Köln: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Köln is a city of 1 million people in Germany (North Rhine-Westphalia), 58 m (190 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), 15 km (9 mi) from the centre. Our booking partner lists 1 places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Köln runs from about 8 h a day in late December to 16 h 36 min in late June (computed for 50.93° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Köln is served by 5 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), 15 km (9 mi) from the centre, whose 12,516-ft runway is long enough for long-haul wide-body aircraft. The alternatives are Düsseldorf Airport (DUS, 42 km), Dortmund Airport (DTM, 80 km), Maastricht Aachen Airport (MST, 83 km), Weeze (Niederrhein) Airport (NRN, 93 km).
Flights to Köln: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Köln · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 1 places to stay in Köln.
Hotels in Köln: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Hamburg, 357 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Brussels, 183 km (Belgium) — flights · tours
- Rotterdam, 204 km (The Netherlands) — flights · tours
- Amsterdam, 214 km (The Netherlands) — flights · tours
- Frankfurt am Main, 153 km — flights · trains · tours
- Düsseldorf, 34 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Stuttgart, 288 km — tours
- Essen, 58 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Dortmund, 74 km — trains · tours
- Bremen, 270 km — flights · trains · tours
Common questions
Which airport serves Köln?
Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN), 15 km (9 mi) from the centre, plus 4 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Köln?
About 1 million people live in Köln (GeoNames).
What time zone is Köln in?
Europe/Berlin, currently UTC+2.
What currency is used in Köln?
The Euro (EUR). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Köln?
Our booking partner lists 1 places to stay in Köln, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Köln?
Hamburg (357 km), Brussels (183 km), Rotterdam (204 km), Amsterdam (214 km), Frankfurt am Main (153 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.