Cologne to Basel bus: 2.7 a day, fastest 7h35

2.7 a dayfastest 7h35☾ 1 overnight busFlixBus🇩🇪 Germany → 🇨🇭 Switzerland

Direct buses · no change

CologneFrankfurtHeidelbergRustLörrachBasel· 378 km as the crow flies

04:50 → 12:25
FlixBus N487
Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) → Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street) · via Frankfurt, Mannheim, Karlsruhe
7h353 stops
Runs: DailyThe night the clocks change (Sun 25 Oct: 03:50 → 11:25)Book on FlixBus ↗
14:40 → 22:50
FlixBus 007
Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) → Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street) · via Frankfurt, Heidelberg, Rust, Lörrach
8h107 stops
Runs: Mon, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun (some weeks)Book on FlixBus ↗
23:05 → 07:25⁺¹
FlixBus N11 ☾ Overnight
Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2) → Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street) · via Bonn, Saarbrücken, Strasbourg, Freiburg
8h204 stops
Runs: Wed to Sun (some weeks)The night the clocks change (Sat 24 Oct: 23:05 → 06:25+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

Fastest door to door: the train (3h43). The bus takes 5h00 longer.

Bus · fastest direct8h43

To Cologne Airport CGN (Terminal 2)39 min
At the stop before departure15 min
FlixBus N4877h35
From Basel SBB (Meret Oppenheim-Street)14 min

Train · fastest direct3h43

Before departure10 min
ICE 1033h32
From Basel SBB1 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?

7.8 a daydirect trains, fastest 3h32

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

See the trains on pickthetrain ↗

Flying instead?

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

Check flights on picktheflight ↗

Quick answers

Is there a direct bus from Cologne to Basel?

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 Cologne to Basel?

The fastest takes 7h35; the slowest 8h20, for 378 km as the crow flies.

When do the buses leave?

The earliest leaves at 04:50 and the latest at 23:05, local time in Cologne. Not every bus runs every day: pick a date above.

Is there a night bus from Cologne to Basel?

Yes: 1 overnight departure in the timetable, for example 23:05 arriving 07:25 the next morning.

Cologne ▸ Basel

Direct buses · no change

Quick answers

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