- Must visit
Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest
Major fine arts museum on Heroes’ Square with strong collections of Old Masters, Egyptian art, and European painting.
Cheapest price
$93
Average price
$108
Fastest journey
15 h 20 m
Average duration
17 h
Buses per day
28
Distance
956 km
The best way to find a cheap bus ticket from Cologne to Budapest is to book your journey as far in advance as possible and to avoid traveling at rush hour.
The average ticket from Cologne to Budapest will cost around $108 if you buy it on the day, but the cheapest tickets can be found for only $93.
Of the 28 buses that leave Cologne for Budapest on Sat, May 16, 3 travel direct so it’s quite easy to avoid journeys where you’ll have to change along the way.
On Sat, May 16 the direct buses cover the 956 km distance in an average of 17 h but if you time it right, some buses will get you there in just 15 h 20 m .
On Sat, May 16 the slowest buses will take 17 h 35 m and usually involve a change or two along the way, but you might be able to save a few pennies if you’re on a budget.
(Amsterdam -> Prague) · (Prague -> Budapest)
(Amsterdam -> Prague) · (Prague -> Budapest)
FlixBus · FlixBus
FlixBus · FlixBus
FlixBus · FlixBus+
FlixTrain
FlixBus
FlixBus · FlixBus
FlixBus
FlixBus
FlixBus · FlixBusOmio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Cologne to Budapest among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from $62. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 1h 58m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.3 - 0.9kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of $62, and a flight costs an average of $103.
Distance: 594 miles (956 km)
| Bus | Most popular Train | Flight | Driving |
|---|---|---|---|
$91 Average price Cheapest | $193 Average price | $528 Average price | $39 Average price (fuel + tolls) |
16h 52m Average total duration 16h 22m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 13h 10m Average total duration 12h 40m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 4h 58m Average total duration Fastest 1h 58m Onboard + 3h 0m Additional time* | 11h 43m Average total duration (door-to-door) |
1.0 - 2.4kg CO2 emissions | 0.3 - 0.9kg CO2 emissions Lowest | 2.9 - 5.7kg CO2 emissions | - CO2 emissions |
![]() Most popular bus company | ![]() Most popular train company | ![]() Most popular airline | Your own car or car rental |
Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options | Direct Options |
Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.
This is compared to other travel options from Cologne to Budapest:
A bus is $102 (€82) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Cologne to Budapest costing on average $193 (€156).
A bus is $437 (€353) less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Cologne to Budapest costing on average $528 (€427).
Other travel options to Budapest take longer:
Train takes on average 12h 40m.
Bus takes on average 16h 22m.
You'll arrive about -5h -39m sooner (16h 22m by bus vs 11h 43m by car) and save roughly $-52.41 (€-42.33) compared to fuel and tolls ($91 (€74) vs $39 (€31)). You also skip the drive itself — no traffic stress, no parking, and you can use the time to work, nap, or catch up on a series with the onboard Wi-Fi.
Direct coaches are operated by FlixBus.
Driving is still worth considering if you're travelling with bulky luggage, need flexibility on departure times, or plan to stop along the way.
| Operator | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Duration | Departure days | Cheapest price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 02:20AM | Arrival Time 09:45PM | Duration 19h25 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 03:10AM | Arrival Time 10:45PM | Duration 19h35 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 04:50AM | Arrival Time 11:50PM | Duration 19h00 | Departure days Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $112 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 08:14AM | Arrival Time 06:25AM | Duration 22h11 | Departure days Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 08:15AM | Arrival Time 05:35AM | Duration 21h20 | Departure days Tue, Thu, Sun | Cheapest price $61 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 08:35AM | Arrival Time 04:20AM | Duration 19h45 | Departure days Mon, Sat | Cheapest price $75 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 09:01AM | Arrival Time 09:05AM | Duration 24h04 | Departure days Thu, Sun | Cheapest price $185 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 10:35AM | Arrival Time 08:40AM | Duration 22h05 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 10:45AM | Arrival Time 07:30AM | Duration 20h45 | Departure days Thu, Sun | Cheapest price $103 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 11:05AM | Arrival Time 05:05AM | Duration 18h00 | Departure days Wed | Cheapest price $76 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 11:20AM | Arrival Time 07:30AM | Duration 20h10 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Sat | Cheapest price $61 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 12:14PM | Arrival Time 11:15AM | Duration 23h01 | Departure days Mon, Thu, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $75 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 12:55PM | Arrival Time 06:10AM | Duration 17h15 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 01:35PM | Arrival Time 12:35PM | Duration 23h00 | Departure days Sun | Cheapest price $149 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 01:50PM | Arrival Time 05:10AM | Duration 15h20 | Departure days Mon, Sat | Cheapest price $94 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 03:50PM | Arrival Time 09:25AM | Duration 17h35 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 04:14PM | Arrival Time 10:50AM | Duration 18h36 | Departure days Everyday | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixTrain | Departure Time 04:14PM | Arrival Time 11:15AM | Duration 19h01 | Departure days Thu, Fri, Sun | Cheapest price $97 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 05:55PM | Arrival Time 03:00PM | Duration 21h05 | Departure days Mon, Tue | Cheapest price $60 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 06:35PM | Arrival Time 05:50PM | Duration 23h15 | Departure days Thu, Fri, Sun | Cheapest price $108 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 07:35PM | Arrival Time 01:25PM | Duration 17h50 | Departure days Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $109 |
Operator RegioJet a.s. | Departure Time 07:40PM | Arrival Time 04:35PM | Duration 20h55 | Departure days Everyday | Cheapest price $65 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 09:00PM | Arrival Time 06:45PM | Duration 21h45 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun | Cheapest price $66 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 11:35PM | Arrival Time 06:10PM | Duration 18h35 | Departure days Everyday | Cheapest price $59 |
The table below shows live departures for Cologne to Budapest buses for today, Friday, May 15. You can also manually refresh the results below to see updated bus journeys.
| Provider | Departs | Duration | Arrives | Transfers | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FlixBus · FlixBus | 11:35 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 18h35 | 6:10 PM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 11:35 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 21h20 | 8:55 PM Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 11:35 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 18h15 | 5:50 PM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
| Saturday, May 16 | |||||
FlixBus · FlixBus | 2:20 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 18h35 | 8:55 PM Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 2:20 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 19h25 | 9:45 PM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 3:10 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 19h35 | 10:45 PM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 3:10 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 20h40 | 11:50 PM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 4:50 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 19h00 | 11:50 PM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 8:35 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 19h45 | 4:20 AM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus · FlixBus | 10:35 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 22h05 | 8:40 AM Budapest, Keleti Vasútállomás (Kerepesi út) | 2 transfers | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 11:20 AM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 20h10 | 7:30 AM Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér | 1 transfer | |
FlixTrain+ FlixBus | 12:14 PM Cologne Hbf | 23h01 | 11:15 AM Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér | 1 transfer | |
FlixTrain+ FlixBus | 12:14 PM Cologne Hbf | 18h11 | 6:25 AM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixTrain+ FlixBus | 12:14 PM Cologne Hbf | 17h56 | 6:10 AM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 12:55 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 17h15 | 6:10 AM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus | 1:50 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 15h20 | 5:10 AM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 3:50 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 18h25 | 10:15 AM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus | 3:50 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 17h35 | 9:25 AM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 3:50 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 19h25 | 11:15 AM Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus | 3:50 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 17h15 | 9:05 AM Budapest, Krisztina körút / Kosciuszkó Tádé utca | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixTrain+ FlixBus | 4:14 PM Cologne Hbf | 18h36 | 10:50 AM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
FlixTrain+ FlixBus | 4:14 PM Cologne Hbf | 18h56 | 11:10 AM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixTrain+ FlixBus · FlixBus | 4:14 PM Cologne Hbf | 23h21 | 3:35 PM Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér | 2 transfers | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 7:35 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 20h00 | 3:35 PM Budapest, Liszt Ferenc Nemzetközi Repülőtér | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 7:35 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 17h50 | 1:25 PM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus · FlixBus | 7:35 PM Köln, Kennedystraße (Köln Bonn Flughafen) | 17h35 | 1:10 PM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
(Amsterdam -> Prague) · (Prague -> Budapest) | 7:40 PM Köln, Köln Bonn Flughafen (Terminal 2) | 20h55 | 4:35 PM Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar | 1 transfer | |
(Amsterdam -> Prague) · (Prague -> Budapest) | 7:40 PM Köln, Köln Bonn Flughafen (Terminal 2) | 20h35 | 4:15 PM Budapest, Kelenföld Vasútállomás | 1 transfer | |
This is the last bus of the day. | |||||
Find all the dates and times for this journey
Compare train, bus, and flight prices over the next three weeks. See the best deals at a glance, find the lowest fares, and choose the option that fits your budget.
Buses from Cologne to Budapest run on average 21 times per day, taking around 16h 22m. Cheap bus tickets for this journey start at $62 (€50) if you book in advance.
There are 1 buses per day. The earliest bus runs at 00:45, the last at 23:55. The fastest bus covers the 594 miles (956 km) distance in 17h 15m.
Distance 594 miles (956 km) |
Average bus duration 16h 22m |
Cheapest ticket price $62 (€50) |
Buses per day 21 |
Direct buses 1 |
Fastest bus 17h 15m |
First bus 12:45 AM |
Last bus 11:55 PM |
Cheapest Month Jul |
Cheapest Day Mon |
High Season Oct - Dec |
Low Season Jan - Mar |
Busiest Day Sun |
Least Busy Day Sat |
Best time to book 70 days |
Discover the best of Budapest — top attractions, local food, transport tips, budget advice, and currency essentials. Plan your perfect Budapest trip today.
Major fine arts museum on Heroes’ Square with strong collections of Old Masters, Egyptian art, and European painting.
The national art museum inside Buda Castle, showcasing Hungarian art from medieval works to modern painting and sculpture.
A powerful museum on 20th-century fascist and communist repression in Hungary, known for immersive and emotional exhibits.
Historic hilltop quarter of cobbled lanes, courtyards, and viewpoints, ideal for scenic walks and classic Budapest atmosphere.
Elegant boulevard lined with mansions, cultural institutions, and luxury storefronts, connecting downtown with Heroes’ Square.
Major viewpoint area with panoramic city vistas, walking paths, and some of Budapest’s most shared skyline photos.
Hungary’s iconic paprika-rich goulash soup with beef, potatoes, and vegetables. In Budapest, it is a classic introduction to traditional home-style cooking.
A slow-cooked meat stew seasoned with onion and sweet paprika, usually served with nokedli. It is one of the most typical hearty Hungarian main dishes.
Tender chicken cooked in a creamy paprika sauce, often served with dumplings. It is a beloved comfort dish found across traditional Budapest restaurants.
A long-running family restaurant known for classic Hungarian and Hungarian-Jewish dishes. Warm, traditional atmosphere and consistently strong reputation.
A Michelin-starred Budapest restaurant presenting refined modern Hungarian cuisine with strong local ingredients and elegant service.
An established traditional restaurant near City Park, famous for generous portions of goulash, paprikash, and other classic Hungarian meals.
Cheaper than many Western European capitals. Good value for transit, casual dining, and attractions; upscale hotels and fine dining cost more.
Service may be included. If not, tip 10% in restaurants for good service. Round up taxis. Small tips for hotel staff are appreciated.
Official public transport app
Budapest, Népliget Autóbusz-Pályaudvar -> Deák Ferenc tér, Budapest
Find answers to the most common questions about traveling from Cologne to Budapest by bus. From journey times and ticket prices to direct connections, first and last departures, and even whether the route is scenic, our FAQs cover everything you need to plan your trip. Whether you’re looking for the fastest bus, the cheapest option, or tips for making the most of your visit at Budapest, this guide helps you travel smarter and with confidence.

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