- Must visit
Museum Folkwang
One of Germany's leading museums featuring 19th and 20th-century art collections.
Cheapest price
$21
Average price
$24
Fastest journey
3 h 55 m
Average duration
4 h 7 m
Buses per day
15
Distance
190 km
The best way to find a cheap bus ticket from Frankfurt am Main to Essen is to book your journey as far in advance as possible and to avoid traveling at rush hour.
The average ticket from Frankfurt am Main to Essen will cost around $24 if you buy it on the day, but the cheapest tickets can be found for only $21.
Of the 15 buses that leave Frankfurt am Main for Essen on Tue, May 19, 12 travel direct so it’s quite easy to avoid journeys where you’ll have to change along the way.
On Tue, May 19 the direct buses cover the 190 km distance in an average of 4 h 7 m but if you time it right, some buses will get you there in just 3 h 55 m .
On Tue, May 19 the slowest buses will take 4 h 15 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.
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FlixBusOmio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Frankfurt am Main to Essen among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from $18. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 45m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.1 - 0.2kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of $18, and a flight costs an average of $114.
Distance: 118 miles (190 km)
| Bus | Most popular Train | Flight | Driving |
|---|---|---|---|
$25 Average price Cheapest | $84 Average price | $151 Average price | $44 Average price (fuel + tolls) |
4h 30m Average total duration 4h 0m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 3h 40m Average total duration 3h 10m Onboard + 30m Additional time* | 3h 45m Average total duration Fastest 45m Onboard + 3h 0m Additional time* | 2h 59m Average total duration (door-to-door) |
0.2 - 0.5kg CO2 emissions | 0.1 - 0.2kg CO2 emissions Lowest | 0.6 - 1.1kg 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 Frankfurt am Main to Essen:
A bus is $58 (€47) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Frankfurt am Main to Essen costing on average $84 (€67).
A bus is $125 (€101) less than a flight for this route with tickets for a flight from Frankfurt am Main to Essen costing on average $151 (€122).
Other travel options to Essen take longer:
Train takes on average 3h 10m.
Bus takes on average 4h 0m.
Tickets start at around $25 (€20) compared to roughly $44 (€35) in fuel and tolls — a saving of about $18 (€15). The journey takes 4h 0m versus 2h 59m by car, so you'll arrive a bit later, but you can use the time productively rather than spending it behind the wheel. No parking to sort, no fuel stops, and most coaches have Wi-Fi and power outlets.
Direct services are operated by FlixBus, BlaBlaCar.
Driving is worth considering if you're on a tight schedule, travelling as a group (where fuel costs split several ways), or want the flexibility to stop along the way.
| Operator | Departure Time | Arrival Time | Duration | Departure days | Cheapest price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 12:25AM | Arrival Time 06:25AM | Duration 6h00 | Departure days Fri | Cheapest price $28 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 01:40AM | Arrival Time 06:25AM | Duration 4h45 | Departure days Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $25 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 02:30AM | Arrival Time 06:25AM | Duration 3h55 | Departure days Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $19 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 03:10AM | Arrival Time 07:25AM | Duration 4h15 | Departure days Tue, Fri, Sun | Cheapest price $23 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 03:20AM | Arrival Time 09:02AM | Duration 5h42 | Departure days Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $25 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 04:15AM | Arrival Time 09:02AM | Duration 4h47 | Departure days Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $24 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 05:30AM | Arrival Time 09:50AM | Duration 4h20 | Departure days Thu | Cheapest price $22 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 06:30AM | Arrival Time 10:45AM | Duration 4h15 | Departure days Thu, Fri, Sun | Cheapest price $21 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 07:30AM | Arrival Time 11:45AM | Duration 4h15 | Departure days Thu | Cheapest price $18 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 08:30AM | Arrival Time 12:45PM | Duration 4h15 | Departure days Tue, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $21 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 09:00AM | Arrival Time 11:10AM | Duration 2h10 | Departure days Tue | Cheapest price $21 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 10:00AM | Arrival Time 12:40PM | Duration 2h40 | Departure days Tue, Sun | Cheapest price $25 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 10:30AM | Arrival Time 03:53PM | Duration 5h23 | Departure days Fri | Cheapest price $28 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 11:00AM | Arrival Time 01:30PM | Duration 2h30 | Departure days Sun | Cheapest price $28 |
Operator BlaBlaCar Bus | Departure Time 12:00PM | Arrival Time 08:40AM | Duration 20h40 | Departure days Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $89 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 12:00PM | Arrival Time 02:40PM | Duration 2h40 | Departure days Fri | Cheapest price $28 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 12:30PM | Arrival Time 02:30PM | Duration 2h00 | Departure days Wed | Cheapest price $23 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 12:50PM | Arrival Time 03:10PM | Duration 2h20 | Departure days Tue | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 01:00PM | Arrival Time 03:20PM | Duration 2h20 | Departure days Fri | Cheapest price $18 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 01:05PM | Arrival Time 05:50PM | Duration 4h45 | Departure days Thu | Cheapest price $51 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 01:20PM | Arrival Time 05:50PM | Duration 4h30 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $19 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 02:00PM | Arrival Time 04:30PM | Duration 2h30 | Departure days Tue, Sun | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 02:45PM | Arrival Time 07:50PM | Duration 5h05 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 03:05PM | Arrival Time 07:50PM | Duration 4h45 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $19 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 03:30PM | Arrival Time 05:50PM | Duration 2h20 | Departure days Wed | Cheapest price $23 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 03:50PM | Arrival Time 06:10PM | Duration 2h20 | Departure days Wed | Cheapest price $21 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 04:00PM | Arrival Time 06:30PM | Duration 2h30 | Departure days Mon | Cheapest price $23 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 04:55PM | Arrival Time 09:50PM | Duration 4h55 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 05:30PM | Arrival Time 08:00PM | Duration 2h30 | Departure days Mon | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 06:20PM | Arrival Time 09:00PM | Duration 2h40 | Departure days Sun | Cheapest price $26 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 06:30PM | Arrival Time 10:40PM | Duration 4h10 | Departure days Thu | Cheapest price $23 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 06:40PM | Arrival Time 09:00PM | Duration 2h20 | Departure days Wed, Sun | Cheapest price $15 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 07:10PM | Arrival Time 11:55PM | Duration 4h45 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 07:20PM | Arrival Time 10:00PM | Duration 2h40 | Departure days Mon | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 07:30PM | Arrival Time 10:10PM | Duration 2h40 | Departure days Wed | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 07:30PM | Arrival Time 11:40PM | Duration 4h10 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $19 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 08:40PM | Arrival Time 11:20PM | Duration 2h40 | Departure days Mon | Cheapest price $20 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 08:55PM | Arrival Time 12:55AM | Duration 4h00 | Departure days Thu | Cheapest price $28 |
Operator BlaBlaCar | Departure Time 09:00PM | Arrival Time 11:30PM | Duration 2h30 | Departure days Mon, Tue | Cheapest price $15 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 09:20PM | Arrival Time 01:55AM | Duration 4h35 | Departure days Thu | Cheapest price $23 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 09:55PM | Arrival Time 01:55AM | Duration 4h00 | Departure days Thu | Cheapest price $21 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 10:20PM | Arrival Time 02:55AM | Duration 4h35 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $19 |
Operator BlaBlaCar Bus | Departure Time 10:50PM | Arrival Time 06:55PM | Duration 20h05 | Departure days Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $99 |
Operator FlixBus | Departure Time 10:55PM | Arrival Time 02:55AM | Duration 4h00 | Departure days Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat, Sun | Cheapest price $19 |
The table below shows live departures for Frankfurt am Main to Essen buses for today, Monday, May 18. You can also manually refresh the results below to see updated bus journeys.
| Provider | Departs | Duration | Arrives | Transfers | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FlixBus | 1:20 PM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 4h30 | 5:50 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 2:45 PM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 5h05 | 7:50 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 3:05 PM Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36) | 4h45 | 7:50 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 4:55 PM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 4h55 | 9:50 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 7:10 PM Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36) | 4h45 | 11:55 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 7:10 PM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 4h30 | 11:40 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 7:30 PM Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36) | 4h10 | 11:40 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 10:20 PM Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36) | 4h35 | 2:55 AM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 10:55 PM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 4h00 | 2:55 AM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
| Tuesday, May 19 | |||||
FlixBus · FlixBus | 1:40 AM Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36) | 4h45 | 6:25 AM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus | 2:30 AM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 3h55 | 6:25 AM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus | 3:10 AM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 4h15 | 7:25 AM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
FlixBus+ FlixTrain | 3:20 AM Frankfurt am Main, Flughafen Frankfurt (Terminal 1 - Busparkplatz P36) | 5h42 | 9:02 AM Essen Hbf | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus+ FlixTrain | 4:15 AM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 4h47 | 9:02 AM Essen Hbf | 1 transfer | |
FlixBus | 8:30 AM Frankfurt, Stuttgarter Straße (Fermomnibusbahnhof) | 4h15 | 12:45 PM Essen, Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) | 0 transfersDirect | |
Find all the dates and times for this journey
Compare bus, train, 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 Frankfurt am Main to Essen run on average 18 times per day, taking around 4h 0m. Cheap bus tickets for this journey start at $18 (€14) if you book in advance.
There are 13 buses per day. The earliest bus runs at 00:25, the last at 23:15. The fastest bus covers the 118 miles (190 km) distance in 3h 55m.
Distance 118 miles (190 km) |
Average bus duration 4h 0m |
Cheapest ticket price $18 (€14) |
Buses per day 18 |
Direct buses 13 |
Fastest bus 3h 55m |
First bus 12:25 AM |
Last bus 11:15 PM |
Cheapest Month Dec |
Cheapest Day Tue |
High Season Oct - Dec |
Low Season Jan - Mar |
Busiest Day Fri |
Least Busy Day Sun |
Best time to book 14 days |
Discover the best of Essen — top attractions, local food, transport tips, budget advice, and currency essentials. Plan your perfect Essen trip today.
One of Germany's leading museums featuring 19th and 20th-century art collections.
A UNESCO World Heritage site offering insights into the industrial history of the region.
Located in a former coal washing plant, this modern museum offers insights into the history of the Ruhr area.
A picturesque district of Essen with cobblestone streets and historic buildings.
A large urban park ideal for walking, relaxing, and enjoying nature.
A historic garden city showcasing early 20th-century architecture and planning.
A pot roast marinated in a vinegar or wine mixture and traditionally served with red cabbage and dumplings. It's a classic in the Ruhr area.
Crispy potato pancakes often served with apple sauce. A common dish at festivals and markets.
A rustic dish made from mashed potatoes and apples, served with black pudding. A traditional favorite in the region.
Compared to other European cities, Essen offers moderate prices for accommodation and dining.
5-10% in restaurants, round up in taxis, not expected in cafes.
Official public transport app
Essen Freiheit (Hauptbahnhof) -> Essen Hauptbahnhof
Find answers to the most common questions about traveling from Frankfurt am Main to Essen 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 Essen, this guide helps you travel smarter and with confidence.

Here are some other resources that might have the information you need