Basel to Cologne bus: 2.7 a day, fastest 7h20

2.7 a dayfastest 7h20☾ 2 overnight busesFlixBus🇨🇭 Switzerland → 🇩🇪 Germany

Direct buses · no change

BaselLörrachRustHeidelbergFrankfurtCologne· 378 km as the crow flies

01:05 → 08:25
FlixBus N487 ☾ Overnight
Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street) → Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) · via Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt
7h203 stops
Runs: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sun 25 Oct: 01:05 → 07:25)Book on FlixBus ↗
08:05 → 16:20
FlixBus 007
Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street) → Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) · via Lörrach, Rust, Heidelberg, Frankfurt
8h157 stops
Runs: Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (some weeks)Book on FlixBus ↗
22:40 → 06:45⁺¹
FlixBus N11 ☾ Overnight
Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street) → Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) · via Freiburg, Strasbourg, Saarbrücken, Bonn
8h054 stops
Runs: Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (some weeks)The night the clocks change (Sat 24 Oct: 22:40 → 05:45+1)Book on FlixBus ↗

Local times at each stop. Times from official open data: FlixBus (file of 11 Oct 2026). Checked Sun 18 Oct 2026; they cover 18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026. Timetables change, so check with the operator before you travel. Contains FlixBus timetable data (FlixMobility, transport.data.gouv.fr), ODbL 1.0. How we build this.

Bus, train or plane

☾ Overnight: leave 01:05, arrive 08:25

The train is 4h28 quicker door to door, but the night bus spends your night on the road instead of a day.

Bus · fastest direct8h28

To Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street)14 min
At the stop before departure15 min
FlixBus N4877h20
From Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2)39 min

Train · fastest direct4h00

To Basel SBB1 min
Before departure10 min
ICE 2043h49

City centre to city centre. Getting to stops, stations and airports: typical public-transport times (estimates). Bus: be at the stop 15 min before. Plane: check-in and security 1h30 before, then getting out after landing; flight time typical for the distance. Train: pickthetrain's door-to-door time.

Train instead?

8.6 a daydirect trains, fastest 3h40

Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB. No change of train, from the operators' official timetables.

See the trains on pickthetrain ↗

Flying instead?

Nothing flies Basel to Cologne nonstop in picktheflight's airline data.

Check flights on picktheflight ↗

Quick answers

Is there a direct bus from Basel to Cologne?

Yes. 2.7 a day on average, with FlixBus, no change of bus (18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026).

How long is the bus from Basel to Cologne?

The fastest takes 7h20; the slowest 8h15, for 378 km as the crow flies.

When do the buses leave?

The earliest leaves at 01:05 and the latest at 22:40, local time in Basel. Not every bus runs every day: pick a date above.

Is there a night bus from Basel to Cologne?

Yes: 2 overnight departures in the timetable, for example 01:05 arriving 08:25.

Basel ▸ Cologne

Direct buses · no change

Quick answers

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