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CologneCologneImage:Koelner_Dom_und_Bruecke.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Cologne Cathedral with railway bridge Cologne (German: ''Köln'', Cologne dialect: ''Kölle'') is the fourth largest city in Germany, with about 970,000 inhabitants. It is renowned in Germany as the media capital, with a number of private TV stations being situated in Cologne, as well as the gay capital (though Berlin is a contender for this title). Cologne is situated in Northrhine-Westphalia, along the river Rhine, pretty much in the middle of Germany. ==Understand== Cologne is one German city that has a very distinctive flavor to it. Most inhabitants take an exorbitant amount of pride in their city and the local language, resulting in sayings like ''Wo mir sin, is Koelle'' (Cologne is where we are). Cologne is a very friendly place, and the people are in general very friendly and open. The city is known for being very un-self-consciously gay. (Or is that self-unconsciously?) The biggest festivity in Cologne, only surpassed by Christopher Street Day in the last few years, is carnival (or ''Fastelovend'') in February. In difference to the rest of Germany, where carnival is mostly a rather staid affair, in Cologne, it's a huge party that starts on Thursday (''Weiberfastnacht'') and ends on Tuesday night (''Veilchendienstag'') with the ''Nubbelverbrennung'' (burning the spirit of carnival to atone for the sins committed during the carnival session). It sometimes seems that because the people of Cologne regularly go mad once a year for five days, they are much saner the rest of time. ==Get in== ===By plane=== [http://www.airport-cgn.de/index.php?lang=2 Cologne/Bonn airport (CGN)] is the fastest-growing airport in Germany, and is the base of operation for a number of lowcost airlines like GermanWings or Hapag-Lloyd Express. At the newly opened train station the local trains ('''S-Bahn''') take you to the city center in about 15 minutes. They run every 20 minutes weekdays, every 30 minutes weekends. The train platforms are at the bottom of the airport complex so you have to go down several levels (though there are good lifts and escalators). Adult one-way tickets are EUR 2.10 from the ticket machines which are one level above the train platforms. To operate a ticket machine, you first enter the code for the destination (for the central station ("Köln Hbf") it's 2000), then you choose the ticket type (2nd class adult one-way is the top-right of the green buttons), then feed in your coins/card/banknote. This ticket even allows you to use any means of public transport (U-bahn, tram, bus) in the city of Cologne up to your final destination. ===By train=== Cologne is connected to Germany's fastest railway line, the ICE3 line which travels at up to 300km/h. You should have no problems getting a connection to any German city from the central station ('''Hauptbahnhof''') or from the '''Köln-Deutz''' station; the three smaller stations '''Köln Süd''', '''Köln-Ehrenfeld''' and '''Köln West''' serve mostly regional trains. As of Jun 13, 2004 you can catch regional and fast trains directly from the airport too. Cologne central station takes part in the '''Thalys high-speed train network''', connecting to Paris, Brussels and Frankfurt six times a day. The special '''ICE Sprinter''' and '''Metropolitan''' trains also stop at Cologne central station. Some '''ICE''' connecting to to Frankfurt and Nuremberg only stop at '''Köln-Deutz'''. ===By car=== '''Don't go to Cologne by car.''' Don't even think about it. You will be better off parking on the outskirts and going into the center by subway. If you absolutely ''must'' enter the city by car, try to get one with a navigation system, as signs with street names are sparse, and many streets are one-way. Watch out for bicycle riders. In the inner city, pedestrians are likely to walk on the street (which will happen way more often than in other cities of Germany. A symbol for the Cologne way of life?). There are several large '''parking garages''' in the inner city, most notably the one at the opera and the one below the Dome, but they are very expensive. If you don't want to pay a fortune, good places to park are at '''Köln Messe''' in Deutz, on the opposite side of the Rhine from the Dom; just take a quick walk across Hohenzollernbrücke, and you're standing in front of the Dom. Or for the opposite end of the city, park near the university at '''Zülpicher Wall'''; there, you can get a 24 hour pass for about EUR5. You can also watch out for '''Park and Ride''' - Sites, signposted as '''P&R''' at main roads leading into the city. There you find cheap or free parking with connection to the regional train or tram/subway system. ===By bus=== Cologne has a Eurolines-Terminal just behind the central station ("Breslauer Platz"). Check the timetables of this Europe-wide network at [http://www.deutsche-touring.de/00_start.asp?sp=EN Eurolines] ===By boat=== ==Get around== Cologne has a very good subway and bus network; one- and three-day-passes are available. The tickets are valid for subway, tram and regional train within the VRS-network. A map of the network should be found at any station. Cologne's '''subway and tram-system''' is a mixture between both systems: A subway line can go on street-level and end up as a tram or vice versa. There are vending machines or ticket-offices at larger stations The trains and busses also have vending-machines. See here [http://www.kvb-koeln.de/german/fahrplan/linienplan.html] for printable maps of the subway/tram system. '''Regional Trains''' are known as "S-Bahn", "Regional-Bahn" and "Regional Express". Not all the trains have ticket vending-machines so remember to buy a ticket at the station. Cologne has, like Berlin, Munich and Frankfurt, a '''Call A Bike''' - System. After you signed up to the system, using your credit-card to pay per minute, you can pick up or drop off one of the silver-red bikes anywhere in the city. See here [http://www.callabike.de/-S:4OBx49:dn@1wdNNaVeGnNNNNOhM/konzern/holding/db_rent/dbag_60_cab_engl.shtml] for details. But, on the whole, the center of Cologne is not ''that'' big for a city of one million. It is entirely feasible to walk from one end of the center, say, the Rudolfplatz, to the other end, say, the ''Dom'', on foot. ==See== * '''Dom''' (cathedral), Am Domkloster 4 (''just outside central station''). The ''Dom'' in Cologne is the first sight you will notice when taking the main exit from the central station. (If you can't see it, you've taken the back exit.) Metro: Dom / Hauptbahnhof *'''The synagogue''', on Roonstrasse, near Rathenauplatz, is notable for its architecture that looks, well, right out of Gotham City. In summer, there is a beer garden at Rathenauplatz that is very pleasant. Metro: Zülpicher Platz *'''12 Romanesque Churches''': St. Kunibert (with wonderful stained glass windows), St. Severin, St. Maria Lyskirchen, St. Andreas, St. Aposteln, St. Gereon, St. Ursula, St. Pantaleon, St. Maria im Capitol, Groß-St. Martin, St. Georg and St. Cäcilien *'''Museum Ludwig''', museum of modern art, near central station and the dome hosts a worthy regular exhibition, as well as temporary exhibitions. Metro: Dom/Hauptbahnhof *'''Museum für angewandte Kunst''', ''Museum of Applied Art'', also near the dome, has a collection of popular design items, as well as temporary exhibitions. Metro: Dom/Hauptbahnhof *Cologne has a number of other [http://www.museenkoeln.de Museums] to offer. *A whole quarter crowded with Turkish restaurants, barbers, shops, travel agencies and cafes you'll find at '''Keupstraße'''. Metro: Keupstraße ==Do== *'''[http://www.csd-cologne.de/ Christopher Street Day]''' has already surpassed the carnival as regards the number of visitors and is now the biggest festivity in Cologne. It is celebrated with a huge parade through the city and countless parties and activities in the weeks before the parade and on the weekend of the parade. ==Learn== ==Buy== There is an abundance of record stores in Cologne, but most are hidden in non-tourist quarters. *For a mainstream record store, go to '''Saturn''', which hosts the "world's largest CD collection", as they quote on their store windows. It's huge, and to pre-listen a record, you just have to hold it under one of the many scanners spread throughout the shop. Always worth a visit. Subway and Regional Train from central station: Hansaring *Independent record stores are spread around Saturn: Cross the street for 2nd hand and punk, follow the ring north, and you will find Jazz, Electro and HipHop at '''Schallschock''' record store. Famous alternative music-store '''Normal''' is south of Saturn. Subway and Regional Train from central station: Hansaring *For electronic music, get off at Friesenplatz, and go to '''groove attack''' in Maastrichter street. Also famous is '''Kompakt''' record store. Both are connected to a label sharing the name, and putting out fine German electronic music. Subway: Friesenplatz ===Clothing=== *For mainstream shops, go to metro station Neumarkt or Heumarkt, and search for "Schildergasse". More expensive shops are found on "Hohe Straße". *A mix of freaky 2nd hand stores and places selling hip label clothes head to "Friesenplatz" and go to Ehrenstraße. ===Books=== *"Mayersche" and "Thalia" at Neumarkt are the biggest bookstores, you will find anything you want. *On "Ehrenstraße", you will find cheap and arty books, take a look at "Buchhandlung König" at the eastern end, buy at "Taschen" at the western... *Travel books are bought best at "Gleumes", between Zülpicher Platz and Rudolfplatz. They have only maps and travel books, but these from around the world. ==Eat== Cologne has a vast horde of bars and restaurants that serve fantastic traditional German food, as well as some serve food from other cultures. Generally you can eat very good in all traditional colonian Restaurants, the Breweries mainly. If you are looking for a snack, you can either head for one of the arabic, turkish or asian places or you can make use of the traditional fast food places like Mc Donalds, Burger King etc. Italian Food is generally not as bad and pricy as in England e.g. , but it is not exactly cheap either. Most of the Italians aim for mid to high priced food, though they don't always live up the latter claim. Indian restaurants are also somewhat distributed, but again not as good or cheap as in England. ===Budget=== *'''Falafel Habibi''' located on Zülpicher Straße. They have two stores, which should serve the same food. Generally a lot of arabic snack bar style places around Zülpicher Platz and in the ''Belgisches Viertel''. *There is an abundance of Döner Kebap places around the town. Probably best now (though expensive) is '''Oruc Döner''' on Kyffhäuserstraße (near Barbarossaplatz). There are lots of these within ''Kalk'', ''Mülheim'' and all over downtown especially in the ''Belgisches Viertel'' *'''Borsalino''' an Italian like restaurant located on Zülpicher Straße close to Zülpicher Platz. Very affordable prices. http://www.restaurant-borsalino.de/ *'''Don Camillo''' (not sure about the name) a small italian tabula calde style restaurant. Coming from ''Hohenzollenrring'', head into ''Breite Straße/Ehrenstraße'' and take the first road to the left. ===Mid-range=== * '''El Inca''', Görresstrasse 2, near Rathenauplatz. Latin-american restaurant, open 1800-2400. http://www.el-inca.de/ ===Splurge=== ==Drink== Typical Cologne beer is called "Kölsch" and served in bars around town in small glasses of 0.2l, so-called "Stangen" - but waiters will be fast to bring you a new one, once your old one is finished. In some bars, the waiter will put a new glass in front of you without being asked when he sees an empty glass, so it is easy to lose track of how much you drank. If you buy it bottled, take either "Reissdorf", "Früh" or "Mühlen", which are rated highest by Cologne citizens. *For traditional breweries, head to the Altstadt around the Dome, where the "Früh Kölsch" brewery is the most authentic place, famous both with visitors and locals. You will find a younger crowd at "Hellers Brauhaus" on Roonstraße, near metro station Zülpicher Platz. *There are a lot of modern bars and lounges all around town. More mainstream ones are on Zülpicher Straße. For something more independent and funky on this street, try Umbruch (funky) or Stiefel (punky). *A lot of stylish places are in the so-called Belgian quarter, e.g. famous M20 or the Hallmackenreuther. * For a comprehensive list, see [http://www.cologne-in.de/kneipen/ cologne-in.de], bars listed on the right. ===Gay=== Gay places in Cologne cluster in two parts of the city: around '''Rudolfplatz''', and around '''Heumarkt'''. The bars around Rudolfplatz cater to the younger crowd, whereas around Heumarkt you will find bars for bears, leather guys and fetish places. [http://www.rik-magazin.de Rik magazine] has a good list of locations under "szene guide". Near Rudolfplatz: * '''[http://www.excorner.de Ex-Corner]''', on Schaafenstrasse. Open 1900--well, whenever. Sometimes they don't bother closing up. This bar is ''always'' packed, no matter when you go there, even at 6 or 7 in the morning. One of the cornerstones of the gay scene in Cologne. * '''Café Schön''', on Schaafenstrasse. Open 1800--, in the location of the Café Huber, which closed in the end of 2003, after being the meeting point for the youngest crowd in Cologne for many years. * '''[http://www.clipcologne.de/ Clip]''', on Marsilstein, near Schaafenstrasse. Open 2100--, Discotheque. * '''[http://www.cafe-barflo.de Café Barflo]''', on Friesenwall. Open 1030--0100, trendy café. * '''Era''', on Friesenwall, opposite of Café Barflo. Open 1100--0100. Near Heumarkt: *'''Quo Vadis''', vor St. Martin, open 1100--2400. Allegedly ''the'' place to start a gay evening in Cologne. Even if you plan on frequenting the fetish places in the neighborhood -- nobody will look at you strangely if you sit there in full fetish rubber or leather. (Personal experience.) Café with bistro, small dishes, coffee is not very good. *'''[http://www.chains-koeln.de/ Chains]''' on Stephanstrasse. Open 2200--0200/0500. Biggest leather and fetish bar in Cologne, two darkrooms. *'''[http://www.deck-5.de/ Deck 5]''', Mathiasstrasse 5. Open 2200--0400/0900 (sat.), after-hour on Sunday. Fetish bar with darkroom. *'''Stiefelknecht''', on Pipinstrasse. Open 2200--0400. Fetish bar. Traditionally the last place to go on a cruising tour. Nightclubs: *'''[http://www.blue-lounge.com/party/party.html Blue Lounge Party]''', every third Saturday, at the ''Bürgerhaus Stollwerck'' in Dreikönigenstrasse 23. Starts at 2200, tickets EUR5. Percussion-, brazil-, balearic- and deep house, techno, trance. A must for people who like this kind of music. *'''[http://www.bodycheckparty.de/ Bodycheck Party]''', every second Saturday at the ''Filmhaus Köln'' on Maybachstrasse 111, metro station ''Hansaring''. House, techno, always very good video projections. *'''[http://www.artheater.de/ 3Klang]''' on Ehrenfeldgürtel 127, metro station ''Venloer Str./Gürtel''. Every third Friday, 2200--0500. *'''[http://www.neu-schwanstein.de/ Neuschwanstein]''', on Mittelstrasse 12-24, near Friesenplatz. Open Wednesday (2200--), Friday, Saturday (2300--) *'''[http://www.kings-und-queens.de/ H90]''', on Hohenzollernring 90, metro station ''Friesenplatz''. Every Saturday, 2300--0500. *'''[http://www.blue-lounge.com/ Blue Lounge Bar]''', on Mathiasstrasse, lesbian bar. Off-shoot of the very successful party mentioned above. ==Sleep== ===Budget=== *[http://www.hostel-cologne.de/ Station Hostel] (Marzellenstr. 44-48), a backpacker's heaven, just around the corner from the main railway station. Dorms from 15€. The one farther away from the main station has a bar worth a visit. ===Mid-range=== ===Splurge=== * '''[http://www.excelsiorhotelernst.de/ Excelsior Hotel Ernst]''', Domplatz, 50667 Köln, phone 49 221-2701, ehe@excelsiorhotelernst.de ==Contact== ==Talk== Cologne dialect called "Kölsch" is quite typically, and still often heard (although the town abounds with immigrants). Here are some typical phrases, more useful for the experienced German speaker, but also revealing a bit about Cologne state of mind. *'''Kölsch''' refers to local dialect and beer - the only language you can drink! *'''Et hät no immer joot jejange''' = Somehow, it always went well in the end. *'''Et kütt, wie et kütt''' = It's going to be how it's going to be. *'''Wat kapott es, es kapott''' = What is broken is broken. *'''Paraplü''' = Regenschirm, umbrella *'''schwaade''' = talk, chat *'''Hüürens!/Luurens!/Saachens!''' = Hear! Look! Say!, used in a virtually equal manner to get attention from someone. *'''Pass op watte sächst!''' = Watch out, what you are saying! (jokingly...) *'''Saachens, wo es denn he de strossebahn?''' = Tell me, where is the metro? (you will get plenty of laughs for this!) The [http://www.koelsch-akademie.de/ Akademie för uns kölsche Sproch] (academy for the Kölsch language) offers courses in the local language. ==Stay safe== Cologne is, like the rest of Germany, a rather safe place. In the area around the Dome and the central station, watch out for pocket-picking children. ==External links== *[http://www.koeln.de/ Official Web site] {{stub}} de:Köln ro:Köln First page | Prev | Next | Last page |
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