There are 8 ways to get from Essen to Karlsruhe 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 Essen Hbf to Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhoftrain 43
2h 59m€65–290Rideshare
cheapest- Take the rideshare from Essen to Karlsruhe359.4 km
3h 48m€15–24Bus via Mannheim
- Take the bus from Essen Hbf to Mannheim, ZOBbus
- Take the bus from Mannheim central bus station to Karlsruhe central train stationbus FlixBus 108 / ...
6h 14mDrive 359.3 km
- Drive from Essen to Karlsruhecar 359.3 km
3h 2m€52–74Fly to Stuttgart Airport, train
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Stuttgart Airport (STR)plane DUS - STR
- Take the train from Stuttgart Hbf to Karlsruhe Hbftrain
5h 59m€136–416Train via Cologne
- Take the train from Essen Hbf to Koeln-Ehrenfeldtrain Re
- Take the train from Köln-Ehrenfeld to Karlsruhe Hbftrain Nightjet
6h 28mBus
- Take the bus from Essen central train station to Karlsruhe central train stationbus FlixBus 027 / ...
7h 40m€30–55Fly to Frankfurt, train
- Fly from Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS) to Frankfurt (FRA)plane DUS - FRA
- Take the train from Frankfurt to Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhoftrain
4h 29m€117–279
Essen to Karlsruhe by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Essen to Karlsruhe is to rideshare which costs €15 - €24 and takes 3h 48m.
The fastest way to get from Essen to Karlsruhe is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €65 - €290.
Yes, there is a direct bus departing from Essen central train station station and arriving at Karlsruhe central train station station. Services depart three times a day, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 7h 40m.
Yes, there is a direct train departing from Essen Hbf and arriving at Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof. Services depart every three hours, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 2h 59m.
The distance between Essen and Karlsruhe is 382 km. The road distance is 359.3 km.
The best way to get from Essen to Karlsruhe without a car is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €65 - €290.
The train from Essen Hbf to Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof takes 2h 59m including transfers and departs every three hours.
Essen to Karlsruhe bus services, operated by Hak Bus, depart from Essen Hbf station.
Essen to Karlsruhe train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), depart from Essen Hbf station.
The best way to get from Essen to Karlsruhe is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €65 - €290. Alternatively, you can bus via Mannheim, which costs and takes 6h 14m.
What companies run services between Essen, Germany and Karlsruhe, Germany?
Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC) operates a train from Essen Hbf to Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof every 3 hours. Tickets cost €65–290 and the journey takes 2h 59m. Alternatively, you can take a bus from Essen Hbf to Karlsruhe central train station via Mannheim central bus station in around 6h 14m.
- Website
- eurowings.com
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Stuttgart Airport via Hamburg
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 58m
- When
- Wednesday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- €120–320
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Stuttgart Airport via Westerland
- Ave. Duration
- 3h
- When
- Thursday and Saturday
- Estimated price
- €120–320
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Stuttgart Airport via Berlin Brandenburg
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 40m
- When
- Wednesday to Tuesday
- Estimated price
- €120–320
Flights from Düsseldorf International Airport to Stuttgart Airport via Milan Linate
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 20m
- When
- Sunday
- Estimated price
- €120–320
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Essen Hbf to Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 59m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- €65–290
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Stuttgart Hbf to Karlsruhe Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 54 min
- Frequency
- Every 2 hours
- Estimated price
- €14–60
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
Train from Frankfurt to Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 8m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €23–100
- Website
- Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC)
- Phone
- +389 75 209 209
- [email protected]
- Website
- Hak Bus
Bus from Essen Hbf to Mannheim, ZOB
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 41m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Website
- Hak Bus
- Phone
- +3 318 576 2228
- Website
- BlaBlaCar
Rideshare from Essen to Karlsruhe
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 48m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- €15–24
- Schedules at
- BlaBlaCar
Want to know more about travelling around Germany
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More Questions & Answers
Essen to Karlsruhe bus services, operated by Hak Bus, arrive at Mannheim, ZOB station.
Essen to Karlsruhe train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof station.
Yes, the driving distance between Essen to Karlsruhe is 359 km. It takes approximately 3h 2m to drive from Essen to Karlsruhe.
Book your Essen to Karlsruhe train tickets online with Omio.
Book your Essen to Karlsruhe bus tickets online with Omio.
There are 895+ hotels available in Karlsruhe.
Check out Blablacar's carpooling service for rideshare options between Essen and Karlsruhe. A great option if you don't have a driver's licence or want to avoid public transport.





