Cheap flights from London to Cologne

October is the cheapest month on this route, and the price calendar shows how the rest of the year compares. Fares climb in the summer school holidays and again in the run-up to Christmas, when Cologne fills up with visitors. Midweek departures usually undercut Friday evenings and Sunday returns, so shifting your dates by a day or so often helps. If your plans are fixed, book a few weeks ahead for peak weekends and leave the short-notice bookings for the quiet weeks of late autumn and winter.

Ryanair, Ryanair UK, Eurowings, Jet2, Smart Wings and Sun Express sit at the low-cost end of this route, where the headline fare covers a seat and a small personal item and most extras are priced on top. British Airways, Lufthansa and Malta Airlines are the full-service options, with a cabin bag included and different rules on changes. Not every name on the list flies London to Cologne nonstop, so check the operating carrier and the fare rules on the booking screen rather than trusting the price alone.

You land at Cologne/Bonn, the airport that serves Cologne and the surrounding Rhineland. It sits outside the city rather than in it, and the terminal connects to the centre by train and by bus, with taxis at the door for the last stretch. The transfer is short enough that a morning arrival still leaves you most of a day in town. Check the airport code on your booking so you know whether you are landing at Cologne/Bonn or connecting somewhere else first.

Currency

EUR (€)

Power sockets

Type C, F · 230 V

Language

German

Emergency number

112, 110

Driving side

right

Calling code

+49

Internet domain

.de

EU / Schengen

EU member, Schengen area

Population of Cologne

1.0 M (2024)

Time zone

UTC+02 (Europe/Berlin)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from, because London City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted are not interchangeable.
• Price your baggage before you commit, since low-cost fares often charge for anything beyond a small personal item.
• If your trip is built from separate tickets, leave room for a delay and check whether you must collect and re-check your bag.
• Carry a valid passport or national ID card and confirm the entry rules that apply to your nationality.
• Aim for October if you want the cheapest month, and compare midweek departures with weekend ones.
• Confirm the airport code on your booking so you know you are landing at Cologne/Bonn.