There are three options available when taking a direct train from Basel to Cologne/Köln:
Departing from Basel:
All three services depart from Basel SBB station, the main station in the city, and then call at Basel Bad ff.
Though if you'll be commencing an end-to-end journey in Basel city center, the quickest option is to join these trains at Basel Bad bf.
It will be cheaper too as the German national operator classifies the journey from Basel Bad bf as a national journey, but the trip from Basel SBB is classified as international route.
Though join the trains at Basel SBB station if you will be connecting from other destinations in Switzerland.
Rail pass users are also more like to find unoccupied seats on these trains, on which reservations are optional, when boarding at Basel SBB.
Final Destination: Hamburg (or Dortmund)
These trains also call at: Mainz and Koblenz and Bonn
These EC trains are usually scheduled to depart daily from Basel Bf station at 12:28 and 14:33.
2 x trains per day
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
When looking for tickets to Köln on DB Bahn type ‘K‘ into the ‘to‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
These EC trains are usually scheduled to depart daily from Basel Bf station at 12:28 and 14:33, so target those departure times when looking up this journey, if you want to take the more scenic route.
These trains will have also called at Basel SBB station at 12:20 and 14:27, but you'll save money if you book tickets from Basel Bad bf station.
If the departure times suit and you don't mind a longer journey than the alternative ICE trains, these EC trains can be the cheapest option for a Basel to Koln/Cologne journey.
Reservations are highly recommended for this journey, book a 1st class ticket and your seat will be assigned, but not if you book 2nd class.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €19.90 | |
Trainline | from €19.90 | |
SaveATrain | from €19.90 | |
Happyrail | from €19.90 |
Take these EC trains rather than the alternative ICE trains and the journey will be slower, but much more scenic.
It's so fabulous that a special observation car, which can be accessed by First Class ticket holders with no need for an additional charge, is included within the train.
Sit on the right of the train when facing the direction of travel.
You can then see incredible views of The Rhine Gorge between Bingen and Koblenz (the videos were filmed from a train travelling in the opposite direction.)
(Though trains can be diverted to run along the east bank of the river north of Mainz, and if that does occur, the equally fabulous Rhine Valley views will be on the left).Final Destination: Koln or Dortmund or Amsterdam
All trains also call at: Frankfurt-Flughafen (Airport)
Most trains also call at: Seigburg-Bonn where connections are available to Bonn city centre.
These ICE trains are faster than the alternative daytime service of the EC trains because they travel at more than 275 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line between Frankfurt Flughafen and Seigburg-Bonn
1 x train every other hour
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
When looking for tickets to Köln Hbf on DB Bahn website type ‘K‘ into the ‘to‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
When making an online booking, check that you’re looking at booking info for the direct trains.
On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have
Use the earlier/later buttons to search for the cheapest ticket prices.
Our step-by-step guide to booking train tickets on the DB (German national railways) website is available HERE.
Seat reservations
Reservations are recommended for this journey; book a 1st class ticket on DB Bahn and your seat will be assigned, but not in 2nd class.
They can also be booked separately at a later date on the DB website.
For rail pass users reservations are optional, but if you do choose to reserve (recommended) book the reservation online on DB Bahn; and avoid the booking fees you would be charged at the station in Switzerland.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
Trainline | from €17.90 | |
SaveATrain | from €17.90 | |
Happyrail | from €17.90 |
This route taken by the ICE train is a journey of five distinct phases:
The video was taken from a train travelling in the opposite direction, but it showcases why the high speed section of this journey has a wow factor.
Final Destination: Kiel
This is now the only overnight train between these two cities, Basel and Koln/Cologne.
It is an ordinary daytime ICE train that happens to run overnight.
It does not have any couchette sleeping berths or sleeping cabins.
Though if you need to be in Koln/Cologne before 06:10, you will need to take this train, the first ICE train of the day on Monday-Friday isn't due into Koln until after 09:00.
1 x train per night
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
This overnight train is usually scheduled to depart from Basel SBB station at 23:13 and from Basel Bad Bf station at 23:23 - so target those departure times when looking up this journey.
Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
---|---|---|
DB Bahn | from €29.90 | |
Trainline | from €29.90 |
This train takes the same non-high speed route as the daytime EC trains, but it slower because it makes more station calls.
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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.