please note: When purchasing a ticket to Amsterdam, as to any other city, the ticket inspector on the train will need to present the plastic card you used to pay.

Amsterdam Central Station, where the train arrives, is located in the city center: the main attractions of the city are within walking distance.

Convenient timetable Cologne-Amsterdam and back by train

It is convenient to travel to Amsterdam from Cologne by train at 6:46, 8:42, 10:42 - morning high-speed trains without transfers, travel time is less than 3 hours. From Amsterdam to Cologne you can take the same trains at 16:35 and 18:35.

If you are an inexperienced traveler, then you should give preference to trains without transfers, however, if transfers are unavoidable, then in principle this is not a problem, because, firstly, on the website or you can print a list of transfers, times and platform numbers in advance, -secondly, they are usually made in such a way that it is convenient and easy for passengers to move from one train to another. Transplants are common in Germany. True, in the example below the transfer is not from train to train, but from train to bus.

By bus

There are several carriers that provide regular bus services from Cologne and other German cities to Amsterdam. One-way fares start from 19 euros, and reservations can also be made in advance on the website. True, the travel time will be longer - up to 5 hours.

You can view tickets on the websites of European bus carriers:

• https://www.eurolines.de/en/home/
• https://www.busliniensuche.de/
• https://www.flixbus.de/
• http://meinfernbus.de/bus-von-koeln-nach-amsterdam
• https://www.adac-postbus.de/

To Amsterdam - with a bus tour

Perhaps it is worth going to Amsterdam not on your own, but with an excursion, which includes both round-trip bus travel and the excursion service itself. Cost from 40 euros.

There are also bus tours for several days to Amsterdam, Brussels, Bruges, Luxembourg.

The charming capital of Holland attracts tourists from all over the world. The modern capital of a European state surprises travelers with Van Gon's masterpiece palette, colorful tulip fields, the Museum Quarter, labyrinthine streets and lively bicycle traffic. These and many other attractions make it so attractive. Therefore, today we will consider in detail all the possible options for how to get from Cologne to Amsterdam.

Types of transport

Cologne is located in the west of Germany, which is a great advantage if you need to get from it to Amsterdam. The capital and at the same time the largest city of the Netherlands is located in the western part of the country, in the province of North Holland. On the map it is replete with canals, as it is located at the mouth of two rivers: Hey and Amstey, and is also connected to the North Sea.

The distance from Amsterdam to Cologne is 265 kilometers. This assumes that the trip by any type of transport will not last long. The table shows the different means of transportation, travel time and prices.

How to get there by rail

You can get from one city to another by train. This option is quite fast and comfortable; the carrier company makes a lot of efforts to ensure comfort.

You can check the schedule and ticket prices in advance using the Deutsche Bahn website. In order to find tickets at the lowest and most favorable prices, you must immediately go to the “Saver fare finder” section on the main page. Since the destination station is located outside of Germany, you will need to select the country in this section, namely the Netherlands, by clicking on the inscription, as shown in the picture below.

After filling out the necessary information, the site will give you the train schedule and the cost of each flight. You can also book a train ticket here. To do this, you will need to click on the required flight and click on the To book inscription.

Trains from Köln Hbf station to Amsterdam Centraal station are available in the morning, afternoon and evening. The interval between trains is two hours. The earliest flight leaves Cologne at 6.46, and the latest at 20.42. The journey takes on average 2 hours 40 minutes.

The cost of an adult ticket varies from 19.90 to 44.90 €. The price of a train ticket for a child whose age is from 6 to 14 years is 40-50% less. If you were unable to buy a ticket in advance, you can purchase it directly at the station at the ticket office or a special machine.

We get there by bus

You can get from Germany to the Netherlands using the services of bus carriers. In this case, the duration of the trip is from 4 to 7 hours. It is recommended to use the services of a carrier Eurolines or Flixbus. Traveling on the buses of these companies is comfortable and enjoyable, which is explained by the successful transport layout and high-quality service.

Eurolines

Eurolines offers daily flights to your desired destination. Buses depart from Köln, Köln/Bonn Airport, and Fernbusbahnhof at 14.30 and 18.30, and arrive at Stationsplein 3 Duivendrecht at 20.20 and 00.20 respectively.

Travel time is 5 hours 50 minutes. The price of an adult ticket is 28 euros. The cost of a travel pass for infants and children under 3 years is 11.20 €. Reservations or purchases of tickets can be made online on the carrier's website.

Flixbus

The Flixbus carrier has a much larger number of flights on a given route. Depending on the travel time you choose, it will take from 3 hours 55 minutes to 6 hours 40 minutes.

Flights from Cologne predominantly depart from Cologne-Bonn Airport. During the day there are a couple of buses at 11.00 and 11.30 that depart from Cologne East station, Refrath station and Leverkusen station.

The cost of both an adult and a child pass ranges from 18.90 to 22.90 euros. You can buy a ticket or reserve a seat on the carrier’s website, which also has a Russian-language version.

From Cologne to Amsterdam by car

Traveling to Amsterdam from Cologne in your own car will be pleasant and short. Depending on which main highway is chosen, you will need to cover from 263 to 281 kilometers.

The fastest route is via the A3 road, along the route there are Duisburg, Arnhem and Amersfoort. A slightly longer option for a trip along the A57 road, followed by an exit onto the A73 highway.

Following this route you can visit Düsseldorf, Nijmegen and Utrecht. You can also get there along the B55 and A61 roads, with access to the A73 highway, as in the option described above.

The duration of the trip excluding stops is a maximum of 3 hours 10 minutes. With an average fuel consumption of 9 liters per 100 kilometers, you will need 25 liters of gasoline.

The price of gasoline in Germany as of September 2019 is 1.39 € per 1 liter. In total, you will need to spend 35 euros.

By rented car

To travel from Cologne to Amsterdam, you can rent a car, but such a pleasure will be expensive. You can rent a car yourself in advance on the website of companies, for example, Hertz or Budget.

Depending on the model and type of car, rental prices start from 233 euros per day, which is a significant amount. When a company of 4 or 5 people is recruited, renting a car can be more profitable, since everyone will need to spend 50-60 euros.

Get there with a hitchhiker

On the most popular service for finding travel companions, Blablacar, you can find offers for trips from Cologne to Amsterdam. This option assumes that you can get there as comfortably and quickly as possible, because the trip will take place by car.

Most often, the most accurate information appears a couple of days before the trip, so it is important to monitor the site, periodically checking the required or desired date. You can get there with a travel companion quite cheaply, and there are different options, and the price for one seat will vary from 13 to 20 euros.

Of course, you can get from Cologne to Amsterdam by plane, but this method of travel has several serious disadvantages. Firstly, the flight will probably not be very cheap, and, secondly, you can only get there with a transfer, since there are no direct flights.

Even low-cost airlines offer quite expensive tickets. Traveling by plane takes from 3 to 7 hours. In this case, the transfer takes place in Munich, Frankfurt, Zurich or Hamburg. Lufthansa operates many flights.

Most flights take place in the morning and afternoon. The first connecting flight departs from Cologne-Bonn Airport at 5.55 and arrives in Schiphol at 9.20. The last one is at 16.35, and after 4 hours 15 minutes it arrives at Amsterdam airport.

Air ticket prices range from 218 to 700 euros.

The second German low-cost airline, Eurowings, offers fewer flights, which also have connecting flights.

The choice is limited: only three flights – at 12.00, 2.35 and 3.45. Travel time for the first two flights is from 6 to 7 hours, for the last – 3 hours and 10 minutes. Ticket prices range from 99 to 419 €.

You can get to Cologne-Bonn Airport from the city by train S13 for 2.60 euros, as well as by Airport Express Bus number 670 and 161, the fare for which is 2.20 euros.

Upon arrival at the Dutch airport Schiphol, you can get to the center of the capital by train, which departs every 15 minutes. To do this, you need to find a train that goes to Amsterdam Centraal station. The peculiarity is that regional trains do not have numbers, and tickets are not time-bound, so you must select the desired train and get to the center during the day. Ticket price 5.30 euros.

You can also get from the airport to the center by bus No. 397, the fare is 6 euros. The most expensive option is a taxi ride, which will cost 40-50 euros.

Conclusion

You can get from Cologne to Amsterdam by almost all possible means of transport: train, bus, car or plane. Each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Traveling by plane is expensive and impractical given the transfers. Another expensive and therefore unprofitable option is renting a car.

Traveling by bus and train are the best options in terms of time and price; their indisputable advantage is a clear schedule and the ability to book a seat in advance.

If you have your own car, you can make the trip yourself, because it is very fast and profitable. For young people and sociable people, finding travel companions is an excellent option, and its additional advantage is its low cost.

Having studied all the details in detail, you can carefully choose the most suitable mode of transport to get from Cologne to Amsterdam.

Cologne Train Station: Video

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Which companies take you from Cologne to Amsterdam by train?

Virail finds offers from many railway companies in Europe and the rest of the world. For example, it shows the possible train connections from Cologne to Amsterdam offered by Deutsche Bahn.

Deutsche Bahn is a German national company. It covers not only national and international routes between neighboring countries, but also regional, local and suburban services.

How much is the cheapest train ticket from Cologne to Amsterdam?

Booking in advance really saves money:. In fact, you can get cheap train tickets from Cologne to Amsterdam also only PFL, while the average price is RUB 36.45

Cologne is very popular among numerous tourists, and often acts as a kind of crossing point for traveling to Amsterdam and other European cities. How to get and how long does it take to get to the capital of the Netherlands?

Google Maps / google.ru

The Cologne Amsterdam train allows you to cover a distance of almost three hundred kilometers in just a few hours, but there are other ways to get from Cologne to Amsterdam, which will be discussed in detail below.

Train travel

Tickets for trains from Cologne to Amsterdam are sold both at the general ticket offices of the main railway station and at points located outside it. The fare varies from 25 to 90 euros depending on the class and time of ticket purchase.

Joshua Brown / flickr.com

The second class has minor differences from the first, which are expressed in increased comfort, fewer passengers in the carriage and the availability of additional services, such as free high-speed Internet, the latest newspapers, as well as coffee and tea. Sandwiches and chilled drinks are charged separately.

The travel time ranges from two and a half to three hours, depending on the number of stops the train makes along the way. The fastest way to get to Amsterdam is the direct express, but it is also considered the most expensive.

Those wishing to save money on a trip to the capital of Holland are recommended to use routes that include one or more transfers. We must immediately warn that passengers here will have to move from platform to platform and will need to monitor the schedule on the electronic board.

In addition to the electronic ticket, it is important to have with you the payment card with which you paid for the travel document. If you purchase a train ticket that does not specify a specific seat, the passenger has the right to take any seat he likes.

Monika / flickr.com

The distance from Amsterdam to Cologne by rail is approximately 272 kilometers. For those traveling as part of an organized tourist group, it makes sense to pay attention to purchasing a group ticket, designed for 3 to 5 people, and providing a good discount.

It is worth taking care in advance of booking travel documents via the Internet, for example, the website, since the final price directly depends on how far in advance they were purchased.

You need to visit the official web resource of German railway communications, where the left column usually indicates the cost of a ticket in case of advance purchase, and the right column (“Standard Fare”) contains information about prices that are current on the day of purchase.

Among other symbols that allow tourists to orient themselves, it is worth highlighting the following:

1. “Chg”, which informs the passenger about the number of transfers on the way to Amsterdam.
2. The “durations” column provides precise information about the time the journey will take.
3. “Products” indicates the train category and train number.

Joost Witteveen / flickr.com

Passengers arrive at the central railway station, where the exciting adventure can begin. You should take care of your return ticket in advance; you can purchase it both at ticket offices and in special machines that provide comprehensive information about the number of transfers, travel duration and platform numbers.

Those who decide to travel by train should also know that they depart throughout the day at intervals of several hours. There is also a night express, the departure time of which should be clarified in advance.

Travel by car

The distance between Cologne and Amsterdam by road is approximately 269 kilometers, which takes about three hours to cover.

It is worth noting that the condition of the highways located both in Germany and Holland is excellent, and they themselves have a sufficient number of lanes for comfortable movement in either direction. The A1 highway has peak lanes that help in case of too much traffic.

Most sections of the highway are equipped with tools for video and photographic recording of traffic violations and exceeding the recommended speed. Drivers of vehicles should be extremely careful throughout the trip, since fines in European countries are much higher than in the CIS countries.

Thomas Kohler / flickr.com

In Germany there are a lot of companies that provide cars for rent. Those who decide to get to Amsterdam by rented car should take note of the following recommendations:

• Full insurance will cost a little more, but it will cover all expenses in the event of an accident or any other force majeure situation.
• A good car can be booked in advance by visiting the website.
• To make a reservation, you will need to have several times the deposit on your credit card account.

The standard cost per day (excluding fuel) is approximately 65 euros, but it is quite possible to rent a simpler vehicle for two days for this amount.

How to get there by bus?

You can get from Amsterdam to Cologne not only by train or car, but also by bus, a ticket for which can be booked through the website. This method is the most affordable in terms of cost, but the trip can last up to five hours.

The standard round-trip ticket price ranges from 50 to 65 euros, with discounts available for students and pensioners. The cost of excursion programs usually does not exceed 20 euros. Those who want to save on this type of expense can simply “join” any excursion they like.

Video: bus Cologne - Amsterdam.

By plane

What is the fastest way to get to the Dutch capital? There are regular flights from Cologne Airport to Amsterdam, but the total cost of a ticket exceeds 120 euros. You can buy tickets for 20-25 euros, if you are lucky enough to purchase a “hot” or promotional ticket, which can be searched on the website.

If your luggage does not fit in the shelf located in the aircraft cabin, you will have to pay for it separately or use the luggage storage room at the airport terminal. Travel by air takes approximately 22 minutes.