Cologne to Paris by train

Direct Eurostar trains run from Köln Hbf to Paris Gare du Nord in about 3 hours 25 minutes, with five or six departures a day.

Take the direct Eurostar

The former Thalys trains, now run by Eurostar, go through to Paris without a change. They call at Aachen Hbf, Liège-Guillemins and Bruxelles-Midi on the way. Some start in Dortmund and stop at Düsseldorf before reaching Cologne.

Expect five or six direct trains a day, with six on Fridays and Sundays, from early morning to early evening. The gaps between them run to two or even four hours. Pick your train first, then plan the day around it.

Changing in Brussels

If no Eurostar fits, the Deutsche Bahn ICE runs from Köln Hbf to Bruxelles-Midi, where you change to a Eurostar for Paris. It takes about 4 hours in total. The ICE also stops at Aachen and Liège, so the route is the same. You just swap trains halfway.

Either way you arrive at Paris Gare du Nord, which is served by Metro and RER lines.

Tickets and prices

Eurostar Standard fares usually start from around €35 one way. Sale fares can go lower, and the cheapest seats sell first. Eurostar Plus gives you a larger reclining seat, and Premier adds lounge access and a meal at your seat.

Every Eurostar ticket comes with a reserved seat on one train. Standard and Plus tickets can be exchanged free until one hour before departure; a refund costs €25 and is possible up to seven days before travel. You can bring two bags of up to 75 x 53 x 30 cm plus hand luggage, with no weight limit.

With an Interrail pass

Your pass covers the Eurostar, but a pass-holder reservation is compulsory: around €32 in Standard or €37 in Plus. Each train has a limited number of pass places, and the reservation cannot be refunded or exchanged, so book it as soon as your plans are fixed. A second-class pass gets you Standard only, and Premier is not available on a pass.

Changing in Brussels does not avoid the fee. The ICE needs no reservation, but the Eurostar from Brussels to Paris still does, at around €27 in Standard.

The new timetable and January in Cologne

The new timetable starts on 13 December 2026. Early 2027 keeps a similar pattern of direct trains at similar times.

From 21:00 on 8 January to 21:00 on 19 January 2027, Köln Hbf is closed to long-distance trains while Deutsche Bahn brings a new signal box into service. Eurostar has not yet shown how its trains run during the closure, so if you travel in that window, check which Cologne station your train leaves from before you set off.