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Köln / Cologne / Koeln to Lyon by train
How to take the rail journey from Cologne/Köln to Lyon
When looking up a journey by train north-west Germany to central and southern France most of the options on the ticket booking services will involve taking a Thalys train from Köln to Paris and then a TGV on from Paris to Lyon.
However that routing involves an awkward cross Paris transfer, which can be avoided when following the two journey options set out below.
So they're worth looking out for when travelling by train between these areas of Europe.
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Routes
Option 1: travelling via Bruxelles
Journey Summary
6hr 17min - 7hr 16min (approx)
Daily
Travel Information
Look up a Koln to Lyon train journey and you will see a myriad of options, many of which involve travelling via Paris.
Travelling via Paris can be cheaper, but it also includes the transfer between stations across Paris.
The ticks in the box for taking this route are:
- it's fastest
- you can connect in Bruxelles and avoid the transfer across Paris
- the time to make the transfer between trains at Midi station is at least 40-45mins, so catching the train on to Lyon shouldn't be a problem.
Though if you want to set off from Koln/Cologne around midday, then travelling via Lyon becomes the better option for avoiding Paris when taking this journey.
2 or 3* x optimum connections per day
*Depart Koln daily at 07:42 and 09:42
Additional connection departs Friday and Sunday only at 16:478.
Change trains in: Bruxelles/Brussels
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| B-Europe | * |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: BruxellesMidi/Brussel Zuid
All trains also call at: Aachen
For virtually the entire train journey from Koln to Bruxelles the trains, will either be travelling at up to 290 km/h on purpose built high speed lines, or up to 200km/h on section of railway, that has been re-engineered to allow trains to travel faster.
It is a journey of six distinct phases:
- Between Koln and Aachen the trains travel at up to 200 km/h on a re-engineered stretch of railway.
- Then for most of the the 25 min journey between Aachen and Liege the train will travel at up to 290 km/h on a high speed line; this is also the most scenic part of the trip.
- Then for around five minutes after departure from Liege, the train will travel fairly slowly on a route which ascends from the city.
- Next up is the HS2 Belgian high speed route as far as Leuven, in theory the ICE and Thalys trains can accelerate back up to around 290 km/h on this part of the trip.
- From Leuven to just north of Brussel-Nord station the maximum speed is 200 km/h.
- For most of the journey between Brussel-Nord and Brussel-Zuid the railway crosses the city centre in a tunnel.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
You can avoid having to make the transfer across Paris from the Gare Du Nord to the Gare De Lyon by taking these direct trains from Bruxelles to Lyon.
Final Destination: Marseille; Montpellier or Lyon
All trains also call at: Aeroport CDG; Marne La Valléé (for Disneyland Paris)
You will be travelling at high speed for virtually the entire train trip!
The trains will reverse direction on departure from Lille Europe station.
You will be travelling at high speed for virtually the entire train trip, but travelling at more than 270 km/h for hour after hour is the only aspect of this journey with a wow factor.
The landscape that can be seen from train mainly comprises flat farm land, though rolling hills can be seen to the north of Lyon.
This video showcases the journey experienc.
The trains which call at Lille will reverse direction on departure from Lille Europe station.
Option 2: travelling via Mannheim
Journey Summary
8hr 1min
Daily
Travel Information
The journey time is an hour longer than the journey you will be initially offered by the ticket agents
Set off from Koln/Cologne on the 12:54 train, which will usually be heading to Basel, and you'll have only 16mins in Mannheim to connect into the only direct train of the day on to Lyon.
So making that connection in time is a gamble.
Hence our recommendation is to extend the journey time by an hour; the 'Ticketing Info' below explains how.
If you set off from Koln/Cologne at 11:55, on a train heading to Munchen, you'll then have more than an hour to make the connection in Mannheim.
1 x connection per day
Change trains in: Mannheim
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 3 months ahead of the travel date
When looking up this journey DB the recommendation is to extend the 'duration of transfer' in order to take the pressure off making a comparatively timed connection in Mannheim.
How to do this is explained on this guide to using the DB (German national railways) website to book tickets.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB | from €39.90 |
Train 1
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Munchen Hbf or Basel SBB
These trains travel on the high speed line between Seigburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen,
The timetable is split, so that in even hours the train to Mannheim will be continuing on to Basel, but in odd hours the trains from Koln to Mannheim will be heading to Munchen/Munich.
Hence many of the journey options for train journeys by ICE between Koln and destinations to the south of Mannheim, involve making a transfer between trains in Mannheim.
Train 2
Travelling On
Journey Features
Good to Know
Final Destination: Marseille
Train also calls at: Mulhouse: Avignon TGV; Aix-en-Provence TGV.
The train will travel on a high speed line between Mulhouse and Chalon-sur-Saone.
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