Travelling to and from Cologne

Cologne is located in the heart of Europe and closer to Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam than to the German capital Berlin. As such, travel options are plentiful. Below, we provide some basic information about travelling to and from Cologne by plane or train.

Travel by plane

Cologne's airport (Cologne/Bonn International - IATA code: CGN) is a medium-sized airport that mainly offers flights to European destinations. The main airlines serving the airport are Eurowings, a Lufthansa subsidiary, and Ryanair. Travelling to Cologne from overseas will require making a connection at one of the major European airline hubs that are served from Cologne - Munich, Zurich and Vienna (by Star Alliance airlines, e.g. Lufthansa, Swiss, United Airlines, Singapore Airlines) or London Heathrow (by oneworld airlines, e.g. British Airways, American Airlines or Qantas). The airport is linked to downtown Cologne by commuter rail that operates 24/7 and takes 15 minutes to Cologne central station.

Much more flight options are available to and from Frankfurt airport, Germany's largest airport (IATA code: FRA). It is a short 45 minute train ride away from Cologne when using high-speed rail from Frankfurt airport's railway station. All major airlines serve Frankfurt nonstop or via the hubs of its European partner airlines. Most airlines offer some sort of intermodal transport that combines a flight to Frankfurt and the train ride to Cologne (or other German destinations), so please check with your travel agent. On some airlines such as Lufthansa, the train ride can be booked like and is handled as a connecting flight (the concept is called Lufthansa Express Rail), while other airlines offer a Rail & Fly option which is a discounted, flexible train ticket sold for a flat fee in conjunction with an air ticket. If none of those options are available, it is of course possible to purchase a regular train ticket in advance or on the day of travel.

A larger airport than Cologne/Bonn is also Düsseldorf International (IATA airport code: DUS) which is just 30 miles north of Cologne. It offers only a limited choice of intercontinental flight that are mostly useful if you are travelling from Australia, Asia and Africa (on Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways or Turkish Airlines), but it is connected to all large European hubs of the three airline alliances in Europe with multiple daily flights (Skyteam: Paris, Amsterdam, Copenhagen | oneworld: London, Madrid, Dublin, Helsinki | Star Alliance: Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Vienna, Warsaw). Düsseldorf airport has a train station with frequent connections to Cologne that will take 30 to 40 minutes.

An alternative to the three German airports are the airports of Brussels, Paris and Amsterdam. All three cities are linked by high-speed rail to Cologne with trains departing at least every two hours from the cities' central train stations (i.e. requiring a transfer on a local train from/to the airport). Travel time is between two hours (Brussels) and three and a half hours (Paris). Brussels is served by German Rail and Eurostar, Amsterdam by German Rail and Paris by Eurostar (Eurostar requires advance bookings, German Rail in most cases not).

If you do not fly into Cologne/Bonn airport, you will most likely arrive in Cologne by train from somewhere else. Cologne is situated at one of the busiest German railway hubs and offers excellent train connections within Germany and to neighboring countries by German rail and Eurostar.

Cologne has two railway stations for long-distance trains. Most long-distance trains stop at Cologne's main railway station ("Köln Hbf"), while others stop at "Köln Messe Deutz" just a few hundred meters away across the River Rhine. Both are well connected to the conference hotels by public transport and only a short taxi/Uber ride away from them, so you can use either one - just make sure to get off as long-distance trains will not stop at both.

If you fly into Frankfurt airport, there is a scenic alternative to the high-speed rail link most travellers will take: Some trains still take the old route along the banks of the river rhine, considered by many as one of the most scenic railway routes in Europe. Instead of 45 to 60 minutes, this route will take approx. 2,5 hours (if you go for this option, make sure you reserve a seat on the right side of a train carriage to benefit from the best views).

German rail does not require advance reservation so with a flexible ticket you can use any long-distance train you want. Saver and Super-Saver tickets are much cheaper than flexible tickets but can only be used on a specific train. Generally, it is advisable to book in advance and also make a seat reservation.