There are 8 ways to get from Karlsruhe to Essen 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 Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Essen Hbftrain 43
2h 59m€70–300Rideshare
cheapest- Take the rideshare from Karlsruhe to Essen359 km
4h 24m€21Bus via Düsseldorf
- Take the bus from Karlsruhe central train station to Düsseldorf central bus stationbus FlixBus N177 / ...
6h 29m€33–56Drive 359.3 km
- Drive from Karlsruhe to Essencar 359.3 km
3h 6m€52–74Train, fly
- Take the train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Frankfurttrain
- Fly from Frankfurt (FRA) to Düsseldorf International Airport (DUS)plane FRA - DUS
3h 30m€127–251Train via Mannheim
- Take the train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhoftrain 20 / ...
- Take the train from Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof to Essen Hbftrain 47 / ...
3h 18m€66–296Train via Koblenz
- Take the train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Koblenz Hauptbahnhoftrain
- Take the train from Koblenz Hbf to Koeln-Muelheimtrain Re
- Take the train from Koeln-Muelheim to Essen Hbftrain Re
5h 31mBus
- Take the bus from Karlsruhe central train station to Essen central train stationbus FlixBus 027 / ...
7h 45m€35–60
Karlsruhe to Essen by train
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Karlsruhe to Essen is to rideshare which costs €21 and takes 4h 24m.
The fastest way to get from Karlsruhe to Essen is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €70 - €300.
Yes, there is a direct bus departing from Karlsruhe central train station station and arriving at Essen central train station station. Services depart four times a day, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 7h 45m.
Yes, there is a direct train departing from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof and arriving at Essen Hbf. Services depart every four hours, and operate every day. The journey takes approximately 2h 59m.
The distance between Karlsruhe and Essen is 382 km. The road distance is 359.3 km.
The best way to get from Karlsruhe to Essen without a car is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €70 - €300.
The train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Essen Hbf takes 2h 59m including transfers and departs every four hours.
Karlsruhe to Essen bus services, operated by FlixBus, depart from Karlsruhe central train station.
Karlsruhe to Essen train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), depart from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof station.
The best way to get from Karlsruhe to Essen is to train which takes 2h 59m and costs €70 - €300. Alternatively, you can bus via Düsseldorf, which costs €30 - €60 and takes 6h 29m.
What companies run services between Karlsruhe, Germany and Essen, Germany?
Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC) operates a train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Essen Hbf every 4 hours. Tickets cost €70–300 and the journey takes 2h 59m. Alternatively, FlixBus operates a bus from Karlsruhe central train station to Düsseldorf central bus station every 3 hours. Tickets cost €30–50 and the journey takes 5h 35m.
- Website
- lufthansa.com
Flights from Frankfurt to Düsseldorf International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 45 min
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- €29–220
- Website
- lufthansa-city.com
Flights from Frankfurt to Düsseldorf International Airport
- Ave. Duration
- 45 min
- When
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
- Estimated price
- €29–220
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Essen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 59m
- Frequency
- Every 4 hours
- Estimated price
- €70–300
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Frankfurt
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 9m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- €24–110
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 23 min
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €11–50
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof to Essen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 15m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €55–250
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +49 30 2970
- Website
- bahn.de
Train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Mannheim, Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 3m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Estimated price
- €13–23
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof to Koblenz Hauptbahnhof
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 51m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- €45–80
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
Train from Koeln-Muelheim to Essen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 25m
- Frequency
- Hourly
- Estimated price
- €17–30
- Website
- https://int.bahn.de/en
- Phone
- +49 221 13 999 444
- Website
- nationalexpress.de
Train from Koblenz Hbf to Koeln-Muelheim
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 22m
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
Train from Koeln-Muelheim to Essen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 52 min
- Frequency
- Every 30 minutes
- Schedules at
- nationalexpress.de
- Phone
- +49 9126 301 90 70
- [email protected]
- Website
- train-rental.com
Train from Koeln-Muelheim to Essen Hbf
- Ave. Duration
- 1h 14m
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Schedules at
- train-rental.com
Rome2Rio's guide to FlixBus
Contact DetailsContact Details
- Phone
- +49 30 300 137 300
- [email protected]
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.fr
Bus from Karlsruhe central train station to Düsseldorf central bus station
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 35m
- Frequency
- Every 3 hours
- Estimated price
- €30–50
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
Bus from Karlsruhe central train station to Essen central train station
- Ave. Duration
- 7h 45m
- Frequency
- 4 times a day
- Estimated price
- €35–60
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.co.uk
- Phone
- +3 318 576 2228
- Website
- blablacar.com
Rideshare from Karlsruhe to Essen
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 24m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- €21
- Schedules at
- blablacar.com
Want to know more about travelling around Germany
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More Questions & Answers
Karlsruhe to Essen bus services, operated by FlixBus, arrive at Düsseldorf central bus station.
Karlsruhe to Essen train services, operated by Deutsche Bahn Intercity (DB IC), arrive at Essen Hbf station.
Yes, the driving distance between Karlsruhe to Essen is 359 km. It takes approximately 3h 6m to drive from Karlsruhe to Essen.
Book your Karlsruhe to Essen train tickets online with Omio.
Book your Karlsruhe to Essen bus tickets online with Omio and FlixBus.
There are 2772+ hotels available in Essen.
Check out Blablacar's carpooling service for rideshare options between Karlsruhe and Essen. A great option if you don't have a driver's licence or want to avoid public transport.
















