There are 12 ways to get from Cologne to Salzburg by train, plane, bus, night train, car, or car train
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Train to Frankfurt, fly to Salzburg Airport
best- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Salzburg Airport (SZG)plane FRA - SZG
3h 9m€163–363Night train
cheapest- Take the nighttrain from Koeln Hbf to Salzburg Hbfnighttrain Nj
9h 35m€40–120Train via Munich
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to München Hbftrain 41 / ...
- Take the train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhoftrain 90 / ...
6h 23m€134–261Bus
- Take the bus from Cologne Airport CGN to Salzburg Southbus N884
12h 5m€60–106Fly Düsseldorf International Airport to Salzburg Airport
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Salzburg Airport (SZG)plane DUS - SZG
4h 16m€85–226Fly Cologne Bonn Airport to Munich International Airport, train
- Fly from Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN) to Munich International Airport (MUC)plane CGN - MUC
- Take the train from Muenchen Ost to Salzburg Hbftrain
5h 7m€100–349Fly Düsseldorf International Airport to Munich International Airport, train
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Munich International Airport (MUC)plane DUS - MUC
- Take the train from Muenchen Ost to Salzburg Hbftrain
5h 44m€110–358Train to Frankfurt, fly to Munich International Airport, train
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Munich International Airport (MUC)plane FRA - MUC
- Take the train from Muenchen Ost to Salzburg Hbftrain
5h 37m€123–405Train
- Take the train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhoftrain 62
7h 1m€40–260Drive, car train
- Drive from Cologne to Fuldacar
- Take the cartrain from Fulda to Salzburg Hbfcartrain
8h 56m€130–171Bus via Walserberg Staatsgrenze
- Take the bus from Köln Airport to Walserberg Staatsgrenzebus
13h 35mDrive 682 km
- Drive from Cologne to Salzburgcar 682 km
6h 20m€114–165
Cologne to Salzburg by train
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from Cologne to Salzburg is to bus which costs €60 - €110 and takes 12h 5m.
The fastest way to get from Cologne to Salzburg is to train and fly which takes 3h 9m and costs €160 - €370.
No, there is no direct bus from Cologne to Salzburg. However, there are services departing from Cologne Airport CGN and arriving at Salzburg Mozartsteg/Imbergstraße via Salzburg Alpensiedlung P+R. The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 12h 5m.
Yes, there is an overnight train departing from Koeln Hbf and arriving at Salzburg Hbf. This train operates Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The journey takes approximately 9h 35m.
The distance between Cologne and Salzburg is 582 km. The road distance is 682 km.
The best way to get from Cologne to Salzburg without a car is to train via Munich which takes 6h 23m and costs €130 - €270.
It takes approximately 3h 9m to get from Cologne to Salzburg, including transfers.
Cologne to Salzburg bus services, operated by FlixBus, depart from Cologne Airport CGN station.
Cologne to Salzburg train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), depart from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf station.
The best way to get from Cologne to Salzburg is to train via Munich which takes 6h 23m and costs €130 - €270. Alternatively, you can bus, which costs €60 - €110 and takes 12h 5m, you could also fly, which costs €85 - €230 and takes 4h 16m.
What companies run services between Cologne, Germany and Salzburg, Austria?
You can take a train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof via München Hbf in around 6h 23m. Alternatively, FlixBus operates a bus from Cologne Airport CGN to Salzburg South once daily. Tickets cost €55–90 and the journey takes 10h 35m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Frankfurt to Salzburg Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €85–300
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Salzburg Airport via Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 3h
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €95–180
Flights from Cologne Bonn Airport to Munich International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 5m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €40–290
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Munich International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 10m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €40–300
Flights from Frankfurt to Munich International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 55 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €80–230
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 54 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €30–60
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to München Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 27m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €100–210
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from München Hbf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 45m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €27–55
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 54 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €30–60
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Köln Messe/Deutz Bf to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 1m
- Frequency
- 3 times a day
- Estimated price
- €130–260
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- [email protected]
- Website
- Flixbus
Bus from Cologne Airport CGN to Salzburg South
- Ave. Duration
- 10h 35m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- €55–90
- Website
- Flixbus
Want to know more about travelling around Austria
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
Booking & Getting There
Cologne to Salzburg bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Salzburg South station.
Cologne to Salzburg train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at München Hbf station.
Yes, the driving distance between Cologne to Salzburg is 682 km. It takes approximately 6h 20m to drive from Cologne to Salzburg.
Book your Cologne to Salzburg train tickets online with Omio.
Book your Cologne to Salzburg bus tickets online with Omio.
There are 2493+ hotels available in Salzburg.








