Cologne Bonn Airport transfers

Cologne Bonn Airport serves two cities at once, and many arriving passengers are heading somewhere other than the city they first think of: the Koelnmesse exhibition grounds in Deutz, the former government quarter in Bonn, business parks along the Rhine, or onward to Düsseldorf, Aachen or the Eifel. A pre-booked transfer handles any of these as a single door-to-door journey.

Every booking is a fixed price per vehicle, VAT included, so the cost does not change if traffic on the motorways around Cologne is slow. You receive instant confirmation when you book, and cancellation is free until 24 hours before pickup.

Your driver tracks your flight and waits if it lands late, which matters at an airport with a lot of early-morning and late-evening holiday and low-cost departures and arrivals. The day before you travel, you receive the driver's name, phone number and vehicle plate, so you know exactly who to look for. Choose a sedan for one to three travellers, a minivan for families and groups with luggage, or a VIP vehicle for business arrivals and special occasions.

The airport has two passenger terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, set side by side and linked on foot Terminal 1 with gate areas B and C, Terminal 2 with gate area D. Your booking confirmation and airline information will tell you which terminal your flight uses.

If you are arriving from outside the Schengen area, for example from the United Kingdom, Turkey or North America, you will pass through German passport control before reaching baggage reclaim. Flights from within Schengen, such as from Spain or Italy, normally have no passport check. Customs follows baggage reclaim, with the usual green and red channels.

Once through, you exit into the public arrivals area of your terminal arrivals on the ground floor/level 1 of each terminal. Queues at passport control vary with the time of day and the number of long-haul or non-EU flights landing together, which is one reason the driver monitors your actual landing time rather than relying on the timetable. The railway station sits beneath the area between the two terminals, so if you see signs for trains, you are close to the central part of the airport.

The airport is connected directly to the A59 motorway and close to the A3 and A4, so most destinations are reached quickly outside rush hour. Typical journey times in normal traffic:

• Cologne Altstadt and cathedral area: about 15 km, 20–25 minutes
• Koelnmesse and Deutz: about 13 km, 15–20 minutes
• Belgisches Viertel and Ehrenfeld: about 20 km, 25–30 minutes
• Bonn centre and the UN Campus: about 25 km, 20–30 minutes
• Brühl and Phantasialand: about 30 km, 30 minutes
• Düsseldorf city centre: about 60 km, 45–55 minutes
• Aachen: about 85 km, 60–70 minutes

The Cologne ring motorways and the Rhine bridges can slow considerably at weekday peak times and during major trade fairs, when traffic around Deutz builds up. Allow extra time if you are heading to a stand build-up or an appointment at a fixed hour.

Cologne Bonn Airport has its own railway station, Köln/Bonn Flughafen, below the terminals. The S-Bahn S19 runs to Cologne Hauptbahnhof in around 15 minutes, and regional trains RE6 and RE8 also call there. For Bonn, an express bus SB60 links the airport with Bonn Hauptbahnhof. Taxis wait outside both terminals.

The train is quick and good value if you are travelling light and staying near Cologne's main station. It becomes less convenient when:

• your hotel is away from the station, in Ehrenfeld, Rodenkirchen or the Bonn suburbs
• you have children, a pushchair, heavy cases or sports equipment
• you land late at night, when services are less frequent
• you are going to Düsseldorf, Aachen or a smaller town that needs a change

A private transfer removes ticket machines, platform changes and the walk with luggage at the other end. You also know the price before you travel, whatever the time and whatever the traffic, and the driver adjusts to your actual landing time.

Your driver meets you inside the arrivals hall of the terminal where your flight lands, holding a name sign. Go through baggage reclaim and customs, step into the public arrivals area, and look for your name among the people waiting by the exit doors meeting area directly outside the arrivals exit of Terminal 1 or Terminal 2.

The day before your pickup you receive the driver's name, phone number and vehicle plate. Keep your phone switched on after landing; if you are delayed at passport control or a bag is missing, a quick message helps your driver know where you are. Because the driver tracks your flight, you do not need to update the booking if your plane lands late.

From the arrivals hall it is a short walk to the car, which is parked nearby, so you will not need to cross to the railway station or find a separate pickup zone on your own. If you are unsure which terminal you have arrived in, check the signage in the hall or tell your driver the gate area shown on your boarding pass.

Cologne Bonn is a busy airport for holiday flights, so many arrivals are families with several suitcases, pushchairs and car seats. A minivan gives space for everyone and their luggage in one vehicle, which is often simpler than two taxis or a train journey with small children. Let us know the number of passengers and bags when booking so the right vehicle is assigned.

For groups, such as colleagues arriving for a trade fair at the Koelnmesse or a wedding party heading to a venue near Bonn, booking one or more vehicles at a fixed price per vehicle keeps the budget clear and means everyone travels together from the arrivals hall.

Business travellers and visiting delegations, for example those going to the UN Campus or corporate offices in Bonn, often choose a VIP vehicle for a quieter, more comfortable arrival. If your plans involve several stops during the day, a chauffeur by the hour can wait between meetings and take you on from the airport to wherever the day leads.