The road
Köln to Salzburg by car
740 km, about 6 h 48 on the fastest road, through Germany and Austria. Fuel from about €113 in a petrol car at this week's prices.
Measured on the road our router draws, 2026-10-12. Your own start and vehicle change every number — that is what the button at the end is for.
740 km fastest road, one way · 6 h 48 driving without stops · 2 countries
The trip, at your pace
Each pace is its own plan of this road for two by car: the driving days it needs, the nights on the way and at Salzburg, and what it costs.
| Pace | Days | Nights | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Relaxed ≈ 4 h a day | 5 days | 4 nights | ≈ €646 fuel €121 · 4 nights €320 · food €205 |
| Comfortable ≈ 5 h a day | 4 days | 3 nights | ≈ €521 fuel €117 · 3 nights €240 · food €164 |
| Long days ≈ 7 h a day | 4 days | 3 nights | ≈ €521 fuel €117 · 3 nights €240 · food €164 |
Places on the way
260 km
Photo: Gerd Eichmann · CC BY-SA 4.0 Speyer Cathedral
Day 1 · 260 km into the day · a lunch stop
Speyer Cathedral, officially the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen, in Latin: Domus sanctae Mariae Spirae is a historical religious building in Speyer, Germany. Wikipedia
726 km
Photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0 Chiemsee
Day 2 · 220 km into the day · a lunch stop
Chiemsee is a freshwater lake in Bavaria, Germany, near Rosenheim. Wikipedia
28 km
Photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0 Königssee
Day 3 · 28 km from Salzburg
The Königssee is a natural lake in the southeast Berchtesgadener Land district of the German state of Bavaria, near the Austrian border. Wikipedia
34 km
Photo: Michael Gredenberg (= User Mike@inode.at) · CC BY-SA 3.0 Salzkammergut
Day 3 · 34 km from Salzburg
The Salzkammergut is a resort area in Austria, stretching from the city of Salzburg eastwards along the Alpine Foreland and the Northern Limestone Alps to the peaks of the Dachstein Mountains. Wikipedia
1 km
Photo: C.Stadler/Bwag · CC BY-SA 4.0 Hohensalzburg Fortress
Day 3 · in Salzburg
Hohensalzburg Fortress is a large medieval fortress in the city of Salzburg, Austria. Wikipedia
24 km
Photo: Günter Seggebäing, Coesfeld · CC BY-SA 3.0 Berchtesgaden National Park
Day 3 · 24 km from Salzburg
Berchtesgaden National Park is in the south of Germany, on its border with Austria, in the municipalities of Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden and Schönau am Königsee, Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria. Wikipedia
The road, country by country
- 🇩🇪 Germany · 728 km
- 🇦🇹 Austria · 12 km
With a camper's height and weight the router takes a different road: 720 km, about 6 h 54.
What it costs to drive
Fuel at the 2026-10-04 prices of the EU Weekly Oil Bulletin, per country crossed. Tolls are an estimate from published per-kilometre tariffs plus the crossings on this road. Beds and food are not here: they depend on how you travel.
A camper, the whole sum: one day's drive, self-catering for two about €24 — with the fuel and tolls below about €218.
| Vehicle | Fuel | Tolls | Together | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car, petrol | €113 | €0 | €113 | 52 l at 7 l/100 km |
| Car, diesel | €108 | €0 | €108 | 48 l at 6.5 l/100 km |
| Camper, diesel | €194 | €0 | €194 | 86 l at 12 l/100 km |
- 🇩🇪 petrol €2.20 · diesel €2.25 /l
- 🇦🇹 petrol €1.84 · diesel €2.14 /l
Charged on the way
- 🚫 Cologne: Umweltzone (green Umweltplakette) — Any vehicle without a green sticker.
No motorway tolls or paid crossings on this road that we hold.
Shops on a Sunday
- 🇩🇪 Germany — Supermarkets are shut on Sundays by law — the exceptions are stations, airports and petrol stations. Shop on Saturday.
- 🇦🇹 Austria — Shops are shut on Sundays by law, with station and petrol-station shops the usual exceptions. Shop on Saturday.
Where to sleep beside the road
364 campsites and camper sites within 10 km of this road, from OpenStreetMap. A few between the two ends:
- ⛺ Hockenheimring Campingplatz C2 · campsite · km 259, 0.1 km off the road
🤖 copilot.travel machine-analysed from OpenStreetMap's notes on it: electric hook-ups · motorhomes can come · no dogs · showers and toilets · tents welcome
- ⛺ Hockenheimring Campingplatz C3 · campsite · km 260, 0.1 km off the road
🤖 copilot.travel machine-analysed from OpenStreetMap's notes on it: electric hook-ups · motorhomes can come · no dogs · showers and toilets · tents welcome
- ⛺ Wohnmobilstellplatz Allianz Arena · camper site · km 582, 0.2 km off the road
- ⛺ Campingplatz Seehamer See · campsite · km 639, 0.1 km off the road
- ⛺ Wohnmobilhafen Chiemsee Bernau-Felden · camper site · km 682, 0.1 km off the road
🤖 copilot.travel machine-analysed from the place's own page: a dump station · electric hook-ups · dogs welcome · showers and toilets · fine with small children · wifi
- ⛺ Camping-Car Park · camper site · km 689, 0.2 km off the road
Worth a detour
Between the two ends, within 10 km of the road — the places the map marks as notable.
- ◆ Teilstück Römische Wasserleitung · ruins · km 43, 5.4 km off the road
The Eifel Aqueduct was one of the longest aqueducts of the Roman Empire. Wikipedia (en)
- ◆ Burg Thurant · castle · km 111, 4.4 km off the road
The ruins of the Thurant Castle (German: Burg Thurant, also Thurandt or Thurand) stand on a wide slate hill spur above the villages of Alken on the Moselle in Germany. Wikipedia (en)
🤖 copilot.travel machine-analysed from the place's own page: likely not step-free · known for the view
- ◆ Hungersteine im Rhein · monument · km 209, 6 km off the road
A hunger stone (German: Hungerstein) is a type of hydrological landmark common in Central Europe. Wikipedia (en)
- ◆ Badisches Landesmuseum · museum · km 301, 3.2 km off the road
The Baden State Museum (German: Badisches Landesmuseum) in Karlsruhe is the large cultural, art and regional history museum of the Baden region of Baden-Württemberg . Wikipedia (en)
🤖 copilot.travel machine-analysed from the place's own page: not cheap
- ◆ Reste de "Natter"-Startrampe Ablage · ruins · km 399, 0.1 km off the road
The Bachem Ba 349 Natter (English: Colubrid, grass-snake) is a German rocket-powered point-defence interceptor that was developed during the latter portion of the Second World War. Wikipedia (en)
- ◆ Schloss Jettingen · castle · km 484, 3 km off the road
Schloss Jettingen ist eine mächtige dreistöckige Vierflügelanlage mit hohem Walmdach. Wikipedia (de)
- ◆ Altes Portal · attraction · km 571, 2.6 km off the road
- ◆ Frauenchiemsee · attraction · km 685, 4.5 km off the road
Chiemsee (German pronunciation: ) is a municipality in the district of Rosenheim in Bavaria in Germany, named after the lake Chiemsee. Wikipedia (en)
What this road is for
Counted within 10 km of the road between the two ends, from OpenStreetMap — the places a passion would stop for.
- 2200 viewpoints — Alter Zoll (km 28), Turm „Auf dem Fels“ (km 186), Flughafenbeobachtungspunkt Süd (km 374), Aussicht Schlossplatz Dachau (km 567)
- 963 wineries — Weingut Nelles (km 58), Weingut Heymann-Löwenstein (km 99), Bischöfliches Weingut Rüdesheim (km 163), Weingut Battenfeld-Spanier (km 213)
- 906 castles — Schloss Augustusburg (km 14), Alzeyer Schloss (km 190), Schloss Hohenheim (km 374), Schloss Dachau (km 567)
- 853 swim spots — Melbbad (km 29), Heinrich-Völker-Bad (km 210), Freibad Nürtingen (km 385), Dantebad (km 568)
- 761 farm shops — Ölmühle Hof Becker (km 17), Raiffeisenmarkt Kemmler (km 359), Gut Wellenburg Hofladen (km 513), Bio-Hofladen (km 573)
- 269 climbing — DAV Kletterzentrum Pfalz Rock (km 220), Angelstein (km 318), Klettergarten Stetten (km 381), Einstein Boulderhalle (km 568)
Plan this road from your own door: your car, your dates, the beds and the food priced the same honest way.