Fun&Food

Cafés:

Café Schmitz
One of the most beautiful cafes in Cologne – try the “Nutella”-breakfast, it is known all over town or the brilliant home-made cake
Café Eigelstein
Nice place to sit outside in summer with a view on the Eigelstein-Tor and people walking along!

Café Duddel
Students café close to the university, cozy small place with nice prices and brilliant baguettes (if the oven is running ;-))!

Gay-Bars:

Buschwindröschen
Cozy Bar with red curtains and candel light. Every first Friday lesbian party.

Schulz
Schwulen- und Lesben-Zentrum (gay and lesbian center). Café and Bar with political work and often parties on weekend.

Blue Lounge
Club and Bar with Dancefloor and delicious cocktails.

Timp
Transexual theatre and bar.

Bars:

Station Bar
The former Hostel and Bar is now still one of the hippest Bars in town with daily changing DJs, comfy sofas, budget prices and free table football.

M20
One of the best Bars in town but small and often crowded. From Rock’n Roll to Drum’n Bass, House, Electronics, etc.

Daneben
Nice bar with a strange but nice interior and good beer. Music is mostly Drum and Bass or easy lsitening.

Blue Shell
Sometimes special events with Videos. Different music from Lou Reed to House. Watch out for programme magazines.

Lotta
One of Colognes last home for the political left wing scene. Punk, Rock’n Roll, Ska, Alternative, Indie.

LC 36
This is definitely the very last home for the political left scene. A former squatted house then legalized and now home for some of our staff and DJs, but their bar and info shop is still alive, also if only on tu + fri (+1st sat with party)

Arcadia
Interior is of the early 70’s, music mostly soul, funk, disco. On mens toilet you piss against a huge mirror. Who knows what’s behind the mirror, probably ladies toilet.

L
Small bar with a nice atmosphere and an old pool table. Music is modern, sometimes strange & avantgarde.

Durst
Rock’n Roll will never die! Small and sometimes crowded.

Hard Rock Café
All over the world the same!

Irish Pubs:

Flanagans
Often live music, always a party atmosphere and every Sunday its Karoke! and often crowded. So what else is needed than to show up there.

Jameson’s
Live music, British football and Jameson’s Whiskey.

Brauhäuser (typical Cologne brewing houses):

Päffgen
In these beer halls it is noisy, with people of all ages. Beer is usually served at the table. They also serve typical cologne food. It is a must to visit such a beer hall when you stay in Cologne.

Schreckenskammer
This family run beer hall and brewery serves not only great beer (in 3 or 5 liter glass barrels to draw your own) but also huge portions of local food for really reasonable prices.

Früh am Dom
Probably not the best but the most famous because it is best located right across of the Cathedral and they have a menu in english. In summer they also serve on the front terrace.

Clubs and live Concerts:

This is just a small selection of Clubs and concert halls. For the daily programm http://www.stadtrevue.de is pretty helpful.

Underground
One of the oldest Clubs in town. Parties are for free. Often live concerts and 2 bars, pool and soccer-table to enjoy the night.
http://www.underground-cologne.de

Gebäude 9
If you wanna know which band is becoming a big number next year you can already see them today here; a brilliant flair for music (many bands stayed with us after their show). Located in a former industrial building the best Club in town offers also excellent Drum’n Bass parties. http://www.gebaeude9.de

Stadtgarten
Brilliant Jazz and Ethno Concerts as well as big Drum and Bass DJ-nights

Studio 672
is the smaller club in the basement. Many Techno DJs become famous on the “total confusion” parties in Studio 672
http://www.stadtgarten.de

Camouflage
Colognes best address for techno and Electronic Music.Thursday-Saturday live performances and parties till 8 a.m.Upstairs is the small but attractive Cocktail Bar “Der Osten ist Rot”
http://www.club-camouflage.com

MTC
Small Disco often with live music. Mostly Rock’n Roll, Crossover and the charts. Admission is just a few €, for concerts it is more of course.
http://www.angelfire.com/de/mtcpage/

Live Music Hall
Concert hall and Club with different parties, Rock and Crossover on Saturdays. Lichtstr. 30. See the description for Underground. Go further on and turn first to the left into Lichtstr. till you’ll find the entrance to the Club on the right side. http://www.livemusichall.de

Kantine
Some good live concerts and parties but quiet far out of the center.
More on http://www.kantine.com

Philharmonie
For friends of classical music. Concerts with famous soloists, orchestras and conducters. The Cologne Philharmony is one of the best in Germany. http://www.koelnmusik.de

Food:

Just a small selection. You’ll find others, better or worse. Meat (mostly pork) and potatoes are pretty common in Germany. For typical Cologne food try the brewing houses (own chapter) where main dishes cost between 8,- and 16 €. Most budget places are in the university area around Zülpicher Str. Good and cheap Döner Kebab you’ll get on Eigelstein and Weidengasse, which is just 200 m from here.

Engelbät
Crepes (pancake) filled with everything you can imagine. Big portions for reasonable prices (between 6,- and 10,- €). The Restaurant looks more like a bar and it is often crowded but it’s worth trying to get a place there.

Magnus
Multiple selection of dishes and salads like chicken breast with mushrooms, fried potatoes and salad for 9,- €.

Jaipur (Indian)
Not the cheapest but the best indian restaurant in town and just downstairs.

Big China
Chinese Budget Restaurant with reasonable food and daily specials

Buffet Chang (Korean)
All you can eat buffet for 5,90 €.On the first floor of the DuMont Carree, Breite Str. 80-90, pass along the Dom in to the shopping street.

Pinocchio (Italian)
Large Pizzas in nice atmosphere

Osho’s Place
Vegetarian Restaurant. Simple, but cheap food because it’s a self-service-restaurant.

Zimmes (Jewish)
Small restaurant with Jewish and oriental dishes. Often crowded and not cheap

Nehring
Snack-bar where you can get typical German fast food: “Currywurst mit Pommes Mayo“ (Sausage in Curry-sauce with french fries and mayonaise) for around 5,- €.

Hotelux (Russian)
Did you ever try russian food? Feel like in a bar in moscow and enjoy the large selection of Vodka and their collection of Soviet devotionals.

cinemas:

Metropolis
Best cinema for original versions and just a few minutes from here.
Ebertplatz. Walk along Eigelstein, pass the gate and cross the Ebertplatz underneath to take exit

Filmpalette
They also show english versions (sometimes).

Highligts

Dom (Cologne Cathedral)

is not necessary to mention. Ask for guided tours in english or purchase a multilanguage “Cologne Cathedral booklet“ at the tourist office or at the Domforum information office right across the main entrance of the Dom.Climb up more than 500 steps on the south tower to enjoy the breathtaking view.South tower is right hand of the main entrance. Daily 9 am. - 5 pm., admission 3,- DM


St. Gereon and Gross St. Martin

are two of many other churches in cologne worth to visit because of their romanesque architecture and impressive interior.


4711-house

is your place to buy a gift for your mother. If you’ve ever heard of „Eau de Cologne“ refreshing perfume, here is the home of the most famous brand 4711. You can purchase it in small bottles beginning with 5 ml. The name of the house “4711“is given by Napoleon when he occupied Cologne and counted all buildings. Enjoy the Glockenspiel with characters from Prussian lore parading above the store hourly.


Historical Rathaus and jewish Mikvah

The Rathaus houses now the registry-office. Thats why you’ll meet so many well dressed people with a glass of champagne in their hands in front of the building. Under the glass-pyramid is the jewish Mikvah (bath) from the 12th century where jewish people went for ritual cleaning in ‘living’ water.


Golden Chamber of St. Ursula Church

For you morbid taste: One wall of the golden chamber of the St. Ursula church keeps more than 700 skulls and human bones set up to letters and ornaments. Open Mo 9am – 12pm, Wed – Sat 9:30 – 12pm and 1pm – 5 pm.


Köln-Arena

was built in 1998 and people from Cologne are proud to say that it is the biggest (20.000 spectators) and most modern festival hall in europe. The half-circle of its roof is visible from all over the city and some say, its the new symbol of Cologne.


Zoo, Rheinseilbahn und Claudius-Therme

The cologne Zoo is one of the best in germany. On the other side of the street the Rhine Cable Car starts for a 50 m above Zoobrücke (zoobridge) ride to the other side of the Rhine. There you should spend time by relaxing in the stylish spa of the Claudius thermal spring which reflects the culture of ancient Romans.

Museums

This is not a complete listing of all cologne museums but it lists the most important. All these museums have descriptions in english.
If you have more than 2 museums on your programm it’s worth to purchase the Köln Welcome card at the tourist information. You can get the card for 24 h, 48 h or 72 h and it costs you between 9 € and 19 €!Discover Cologne inexpensively and conveniently with the Köln WelcomeCard. The Card offers you a wealth of special offers in art and culture, leisure and eating and drinking!
You can visit Cologne’s museums as well as many sights free or at attractive reduced prices. Experience Cologne’s theatre and music scene at reduced prices or discover Cologne and the surrounding area by boat.

During your Card’s period of validity you can enjoy free public transport throughout the entire (VRS)-region.


Museum Ludwig
Art of 20th Century. Highlights are German Expressionism, Russian Avantgarde, Surrealism, Picasso, Pop Art (Warhol), Contemporary Art (70s to the 90s), prints and photography. Sometimes with special exhibitions in addition!!!Tue –Thu and Sat/Sun 10am. - 6 pm; Fri 11 am – 6 pm, Mon closed, Admission 7,50 € (reduced 5,50 €). This museum is a must!


Schokoladen-Museum
History and Present of Chocolate. From slavery to modern production, with possibility to taste and purchase lots of chocolate.Tue - Fri 10 am. - 6 pm; Sat/Sun 11 am. - 7 pm, Mon closed.Admission 6,00 € (reduced 3,50 € for students etc.) Highly recommended!


Kölnisches Stadtmuseum
History of the City of Cologne from the Middle Ages to the present.
Tue 10 am. - 8 pm., Wed - Sun 10 am. - 5 pm., Mon closed.
Admission 4,20 € (reduced 2,60 €)


Sculpture Park
Small Park with great international avantgarde Sculptures. For free!


Museum of East Asian Art
Buddhist sculpture and painting, collection of chinese ritual bronzes from the 15th to the 3rd Century B.C., collection of chinese and korean ceramics, japanese screens and lacquer work. Chinese and japanese painting from the 13th/14th century to modern times, color Wood-Block prints from the 17th to the 20th century. Classical chinese furniture from the 16th and 17th century.Tue – Sun 11am – 5 pm, Thu till 8 pm. Admission 4,20 € (reduced 2,60 €)


Romano-Germanic-Museum
European and rhenish early history. Roman art, culture and municipal history. Jewelry from clasical antiquity and the epoch of the great migrations, especially from southern Russia. Frankish finds from Cologne and the Rhineland. Tue - Sun 10 am. - 5 pm., Mon closed
Admission 4,30 € (reduced 2,70 €)


Käthe Kollwitz Museum
Worlds largest collection of works by Käthe Kollwitz. Drawings from all periods of the artist’s oeuvre. Tue - Fri 10 am. - 6 pm., Sat/Sun 11 am – 6 pm, Mon closed. Admission 3,00 € (reduced 1,50 €)


Wallraff-Richartz-Museum
Western painting from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Sculptures from the 18th century, miniatures, drawings, prints. Medieval and early modern paintings from the period between 1250 and 1550 form the historic core of the museum’s collection. The Baroque section with major works by Rubens, Rembrandt and others and the 19th century section with paintings from the Romantic period, Realism, Impressionism and Symbolism and a small collection of sculpture are other important focal points of the collection.
Wed - Fri 10 am - 6 pm, Thu 10 am - 8 pm, Sat/Sun 11 am - 6 pm, Mon closed. Admission 5,80 € (reduced 3,30 €)


ELDE-Haus
Former Office and prison of GeStaPo. NS-documentation. Shocking writings of prisoners on the prison-walls.
Tue – Fri 10 am – 4 pm, Sat/Sun 11 am – 4 pm, Mon closed
Admission 3,60 € (reduced 1,50 €)

Practical Information

Arrival:

By train: All trains arrive at the Cologne Central Station (Hauptbahnhof).

By plane: The S-Bahn (S13) runs every 20 minutes between 5:23am until 1:03am between the airport and the Central Station. A single ticket costs 2,- €, the ride takes 15 minutes.

By Bus: The Bus station is on the back of the central train station. All long distance busses arrive here.

By car: In the whole city center is no free parking. In Marzellenstrasse you often find free spaces but you need to take a ticket for 2,- € per hour (during the night it’s free). If you don’t do you have to expect a ticket which would cost you 15,- €. To get into Marzellenstrasse is difficult. So better park your car somewhere at the train station and walk to the Hostel. The receptionist will help you to find your way by car.
From central station to the Hostel: Take the main exit (Dom). To the left you will see the cathedral, to your right an office building with a “ROLEX” commercial on top. Directly behind this office building you turn right into Marzellenstrasse for further 100 m where you will find the Hostel on the right hand side.

Public Transport:

The Center of cologne is very compact, most places are in walking distance. The tickets for the KVB (Public transport company of Cologne) are valid in Busses as well as in subway (U-Bahn) Short distance tickets (Kurzstrecke) for max. 4 stops are 1,20 €, regular tickets 2,- €. They also offer group tickets, day tickets, 3-day tickets, etc. All tickets can be purchased from a ticket machine in the busses and trains or at all subway stops.

Money:

Like all over Germany credit cards are not very popular. But you will find hundreds of Bank machines all over Cologne where you can get cash (as long as your bank account is covered). And you don’t have to care about opening times of the banks which are usually mon – fri 9am – 4pm. The Stadtsparkasse Köln on the backside of the train station is also open mon – fri until 8pm and sat 10am – 4pm. After these only the Reisebank (Western Union) inside the train station is open daily (also on Sundays) until 10pm but they are more expensive. The Western Union is pretty helpful in case of emergency where somebody can send you cash from every Western Union Office in the world in between a few hours. American Express Traveller Cheques you can exchange in every Stadtsparkasse or directly at the American Express Office on Burgmauer 14 (behind the Köln Tourismus Office).

Shopping:

The main shopping area is of course the pedestrian zone on Hohe Str., Schildergasse and Breite Str. With hundreds of boutiques, department stores, etc. Smaller and more eccentric shops are on Ehrenstrasse. The Birkenstock shop is inside the DuMont-Passagen on Breite Str.. Saturn offers world largest CD selection on Hansaring (dangerous because you can easily spend a few hundred euros for CDs). Books around on Hohenzollernring sells only books in foreign languages, especially english, french, spanish literature. For the Aussies who get homesick Cologne has an Australian Shop on Friesenwall and for your english sweeties you go to the English shop behind the Kaufhof department store.

Post:

The main post office is inside the WDR-Arkaden on Breite Str. But there’s also a post office in the newspaper shop inside the train station.

Mitfahrzentrale (Car Sharing agency)

In germany car sharing agencies (Mitfahrzentrale or short MFZ) are pretty popular. You pay a commission to the agency and your part for the fuel to the driver. One agency is on Maximinenstr. (backside of the train station next to the Police station), one on Saarstr. (Phone 19444 or http://www.citynetz-mitfahrzentrale.de )

General Facts

Cologne Metropolis of arts, music, media and of course the world famous carnival. Agrippina, wife of roman Emperor Claudius, founded in 38BC the "Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium" (now known as Cologne, or in German 'Köln'). Because of its location on the Rhine river and at a major crossroad of European trade routes, Cologne grew quickly in the 19th century, to the largest city in Germany.
It's really worth making an effort to visit this city, not least for the famous music and club scene. Though almost completely destroyed in WWII, Cologne was quickly rebuilt, and many of its old churches and monuments have been meticulously restored.
Every year in February Cologne celebrates its 5th season, the carnival. The big Parade is enjoyed from 1.5 million people dressed in various costumes. Cologne is also the German metropolis for the gay and lesbian lifestyle; the Cristopher Street Day Parade is the biggest in Germany with about one million party goers.

Population:

Cologne is the 4th biggest City in Germany with just a bit more than one million people. 16 % are under 18 and also 16 % are over 65 years old. In cologne are living more females than males (52 : 48 %). The biggest group of the 178.000 foreigners are the 67.500 turkish people. Cologne University is the biggest in Germany. More than 85.000 students are living in Cologne. 410.000 registered cars fill up the streets in Cologne.

Language:

Everybody speaks german, of course, but many people also speak one or more foreign languages, especially the younger people all speak english and some french, spanish or italian. Some people in cologne still speak “Kölsch”, the local dialect.

Location:

50° 56' 33,2607" nörth, 06° 57' 32,3136" east. So Cologne is not only in the heart of Germany but also in the heart of Europe. Because of it’s location Cologne was always a hub for Travellers from all over Europe.

The traffic hub:

Cologne central station is today one of the most important train stations in Germany with direct trains to Amsterdam (2½ h), Brussels (2h) Paris (4h), Berlin (4½ h), Munich (5½ h), Prague (8 h), Milan (9½ h), Copenhagen (11 h), Budapest (12½ h), Vienna (12½ h), Warschau (13 h), Venice (12½ h), Florence (13½ h).

Info on http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de

Since a few years Cologne airport is the new hub for the most attractive budget airlines with flights from 19,- € from/to Athens, Barcelona, Berlin, Budapest, Dublin, Edinburgh, Helsinki, Istanbul, Krakau, Lisbon, London, Madrid, Milan, Oslo, Paris, Prague, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna, Warschau, etc.. Check out http://www.germanwings.com , http://www.hlx.com , http://www.easyjet.com .