How to travel from Cologne to Munich

Tue, Jan 06
+ Add return
Travel by train, bus, flight with
Deutsche Bahn
FlixBus
Eurowings
BlaBlaCar
Lufthansa
1,000+ more
Deutsche Bahn
FlixBus
Eurowings
BlaBlaCar
Lufthansa
1,000+ more
QR-Code
Scan to get our free app
Use our app to get live travel updates and book mobile tickets for trains, buses, flights, and ferries.
App Store
rate4.9
42K ratings
Google Play
rate4.6
136K reviews

Travel Information

Compare train, bus, and flight for Cologne to Munich

Omio recommends booking the train as it is the most popular option from Cologne to Munich among Omio's users. If you are prioritising price take the bus with prices starting from €21. For those with little time consider booking a flight which can get you there in 1h 6m. In case you are seeking to minimise your carbon footprint the train is your best bet as it emits only 0.1 - 0.4kg. The ticket price range depends on the travel mode: a bus costs an average of €21, and a flight costs an average of €110.

Distance: 283 miles (456 km)

Compare train with

Most popular
Train
Bus
Flight

€120

Average price

€47

Average price

Cheapest

€198

Average price

5h 21m

Average total duration

4h 51m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

7h 42m

Average total duration

7h 12m

Onboard

+

30m

Additional time*

4h 6m

Average total duration

Fastest

1h 6m

Onboard

+

3h 0m

Additional time*

0.1 - 0.4kg

CO2 emissions

Lowest

0.5 - 1.1kg

CO2 emissions

1.4 - 2.7kg

CO2 emissions

Deutsche Bahn

Most popular train company

FlixBus

Most popular bus company

Eurowings

Most popular airline

Direct Options

Direct Options

Direct Options

Additional time: Average total travel duration to departure point, security checks and transfers.

Travel options
from Cologne to Munich

How to get from Cologne to Munich by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

bus

The best way to travel from Cologne to Munich is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

FlixBusFlixBus
10:40AM7h55
Köln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
06:35PMMunich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
$591One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

Deutsche Bahn25445 · IC 60403 · ICE 619
10:56PM8h40
Cologne Hbf
07:36AMMunich Hbf
$471One-way
2 transfers

Fastest

Lufthansa CitylineLH1985
05:55PM1h00
Cologne Bonn Airport
06:55PMMunich Airport
$4591One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Deutsche BahnIC 2404 · ICE 569
12:53PM5h56
Cologne Hbf
06:49PMMunich Hbf
$941One-way
1 transfer
Deutsche BahnICE 911
05:25AM4h15
Cologne Hbf
09:40AMMunich Hbf
$1031One-way
0 transfers
Deutsche BahnICE 929 · ICE 821
05:53PM6h16
Cologne Hbf
12:09AMMunich Hbf
$871One-way
1 transfer
FlixBusFlixBus
01:40PM8h25
Köln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
10:05PMMunich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
$561One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
08:10AM9h25
Köln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
05:35PMMunich, Central Bus Station (ZOB)
$651One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus
09:40PM7h30
Köln, Kennedystraße (Bonn Flughafen)
05:10AMMünchen, Fröttmaning P+R Parkplatz
$561One-way
0 transfers
Eurowings EW86
06:55PM1h05
Cologne Bonn Airport
08:00PMMunich Airport
$1251One-way
0 transfers
Eurowings EW80
07:05AM1h05
Cologne Bonn Airport
08:10AMMunich Airport
$3121One-way
0 transfers
Lufthansa CitylineLH1987
07:40PM1h00
Cologne Bonn Airport
08:40PMMunich Airport
$4591One-way
0 transfers

Find all the dates and times for this journey by train, bus, flight, and ferry .

Compare prices and tickets Prices for trains, buses and flights

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.

Tue
Jan 06
Wed
Jan 07
Thu
Jan 08
Fri
Jan 09
Sat
Jan 10
Sun
Jan 11
Mon
Jan 12
Tue
Jan 13
Wed
Jan 14
Thu
Jan 15
Fri
Jan 16
Sat
Jan 17
Sun
Jan 18
Mon
Jan 19
Tue
Jan 20
Wed
Jan 21
Thu
Jan 22
Fri
Jan 23
Sat
Jan 24
Sun
Jan 25
Mon
Jan 26

How to get from Cologne to Munich

The Best Way According to our Users

Whether it is for business or leisure, in order to travel from Cologne to Munich, 84,83% of our customers choose the train as their preferred mode of transportation. By traveling by train on this route, you can enjoy the comfort of spacious seats, spectacular views—and in some cases free Wi-Fi—in both second and first class. Our customers have decided that the train is the best way to get from Cologne to Munich and have chosen to enjoy this fast, safe and efficient way to arrive at their destination. Taking the train also avoids long lines or potential expenses for transfers to/from the station—especially since most main railway stations are located in the city center. Train companies in Europe vary from country to country, but most of them offer high-speed train routes, therefore when you add up at the end-to-end journey time, the train is often also the fastest way to get to your destination.

Search on Omio to find cheap tickets from Cologne to Munich. It’s easy to find the most attractive prices and choose your preferred route for your journey. Book on web or app, and travel with your mobile ticket —without the stress of printing your ticket.

More than 1,000 travel companies trust us to sell their tickets all in one place.

Trenitalia
Easyjet
Deutsche Bahn
SNCF

FAQs: Travel from Cologne to Munich

Travel to Munich easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Cologne to Munich.

FAQs

There are 3 ways to get from Cologne to Munich: train, bus or flight.

The cheapest way to travel from Cologne to Munich is a bus with an average price of $25 (€23).

This is compared to other travel options from Cologne to Munich:

Taking a bus costs $84 (€76) less than taking a flight, which costs on average $110 (€99) for the same trip.

A bus is $6 (€5) less than a train with an average ticket price of $31 (€28) from Cologne to Munich.

The fastest way to get to Munich from Cologne is by flight with an average travel time of 1 h 5 min.

Other travel options to Munich take longer:

Getting to Munich by bus takes 8 h 10 min on average.

Taking a train requires on average 4 h 16 min of travel time.

You should expect to travel around 282 miles (455 km) between Cologne and Munich.

The average frequency per day from Cologne to Munich is:

  • 11 buses a day.
  • Around 8 flights per day.
  • Around 10 trains per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your route between Cologne and Munich as scheduled services by train, bus or flight can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points when traveling from Cologne to Munich:

  • Most travelers take a flight from Cologne Bonn Airport to Munich Airport.
  • Most travelers catch their train from Cologne Hbf and arrive in Munich Hbf.

The following travel companies offer services from Cologne to Munich:

  • Travel with FlixBus, BlaBlaCar Bus or Wupsi to go to Munich by bus. For a good deal on tickets, you can find FlixBus Cologne to Munich tickets on Omio for $27 (€24).
  • Travel with Eurowings, Lufthansa Cityline (2), Lufthansa, Smartwings, Air Dolomiti or Air Baltic to go to Munich by plane. For a good deal on tickets, you can find Smartwings Cologne to Munich tickets on Omio for $39 (€35).
  • Deutsche Bahn can take you to Munich by train. If searching for a good deal on trains, you can find tickets for Deutsche Bahn from Cologne to Munich for $31 (€28).

Yes, there are direct services available from Cologne to Munich with the following travel companies:

  • Direct bus available with FlixBus 8 direct buses per day.
  • Direct flight available with Eurowings, Lufthansa Cityline (2), Lufthansa or Smartwings 7 direct flights per day.
  • Direct trains with Deutsche Bahn with 6 direct trains per day.

Direct services tend to save you time and add more convenience in getting you to Munich as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking your tickets between Cologne and Munich.

Your trip from Cologne to Munich doesn't have to end in Munich. Many of our customers like to extend their vacation to explore other popular destinations like Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Prague or Zurich. If you’d like to add Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Prague or Zurich to your Cologne to Munich tour, check Omio for the best and cheapest ways to travel to any of these top destinations from Munich today!
HomeTravelTravel to GermanyTravel to MunichHow to travel from Cologne to Munich

The Omio App Makes Travel Planning Easy

We’ll get you where you want to go. From live train updates to mobile tickets, our innovative app is the ideal way to plan and keep track of your travel.

ios-badge
android-badge
Hand With Phone