Altstadt and cathedral
First-timersThe centre: the cathedral, the old brewhouses, the river and the main station.
Cologne city guide
Things To Do In Cologne
A cathedral that took six hundred years, a river, beer served in 200ml glasses by waiters who keep bringing more, and a Carnival that shuts the city for a week.
12
Hostels in the city
8.3
Average, from 28,771 reviews
632
Years to build the cathedral, finished 1880
0.2 l
The size of a Kölsch glass
533
Steps up the cathedral south tower
A Roman city, flattened in the war, rebuilt around its cathedral
Cologne was founded by the Romans, became the largest city in Germany in the Middle Ages, and was bombed almost flat in the Second World War. The cathedral survived, standing in the ruins, and the city rebuilt around it quickly and without much sentiment — which is why the centre is more functional than pretty.
The cathedral is the reason to come. Begun in 1248, abandoned for three centuries, finished in 1880, and briefly the tallest building in the world. It is free to enter, black with age, and considerably more impressive in person than in photographs.
Kölsch is the local beer and comes with rules: 200ml glasses, served by waiters called Köbes who replace your empty without asking and mark your beer mat, and they will keep doing so until you put the mat on top of the glass.
Carnival in February closes the city for the best part of a week and is the biggest street party in Germany.
Two days.
Where to stay
A compact centre on the Rhine, with the lively districts just south and west.
Belgisches Viertel
Bars and independentsWest: the best bar district, independent shops and the young crowd.
Südstadt
Local and relaxedSouth along the river: neighbourhood bars, good food and a calmer feel.
Ehrenfeld
Value and nightlifeNorth-west: a former industrial district with cheap beds, street art and late venues.
Orange labels are neighbourhoods, dots are the 10 top-rated hostels. Map © MapTiler © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Things to do
Things to do in Cologne
The cathedral is free and takes as long as you give it. Begun in 1248, unfinished for three hundred years, completed in 1880 to the original plans, and the largest gothic church in northern Europe. The Shrine of the Three Kings inside is the largest reliquary in the western world.
Climb the south tower if your legs allow — 533 steps, about €8, and no lift.
The Römisch-Germanisches Museum holds the Roman city beneath the modern one, including a large mosaic found during wartime bomb shelter excavation.
The Ludwig Museum, about €13, has one of the largest Pop Art collections outside the United States and a major Picasso holding.
Drink Kölsch in a brewhouse. Früh, Päffgen and Sion are the traditional ones. The waiters will keep replacing your glass without being asked, and the only way to stop is to put your beer mat on top.
The EL-DE Haus, the former Gestapo headquarters, is a sober and important local history museum.
Free things
Free things to do in Cologne
The cathedral is free to enter, which for a building of that scale is remarkable. Only the tower and the treasury charge.
The Rhine promenade and the Hohenzollern bridge — covered in love padlocks and carrying trains every couple of minutes — are free, and the view back at the cathedral from the far bank is the classic one.
The Belgisches Viertel and Ehrenfeld are free to walk, with street art throughout the latter.
Roman remains sit around the centre, including a preserved section of the north gate at the cathedral and the Praetorium ruins under the town hall.
During Carnival, the street events are free and enormous — Weiberfastnacht and Rosenmontag in particular are simply the whole city out of doors.
Food and drink
Eating and drinking in Cologne
Kölsch is the whole culture. It is a pale, light beer served in 200ml glasses called Stangen, and the Köbes — the traditional waiters, who are professionally brusque — bring a fresh one whenever yours is empty, marking your mat each time. To stop, put the mat on top of the glass. Not doing this is how people end up with eleven marks and a surprise.
A Kölsch is €2.20 to €2.80, which is why they are small.
Halver Hahn is a rye roll with aged Gouda, which is not the half chicken the name implies — the joke is traditional and locals enjoy it.
Himmel un Ääd is black pudding with mashed potato and apple, and Rheinischer Sauerbraten is beef marinated for days.
A brewhouse main is €12 to €18, and the Belgisches Viertel has the better modern restaurants.
Nightlife
Going out in Cologne
The Belgisches Viertel is the bar district, Ehrenfeld has the clubs and late venues, and the Altstadt brewhouses are where the evening usually starts.
Cologne has one of the largest LGBTQ+ scenes in Germany, centred on the Rudolfplatz and Schaafenstraße area, and Cologne Pride in July is among the biggest in Europe.
A Kölsch is €2.20 to €2.80, cocktails €9 to €13, and club entry €8 to €15.
Carnival is the defining event: from Weiberfastnacht on the Thursday through to Rosenmontag, the city stops working, everyone is in costume, and the drinking is continuous. It is genuinely one of the great European parties and it is not a spectator event — turning up without a costume marks you out immediately.
Beds during Carnival treble and book out months ahead.
Getting around
Getting around Cologne
Trams, U-Bahn and buses run on one VRS ticket with a day ticket around €8. The centre is walkable and the cathedral is directly beside the main station.
Validate before boarding. Plainclothes inspectors operate and the fine is €60.
The airport is 15 minutes on the S13 or S19 for about €3.50, which is among the quickest airport links in Germany.
ICE trains reach Frankfurt in an hour, Brussels in under two and Amsterdam in under three, which makes Cologne a good hinge point for a wider trip.
Cycling is flat and easy, and the Rhine paths run in both directions out of the city.
Costs
What Cologne costs
Mid-range for Germany and cheap for drinking. Dorms are €20 to €38, a brewhouse main €12 to €18, and a Kölsch €2.20 to €2.80.
A day is €45 to €85.
The cathedral is free, the Rhine and the bridges are free, and the beer is among the cheapest in any large German city — though the small glasses and the automatic refills make it easy to lose count.
Carnival is the exception: beds treble and book out months ahead for the week before Lent.
Cologne makes a cheap base for the region, with Bonn, Düsseldorf and Aachen all under an hour.
Safety
Staying safe in Cologne
Cologne is a safe city and the crime affecting visitors is petty theft, concentrated around the main station and cathedral square.
The station area attracts a visible street drinking scene and can feel uncomfortable late at night without being especially dangerous.
Carnival is the exception and worth planning for. It is a week of continuous public drinking with enormous crowds, pickpocketing rises sharply, and the density on Rosenmontag is genuinely difficult to move through. Agree a meeting point, because phone networks fail under the load, and keep valuables minimal.
The Kölsch refill system makes it easy to drink far more than intended — the glasses are small, the waiters are efficient, and the marks on the mat add up faster than the evening feels.
The Rhine is fast, cold and industrial, with open promenade edges. Emergency number is 112.
Day trips from Cologne
A rival city, a former capital, and Charlemagne's cathedral.
Düsseldorf
The rival city up the Rhine, with Altbier instead of Kölsch and a rivalry that is half genuine and half performance.
Bonn
The former West German capital, Beethoven's birthplace, and a good museum mile.
Aachen
Charlemagne's cathedral, the oldest in northern Europe and UNESCO-listed, plus thermal baths and the Belgian border.
The Rhine valley
Castles above vineyards between Koblenz and Bingen, best seen from the train or a boat.
Brussels
A different country for the day, and closer than most of Germany.
What's on
What is on while you are there
Germany's biggest street party, in the week before Lent.
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16 Nov – 23 Dec
Cologne Christmas Markets
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Cologne Marathon
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Korn
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29 Oct – 5 Nov
Film Festival Cologne
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11 Nov – 10 Feb
Carnival in Cologne
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5–8 November
Art Cologne
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26 November
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26 November
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Hostels
Where to stay in Cologne
A reasonable scene near the station and in Ehrenfeld, which vanishes entirely during Carnival. Live from Hostelworld.
Die Wohngemeinschaft
Dorms from €26 a night
See dates and book
Weltempfänger Backpacker Hostel
Dorms from €24 a night
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Sustainable
a&o Köln Dom
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MEININGER Köln West
Dorms from €23 a night
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Hotel Heinzelmaennchen
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Sustainable
a&o Köln Hauptbahnhof
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Sustainable
a&o Köln Neumarkt
Dorms from €17 a night
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Jugendherberge Köln-Riehl - Youth Hostel Cologne-
Dorms from €50 a night
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Station Hostel for Backpackers
Dorms from €22 a night
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Cologne-Deutz Youth Hostel
Dorms from €55 a night
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When to go
May to September, or February for Carnival if that is what you want.
Jan
Cold and grey. Carnival season officially open
Feb
Carnival week. The city stops and beds treble
Mar
Quiet after Carnival. Good value
Apr
Good. Rhine terraces reopening
May
Excellent. Long evenings on the river
Jun
The best month. Everything outdoors
Jul
Warm and busy. Cologne Pride mid-month
Aug
Warm, with many locals away
Sep
Superb. Warm and quieter
Oct
Autumn and good value
Nov
Grey and wet. Carnival reopens on 11 November
Dec
Christmas markets, including one below the cathedral
Bar height is temperature. Colour is how busy it gets:
quiet
busy
peak
Average highs. Carnival falls in the week before Lent, so the dates move with Easter — usually February, occasionally early March. It is the single biggest factor in what a Cologne trip costs.
What your trip will cost
Pick how you travel. Per person per night, in euros.
Carnival week runs roughly treble on beds. The doing line is low because the cathedral costs nothing.
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- Beds—
- Food and drink—
- Getting around—
- Doing things—
Cologne travel questions
The ones we get asked most.
How do I stop the waiters bringing more beer?
Put your beer mat on top of your glass. Kölsch comes in 200ml glasses and the Köbes replaces your empty automatically, marking the mat each time — that is the system, not bad service. The mat on top is the universally understood signal that you are finished.
Is the cathedral free?
Yes, to enter, which for the largest gothic church in northern Europe is remarkable. The tower climb is about €8 and 533 steps with no lift, and the treasury charges separately. It was begun in 1248 and finished in 1880 to the original medieval plans.
When is Carnival?
The week before Lent, so the dates move with Easter — usually February, occasionally early March. It runs from Weiberfastnacht on the Thursday to Rosenmontag, the city effectively closes, and beds treble in price and sell out months ahead.
Do I need a costume for Carnival?
Effectively yes. Everyone is in costume and turning up in ordinary clothes marks you out immediately as someone who did not know. Anything counts — it is not a competition — but showing up plain is the one mistake to avoid.
Cologne or Düsseldorf?
They are thirty minutes apart and enjoy a long-running rivalry, expressed mainly through beer — Kölsch here, Altbier there. Cologne has the cathedral and the bigger Carnival; Düsseldorf has the better shopping and the Japanese quarter. Do both.
Is the city centre attractive?
Not especially, and it is worth knowing beforehand. Cologne was bombed almost flat in the war and rebuilt quickly and functionally. The cathedral, the Rhine, the brewhouses and the Belgisches Viertel are the draws rather than the streetscape.
How cheap is the beer?
A Kölsch is €2.20 to €2.80, among the cheapest in any large German city. The catch is that it comes in 200ml glasses and arrives automatically, so the count climbs faster than the evening feels.
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