Today we will consider all the ways how to get from Moscow to Cologne. Russian tourists are usually attracted by the amazing Christmas market held every year in this old German town. At any time of the year, you can enjoy Cologne's Gothic cathedrals and other attractions.
What is required for the trip
A Russian citizen will need a visa to travel to Cologne, Germany. A Schengen visa to Germany is issued at the consulate or at the visa center. To obtain a visa, a citizen of the Russian Federation must personally apply to the authorized body and provide his biometric data.
A visa is issued with a valid passport. In addition, the applicant submits to the consulate or visa center copies of all completed pages of the internal passport, a certificate from the place of work, confirmation of his solvency (for living in Germany), a completed application form. It is necessary to book travel tickets and a hotel room in advance.
The distance to Cologne from Moscow is 2,562.3 km. The fastest way to get to a German city from the capital of the Russian Federation is to buy a plane ticket.
Direct flights on a given route fly from Moscow.
You can also get there by land transport - by train or by bus. Some people decide to travel by car. It should be noted that European highways and roads are quite safe, have high-quality road surface, so the trip will be comfortable.
By bus
Traveling by bus is one of the cheapest ways to get from city to city in European countries. Such a journey will take a lot of time and effort, but along the way you will have the opportunity to enjoy beautiful landscapes.
An international class bus operated by the EURO-TRANS Company runs from Moscow to Cologne. You will be at Cologne Central Bus Station in 38 hours.
In Moscow, the bus departs from the Teply Stan bus station. The bus runs directly to Cologne. The vehicle leaves the Russian capital at 14:00.
There is a bus every week, but only on Thursdays. The cost of a travel document is 7200 rubles, an air ticket, if bought in advance, will cost even less. For this reason, few tourists choose to skip the bus ride.
However, the carrier offers discounts for small passengers of 50%. The bus interior is quite comfortable. Passengers take seats according to the number indicated on the travel document.
You can view the schedule and buy a ticket on the official website Mosgortrans.ru. A travel document purchased online must be printed.
By car
If you decide to go to Cologne by car, take care of new tires, check the technical condition of the car, because the road is long. Traveling to Germany by car is only possible with an international license.
The cost of gasoline in Germany: AI-95 - 1.3 euros, AI-98 - 1.4 euros, diesel fuel - 1.22 euros, gas - 0.61 euros. In Belarus, you can refuel for 0.57 euros per liter, and in Poland for 1 euro.
You need to pay for travel only in ecological zones, therefore, when preparing for a road trip, you should get a green zones card. The amount of the fee is not critical, but to travel through such a territory, you also need to issue a special sticker, and this will take additional time.
The way from the Russian Federation to Germany lies through Belarus and Poland.
- The first transit point in Belarus will be the city of Zastenki, then you will follow through the Vitebsk, Minsk and Brest regions.
- In the town of Telma-1 you will cross the border with Poland, enter the town of Terespol and drive through the Lubelskie, Mazowieckie, Lodz, Wielkopolskie and Lubuskie Voivodeships.
- In Neuendorf you will cross the German border and enter Frankfurt am Main.
- The way to Cologne will pass through the following lands: Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia.
Now let's talk a little about the rules of the road.
On the autobahn, the speed is unlimited (recommended - 130 km / h, minimum - 50 km / h), in a German settlement - up to 50 km / h, outside - up to 100 km / h.
In the settlements of Poland - 50 km / h, outside them - 90 km / h.
In Belarusian settlements, the speed should be limited to 60 km / h, outside settlements - 90 km / h.
You will spend at least 32 hours on the road, and this is with short stops along the way.
A fellow traveler
You can go to Germany by car, but for less money you can go as a travel companion. On the BlaBlaCar service, drivers often leave offers to take a fellow traveler with them, which partially compensates for fuel costs.
To take advantage of such an offer, you need to register on the website, enter the necessary data to search for such a driver, and then contact him to clarify the information. The average cost of such a trip is 2,800 rubles.
By plane
Air travel is the fastest way to get to Cologne from Moscow. The following air carriers operate from the Russian capital: S7 Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Pegasus Airlines, Pobeda, Aeroflot.
A ticket for a direct flight must be booked in advance, because the route is quite popular. Departing from Vnukovo air station, you will be at Cologne airport in 2 hours and 10 minutes.
In addition, there are not so many direct flights, so it is not always possible to find a convenient time for departure and arrival.
A direct flight on the Moscow-Cologne route is offered only by the Pobeda carrier, the minimum cost of an air ticket is 2,730 rubles. (if you buy a ticket two months before the flight).
You can also use the services of Aeroflot. However, there is no direct Aeroflot flight on this route. Airplanes in our direction depart from Sheremetyevo to the nearest Dusseldorf, then you will need to change to a train. The flight time is 3 hours 15 minutes.
The sooner you decide on the date of your trip and book your ticket, the cheaper the flight will cost you. If you plan your trip several months in advance, your costs can be reduced several times, in which case you can save time and buy cheap plane tickets that go from Moscow to Cologne without transfers.
It is best to view the schedule and purchase travel documents on the official websites of carriers. In this case, you will definitely not overpay for the ticket, because many services that sell air tickets from different carriers may charge for their services, which is already included in the cost of the travel document.
The fastest way to get to any airport from Moscow is by aeroexpress trains, which go to Sheremetyevo from Belorussky railway station, to Vnukovo from Kievsky railway station. You can also order a taxi, take a bus or take a minibus.
In Germany, the plane lands at Cologne / Bonn Airport, which is located 15 km southeast of the city center. You can get to the city from the air station by train, bus or taxi:
- You can get to the railway station through Terminal 1. Electric trains run at intervals of 15-30 minutes. You will spend 15 minutes on the way. The ticket price is 2.6 euros.
- The cheapest bus ticket costs 2.3 euros. Buses 161 and 670 run between the airport and the city center and will take you to your destination in 25-30 minutes. You can purchase travel documents from the machine or from the driver.
- Taxi ranks can be found at both terminals. The trip to Cologne will cost 30-50 euros and will take about 30 minutes.
By train with a change
You can get from Moscow to Cologne by train, but only with a change. You will need to transfer to ICE in Berlin or Frankfurt am Main. On railway tickets for a train from Moscow, you will spend at least 20,300 rubles on a compartment ticket.
A convenient way is to travel from the Russian capital to Frankfurt am Main on the Moscow-Paris Russian Railways train. The train leaves Moscow on Tuesdays at 18.43 from Belorusskaya station. On the way, you will spend 1 day 8 hours 33 minutes.
In Frankfurt am Main, you will transfer to the ICE, which runs to Cologne, which will take you an average of 1 hour 15 minutes on the way. Transport in this direction runs at intervals of 1 hour.
There is a direct train from Moscow to Berlin, where you can also change to railway transport that goes to Cologne.
Rail transport to Berlin runs on Fridays and Sundays. The train departs from the Belorusskaya station at 10.20, on the way you will spend 21 hours 57 minutes. The minimum cost of a compartment ticket is 12,305 rubles. The Berlin-Cologne route will take you 4 hours 18 minutes. This train runs every 4 hours.
The majority of connecting flights are offered by air carriers. Transplants are possible in many major cities in Europe.
Finally
You can get to Cologne from Moscow by air and land transport. The most daring and hardy can choose a road trip. This option is not the most expensive, but rather tedious. The driver will need to correctly draw up a route so as not to enter the ecological zones on the way, to travel along which they will have to issue a special sticker.
If you decide to buy a bus ticket, you can save money compared to traveling by train. However, not everyone is capable of spending nearly 40 hours in a sitting position. The comfortable interior of the bus is equipped with everything necessary for a long trip, but such a trip cannot be called easy.
There are many daily flights on this route. Only the Pobeda company offers direct flights, the rest of the carriers - with transfers. If you buy tickets in advance, the flight will be quite inexpensive. However, even if the trip was spontaneous, a direct flight from the Pobeda company will be cheaper than any options with transfers. In addition, with a transfer, you will fly several hours longer.
| Way | Cost, rub | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Bus | 7 200 | 38 hours |
| Airplane | from 2 800 | from 2 h. 10 min. |
| Train | from 20 300 | from 34 hours |
| Automobile | about 17,000 - fuel | from 32 hours |
