Cologne is one of those German cities where you get the most out of a weekend, which makes knowing where to stay in Cologne all the more useful. The cathedral rises just outside the Hauptbahnhof, the Rhine flows through the middle of the city, and in the brewhouses you’ll be served Kölsch in slim glasses until you put your beer mat on top of the glass. Most of what you’ll want to see lies within a few kilometres of the cathedral.
Even so, where you stay makes a big difference. Some neighbourhoods are packed with tourists and stag and hen parties, others are quiet and local, and in Deutz you get the best view in the city. Here are my six picks for areas, with three hotels in each.
Contents
The Best Areas to Stay in Cologne
- Altstadt-Nord - best area for first-time visitors
- Belgisches Viertel & Friesenviertel - best area for couples, cafés and nightlife
- Ehrenfeld - best area for young and creative travellers
- Südstadt - best area for a cosy, local atmosphere
- Deutz - best area for families and views of the cathedral
- Agnesviertel & Eigelstein - best area for peace and quiet close to the Hauptbahnhof
Below, I go through the areas one at a time with a map, transport, price level and three hotels in each. The prices come from a search for a weekend in May for two people, so expect them to vary with the season, with the big trade fairs and especially with Karneval.
1. Altstadt-Nord - best area for first-time visitors ⛪
- 📍 Distance to the centre: You’re right in the centre. From the Hauptbahnhof it’s a two-minute walk to the cathedral and ten minutes down to Alter Markt and the Rhine.
- 🚆 Transport: All trains, S-Bahn services and most U-Bahn lines meet at Hauptbahnhof and Dom/Hauptbahnhof. From here you can do the rest on foot.
- ✈️ Time from Cologne Bonn Airport: Around 15 minutes on the S-Bahn S19, which runs every 20 minutes directly to the Hauptbahnhof. A ticket costs €4 (around £3.35).
- 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £125 to £380 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
- 👮 Safety: Safe and busy until late. Watch out for pickpockets on the Domplatte and in Hohe Straße, and avoid Breslauer Platz behind the Hauptbahnhof late in the evening.
Altstadt-Nord is the part of the Old Town north of Heumarkt, and it’s where Cologne begins for most visitors. You step out of the Hauptbahnhof and the cathedral is right in front of you. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996, and its towers are 157 metres tall. A visit costs €12 (around £10) for tourists, while children aged 13 and under and people coming to pray get in free. The tower costs an extra €8 (around £6.70), and it’s 533 steps to the top with no lift.
Right next door is Museum Ludwig, home to one of the world’s largest Picasso collections. A ticket costs €15.40 (around £13), children and young people under 18 get in free, and the museum is closed on Mondays. Behind the cathedral, the Old Town winds down towards the Rhine with Alter Markt, Heumarkt and Fischmarkt, where the narrow, colourful houses stand in front of the Groß St. Martin church. The brewhouses Früh, Peters and Sion are just a few minutes away, and if you want the stories behind them, you can join a guided brewhouse tour with three glasses of Kölsch for around €28 (about £23).
See hotels in Altstadt-Nord here.
I’d stay here if it’s your first trip to Cologne, if you’re coming for the Christmas markets, or if you’re travelling by train. The Christmas market in front of the cathedral is the best known of them all. From the airport, the S19 takes around 14 minutes, and if you’re arriving by train from elsewhere in Europe, the station is right on your doorstep. If you’re breaking the journey with a night in Hamburg, my guide to where to stay in Hamburg can help you.
The downside is that Altstadt-Nord is expensive and crowded from morning to night. In the evenings, stag and hen parties take over Alter Markt and Heumarkt, so pick a hotel on a side street if you want an early night, and steer clear of the cheapest hotels around Breslauer Platz behind the Hauptbahnhof.
Hotels in Altstadt-Nord
Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom - grand hotel with cathedral views
Excelsior Hotel Ernst has stood on Domplatz since 1863 and is Cologne’s classic five-star hotel, with a spa, steam room, restaurant and service that guests rate very highly. Many rooms look straight across at the cathedral’s façade, and it’s a two-minute walk to the train. Some guests feel that parts of the décor could do with updating, though, and the price is the highest in this whole guide.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The location is absolutely perfect.”
See photos and book Excelsior Hotel Ernst here.
Eden Hotel Früh am Dom - sleep above the city’s best-known brewhouse
The hotel is on Sporergasse just behind the cathedral and belongs to the Früh am Dom brewhouse, so you have Kölsch and Himmel un Ääd on the ground floor. The rooms are simple and smart, there are family rooms, and from some of them you can look straight up at the cathedral’s towers. It’s a three-star hotel with four-star prices in high season, and a few guests complain that the pillows are too soft.
From one review: “The location was fantastic, and the view of the cathedral was superb.”
See photos and book Eden Hotel Früh am Dom here.
Hotel Sandmanns am Dom - small, quiet, adults-only hotel
Hotel Sandmanns is on An den Dominikanern, a quiet street a five-minute walk from both the cathedral and the Hauptbahnhof. It’s a small, adults-only hotel with soundproofed rooms and the option of contactless check-in, and it was the cheapest of my three suggestions here when I searched. There’s no lift, so if you’re travelling with a heavy suitcase or have trouble walking, ask for a room on a lower floor.
One guest highlights: “Really good location and a lovely quiet hotel.”
See photos and book Hotel Sandmanns am Dom here.
2. Belgisches Viertel & Friesenviertel - best area for couples, cafés and nightlife 🍸
- 📍 Distance to the centre: Around 1.5 kilometres west of the cathedral. From Brüsseler Platz it’s a 20-minute walk to the cathedral and 10 minutes to Neumarkt.
- 🚇 Transport: U-Bahn from Friesenplatz (including line 5 to Dom/Hauptbahnhof) and from Rudolfplatz (line 1 to Neumarkt and Heumarkt). You can get to most places on foot.
- ✈️ Time from Köln/Bonn Airport: Around 30 minutes on the S19 to Hauptbahnhof, then the U-Bahn or a taxi onwards.
- 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost around £110 to £190 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
- 👮 Safety: Safe and lively. Along Hohenzollernring and in Zülpicher Viertel it gets loud at weekends, so stay on a side street if you want to sleep.
The Belgisches Viertel (Belgian Quarter) gets its name from its streets, which are named after Belgian cities: Brüsseler Straße, Antwerpener Straße and Lütticher Straße. The district was built around 1900, and many of the ornate façades are still standing. At its heart is Brüsseler Platz with the church of St. Michael, where half of Cologne sits on the steps and kerbs with a bottle of Kölsch in summer. Around the square you’ll find small shops selling clothes, records and design, coffee bars and restaurants whose cuisine changes from one street to the next.
Friesenviertel lies just to the north-east, between Friesenplatz and Hohenzollernring, and is more of a nightlife area than a residential one. On Friesenstraße you’ll find Päffgen, where Kölsch is brewed on site and carried out in wreath-shaped trays, and round the corner are the Ringe, with clubs and cocktail bars. The atmosphere reminds me of a smaller version of Berlin’s Prenzlauer Berg, and if you like that kind of neighbourhood, I’ve also written about where to stay in Berlin.
See hotels in Belgisches Viertel and Friesenviertel here.
If you’re wondering where to stay in Cologne as a couple or a group of friends who want good cafés by day and bars by night without staying in the middle of the tourist crowds, this is the area I’d choose. Stadtgarten, with its beer garden and jazz club, and Mediapark are also within walking distance, and Rudolfplatz is one of the places where the Christmas markets open at the end of November.
The downside is the noise. At times Brüsseler Platz gets so packed in the evenings that the neighbours have been complaining for years, and Zülpicher Viertel, south of Rudolfplatz, is Cologne’s student quarter, where the partying goes on late into the night, especially during Karneval. Choose a hotel with soundproofed windows or on a side street such as Lütticher Straße.
Hotels in Belgisches Viertel & Friesenviertel
Lindner Hotel Cologne City Plaza - large four-star hotel with the city’s best breakfast buffet
Lindner Hotel Cologne City Plaza is on Magnusstraße in Friesenviertel, a five-minute walk from both Friesenplatz and Brüsseler Platz. It’s a large four-star hotel with a sauna, gym, restaurant and a breakfast buffet that guests praise again and again. A few mention that the curtains are too narrow to block out the light completely, so bring an eye mask.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The breakfast was excellent: every option you could imagine.”
See photos and book Lindner Hotel Cologne City Plaza here.
Ruby Ella Hotel Cologne - small, stylish rooms and a bar on Hohenzollernring
Ruby Ella is on Hohenzollernring, with the Belgisches Viertel right behind the hotel and Friesenplatz round the corner. The concept is small, thoughtfully designed rooms with good beds and soundproofed windows, plus a ground-floor bar with live music on some evenings, but no restaurant. Several guests miss having a fridge and coffee in the room.
From a review: “The staff were fantastic.”
See photos and book Ruby Ella Hotel Cologne here.
Chelsea Hotel - art hotel in the heart of the Belgisches Viertel
Chelsea Hotel on Jülicher Straße is the neighbourhood’s art hotel. Over the years, artists have paid for their stays with works that now hang everywhere, and the steel-and-glass rooftop extension is a landmark in its own right. The rooms are simple, there’s a café, bar and terrace, and you’re right by Brüsseler Platz at the lowest price of my three suggestions. Some guests say the towels could be softer.
One guest highlights: “The friendliest staff ever.”
See photos and book Chelsea Hotel here.
3. Ehrenfeld - best area for young and creative travellers 🎨
- 📍 Distance to the centre: Around 3 to 4 kilometres west of the cathedral. It’s too far to walk every day, but the U-Bahn runs frequently.
- 🚇 Transport: U-Bahn lines 3 and 4 run under Venloer Straße to Friesenplatz and Neumarkt, and the S-Bahn gets you from Köln-Ehrenfeld to Hauptbahnhof in under 10 minutes.
- ✈️ Time from Cologne Bonn Airport: Around 25 minutes on the S19, which runs directly from the airport via Hauptbahnhof to Köln-Ehrenfeld.
- 💰 Price level: €€. The three hotels below cost around £120 to £140 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
- 👮 Safety: A typical city neighbourhood. Venloer Straße is buzzing until late, and the side streets are quiet. Watch out for the fast-moving cyclists.
Ehrenfeld was once Cologne’s working-class and factory district, and you can still see it in the Heliosturm, the little lighthouse in the middle of the city that an electrical factory built as an advertisement in the 1880s. Today it’s the city’s creative quarter, with street art on the gable walls and under the railway arches by Bahnhof Ehrenfeld, record shops, vintage stores, music venues such as Live Music Hall and plenty of cheap places to eat serving food from all over the world along Venloer Straße.
The neighbourhood is big, so get your bearings from Venloer Straße, which runs through it all like a backbone, and from the side street Körnerstraße, home to the best cafés and small shops. In the evening, the draw is the bars around Venloer Straße and Körnerstraße and the music venues by the station, and you can easily have a great night out without crossing Innere Kanalstraße towards the centre.
I’d stay here if you’re young or young at heart and would rather have a neighbourhood where people actually live than a view of the cathedral. In return, you get the city’s best choice of cheap food, from Turkish grill bars to Vietnamese noodle soup kitchens, and bars where you stand shoulder to shoulder with the locals. The choice of hotels is thin, though: Ehrenfeld mostly has aparthotels and a few smaller hotels, which is one of the reasons prices aren’t lower than in the centre, even though you’re staying further out.
The downside is the distance. You’ll need the U-Bahn or S-Bahn every time you want to head in to the cathedral, and late at night the trains run less often. Street art and industrial charm aren’t everyone’s cup of tea either, and parts of the neighbourhood towards Ehrenfeldgürtel and Innere Kanalstraße are mostly traffic and concrete.
Hotels in Ehrenfeld
Hotel Imperial - classic four-star hotel with its own car park
Hotel Imperial is on Barthelstraße at the eastern end of Ehrenfeld, a few minutes’ walk from Venloer Straße and ten minutes from Hans-Böckler-Platz/Bahnhof West. It’s a four-star hotel with a bar, terrace, air conditioning and its own car park, and it’s the most classic of my three picks out here. Some guests feel it’s a long way to the centre, but the U-Bahn and S-Bahn at Bahnhof West sort that out in a few minutes.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The hotel is so warm, clean and cosy.”
See photos and book Hotel Imperial here.
STAYERY Cologne Ehrenfeld - aparthotel with kitchens right next to Live Music Hall
STAYERY is an aparthotel on Vogelsanger Straße with kitchenettes in the rooms, a laundry, a shared lounge and 24-hour self check-in. You’re right next to Live Music Hall and in the middle of Ehrenfeld’s nightlife, and its Booking.com score is the highest in this entire guide. The downside is that noise from the club next door can be heard in some rooms at weekends.
From a review: “Love how easy the self check-in is, and the location was perfect for live music clubs, food and drinks.”
See photos and book STAYERY Cologne Ehrenfeld here.
Numa Cologne Ehrenfeld - digital budget hotel right on Venloer Straße
Numa Cologne Ehrenfeld is right on Venloer Straße, a couple of minutes’ walk from Piusstraße U-Bahn station. It’s digital all the way: you check in on your phone, there’s no reception, but there’s a small gym, a laundry and simple, soundproofed rooms. The price was the lowest of the three when I searched, but several guests say the rooms look better in the photos than in real life.
One guest highlights: “The location of the place was really good.”
See photos and book Numa Cologne Ehrenfeld here.
4. Südstadt - best area for a cosy, local atmosphere 🍺
- 📍 Distance to the centre: About 2 kilometres south of the cathedral. From Chlodwigplatz it’s a 25-minute walk to the cathedral and 10 minutes to Rheinauhafen.
- 🚋 Transport: Lines 15 and 16 from Chlodwigplatz and Severinstraße, and line 16 runs directly to Neumarkt and Dom/Hauptbahnhof.
- ✈️ Time from Cologne Bonn Airport: About 35 to 40 minutes on the S19 to Hauptbahnhof and then line 16, or 20 to 25 minutes by taxi.
- 💰 Price level: €€. The three hotels below were around £110 to £140 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
- 👮 Safety: One of the city’s safest neighbourhoods, with life on the streets until late. Chlodwigplatz is a busy transport hub, so watch out for trams and bikes.
Südstadt is the neighbourhood locals have in mind when they say Veedel, meaning a proper local quarter. It starts at Severinstorburg, the medieval city gate on Chlodwigplatz, and stretches up Severinstraße towards the Old Town and out towards the Rhine and the Volksgarten park. There are bakeries, brewpubs such as Früh em Veedel, small wine bars and Italian restaurants, and you quickly notice that people greet each other in the street.
Down by the Rhine lies Rheinauhafen, the old harbour, which has been redeveloped with the three Kranhäuser, office and residential buildings shaped like harbour cranes, and a long promenade where you can go for a run or an evening stroll. This is also where you’ll find the Schokoladenmuseum, with Lindt as its partner, and entry costs €17.50 (around £15) on weekdays and €19 (around £16) at weekends. The Christmas market on the harbour in front of the museum is one of the cosiest in the city, and Südstadt holds its own little Veedelsadvent on Chlodwigplatz.
I’d stay here if you’ve been to Cologne before, or if you’d simply rather spend your evenings in a local pub than on Heumarkt. Südstadt is also a good choice during Carnival, because the neighbourhood has its own parades and parties, but you can retreat to quieter streets when you’ve had enough.
The downside is that you’ll need to take the tram or walk for half an hour every time you want to get to the cathedral, and the choice of hotels is limited. Most are at the northern end towards Severinstraße and Rheinauhafen, so if you want to stay right down by Chlodwigplatz, you’ll need to look at apartments.
Hotels in Südstadt
Novotel Köln City - the most comfort, with a garden near Rheinauhafen
Novotel Köln City is on Bayenstraße between Severinstraße and Rheinauhafen, a five-minute walk from the Schokoladenmuseum. It’s a large four-star hotel with a sauna, gym, garden, restaurant and family rooms, and breakfast is served until late. The underground car park is handy if you’re arriving by car, but spaces can fill up on busy days.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The breakfast was fantastic, and it was available until 12 noon.”
See photos and book Novotel Köln City here.
Hopper Hotel St. Josef - design hotel in a former convent
Hopper Hotel St. Josef is housed in a former convent on Dreikönigenstraße, a quiet side street close to Severinstraße. The hotel is decorated with art and designer furniture, and there’s a sauna, a small gym, a bar and a courtyard garden where you can sit in summer. Some of the rooms in the old building are small, so ask for one of the larger ones if there are two of you.
From one review: “Beautifully decorated hotel in a quiet residential area.”
See photos and book Hopper Hotel St. Josef here.
Mercure Hotel Severinshof Köln City - reliable chain hotel on Severinstraße
Mercure Hotel Severinshof is on Severinstraße, where Südstadt meets the Old Town, and it’s a ten-minute walk to Heumarkt and the same to Chlodwigplatz. It’s a reliable chain hotel with a sauna, gym, restaurant and underground car park, and it was the cheapest of the three when I searched. Several guests say the rooms are a little worn in places, though.
One guest highlights: “The hotel is good. The room was clean, and the staff were friendly.”
See photos and book Mercure Hotel Severinshof here.
5. Deutz - best area for families and views of the Cathedral 🌉
- 📍 Distance to the centre: About 1 kilometre. Crossing the Hohenzollernbrücke, it’s a 15-minute walk from the Rheinboulevard to the Cathedral.
- 🚆 Transport: S-Bahn and regional trains from Köln Messe/Deutz to the Hauptbahnhof in just a few minutes, and lines 1 and 9 across the Deutzer Brücke to Heumarkt and Neumarkt.
- ✈️ Time from Cologne Bonn Airport: About 12 minutes on the S19 direct to Köln Messe/Deutz, which is the stop just before the Hauptbahnhof.
- 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £105 to £235 per night when I searched for a weekend in May.
- 👮 Safety: Safe and quiet, but the streets around the Messe are deserted in the evening when there’s no trade fair or concert on. Stick to the well-lit streets leading down to the Rhine.
Deutz sits on the other side of the Rhine, and this is where you get the postcard view of Cologne that everyone knows: the Cathedral, Great St. Martin and the Hohenzollernbrücke reflected in the river. The Rheinboulevard is the wide flight of steps along the water where half the city sits with a Kölsch as the sun sets behind the Cathedral, and from the viewing platform at the top of the KölnTriangle you can see it all from above. The Hohenzollernbrücke, with its thousands of love locks, takes you straight across to the Hauptbahnhof in about a quarter of an hour.
Deutz is also Cologne’s trade fair and events district, home to the Koelnmesse and the Lanxess Arena, and a little further north lies the Rheinpark, where the Kölner Seilbahn cable car glides over the Rhine to the Zoo and Flora on the opposite bank. A single ride costs €5.50 (around £4.60) and a return €9.50 (around £8), and it runs in the summer season and on some Advent weekends, so check the dates before you promise the kids anything.
I’d choose Deutz if you’re travelling as a family, if you’re going to a concert at the Lanxess Arena or a trade fair, or if you want the view without paying Old Town prices for it. There’s space, underground car parks and new hotels with pools, and it’s the easiest place in the city to have a car. If you fancy a day out in the Rhine Valley or the Eifel, this is also the most sensible place to pick up hire cars from Booking.com.
The downside is the atmosphere. Deutz isn’t an area you’d stroll around in the evening just for the fun of it, as the streets between the Messe and the station are wide and dull, and there are few restaurants compared with the other side of the river. Check the trade fair calendar before you book too: during the big fairs such as gamescom and Anuga, prices shoot up and many hotels sell out well in advance.
Hotels in Deutz
Hyatt Regency Köln - five-star hotel with a pool and the best view of the Cathedral
Hyatt Regency Köln is on Kennedy-Ufer right by the Hohenzollernbrücke, and the view of the Cathedral from the river-facing rooms is the reason to stay here. There’s an indoor pool, spa, gym, restaurant and a bar with a terrace overlooking the Rhine, and it’s a 15-minute walk across the bridge to the Old Town. Breakfast is pricey, around €40 (around £35) per person, so consider having it at a café in the Old Town instead.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “The room was really good, beautiful and clean, and the bed was comfortable.”
See photos and book Hyatt Regency Köln here.
Adina Apartment Hotel Cologne - apartments with kitchens and an indoor pool
Adina Apartment Hotel is on Hans-Imhoff-Straße just behind the Lanxess Arena and Köln Messe/Deutz. The apartments have kitchens, and the larger types have a separate bedroom, plus there’s an indoor pool, sauna, gym and restaurant, which makes it my top pick for families in Cologne. The underground car park is handy but expensive, so check the price before you book if you’re driving.
From a review: “The staff are so friendly and welcoming.”
See photos and book Adina Apartment Hotel Cologne here.
Motel One Köln-Messe - budget design hotel three minutes from the train
Motel One Köln-Messe is next door to the Adina and follows the chain’s usual formula: small, well-designed rooms with good beds, a stylish lounge bar and low prices. From the hotel door, it’s a three-minute walk to Köln Messe/Deutz and 15 minutes to the Rheinboulevard. The rooms really are small, so if there are two of you with large suitcases, it’ll be a squeeze.
One guest highlights: “Fantastic location, very clean hotel and friendly, helpful staff.”
See photos and book Motel One Köln-Messe here.
6. Agnesviertel & Eigelstein - best area for peace and quiet near the Hauptbahnhof 🏡
- 📍 Distance to the centre: About 1.5 kilometres north of the cathedral. From the Agneskirche it’s a 15 to 20-minute walk to the Hauptbahnhof, and from Eigelstein just 5 to 10.
- 🚇 Transport: U-Bahn from Ebertplatz, where lines 16 and 18, among others, stop at Dom/Hauptbahnhof after two stops, and from Reichenspergerplatz.
- ✈️ Time from Cologne Bonn Airport: About 30 minutes on the S19 to the Hauptbahnhof, then on foot or two stops on the U-Bahn.
- 💰 Price level: €€ to €€€. The three hotels below cost roughly £105 to £155 a night when I searched for a weekend in May.
- 👮 Safety: Agnesviertel is quiet and well kept. Ebertplatz and a few corners of Eigelstein have had problems with cannabis dealing, and the square isn’t somewhere to hang around late at night, but walking through is no problem.
Agnesviertel is the attractive, quiet neighbourhood just north of the Ring, built around the Agneskirche, a neo-Gothic church from the late 19th century and one of the largest in the city. The streets are wide and lined with Gründerzeit houses with stucco and bay windows, and along Neusser Straße you’ll find bakeries, bookshops, wine merchants and cafés with a mostly local clientele. Fort X with its rose garden and the green belt along Theodor-Heuss-Ring give you breathing space you won’t get in the Old Town.
To the south, the neighbourhood merges into Eigelstein, the old approach road with the Eigelsteintorburg city gate at the end. The street has a completely different character: Turkish restaurants and bakeries on Weidengasse, the Em Kölsche Boor brewhouse, small bars and a couple of the city’s best design hotels. From here it’s just a five to ten-minute walk to the Hauptbahnhof and the cathedral, so you get peace and quiet without sacrificing location.
See hotels in Agnesviertel and around Eigelstein here.
I’d stay here if you want to sleep well, wake up in a neighbourhood with proper bakeries and still be able to walk to the cathedral and the train. It’s a good choice for slightly older travellers and for anyone arriving by train who wants to avoid the hotels right next to the Hauptbahnhof. Agnesviertel is also an obvious place to stay during the Christmas markets, because you’re close by without being in the middle of the crowds.
The downside is Ebertplatz, the large sunken square between Agnesviertel and Eigelstein, which for many years has been the city’s most controversial spot because of cannabis dealing. The city has smartened it up with lights, art and fountains, and during the day there’s no problem, but late at night most people go around it. There are also few hotels, so book well ahead.
Hotels in Agnesviertel & Eigelstein
Hotel Santo - four-star design hotel on a side street off Eigelstein
Hotel Santo is on Dagobertstraße, a side street off Eigelstein, a five-minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof. It’s a four-star design hotel with a bar, air conditioning, an underground car park and rooms that are larger than at most hotels near the station. Some guests find the beds too firm, so ask at reception if you’d like a softer mattress topper.
One guest writes on Booking.com: “Everything about the hotel was clean, comfortable and efficient.”
See photos and book Hotel Santo here.
Hotel Viktoria - Gründerzeit villa on the edge of Agnesviertel
Hotel Viktoria occupies a Gründerzeit villa on Worringer Straße facing Theodor-Heuss-Ring, right where Agnesviertel begins. There’s a 24-hour reception, room service and breakfast in a lounge with stucco and tall windows, and the U-Bahn at Ebertplatz is a few minutes’ walk away. The rooms vary in size, and the smallest are exactly that: small.
From a review: “Clean, well located, friendly and quick staff.”
See photos and book Hotel Viktoria here.
URBAN LOFT Cologne - modern loft hotel right on Eigelstein
URBAN LOFT Cologne is right on Eigelstein in a newer building with a café, bar, roof terrace and gym. The rooms have a loft feel with raw walls and large windows, and the price was the lowest of the three when I searched, even though its rating is the highest. Parking in the basement costs extra, and the street can be lively at night, so ask for a room away from the street.
One guest highlights: “The staff were so friendly and accommodating.”
See photos and book URBAN LOFT Cologne here.
Where not to stay in Cologne?
Kalk and most of Mülheim on the other side of the Rhine are large, mixed neighbourhoods with cheap hotels, but they’re a long way from everything you’ve come for, and the area around Kalker Hauptstraße and Wiener Platz in particular isn’t the Cologne you’ve been dreaming of. Chorweiler in the far north is a suburb of tower blocks and not relevant for tourists at all. Also avoid the cheapest hotels behind the Hauptbahnhof on Breslauer Platz, where the atmosphere turns grim after dark, and don’t stay at the airport unless you have a 6am flight.
And then there’s Carnival. From Weiberfastnacht to Ash Wednesday, a week in February or March, the city is sold out and far more expensive than usual, and Zülpicher Viertel and the Old Town become one big round-the-clock party. If you love that, book six months ahead. If you don’t, pick another week.
If it’s your first trip to Cologne, I’d stay in Altstadt-Nord and spend the money on a hotel with a view of the cathedral, or in Agnesviertel if you want peace and quiet and can still walk everywhere. If you’re a couple who want to go out in the evening, choose the Belgian Quarter, and if you’re travelling with children, Deutz gives you the most space for your money. Südstadt is for those who want the local feel, and Ehrenfeld for those who’d rather not see a tourist at all.
Buy a 24-hour ticket for €9.60 (around £8) or a KölnCard from €9 (around £7.50) with free transport and museum discounts if you want to hop on and off the U-Bahn, as a single ticket costs €4 (around £3.35). And if you have more days, Cologne is a great base for travelling on: by train you’re in Brussels in about two hours and Amsterdam in about three, and I have guides to where to stay in Brussels and where to stay in Amsterdam.
Travel ressources & websites I use all the time 👇
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