How to get from Cologne to Amsterdam? This is not an idle question. Cologne is located on the western border of Germany, not far from France and Holland. Therefore, tourists use this city when traveling around the countries of Europe as a transshipment point for traveling around the Benelux countries. After seeing the sights of Cologne, you can visit Amsterdam and other capitals of the Old World.
Distance from Cologne to Amsterdam
By Russian standards, these cities are located close to each other, the distance will be only 270 kilometers. If you chose the railway, then the travel time will be from 2.5 to 3 hours. The time spent on the bus will be much greater, about 5 hours, but there is an advantage here. Using the bus Cologne-Amsterdam, you can immediately see the city and its attractions if you buy a sightseeing tour.
These cities, despite being nearby, are completely different. Having spent not so much time, to be in another country, which in comparison with Germany is a contrast in essence a tempting idea. Therefore, many tourists take this opportunity, being in Cologne.
How to get from Cologne to Amsterdam by train
A beautiful ramified railway network, convenient wagons, ease of buying tickets, high-speed trains - all this made the railway the most popular mode of transport. Almost all major cities in Europe are interconnected by high-speed railways. Traveling around Europe by rail is very popular. Significant discounts on tickets attract even more passengers.
If you ask the locals the question: “What is the best way to get from Cologne to Amsterdam?”, You will get the answer, that by rail. There are many trains running between these cities. All of them depart from the main railway station of Cologne. The train arrives at Amsterdam Central Station. It is best to use the services of DeutscheBahn, a German company that provides significant discounts if tickets are purchased in advance via the Internet.
If this is your first trip to Amsterdam, it will be interesting to know that a panoramic tour takes place from the Central Station at 15:00 every day. To get a little accustomed and get a first idea of the city, it will be quite useful. Its cost is 20 euros. But there is one condition: to take advantage of it, you must not later than 36 hours, make an order and, of course, calculate the time so as not to be late for the start of the tour.
Buying a train ticket for special social offers
Buying a ticket will not be a problem. How to get from Cologne to Amsterdam, convenient and inexpensive? There are some nuances that can help save money.
- Firstly, you can purchase ICE budget class tickets, as Thalys and Eurocites will cost more. Naturally, there is a significant difference between the first and second class.
- Secondly, if you can leave at 06:46 hours and, most importantly, take care of purchasing a Cologne-Amsterdam ticket in advance, that is, pre-order it, then it will cost 29 euros. Under the same conditions, buying a ticket at 08:42, you will need to pay 39 euros. But there is one “but”: it will be necessary to reserve a place, this is a paid service. Without reservation, you may encounter a situation that there will be no empty seats and you will have to go while standing. These trips will be direct.
- The price of a Cologne-Amsterdam train ticket with transfers will cost less than a direct express train. The ticket price will be within 43 euros. It should be noted when buying tickets with transfers, the time between arrival and departure of trains should be at least 20-30 minutes because here trains, as in Russia, can be late.
- In the train timetables on the Internet, at railway stations, the price of a ticket with discounts is indicated. This information is indicated in the Savings fares column.
- If tourists travel in a small company, in this case in Germany you can buy a group ticket to Oberhausen, and there you can already make a transfer to Amsterdam. Group tickets are valid only in Germany, but in this case, the savings will be tangible.
Train ticket price without discount
The usual price for the train Cologne-Amsterdam is 66 euros. On it you can buy a ticket at the box office or machine. Please note that the number of special offers for pre-orders is limited. Thalys and Eurocites tickets can not be bought at the box office at the station, but at the box office at the forecourt. They will cost an order of magnitude higher than ICE. Amsterdam is a small city and if you examined everything you wanted, you can return to Cologne by train at 16:35 or 18:35.
What is the difference between first and second grade?
The first class is more comfortable, there are fewer people in such a car. In addition, there is Internet access, as well as a standard breakfast or tea (coffee).
Direct express trains rush at a speed of 300 km / h, traveling on them will bring only pleasure. But the cost of tickets for them is significant for our tourists. It is very important to have the card with which the payment was made with the electronic ticket.
Baggage
Free of charge on the train you can carry hand luggage, that is, the luggage that can be installed under the seat or on the upper shelf. Everything else is rented into the left-luggage office, the cabinets of which are located in the aisle. There are three compartments at the bottom. Next to it are instructions for use and coin receivers.
Travel by bus
This will be the cheapest way to get from Cologne to Amsterdam. As for the train, discounts are provided for pensioners, students and schoolchildren. The cost of one way can be around 19 euros. The price will depend on the carrier. Round trip can be reached at the price of a one-way train ride. But there is one drawback. Travel time can be up to 5 hours. It also depends on traffic congestion. If you get stuck in traffic, the time spent on the road can increase significantly. A bus ticket to Cologne-Amsterdam can also be booked online.
Bus tour
If you do not travel to Amsterdam by train, then you should use a sightseeing bus, which includes the cost of a round trip, city tours. The cost of such a trip will cost 54 euros. You can book a tour for 2-3 days. Most importantly, there is no need to decide how to get from Cologne to Amsterdam on your own. This trip can be booked online.
Car rent
It is worth noting immediately that although the car is the most popular form of transport, using a rented car, compared to the above types of transport, is quite an expensive pleasure. On average, renting a car per day will be from 60 euros, in addition, it still needs to be refueled. But there are promotions in which a car can be rented for 30 euros. There are certain nuances when renting a car.
- A sufficient amount of money on the card. When renting a car, an amount equal to two to three times the amount of the deposit is blocked.
- If you need a certain brand of car, then a request is made to the owner to make sure that this is the case.
- Full insurance.
From Cologne to Amsterdam by car
Traveling along the Cologne-Amsterdam route by car yourself will bring a lot of pleasure. The driver learns about the border crossing by signs located on the side of the road or SMS messages coming to the mobile phone. You can book a car on reseller sites scanning offers from car rental companies.
Separately, it should be said about highways. On the territory of Germany should go along the E-25, in the Netherlands A-1, A-3-, A-12. The coating quality is excellent. They have several lanes along which traffic is carried in both directions. Route A-1 has peak lanes that open during busy hours.
On freeways, you should be extremely careful, as they are equipped with security cameras. If you exceed the recommended speed or other violations, you may be fined. The size of European fines exceeds Russian several times. There are gas stations and cafes along the slopes where you can eat.
Air traffic
This is the most expensive way to get from Cologne to Amsterdam. Airfare starts from 180 euros. Among tourists, the most common ways to get to Amsterdam are the railway, the Cologne-Amsterdam bus and the car. But it should be borne in mind that airlines often make discounts on tickets, sometimes significant.
At this time, you can buy a ticket for 50, sometimes for 20-30 euros. True, for the most part they are arranged at a time when they are not needed. But those who often travel from Cologne to Amsterdam should look at airline sites. By the way, that there are air routes with transfers, the cost of tickets for them can be quite low within 70 euros. Such a low price is due to the long waiting time for the transplant.
Transfer (taxi)
If you are traveling with your family or company and do not prefer public transport, it makes sense to book a transfer from Cologne to Amsterdam. The duration of the trip by car is 3 hours. The cost of an ordinary economy car will be 271 euros, a 7-seater minibus can be rented for 290 euros. Usually passengers with children use this method.