How much is a day trip to Cologne from London Gatwick?

£247.65 per person for the whole day, £209.00 return flight plus about £38.65 on the ground, with 6.2 hours in Cologne. Fare checked 27 October.

Is Cologne worth a day trip?

Yes, as a short day: 6.2 hours in Cologne, £247.65 for the whole day, 14 min into town each way. Enough for the centre and one paid sight; pick one, not three.

How long do you actually get in Cologne?

About 6.2 hours in Cologne. Landing to take-off is 9 hours; the trip into town and back, passport checks and the time at the airport come off that.

How do you get from Cologne airport into town?

S-Bahn S19, 14 min, €4. A day ticket on local transport is VRS 24-hour ticket €9.60.

What does a day in Cologne cost, not counting the flight?

About £38.65 a person for the day, local transport, lunch, dinner and a drink. Paid attractions are listed separately because most people do one or none, and an average that includes them is a number nobody actually pays.

Is the flight price on this page the one I will pay?

The fare shown was checked 27 October against Google Flights for this exact date and these exact flights. Fares move, so it can change before you book, and the price is not held for you.

How early do I need to be back at the airport?

Leave the city by 16:36. That allows 14 min to get back to the airport and 120 min there, including 30 min for passport checks on the way out, before the 18:50 flight home.

Will passport checks eat my day?

We allow 20 min on landing for the EU Entry/Exit System (fingerprints and a photo on your first trip) and 30 min extra on the way out. That is already taken off the 6.2 hours shown. These are estimates; queues run longer on busy days.

Day trip to Cologne.
From London Gatwick, back by 19:05.

£247.65

the whole day

6.2 hours

in the city

19:05

back in London Gatwick

130 kg

CO2e, return flights

Time in the city

6.2 hours

after transfersAfter transfers and airport time

Airport distance

15km

to the centreFrom Cologne centre (CGN)

Daylight

8.2 hours

08:17 to 16:27Sunrise 08:17, sunset 16:27

FlightAirport, immigration and transportIn the city

07:30
Leave London Gatwick
Jet2, direct
10:24
In the city
Lands 09:50, 20min immigration, 14min from the airport. First EU trip since 2025? Allow 25min more
16:36
Leave the city
14min back, 120min at the airport incl. immigration
19:05
Back in London Gatwick
Flies 18:50 with Eurowings

Leave London GatwickJet2, direct07:30
Land in Cologne1h 20min09:50
In the city20min immigration, 14min from the airport10:24
Leave the city14min back, 120min at the airport incl. immigration16:36
Fly homeEurowings, 1h 20min18:50
Back in London Gatwick19:05

Best day for your flights

Open up the maps to see full detail.

10:2630 min there

4 min walk

11:0060 min there

3 min walk

12:0390 min there

12 min walk

13:4590 min there

14 min walk

15:2920 min there

5 min walk

15:5415 min there

about 9 min walk

16:36Back to the airport

S-Bahn S19 · 14 min

AirportFlight 18:50

Typical weather for this date

7°C

average high

2°C

average low

8 in 10

years it rained

This date is too far out to forecast. These are Cologne's actual figures for the same date across the last 10 years.

Christmas markets in Cologne

Markt der Herzen (Cathedral)16 Nov - 23 Dec 2026
Open on Sun 6 Dec, 11:00 to 21:00.
Markt der Engel16 Nov - 23 Dec 2026
Open on Sun 6 Dec, 11:00 to 21:00.
Heinzels Wintermärchen (Heumarkt)23 Nov 2026 - 10 Jan 2027
Open on Sun 6 Dec, 11:00 to 22:00.

Things to do in CologneShow

Bubble Planet CologneTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
Chocolate Museum CologneTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
Cologne Zoo & AquariumTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
TimeRide CologneTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
IceBar CologneTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
Farina Fragrance MuseumTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
Cologne Sightseeing CruisesTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link
Cologne Attraction PassesTickets on TiqetsAffiliate link

All things to do in Cologne · Tiqets, affiliate link

With kids in CologneShow

Getting to the airportShow

Getting to Gatwick

Per person. Not in the total above. Prices checked 21 Oct 2026.

Free

Free drop-offFree
Long Stay car park, free for 0-2 hours, with a free shuttle bus (10-12 min) to the terminal. Source

Taxi

From London£100-£160 one way~30 miles
Estimate, not a quote.

Parking at the airport

Short Stay£70.00
"12-24 hours" walk-up (roll-up) rate. Source
Premium Short Stay£87.50
"12-24 hours" walk-up rate. Source
Long Stay£38.00
"2-24 hours" band (first 2 hours free). Source

Cologne on a budgetShow

A day in Cologne costs £16.26 per person on the ground on a budget, before the flight, eating and drinking at the cheaper end of what places charge. At typical prices it is £16.93, and a day that does not watch the pennies runs to £25.93. The food and drink prices are real menu prices we read in Cologne on 22 Oct and 26 Oct, turned into pounds at the day's exchange rate, not guesses.

Best day for your flights

Open up the maps to see full detail.

10:2630 min there

4 min walk

11:0060 min there

3 min walk

12:0390 min there

12 min walk

13:4590 min there

14 min walk

15:2920 min there

5 min walk

15:5415 min there

about 9 min walk

16:36Back to the airport

S-Bahn S19 · 14 min

AirportFlight 18:50

What a day in Cologne costs

Flights and on-the-ground spend, per person.

£247.65/ all in, per person

S-Bahn to city centre and back£6.00

Local transport£8.00

Lunch£10.40

Dinner£14.25

Beer calculator× 0£0.00

On the ground£38.65

Return flight from£209.00

Google Flights price. Checked 26 Oct, 23:21.

Getting to Gatwickfrom free

All in, per person£247.65

Out with Jet2, back with Eurowings. Two separate tickets. Book both before you go.

Estimated cost. Fares last checked 26 Oct, 23:21. Prices and availability change and are set by the airline or agent when you book.

Book on Google Flights

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Day Trip Flight Details

Return flights are about 130 kg CO2e per person (UK government 2026 factors), about the same as driving 480 miles in an average UK car. How we work this out

Costs people forgetShow

Costs people forget

Not in the total above. Worth a minute before you go.

Phone data. EE, Vodafone and Three charge about £2.75 a day to use your allowance in Europe. O2, Tesco Mobile and giffgaff include it free.
Card fees. Many cards add a foreign-exchange fee to every payment abroad. Check yours before you go, or take one that doesn't charge it.

Ask about Cologne

Your hours, your budget, what you like. Answered from real costs and tips from people who have been.

Day trip to Cologne.
From London Gatwick, back by 19:05.

Day Trip Flight Details

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Day trip to Cologne.From London Gatwick, back by 19:05.

Day Trip Flight Details

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Day trip to Cologne.
From London Gatwick, back by 19:05.