How to travel from Cologne to Rotterdam, Netherlands

There are several options for getting from Cologne to Rotterdam by train, bus, car and plane. The cheapest option is to take the bus which costs around €17 ($17) and will take around 5h 25m. If you need to get there more quickly, you can take the train and then fly and arrive in approximately 1h 55m, though it is a bit more costly at approximately €405 ($405).

The distance between Cologne and Rotterdam is around 239km (148 miles). In a direct line (as the crow flies), the distance is 204km (127 miles)

It takes around 3hrs to get from Cologne and Rotterdam by train. If you are travelling by car it will take around 2h 40m to drive there.

The quickest way to get from Cologne to Rotterdam is to take the train and then fly which takes around 1h 55m and will set you back approx €405 ($405).

The cheapest way to travel between Cologne and Rotterdam, if you exclude driving, is to take the bus which will typically cost around €17 ($17) for a standard one-way ticket.

Yes there is a train service that runs between Cologne and Rotterdam. It typically takes around 3hrs and departs hourly.

There are no direct train services that runs from Cologne to Rotterdam. However, you can instead can take several connecting trains with a changeover in Neuss Hbf, Venlo and Eindhoven Centraal. These services run hourly and will take a minimum of 3hrs.

Eurobahn, VIAS Rail GmbH, Dutch Railways, Deutsche Bahn and Thalys run train services between Cologne and Rotterdam. Trains depart hourly and will take around 3hrs, 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 Rotterdam. It typically takes around 5h 25m and departs once daily.

There are no direct bus services that runs from Cologne to Rotterdam. However, you can instead can take several connecting buses with changeovers in Leverkusen Leverkusen Mitte Bf. These services run once daily and will take a minimum of 5h 25m.

FlixBus run regular bus services between Cologne and Rotterdam. Buses run once daily and take around 5h 25m on average but will vary depending on you book with.

It doesn't look like you can fly directly from Cologne to Rotterdam. We recommend that you take the train to D-Flughafen Bf then fly from Dusseldorf (DUS) to Amsterdam Schiphol (AMS) then take the train to Rotterdam Centraal. instead which will take 1h 55m.

The closest major airport to Rotterdam is Rotterdam The Hague Airport (RTM) (RTM) which is approximately 4km (3 miles) from Rotterdam. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) (AMS) and Eindhoven Airport (EIN) (EIN) 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 Rotterdam. The distance is around 256km (159 miles) by road and it will take around 2h 40m in normal traffic conditons.

If you don't have a car, the easiest way to get from Cologne to Rotterdam is to take the train which takes, on average, 3hrs and will usually cost around €44 ($44).