How to travel from Cologne to Kiel, Germany

There are several options for getting from Cologne to Kiel by train, bus, car and plane. The cheapest option is to take the bus which costs around €74 ($74) and will take around 7h 40m. If you need to get there more quickly, you can fly and then take the train and arrive in approximately 2h 45m, though it is a bit more costly at approximately €165 ($165).

The distance between Cologne and Kiel is around 495km (308 miles). In a direct line (as the crow flies), the distance is 433km (269 miles)

It takes around 5h 10m to get from Cologne and Kiel by train. If you are travelling by car it will take around 4h 15m to drive there.

The quickest way to get from Cologne to Kiel is to fly and then take the train which takes around 2h 45m and will set you back approx €165 ($165).

The cheapest way to travel between Cologne and Kiel, if you exclude driving, is to take the bus which will typically cost around €74 ($74) for a standard one-way ticket.

Yes there is a train service that runs between Cologne and Kiel. It typically takes around 5h 10m and departs twice daily.

Yes there is a direct train service that runs between Cologne and Kiel with no changeovers required. The train runs twice daily and takes 5h 10m.

Deutsche Bahn, Swiss Railways and Deutsche Bahn Regional run train services between Cologne and Kiel. Trains depart twice daily and will take around 5h 10m, however, this may vary depending on the particular service and whether it runs express or stops all stations.

Yes there is a bus that runs regularly from Cologne and Kiel. It typically takes around 7h 40m and departs twice a week.

There are no direct bus services that runs from Cologne to Kiel. However, you can instead can take several connecting buses with changeovers in Bremen Bürgermeister-Smidt-Strasse and Bremen Hauptbahnhof. These services run twice a week and will take a minimum of 7h 40m.

East West Eurolines and FlixBus run regular bus services between Cologne and Kiel. Buses run twice a week and take around 7h 40m on average but will vary depending on you book with.

It doesn't look like you can fly directly from Cologne to Kiel. We recommend that you fly from Cologne Bonn (CGN) to Hamburg (HAM) then take the train to Kiel Hbf. instead which will take 2h 45m.

The closest major airport to Kiel is Luebeck-Blankensee Airport (LBC) (LBC) which is approximately 68km (42 miles) from Kiel. Hamburg Airport (HAM) (HAM) and Westerland - Sylt Airport (GWT) (GWT) are also nearby and might be a better alternative airport depending on where you are flying from.

Yes it is possible to drive from Cologne and Kiel. The distance is around 508km (316 miles) by road and it will take around 4h 15m in normal traffic conditons.

If you don't have a car, the easiest way to get from Cologne to Kiel is to take the train which takes, on average, 5h 10m and will usually cost around €110 ($110).