Car Rental in Cologne

Why rent a car in Cologne?

Germany’s fourth-largest city is a proper tourism destination. Inhabited since the Roman times and with a wealth of beautiful historical buildings, Cologne also has impressive modern architecture and unique creative neighborhoods. The city’s location in the heart of western Germany means that from here, you can easily explore the rest of the region or even pop over the border to the Netherlands or Belgium.

Top ways to enter Cologne

• Cologne-Bonn Airport: Located between Cologne and West Germany’s former capital Bonn, it is the seventh-busiest airport in Germany. In 2019, it served more than 12 million travelers and is also a large hub for cargo aviation. The airport is served by around 25 different airlines, with Eurowings, Ryanair, and TUiFly Deutschland providing most of the flights. Located 15km (9 miles) southeast of the city center, the airport can be reached in about 15 minutes.
• Dusseldorf Airport: With more than 25 million travelers handled in 2019, Flughafen Dusseldorf is the fourth-busiest airport in Germany behind Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin. Primarily serving the city of the same name, Dusseldorf Airport is just 59km (36 miles) north of Cologne and can be reached in an hour.
• Dortmund Airport: Another international airport in North Rhine-Westphalia, Dortmund is popular with low-cost carriers. It hosts many flights to both Western and Eastern Europe, providing connections to the United Kingdom, Spain, Serbia, Poland, Bulgaria, and many other countries. Located 99km (60 miles) northeast of Cologne, the airport can be reached in about 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Frankfurt Airport: The busiest in Germany and one of the largest in Europe, Frankfurt Airport served over 70 million travelers in 2019. The airport is a large hub for Lufthansa but is also served by more than 90 other airlines that provide connections to every continent in the world. About 175km (109 miles) northwest of Cologne, Frankfurt Airport can be reached in two hours.
• Weeze Airport. Sometimes labeled as Düsseldorf–Weeze, this small airport hosts about two dozen flights by the low-cost carrier Ryanair, thus making it a popular point of entry for the Rhine–Ruhr region. Importantly, however, the airport is a good stretch north of Düsseldorf (and a 90-minute drive from Cologne), near the border with the Netherlands. 
• By train: If you arrive in Cologne by train, you can conveniently pick up your rental car at Cologne Central Station (Köln Hauptbahnhof).

City facts

• Cologne has a temperate-oceanic climate with hot summers and cool winters. The average high temperature is 24°C  (76°F) in July, the warmest month, and 5°C  (42°F) in January. Cologne is one of the warmest cities in Germany. The precipitation is rather even throughout the year. Historically, Cologne has been vulnerable to flooding of the river Rhine, but this problem has been largely solved thanks to a number of innovative flood-control mechanisms including mobile river walls.
• Cologne is home to many high quality museums. Some of the most interesting ones include the Roman-Germanic Museum focusing on the city’s ancient history, the Ludwig Museum of Modern Art, Kolumba Museum of Christian Art, and Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum that has exhibits on both the ethnography of the Rhine-Ruhr area and tribal art from around the world. 

Top sights and activities

• Kölner Dom. One of the most famous religious buildings in Germany, Cologne Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The first stone of the building was laid in 1248, but it took more than six centuries to finish this immense building. Tourists are allowed to climb to the top of one of the cathedral’s towers, and while it can be quite an effort (usually it takes about 5-7 minutes to get to the top), the view of the River Rhine and the rest of the city is worth it.
• Rheinauhafen. The former port area of Cologne is nowadays a unique blend of historic harbour buildings and futuristic modern architecture. With many restaurants serving German, Mediterranean, and Asian cuisine, it has also become Cologne’s gastronomic hub. Come here for a delicious meal or simply a long and enjoyable walk along the Rhine
• Belgisches Viertel. The Belgian Quarter is one of Cologne’s hippest neighborhoods. Although uncompromisingly unique, its atmosphere has similarities to Hamburg’s St. Pauli and Berlin’s most creative districts. With plenty of art galleries, cafeterias, outdoor markets, and performance venues, it’s impossible to ever get bored here. 
• Hohenzollern Bridge. Cologne’s most famous bridge, built between 1907 and 1911, spans the Rhine River. This railway and pedestrian bridge links Cologne’s Altstadt (Old Town) with the Deutz district. Hohenzollern Bridge is also a famous love lock bridge.
• NS-Documentation Center of the City of Cologne. The former headquarters of the Gestapo secret police, the EL-DE Haus, is an excellent museum, which chronicles one of the darkest periods of Cologne’s history. This is one of the most important museums about National Socialism in Germany.
• Museum Ludwig. Something of a cultural phenomenon in its own right, Ludwig is one of the most important modern art museums in Germany and has impressive collections of Pop Art, Surrealism, Abstract, and other styles of the last century and a half. Some of the most famous artists whose works are on display include Picasso, Warhol, and Malevich. The museum celebrated its 50th birthday in 2022.

Traffic and parking

Unless specifically indicated otherwise, the speed limit is 50km/h (31 mph) in populated or built-up areas. There is no national speed limit on autobahns (highways) and many of them don’t have a set speed limit. However, contrary to what is sometimes stated, about 50% of the autobahns do have their own individual speed limits, so do carefully follow the speed limit signs on each road that you’re driving on.

Where the speed limits are enforced, the tolerance for speeding is low. Driving just 3km/h (2 mph) above the speed limit can, and often will, lead to fines. Many roads that do have speed limits have radars in place.

Some sections have a minimum speed limit that applies to specific lanes, for example, a minimum speed of 110km/h (68 mph) for the left lane and 90km/h (56 mph) for the center lane. They are signified with a blue sign (circle) with white numbers.

Because of the very high speed used by some on the German autobahns, be extra careful before switching lanes.

It is illegal to use a mobile phone while driving. This is strictly enforced and the fines are substantial.

Children under the age of 12 or under 150 cm height have to use a child safety seat.

The legal alcohol limit is 0.05% for experienced drivers and 0.00% for novice drivers. Exceeding these limits can lead to high fines and a licence ban. 

Proof of insurance and the car’s documentation needs to be in the car whenever you’re driving.

When driving, you need to have your passport or ID card with you at all times.

The general emergency number, like elsewhere in the EU, is 112.

Toll roads

Although Germany has a large number of high-speed motorways, only vehicles that weigh more than 7,5 tons need to pay a toll. This excludes practically all types of rental cars.

There are two tolled tunnels in Germany, the Herren Tunnel in Schleswig-Holstein and the Warnow Tunnel in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Neither of them is near Cologne.

Find out more about the toll roads in Germany on the European toll road website.

Ideas for day trips

• Aachen. The westernmost city of Germany is home to the famous Aachen Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This spectacular church was constructed at the behest of Emperor Charlemagne, who was later buried there in 814. No visit to Aachen is complete without a visit to the Carolus Thermen Bad Aachen.
• Upper Middle Rhine Valley. The Rhine Gorge is a 65 km stretch of the Rhine River Valley between Koblenz and Rüdesheim am Rhein. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is famous for its riverside villages and hilltop castles and fortresses.
• Rhineland Nature Park. Made up of pine, beech, and oak trees, countless pretty lakes, and old hunting lodges, Rhineland Nature Park is the nicest green area in the vicinity of Cologne. Located just 38km (23.6 miles) southwest of the city, it can be reached in 30 to 40 minutes. After relaxing in the park, you can also visit the small town of Brühl, famous for the impressive Augustusburg Palace and the museum dedicated to the surrealist artist Max Ernst.
• Bonn. Although best known internationally as the former capital of West Germany, Bonn is actually a cozy and fun place to visit. For its relatively small size, it has plenty of tourist attractions, such as the Beethoven Museum (the famous composer was born in the city), the Kreuzbergkirche Baroque church, and Poppelsdorfer Palace and Botanical Gardens. Just 30km (19 miles) southeast of Cologne, it can be reached in just 30 minutes and is definitely worth a visit.
• Dusseldorf. The largest of its many neighboring cities, Dusseldorf is sometimes considered a rival of Cologne, and some locals will even tell you that there is no love lost between the two metropolises. Regardless of whether it's meant seriously or not, Dusseldorf is a sophisticated city with a surprisingly cozy atmosphere, and its old town is one of the most scenic in Western Germany. Located just a 45-minute drive north of Cologne, it is definitely worth a visit.
• Essen. Sometimes overlooked for its larger and more posh neighbors, Cologne and Düsseldorf, Essen is nonetheless one of the most interesting cities in the Ruhr, especially if you know where to look. The former industrial hub has been busy turning some of this recent heritage into tourist attractions, boasts impressive examples of the Bauhaus architecture, is home to the historical chateaux that is Villa Hügel, and has been both the European Capital of Culture and European Green Capital over the last two decades. The drive from Cologne takes only about an hour.
• Duisburg. A port city that has a reputation for being rough around the edges, Duisburg can nonetheless be an interesting place to visit for those looking for an off-the-beaten-path destination. Home to the largest inland harbor in the world, its attractions include the former Meidereich steel mill which has now been turned into a landscape park, the 14th-century Gothic Church of Our Saviour, the Museum of German Waterways, and the Explorado Children’s Museum. North of Düsseldorf and west of Essen, Duisburg is an hour’s drive from Cologne.

Most popular cars

The most popular rental car types in Cologne are mini, compact, and economy. The most popular rental car is the Volkswagen Up, followed by the Volkswagen Golf and the Fiat 500.

Further destinations

• Eifel National Park. Located on the border with Belgium, Eifel National Park is the largest protected area in North Rhine-Westphalia. The park is made up of vast meadows and forests that can be explored by hiking on its many paths as well as many lakes and springs. Eifel is home to many wildlife species, including wildcat, black stork, and European wall lizard. Located just about 65km (37 miles) southwest of Cologne, it can be reached in one hour. On the edge of the park is the city of Aachen, one of the most picturesque cities of Northwest Germany.

• Amsterdam. Amsterdam is one of Europe’s most visited cities and for good reason. The city’s beautiful canals and parks, world-class museums, distinct wooden architecture, and active nightlife attract millions of visitors every year. For a city of its size, it also has a surprisingly relaxed and enjoyable pace of life. Located just 260km (161 miles) northwest of Cologne, Amsterdam can be reached in about 3 hours. To go from Germany to the Netherlands, you’ll have to cross an international border, so ask your rental car provider in advance if they permit it.

• Belgium. Germany’s western neighbor is best known for its capital city, Brussels, but it has so much more to offer. Its northern cities Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent have  beautiful medieval architecture; Ardennes in the south is a region of woodlands, rolling hills, and little villages; and Belgium’s North Sea coast is a great place to visit in the summertime. It’s easy to reach, too - Antwerp is just 210km (130 miles) west of Cologne and can be reached in about two hours 45 minutes. Like with Amsterdam, ask your rental car provider in advance if they permit crossing the border.

• Luxembourg. One of the smallest (and richest) members of the European Union, Luxembourg tends to get overlooked by foreign visitors. But give it a chance and you’ll discover scenic small towns, notable industrial heritage, and even some stretches of wilderness. The drive from Cologne takes only about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Car rental prices in Cologne

• Medium cars - from $38 per day
• SUVs - from $37 per day
• Station wagons - from $41 per day
• Large cars - from $35 per day
• Vans - from $63 per day
• Premium cars - from $67 per day
• Small cars - from $35 per day
• Convertibles - from $100 per day

Money-saving and other tips

It’s easy to land a great rental car in Cologne if you follow these tips:

• Compare the rates of different rental car providers
• Book your rental car well in advance
• Plan your route before you go
• Know your fuel and mileage requirements
• Visit during the month when the rental prices are the cheapest. According to our data, visiting Cologne is the cheapest in October when renting a car is about 30% cheaper than the yearly average and 51% cheaper than renting a car in August. Come visit Germany in early autumn!