Related Content
Content
Köln / Cologne / Koeln to Stuttgart by train
How to take the rail journey from Cologne/Köln to Stuttgart
There are three options for taking a journey by train from Cologne/Köln to Stuttgart:
- The ICE trains which depart from the main city centre rail station.
- Alternative ICE trains, which leave from Messe/Deutz station.
- Slower trains which take a more scenic route.
Share
Routes
Option 1: the ICE trains from Koln Hbf
Journey Summary
2hr 13 min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Munchen
All trains also call at: Mannheim
Only around 50% of the trains from Koln/Cologne to Stuttgart now take this route and depart from the main city centre station, Koln Hbf.
The other ICE trains between the two cities depart from Koln-Messe/Deutz station.
So passengers now have a 'choice' of two stations when heading from Cologne to Stuttgart by train.
Though which station you should book tickets from is largely dependent on your preferred departure time, the trains from Koln Messe/Deutz typically depart around 40 minutes before these trains from Koln hbf will be due to leave.
Which station in Cologne/Koln you depart from, makes little difference to the journey experience.
The journey times will be similar as the trains take the same high speed lines on the journey south.
The alternative more scenic journey option:
If time is on your side, or if you will be travelling in Germany with a rail pass there is a more scenic alternative to travelling on the, admittedly rather thrilling high speed line, when travelling by train from Koln/Cologne to Stuttgart.
Take an IC train from Cologne to Stuttgart and you will be able to enjoy the most scenic route taken by express trains in Germany, down the Rhine Valley.
7 x trains per day
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
Finding tickets:
When looking for tickets from Köln on DB Bahn type ‘K‘ or 'COLOGNE' into the ‘from‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
Do so and on the journey search results you will usually see both these trains* to Stuttgart, which depart from main city centre station in Cologne, plus the other trains which depart from Koln-Messe/Deutz station.
Those trains from Koln-Messe/Deutz station can be cheaper.
However, if you do specifically want to leave from Koln Hbf and travel on a direct train, take care that you're selecting one of these trains.
The direct trains are indicated by a '0' and 'ICE'.
Prices can vary between departures, so try and be flexible re: departure/arrival times.
Reservations:
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets and your seat reservation is included - but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.
Opting to reserve is particularly recommended if you will be travelling at business hours and/or during the day on Fridays and Sundays.
dent ticket agent**](/train-ticket-guides/booking-train-tickets-with-an-independent-ticket-agent/).
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
| Omio | from €17.90 | |
| Happyrail | from €17.90 | |
| SaveATrain | from €17.90 | |
| Trainline | from €17.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
These trains travel at up to 285 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line between Siegburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen.~
They then spend around 30 mins travelling on conventional tracks from Frankfurt Flughafen to Mannheim, on what is usually a fast route
For the final part of the journey they use another high speed line between Mannheim and Stuttgart.
Option 2: the ICE trains from Koln Messe/Deutz
Journey Summary
2hr 5 min - 2hr 17min
Daily
Travel Information
Final Destination: Stuttgart
All trains also call at: Mannheim
Which station in Cologne/Koln you depart from, makes little difference to the journey experience.
The journey times will be similar as the trains take the same high speed lines on the journey south and ICE-3 trains are used for all departures, but these trains from Koln Messe/Deutz tend to be cheaper.
Mon - Fri = 6 x trains per day
Saturday = 5 x trains
Sunday = 6 x trains
Tickets
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings open: 6 months ahead of the travel date
Finding tickets:
When looking for tickets from Köln on DB Bahn type ‘K‘ or 'COLOGNE' into the ‘from‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
Do so and on the journey search results you will usually see both these trains, which depart from secondary station in Cologne, Koln-Messe/Deutz plus other trains, which depart from Koln Hbf.
So if you do specifically want to leave from Koln Hbf and travel on a direct train, take care that you're selecting an alternative journey option, which departs from that station.
The direct trains are indicated by a '0' and 'ICE'.
Prices can vary between departures, so try and be flexible re: departure/arrival times.
Reservations:
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets and your seat reservation is included - but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.
Opting to reserve is particularly recommended if you will be travelling at business hours and/or during the day on Fridays and Sundays.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB Bahn | from €17.90 | |
| Happyrail | from €17.90 | |
| SaveATrain | from €17.90 | |
| Trainline | from €17.90 |
On this journey
Travelling On
Journey Features
These trains travel at up to 285 km/h on Germany's fastest high speed line between Siegburg/Bonn and Frankfurt Flughafen.
They then spend around 30 mins travelling on conventional tracks from Frankfurt Flughafen to Mannheim - on what is usually a fast route
For the final part of the journey they use another high speed line between Mannheim and Stuttgart.
Option 3: the more scenic, but slower route.
Journey Summary
3hr 28min - 3hr 35min
Daily
Travel Information
Take these IC or EC trains from Koln/Cologne to Stuttgart, instead of the alternative ICE trains and your journey will be slower, but much more scenic!
Final Destination: Stuttgart or Klagenfurt
**These trains also call at ** Heidelberg
5 x trains per day
Tickets
If you're making a journey from Koln/Cologne to Stuttgart by train this is a more scenic option than taking the faster ICE trains and it can be cheaper too!
Book early and save: Yes
Online bookings usually open: 6 months ahead of the travel date ~
Finding tickets:
When looking for tickets from Köln on DB Bahn type ‘K‘ or COLOGNE into the ‘from‘ box and not ‘Ko‘.
On the DB Bahn booking site look for journeys that have:
- 0 in the Chg. column
- EC or IC in the Product column
Reservations:
Book 1st class ticket journey tickets and your seat reservation is included, but they're optional when booking 2nd class tickets, or if you will be travelling with a 1st or 2nd class rail pass.
Where to book
| Ticket Provider | Approximate Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| DB | from €17.90 |
On this journey
Journey Features
Good to Know
Sit on the left on the train when facing the direction of travel, this may seem the wrong way round, but the train will initially head north on departure and then loop around the city before heading south on the river bank.
After Bonn there are some fabulous views of the Upper Rhine Valley - if the train takes its usual route along the west bank, but if it's switched to the east bank, the railway line is still right by the river.
The best of the views occur when the trains travel through The Rhine Gorge between Koblenz and Bingen.
The journey is a delight, you can't miss the endless parade of boats travelling up and down the river and look out for the multitude of castles perched on top of the hills.
As the video clips and images show, this is a journey which can be worth taking for the sake of making the trip - even if the weather isn't absolutely perfect.
Newsletter
Sign up to receive the latest travel news stories and to hear about what we've been working on for you.
See if there’s a unique journey guide for your trip, featuring info on the trains, tickets & stations.
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.
