Amsterdam to Köln / Cologne / Koeln by train

All that’s good to know about taking the train from Amsterdam to Cologne

Fabulous state-of-the-art German ICE trains provide the super easy rail link between these two cities.
Connect at the main station in Köln / Cologne / Koeln for a swathe of other destinations in north-west Germany including Bonn, Koblenz, Mainz and Trier.

Routes

From Amsterdam Centraal / Amsterdam CS to Köln/Cologne Hbf

Journey Summary

From

Amsterdam

Amsterdam Centraal / Amsterdam CS Rail Station Guide

Köln / Cologne / Koeln

Köln/Cologne Hbf Rail Station Guide

Travel Time

2hr 40min - 2hr 45min approx

Frequency

Daily

Tickets

Book early and save: Yes

Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date

When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.

Look for journeys times of around***** 2hr 45mins, a ‘0’ and only ‘ICE’ shown in the journey details

Trains departing at different times can be cheaper than others leaving on the same day, so you may need to look through the day's departures to find the cheapest fares.

*Trains can be diverted from the direct route, particularly at weekends, and when they are, the journey time will be longer.

Reservations:

Seat reservations are included when booking 1st class tickets.

However, if you book 2nd class tickets, or will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass, reservations are optional - and these can be busy trains, particularly on Friday afternoons/evenings, Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings.

Where to book

Ticket Provider	Approximate Cost
NS International	from €19
NS International Guide NS is the Dutch national rail operator and it operates a bespoke website for the booking of international rail journeys from and to The Netherlands. Therefore it offers tickets for journeys by: Thalys trains to Bruxelles and Paris IC trains to Berlin via Hannover and Bruxelles via Antwerpen Eurostar to London ICE trains to Basel and Frankfurt (Main) via Koln the Nightjet trains to Austria and Germany NS International also sells tickets to a range of destinations in Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland, which involve a change of train in Germany, along with the destinations in France, which can be accessed by making a connection in Bruxelles. How to Book Tickets on the NS International Website This step by step guide shows how to use the NS International website, to buy tickets for international train journeys to/from The Netherlands How to Book Tickets on the NS International Website Buying and using Tickets & Rail Passes in The Netherlands This guide will help you save money, time and confusion. Buying and using Tickets & Rail Passes in The Netherlands
DB Bahn	from €19
DB Bahn Guide DB is the national railway operator in Germany, so its website can be used for booking journeys by German express trains; the ICE and IC trains and it doesn't charge booking fees. It also sells tickets for journeys by direct trains on all international routes from Germany regardless of whether DB is operating the train service. It also sells an extensive range of end-to-end journeys which involve making connections both within Germany and in neighboring countries, but journeys between Germany and Britain cannot be booked on DB. A key feature of DB website worth keeping mind is that it offers 1st class ticket purchasers complimentary seat reservations on journeys both within and to/from Germany. Seat reservations for daytime in both 1st and 2nd class can also be booked separately from tickets. Buying and using tickets for German rail travel This guide will help you save money, time and confusion. Buying and using tickets for German rail travel How to Book Tickets on the DB Website This step by step guide shows how to use DB, the German railways website, to buy German train tickets, so that you can book and save with confidence! How to Book Tickets on the DB Website Using Rail Passes in and to/from Germany All that's good to know about using Eurail and InterRail passes on German train journeys and on international trains to and from Germany Using Rail Passes in and to/from Germany
Saveatrain	from €19
Saveatrain Guide Booking Train Tickets with an Independent Ticketing Service What to look out for when using Omio, SaveATrain, HappyRail, Trainline and RailEurope (UK) when booking train tickets for European rail journeys Booking Train Tickets with an Independent Ticketing Service
Trainline	from €19
Trainline Guide Booking Train Tickets with an Independent Ticketing Service What to look out for when using Omio, SaveATrain, HappyRail, Trainline and RailEurope (UK) when booking train tickets for European rail journeys Booking Train Tickets with an Independent Ticketing Service
Happyrail	from €19
Happyrail Guide Happy Rail is a Netherlands rail ticket agency which sells tickets for both national and international journeys within a range of countries including Belgium France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland. HappyRail doesn't charge booking fees in the conventional sense, but if you're not Dutch you can expect to pay additional transaction fees, which will be added to the total cost. That's because the most common form of online payment used in The Netherlands is 'iDEAL' and HappyRail doesn't charge a transaction fee for 'iDEAL' payments, but only Dutch residents can sign up to 'iDEAL'. Other forms of payment include Visa debit cards will incur a fee. Booking Train Tickets with an Independent Ticketing Service What to look out for when using Omio, SaveATrain, HappyRail, Trainline and RailEurope (UK) when booking train tickets for European rail journeys Booking Train Tickets with an Independent Ticketing Service

On this journey

Travelling On

An ICE 3 (406) train on a Bruxelles - Frankfurt service

ICE 3 (Germany) Train Guide

Journey Features

Scenic - NoHigh Speed (partial)

Good to Know

*the first regular departure of the day does not operate on Sundays.

Note that Koeln is the Dutch spelling of Cologne, so this name for the city will be used on the train information screens at Amsterdam Centraal.

Final Destination: Frankfurt (Main) or Basel SBB

All trains also call at: Utrecht; Arnhem; Dusseldorf

This is nearly always a stress-free journey, which showcases the best aspects of European international train travel.
The stations at both ends of the route have ideal city centre locations and the ICE 3 trains definitely have a wow factor!

Though what's a tad odd about this journey is that you'll be on board a train that's in the Top 5 on a 'fastest trains in Europe' list, but there's no high speed railway line between Amsterdam and Cologne.

So this route isn't particularly fast and it isn't going to wow scenery fans, but there's still lots to see as the train passes through numerous towns and cities.
And if you sit on the left, you'll see a typical Dutch canal between Amsterdam and Utrecht; so you can sit back and watch the boats go by.

Take the stress out of your journey Everything planned to your specification, so sit back and relax… Try Concierge

See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.

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This is one of more than 1000 journey guides available on ShowMeTheJourney, which will make it easier to take the train journeys you want or need to make. As always, all images were captured on trips taken by ShowMeTheJourney.

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