There are 8 ways to get from Cologne to Hamburg by train, bus, car, plane, or rideshare
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train
best- Take the train from Köln Hbf to Hamburg Hbftrain 43 / ...
4h 4m€30–310Rideshare
cheapest- Take the rideshare from Cologne to Hamburg417.2 km
4h 26m€15–27Bus
- Take the bus from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis to Münster-Mittebus Mykolayiv
- Take the bus from Münster bus stop to Hamburg, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhofbus N1360a / ...
6h 31mDrive 418.8 km
- Drive from Cologne to Hamburgcar 418.8 km
3h 38m€61–87Line 41 train to Düsseldorf International Airport, fly
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Düsseldorf Hbftrain
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Hamburg Airport (HAM)plane DUS - HAM
3h 14m€87–244Train, bus
- Take the train from Köln Hansaring to Essen Hbftrain S6
- Take the bus from Essen Hbf to Hamburgbus Ivano-Frankivsk
6h 52m€53–92Fly from Cologne Bonn Airport
- Fly from Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Hamburg Airport (HAM)plane CGN - HAM
4h 58m€116–315Train to Frankfurt, fly
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Hamburg Airport (HAM)plane FRA - HAM
3h 33m€113–312
Cologne to Hamburg by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Cologne to Hamburg is to rideshare which costs €15 - €27 and takes 4h 26m.
The fastest way to get from Cologne to Hamburg is to line 41 train and fly which takes 3h 14m and costs €85 - €250.
No, there is no direct bus from Cologne to Hamburg. However, there are services departing from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis and arriving at Hamburg, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof via Münster bus stop. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 6h 31m.
Yes, there is a direct train departing from Köln Hbf and arriving at Hamburg Hbf. Services depart hourly, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 4h 4m.
The distance between Cologne and Hamburg is 436 km. The road distance is 418.8 km.
The best way to get from Cologne to Hamburg without a car is to train which takes 4h 4m and costs €30 - €310.
The train from Köln Hbf to Hamburg Hbf takes 4h 4m including transfers and departs hourly.
Cologne to Hamburg bus services, operated by OrionBus, depart from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis station.
Cologne to Hamburg train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), depart from Köln Hbf station.
The best way to get from Cologne to Hamburg is to train which takes 4h 4m and costs €30 - €310. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs and takes 6h 31m, you could also fly, which costs €110 - €320 and takes 4h 58m.
What companies run services between Cologne, Germany and Hamburg, Germany?
Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC) operates a train from Köln Hbf to Hamburg Hbf hourly. Tickets cost €75–310 and the journey takes 4h 4m. FlixTrain GmbH also services this route twice daily. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis to Hamburg, Zentraler Omnibusbahnhof via Münster-Mitte and Münster bus stop in around 6h 31m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Hamburg Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- €75–200
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Hamburg Airport via Munich
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 24m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €80–360
Flights from Frankfurt to Hamburg Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €40–280
Flights from Frankfurt to Hamburg Airport via Düsseldorf International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 5m
- When
- Friday
- Estimated price
- €75–290
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Köln Hbf to Hamburg Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 4m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €75–310
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Düsseldorf Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 19 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €7–28
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 54 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €30–120
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
#/media/File:ICE_4_Berlin_Hauptbahnhof_(3).jpg "ICE 4 Berlin Hauptbahnhof")
- Phone
- +38 (050) 010-01-04
- [email protected]
- Website
- OrionBus
Bus from Köln-Ehrenfeld Gleis to Münster-Mitte
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 36m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Website
- OrionBus
- Phone
- +3 318 576 2228
- Website
- BlaBlaCar
Rideshare from Cologne to Hamburg
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 26m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €15–27
- Schedules at
- BlaBlaCar
Want to know more about travelling around Germany
Rome2Rio's Travel Guide series provide vital information for the global traveller. Filled with useful and timely travel information, the guides answer all the hard questions - such as 'How do I buy a ticket?', 'Should I book online before I travel? ', 'How much should I expect to pay?', 'Do the trains and buses have Wifi?' - to help you get the most out of your next trip.
Related travel guides
Heading to Europe? Read this before you buy a Eurail Pass
Read the travel guide
Want to know more about Flixbus?
Read the travel guide
More Questions & Answers
Cologne to Hamburg bus services, operated by OrionBus, arrive at Münster-Mitte station.
Cologne to Hamburg train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at Hamburg Hbf station.
Yes, the driving distance between Cologne to Hamburg is 419 km. It takes approximately 3h 38m to drive from Cologne to Hamburg.
Book your Cologne to Hamburg train tickets online with Omio and FlixBus.
Book your Cologne to Hamburg bus tickets online with Omio.
There are 1642+ hotels available in Hamburg.
Check out Blablacar's carpooling service for rideshare options between Cologne and Hamburg. A great option if you don't have a driver's licence or want to avoid public transport.