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Köln · Germany

Car hire and driving in Köln

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Germany traffic drives on the right. Picking up at CGN means 15 km (9 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648823.

Drives from Köln

Car rental from Köln: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Köln to SolingenGermany28 km (18 mi)about 26 min
Köln to RemscheidGermany32 km (20 mi)about 29 min
Köln to DüsseldorfGermany34 km (21 mi)about 31 min
Köln to NeussGermany35 km (22 mi)about 32 min
Köln to WuppertalGermany38 km (24 mi)about 35 min
Köln to MönchengladbachGermany45 km (28 mi)about 41 min
Köln to KrefeldGermany53 km (33 mi)about 48 min
Köln to MülheimGermany56 km (35 mi)about 51 min
Köln to DuisburgGermany57 km (35 mi)about 52 min
Köln to EssenGermany58 km (36 mi)about 53 min
Köln to HagenGermany60 km (37 mi)about 55 min
Köln to OberhausenGermany61 km (38 mi)about 56 min
Köln to LondonUnited Kingdom497 km (309 mi)about 7 h 34 min
Köln to Saint PetersburgRussia1,767 km (1,098 mi)about 26 h 57 min
Köln to BerlinGermany479 km (297 mi)about 7 h 18 min
Köln to MadridSpain1,430 km (888 mi)about 21 h 48 min
Köln to KyivUkraine1,654 km (1,028 mi)about 25 h 14 min
Köln to RomeItaly1,091 km (678 mi)about 16 h 38 min
Köln to ParisFrance403 km (250 mi)about 6 h 8 min
Köln to HamburgGermany357 km (222 mi)about 5 h 27 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Köln?

The right, as everywhere in Germany.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

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.