When there is an opportunity to travel around Germany, almost every tourist wants to visit the heart of Bavaria - Munich. And what is so attractive about him? Almost everything, because this city has a special atmosphere that tastefully combines old and new times, architectural delights of the past and urban skyscrapers of the present. Munich is rich in world-renowned museums and art galleries, where original works of the best masters are kept. In addition to aesthetic pleasures, you can taste real German beer and a variety of traditional dishes here. Therefore, we will consider in detail how to get from Cologne to Munich using different types of transport.
Distance between cities
Cologne and Munich, the million-plus cities, which are considered the cultural and economic centers of the country, are located quite far from each other. These metropolises are located in different states, in North Rhine-Westphalia and Bavaria, respectively.
To get from the starting point to the given point, it is necessary to cross other lands: Baden-Württemberg, Hesse or Rhineland-Palatinate. Thus, there is a great opportunity to add a couple more to the list of visited cities. The distance between Cologne and Munich is approximately 575 km, and you need to move from west to south of Germany.
You can get to the Bavarian capital by almost all types of transport; there will be a significant difference in time and cost.
The traveler has at his disposal a bus, train, plane and car. Depending on the circumstances, you can choose the most suitable option.
By train: expensive but comfortable
Deutsche Bahn is the largest company and state monopoly in the field of railway transportation, connecting the entire territory of the country with a network of roads. Therefore, it is possible to get from one city to another by train without transfers.
Trains in this direction run from Cologne Main Station to Munich. You can buy a travel card online on the official website of the official website or directly at the station.
How to buy tickets online
Buying tickets in advance is economically beneficial, as they will cost you less than those bought immediately before departure. It is very easy to purchase them online.
To do this, you need to go to the above website of the carrier, immediately above you will see the section labels. Click on the Tickets & Angebote section, then select Sparpreis-Finder, which will allow you to find tickets at the best price, often with discounts. Thus, you will find yourself on a page with fields to fill, which will look like this:
Now indicate the cities by choosing: Köln Hbf and München Hbf, in the field below select the desired date. Automatically filled fields offer a travel card for 1 adult to a seat in a 2nd class carriage.
By clicking on the red Suchen button, you can view train timetables and prices.
In a given direction, you can get there both by direct train and with transfers. The time spent on the way is 4 hours 30 minutes – 5 hours. 40 minutes The first direct train leaves at 4.22 and arrives at 9.07.
The very last direct flight and at the same time the only one, the duration of which is seven and a half hours, falls on the night: it departs from Cologne at 22.29 and arrives in Munich at 06.02. The price of the pass varies from 55 to 140 euros.
It is worth noting that a trip with one change takes about the same amount of time as a direct flight, except for a couple of trains, the journey time of which is an hour or two longer. A travel pass with a transfer is cheaper, about 53-70 euros.
The earliest change train departs from the Köln Hbf station at 5:07 am and arrives at München Hbf at 10.07 am, the travel time is 5 hours. The night flight with a connection and at the same time the last one in this direction falls at 23.53, and at 7.39 he arrives in the capital of Bavaria.
The frequency of trains is very frequent, the interval between flights is on average 10 to 30 minutes.
Railways in Germany are also convenient because they offer a significant number of flights at any time of the day. You can leave both early in the morning and late in the evening.
Purchasing tickets at the train station
If you could not plan your trip earlier, you can buy train tickets immediately before leaving at the station: at the ticket office or in the terminal.
Buying passes at the ticket office will cost you a few euros more due to the service fee. You can also buy them yourself in electronic terminals, which are located at almost every station and in the station premises.
Cologne train station is located at Trankgasse 11. You can get to it from anywhere in the city by buses numbered 5, 16, 18, 216 or by city train (S6, S11, S12, S13). The cost of the pass is 2.80 €. You need to get off at any of the following stops: Hauptbahnhof (Hbf.), Breslauer Platz, Bussteig 3-4.
Upon arrival in Munich or benefit from the “Bavarian ticket”
Within the state of Bavaria, there is a loyal system of discounts on travel in public transport.
If you plan to travel a lot and visit a significant number of attractions, we recommend that you purchase the Bayern Ticket or “Bavarian Ticket”.
It is a single pass, which is valid on weekdays from 9 am to 3 am the next day, and on weekends - from midnight on one day to 3 am on the second. With the “Bavarian ticket” you can travel by bus, tram, metro, local trains and electric trains. Its cost for one person is 23 euros, for each additional passenger you will need to pay only 4 euros.
By bus
The second common travel option is by bus. If you have enough time and a small budget, then this mode of transport will be more suitable.
Buses in Germany from Cologne to Munich run daily. Flixbus, the main carrier in this area, offers to get from city to city in 8-10 hours. It is as easy as shelling pears to purchase tickets, since the carrier's website has a Russian-language interface and it will not be difficult to deal with it.
You can buy a bus ticket for 20-40 euros, choosing any convenient time, since flights leave from Cologne almost every half hour.
When ordering a travel pass online, you can decide whether to go by a direct flight or with a transfer. Direct flights depart from Cologne-Bonn Airport.
The first of the morning buses falls at 8.30, the last at 10.55, the frequency between them is equal to half an hour.
The next direct flight from the airport leaves at 13.25. With an hour gap in the direction of Cologne-Munich until 4:45 pm, several more buses run. This is followed by a long break between flights, until late in the evening. There are three evening flights, they are at 21.55, 23.05 and 00.15.
You can get to the airport by taxi, but it is quite an expensive pleasure, which will cost about 40 €. Another option is to take bus number 161, the fare of which starts from 1.90 €, depending on the place of departure. It is also convenient to order a transfer for a company of 3 or 4 people - the total price is 60 €.
Buses in this direction also leave from another station - the train station of the town of Leverkusen. Daily at 8.25, 9.45, 11.00, 14.30 and 23.40. You can get to the station by ordering a transfer for 66 € for three or four people.
There is also public transport to Leverkusen - the S6 train. If you go on it, the road will cost much less - about 3 €.
From Cologne to Munich there are buses with transfers, which are comparable in cost and time to direct buses. There are connecting flights in the morning, afternoon and evening. Additionally, two night bus routes are available: at 3.00 and 3.50. Night flights arrive at Munich Station in 10 hours, from 13.05 to 13.35.
Travel by car
If you prefer to travel with maximum comfort, then a car will be the most suitable option. In this section, we will consider several ways to get there: by your own car, rented car, taxi transfer and a fellow traveler.
Without a doubt, driving on your own, enjoying the process and making stops whenever you want, is pleasant and comfortable. In this case, the travel itinerary can be easily compiled on the Internet.
You can get there by car quite quickly, in 6-7 hours.
You will need to overcome about 590 kilometers. Taking into account the average fuel consumption and the price of gasoline in Germany in 2021, which equals 1.41 € per liter, a trip by car is relatively inexpensive - 50-60 €.
Rent a car for a trip
Car rental services are becoming more and more popular in Europe. A significant plus is that you can take a car in one city and return it in another, which is great in this case.
You can rent a car on the rentalcars.com website or similar services, having stipulated all the necessary details in advance.
The cost of the service per day starts from 45 euros, and the price depends on the make and type of car. Adding fuel costs to this price, we get over 100 euros.
Transfer taxi
Transfer taxi is a rather expensive service. It is considered a plus that three or more people can drive in the car.
Having ordered an economy class taxi transfer for three for 432 euros, each of the travelers will have to pay approximately 145 euros. But if a group of more people is recruited, then the price for the service for each passenger is significantly reduced. Thus, when ordering a minivan for 8 people, the journey will cost 70 euros, and when ordering a minibus for 16 people - 50 for each.
Taxis in Germany are quite fast: according to information on the carriers' websites, the trip will last five and a half hours.
Get there by fellow traveler
A popular trend among travelers around the world is travel using travel companion services. On such sites there are many offers of travel from Cologne to Munich, you just need to select a driver profile and agree with him about the trip.
If you decide to get there by a passing car, then in this case the trip will cost an average of 30 euros. The road to the destination will take a little over six hours.
Flight from Cologne to Munich
Getting from Cologne to Munich by plane is very fast - only 1 hour and 10 minutes. You can find tickets at a budget cost using the services of the Eurowings low-cost airline. The availability of air tickets and their prices are tracked on the airline's website.
Flights are made daily and throughout the day. The earliest flight from Cologne to Munich leaves at 7.25, the next in time is at 11.05. At lunchtime there is a plane at 14.35, and in the evening at 18.50.
The flight is from Cologne / Bonn Airport to Munich Airport. Franz-Josef Strauss.
The cost of air tickets is completely different, it can vary from 40 to 300 euros. It is worth noting that morning flights from Cologne to Munich are the cheapest on weekends.
If possible, a plane ticket should be bought in advance, this will help to save a significant amount.
After all, air tickets that are ordered a day or two before departure cost about 200-300 euros.
Bus number 161 runs to the airport from Cologne (the ticket costs about 3 €), it is more expensive to get by taxi and by transfer - 60 € for three people. Upon arrival at Munich Airport, you can easily reach the city center by any of the S1 and S8 trains. A single ticket costs 12 €.
Also to the Bavarian capital there are buses of the Lufthansa Airport Bus, the fare is 10.50 €.
Conclusion
In this article, we have considered all the possible ways to get from Cologne to Munich. As it turned out, the cheapest options are to get there by hitchhiking, by bus, by your own car, or by taxi transfer for a large group of people. The trip will cost a little more when choosing such methods as train or plane, car rental and taxi transfer for three people.
Based on your situation, preference and budget, you can choose the method that suits you best.
Here is a comparative table of cost and travel time for each vehicle.
| Type of transport | Cost, € | Travel time |
|---|---|---|
| Train | 53-140 | 5-7 hours |
| Bus | 20-40 | 8-10 hours |
| Own car | 50-60 | 6 o'clock |
| Rented car | 100 and more | 6 o'clock |
| Transfer taxi (for 3 people) | 432 (by 145) | 6 o'clock |
| Hitchhiking | 30 | 6 o'clock |
| Airplane | 40-300 | 1 hour 10 minutes |
