Special offer: There are no booking fees between 29 July - 31 December 2020. Read COVID-19 updates on European train services here. Sonderregelung: Vom 29. Juli bis 31. Dezember 2020 erheben wir keine Buchungsgebühren. Lies Coronavirus-Updates über Zugverbindungen in Europa hier. Offre exceptionnelle: Pas frais de réservation entre le 29 juillet et le 31 décembre 2020. Lisez notre page dédiée aux nouvelles sur le Covid-19 et les conditions de circulation en Europe ici. Offerta speciale: Non sono previsti costi di prenotazione nel periodo tra il 29 luglio e il 31 dicembre 2020. Leggi gli aggiornamenti COVID-19 sui servizi dei treni in Europa qui. Oferta excepcional: No hay gastos de gestión entre el 29 de julio y el 31 de diciembre de 2020. Lea las actualizaciones sobre COVID-19 y los servicios de trenes europeos aquí. Oferta especial: não há taxas de reserva entre 29 de julho - 31 de dezembro de 2020. Leia as atualizações sobre o Covid-19 e os serviços ferroviários europeus aqui.

Cologne to Essen by train

Prices explained

Prices explained

At Rail Europe we believe in price transparency. We use real data from Rail Europe searches to estimate the cheapest fares you should be able to find for your journey.

The cheapest price is the lowest fare we've ever found for this journey. These prices can usually be found by searching when booking opens but they vary due to availability, which depends on factors like the day of the week or time of year.

More popular journeys include 30 day advance and 7 day advance prices. These are updated every two weeks using prices we've found by searching exactly 7 or 30 days from the most recent Thursday (we picked Thursday because this is when average prices are usually found).

30 day and 7 day prices fluctuate based on demand and availability at the time of search. For example, the 7-day price in summer is likely to be more expensive than the same journey in winter.

Prices are sourced in GBP and converted to other currencies using the daily market exchange rate.

We're always seeking to improve how price-checking works, and we welcome feedback on how we can make it better.

More advice about how to find the cheapest tickets can be found in our infographic.

  1. Cheapest Price $20.56
  2. 30 day advance $21.84
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  • First train
    05:09
  • Last train
    00:49
  • Avg changes
    0
  • Fastest journey
    44m
  • Distance
    57 kilometres
  • Trains per day
    75
  • Avg. journey time
    55m
  • Train operators

Travelling from Cologne to Essen by train

Fast trains from Cologne to Essen take around 44 minutes, covering a distance of approximately 57 kilometres. There are frequent services on the rail route between Cologne and Essen.

1. Are there direct trains from Cologne to Essen?

Direct trains from Cologne to Essen have been found.

We usually find around 76 direct trains on the route from Cologne to Essen every weekday.

Trains are typically more frequent on weekends, when we found around 79 departures.

2. How long is the train journey from Cologne to Essen?

The Cologne to Essen train travel time is normally about 44 minutes, whatever time you make the journey.

3. What are the Cologne to Essen train times and schedule?

On weekdays the earliest direct train to Essen is usually scheduled to depart Cologne around 05:09 and the last train is around 00:42. At weekends the first train of the day leaves Cologne around 06:10, and the last at 00:49.

What's the Cologne to Essen train price?

The earlier you book the better, and the cheapest tickets we've found for trains from Cologne to Essen are $20.56.

Trains departing 30 days in advance will cost around $21, and when booking 7 days in advance the price is usually the same. Booking on the day of travel may be more expensive.

When to book Cologne to Essen train tickets?

Trains in Germany usually open for booking around 6 months in advance. If booking is not yet open for your dates then you can set a booking alert to receive an email on the day that the cheapest tickets are released for your journey from Cologne to Essen by train.

Help with booking alerts

Which train companies operate between Cologne and Essen?

More than one train company operates on the route from Cologne to Essen, so you’ll be travelling with one or more of the following rail operators:

  • ABELLIO Rail NRW
  • Euro City
  • Eurocity (EC)
  • Eurocités
  • ICE
  • Inter City Express
  • Intercites
  • Intercity
  • Intercity-Express (ICE)
  • Intercités
  • Regional-Express
  • S-Bahn
  • Thalys

You can check which train you’ll be travelling on by looking for the train name in search results.

Essen to Cologne by train

Other journeys to Essen Hbf View all journeys to Essen Hbf

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Booking fees put on hold at Rail Europe until end of year

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Child and youth passengers

The definition of "Child" and "Youth" varies by country and operator. This is why we ask for the age of young passengers.

Sometimes children below a certain age can travel without a seat for free. If you want to guarantee a seat for child passengers, enter '6' as the age of the child.

Read more about child and youth passenger ages. See also youth discounts and railcards.