Travel Information between Essen and Cologne
| 36 miles (58 km) | |
| Bus or train | |
| $6 - $6 | |
| Bus • $6 (€5) • 1 h 40 min | |
| Train • $6 (€5) • 52 min | |
| FlixBus or Deutsche Bahn |
Take a bus or train to travel 36 miles (58 km) between Essen and Cologne. The most popular travel companies which serve this trip are FlixBus or Deutsche Bahn among others. Travelers can even take a direct bus or train from Essen to Cologne.
Travel optionsfrom Essen to Cologne
How to get from Essen to Cologne by train, bus or flight.
Our recommendation
The best way to travel from Essen to Cologne is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.
50429Cheapest
50429Fastest
ICE 27Other options
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FAQs: Travel from Essen to Cologne
Travel to Cologne 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 Essen to Cologne.

There are 2 options to travel between Essen and Cologne including taking a bus or train.
The cheapest way to travel between Essen and Cologne is a bus with an average price of $6 (€5).
This is compared to other travel options from Essen to Cologne:
A bus is $1 (€1) less than a train with an average ticket price of $6 (€5) from Essen to Cologne.
The fastest way from Essen to Cologne is by train with an average journey time of 52 min.
There are alternative travel options to Cologne that take longer:
Bus takes 1 h 40 min on average.
The distance is approximately 36 miles (58 km) from Essen to Cologne.
The average frequency per day from Essen to Cologne is:
- 12 buses a day.
- 16 trains per day.
However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your trip to Cologne from Essen as scheduled services by bus or train can vary by season or day of the week.
These are the most popular departure and arrival points when traveling from Essen to Cologne:
- Most travelers who purchase a train ticket from Essen to Cologne depart from Essen Hbf to Cologne Hbf.
The following travel companies offer services from Essen to Cologne:
- FlixBus, BlaBlaCar Bus or Ecolines can get you to Cologne by bus. You can find a good deal for bus tickets with FlixBus from Essen to Cologne for $6 (€5) on Omio.
- Travel with Deutsche Bahn, FlixTrain or National Express to go to Cologne by train. For a good deal on tickets, you can find FlixTrain Essen to Cologne tickets on Omio for $6 (€5).
Yes, there are direct routes from Essen to Cologne with the following travel companies:
- You can check for a direct bus to Cologne with FlixBus or Ecolines with 12 direct buses per day.
- You can find 7 direct trains per day to Cologne with Deutsche Bahn, FlixTrain or National Express.
Direct services to Cologne tend to save you time and add more convenience as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking tickets for your route.
Travelling from Essen to Cologne: related information
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