Milan to Cologne bus: 2.9 a day, fastest 12h00

2.9 a dayfastest 12h00☾ 3 overnight busesFlixBus🇮🇹 Italy → 🇩🇪 Germany

Direct buses · no change

MilanZurichBaselFreiburgStrasbourgSaarbrückenCologne· 630 km as the crow flies

16:45 → 06:45⁺¹
FlixBus N11 ☾ Overnight
Milan (Lampugnano bus station) → Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) · via Zurich, Basel, Freiburg, Strasbourg…
14h007 stops
Runs: Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (some weeks)The night the clocks change (Sat 24 Oct: 16:45 → 05:45+1)Book on FlixBus ↗
20:25 → 08:25⁺¹
FlixBus N487 ☾ Overnight
Milan (Lampugnano bus station) → Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) · via Basel, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Frankfurt
12h004 stops
Runs: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sat 24 Oct: 20:25 → 07:25+1)Book on FlixBus ↗
23:45 → 13:00⁺¹
FlixBus N177 ☾ Overnight
Milan (Lampugnano bus station) → Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) · via Zurich, Tübingen, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe…
13h158 stops
Runs: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sat 24 Oct: 23:45 → 12:00+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 20:25, arrive 08:25

The plane is 8h26 quicker door to door, but the night bus spends your night on the road instead of a day.

Bus · fastest direct13h16

To Milan (Lampugnano bus station)22 min
At the stop before departure15 min
FlixBus N48712h00
From Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2)39 min

Train · fastest direct16h37

To Milano Porta Garibaldi13 min
Before departure10 min
European Sleeper 40016h14

Plane · nonstop LIN to DUS4h50

To Milan Linate (LIN)25 min
Check-in & security1h30
Flight LIN to DUS1h40
Landing to exit20 min
From DUS55 min

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?

3 a weekdirect trains, fastest 16h14

European Sleeper. No change of train, from the operators' official timetables.

See the trains on pickthetrain ↗

Flying instead?

4 airlines fly Milan to Cologne nonstop. Book on the airline's own site:

EurowingsLIN→DUS · MXP→CGN · MXP→DUSBook direct ↗
ITA AirwaysLIN→DUSBook direct ↗
RyanairBGY→CGNBook direct ↗
easyJetMXP→DUSBook direct ↗

Compare on picktheflight ↗

Quick answers

Is there a direct bus from Milan to Cologne?

Yes. 2.9 a day on average, with FlixBus, no change of bus (18 Oct to 14 Nov 2026).

How long is the bus from Milan to Cologne?

The fastest takes 12h00; the slowest 14h00, for 630 km as the crow flies.

When do the buses leave?

The earliest leaves at 16:45 and the latest at 23:45, local time in Milan. Not every bus runs every day: pick a date above.

Is there a night bus from Milan to Cologne?

Yes: 3 overnight departures in the timetable, for example 16:45 arriving 06:45 the next morning.

Milan ▸ Cologne

Direct buses · no change

Quick answers

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