Today we will look at how to get from Cologne to Prague with direct flights and with a transfer. Prague is a beautiful old city with a lot of attractions. In the capital of the Czech Republic, you can enjoy beautiful views, take a boat trip, and indulge yourself with Czech beer.
Possible ways
German Cologne and Czech Prague are separated by a distance of 700 km. Despite the advantage of speed, the plane is far from the most common way to travel along this route.
The best option is to travel by bus. Carriers offer many direct and all-day connections. There is also a night bus on this route.
Some travelers cover the distance between Cologne and Prague by car. But the railway carrier Deutsche Bahn does not offer a single direct flight in this direction.
| Way | Cost, EUR | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Bus | from 33 | from 9 hours 45 minutes |
| Airplane | from 30 | 1 h 10 min + road from / to airports and registration |
| Automobile | 7 hours 30 minutes | |
| ● own | 70-110 (petrol) + 12 toll roads | |
| ● rented | from 35 (day) + gasoline |
The table shows the travel time that you will spend if you travel with direct flights. However, this route can also be reached with transfers on one mode of transport or in a combined way.
How to get there by bus
From Cologne to Prague there is a direct night bus of the Eurolines company. Flights from Köln / Bonn airport depart daily, except Wednesdays, at 20.00 and 02:45, and in the Czech Republic arrive at 6.00 and 12:30, respectively. This option is suitable for tourists who plan to save on accommodation, because they will spend the night on the bus.
Tickets can be purchased on the carrier's website or at office stores. The cost of a travel document is 60 euros, at a promotional rate - 35.
Eurolines offers a 30% discount on children's passes. Ticket prices have been reduced by 10% for young people between the ages of 15 and 26 and for passengers over 60.
The ticket price includes a non-refundable booking fee. It is not possible to book a specific seat on the bus in the office-store and online. Passengers occupy the seats in the cabin during boarding on a first come, first served basis.
On the way, the driver makes short rest stops.
FlixBus offers many flights on this route, most of them with connections. Buses leave from different stations in Cologne:
- North Station in Leverkusen. Buses leave at 14.15, 16.10, 16.40, 20.50, 22.30. From Cologne to Leverkusen 15-20 min. there is an electric train (S6), also bus no. 250 follows in this direction.
- Eastern bus station. You can reach it by metro (5, 6, 18 *, 18) and by tram (S11, S12, S13). The bus leaves at 17.45.
- Bus stop near the airport. Electric trains run to the air station (S13, S19). Travel time is 30 minutes. Buses depart from the airport at 3.10, 3.45, 15.45, 20.20, 20.50.
In Prague, green buses also arrive at the bus station near the train station (Florenc stop).
Direct flights follow from Cologne to Prague in 10-12 hours, the journey with transfers will take 5-6 hours longer.
The company offers a special rate for groups of 3 people or more. Discounts apply to travel documents for children. If such a price is available, you can use it directly in the "Reservation" item on the carrier's website.
Free travel is provided to persons accompanying passengers with disabilities.
The ticket price also includes one piece of baggage (the name and address of the owner is indicated on it), the weight of which does not exceed 20 kg, and dimensions - 80x50x30 cm, and hand luggage (42x30x18 cm, 7 kg).
Booking and purchasing tickets is also carried out on the Internet resource of the Flixbus company.
How to get there by car
A passenger car is a comfortable and fast way to travel.
- Route A3 is one of the roads leading from Cologne to Prague. It passes through Frankfurt am Main and Nuremberg.
- A4 lies through Dresden, A38 is a road passing through Dortmund and Dresden.
Highways in Germany are distinguished by their high quality road surface and safety. Oncoming lanes are separated by bumpers, which reduces the risk of accidents.
There are practically no traffic jams on the tracks, so the route can be covered in 7 and a half hours. You will need about 55 liters of fuel (costing 70-110 euros), depending on the car and the speed limit.
Motorways in Germany are free, so there are practically no additional costs. Only two tunnels and ecological zones located in large cities are paid. To cross such a zone, you will need a special sticker (5-15 euros).
In the Czech Republic, not all routes are paid either, but for individual sections of the route from the border to Prague, you will have to pay in total about 12 euros. You will need to purchase a special vignette at the nearest gas station.
If you do not have your own transport, you can rent a car for as little as 35 euros per day from one of the car rental companies in Germany, for example, on the website of rentalcars.com. In this case, you do not need to worry about marking for ecological zones, because this is included in the rental service price.
By plane
The fastest way to get from one city to another is by plane. You will spend 1 hour on the flight itself and 1 hour on check-in.
The direct flight Cologne-Prague is operated by the only carrier Eurowings. You can use this method on all days of the week.
The ticket price ranges from 40 to 100 euros, depending on the day. You can buy plane tickets from € 30 (without luggage) if you book in advance. You can view the flight schedule and buy tickets on the airline's website.
You can get from Cologne to Cologne-Bonn Airport by train, bus and taxi. Taxi is a convenient way of getting around, but expensive (approximately € 30 for this route).
City trains (S13, S19) will cost 2.6 euros. The interval of movement of electric trains is 30 minutes. On the way (from the city center) you will spend 10-12 minutes.
Buses from Cologne to the airport run every 25-30 minutes. Airport Express Bus 670 will take you to the air station in 20 minutes; ticket price - 2.3 euros.
A ticket for bus number 161 costs the same, but on the way you will spend 25 minutes.
How to get there with a transfer
Each type of transport to Prague from Cologne can be reached with transfers. In the case of rail transport, only this option is possible.
You will have to change either to another train or to a bus. For example, you can travel by rail from Cologne to Berlin, where you can change to a train to Prague.
Rail transport between Cologne and Berlin runs every 4 hours, the journey takes 4 hours 19 minutes, the ticket price is from 90 to 140 euros.
There is another option - to get on the high-speed ICE to Nuremberg, where you change to a bus that will take you to the Czech capital. The first train leaves at 3.20, the last at 20.46, the transport runs every 30 minutes.
Ticket prices range from 30 to 119 euros. You will spend 3.5-4.5 hours on the road.
In Prague, the bus arrives at the bus station, which is located next to the train station. The train schedule can be found on the official website of the German railway.
It is also convenient to purchase a travel document on the Internet resource, but you can also do this in special ticket machines, which are not only at the railway station, but also at each station.
Bus connections with transfers are offered by the FlixBus carrier. A ticket for such a flight will cost more, and the trip will take longer - from 12 hours 20 minutes to 16 hours. Passengers change trains in the following cities in Germany:
- Berlin, Central Bus Station;
- Würzburg, central railway station (travel time - 14 h 35 min, ticket price - 41.98 euros);
- Hanover, Central Bus Station (on the road you will spend 13 hours 35 minutes, the price of a travel document is 65.98 euros);
- Bielefeld, Brackwede train station (journey takes 16 hours, ticket price is 39.98 euros);
- Essen, Central Railway Station (travel time - 14 h 25 min, cost - 38.99 euros);
- Dresden, Central railway station (travel time - 13 h 30 min., Ticket price 34.98 euros);
- Mannheim, Central Bus Station (trip duration - 12 hours 40 minutes, ticket price - 46.98 euros);
- Regensburg, Central railway station (on the way you will spend 14 hours 55 minutes, the ticket will cost 40.98 euros).
Other cities where a transfer is planned, the time and place of departure, the cost of the ticket (on different days of the week) - all this information can be found on the official website of the carrier.
One option is to fly to Prague from Dusseldorf, which can be reached from Cologne by train in 20 minutes.
A plane ticket from Dusseldorf to Prague can cost you as little as 30 euros, the main thing is to book it in advance. The final cost depends on the date of travel and on the class.
From the airport to Prague can be reached by bus (no. 100, 119) in just 17 minutes. For all tickets (according to prices in 2021), you will spend from 59 to 195 euros, and on the way you will spend 4 hours 35 minutes.
There is also another route option: take a flight from Cologne to Dresden, and then get to Prague by bus. In total, you will spend 5 hours and 36 minutes on the road. Financial expenses will be 50-203 euros.
You can get to Prague from Cologne in 4 hours 27 minutes if you take a train to Frankfurt, and from there fly to Prague by plane. Such a trip will cost a little more - 81-231 euros.
Finally
Almost all public transport in Germany runs on the Cologne-Prague route. If by plane and bus you can get from one city to another without transfers, then by rail this option is not provided.
It is convenient and quick to cover the distance of 700 km by car, rental prices are reasonable. On high-quality and safe German roads, you will get from Cologne to Prague in just 7 hours and will not depend on the public transport schedule.
If you want to minimize travel time, then air travel is the best choice.
A trip on a night bus significantly reduces the financial costs.
The longest journey is by bus, and the shortest and most convenient journey is by plane, especially since you can find air tickets for only 30 euros.
