Best Places to Stay in Germany's Cologne

Discover Germany's Cologne and book at MEININGER Hostel Cologne City Center

If you need inspiration for your trip to Cologne, staff at MEININGER Hotel Cologne City Center have everything you need to plan your perfect holiday to Cologne, Germany. What do you know about Cologne? It is a lovely city on the Rhine river. The most famous sight is the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) which is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. Also, the University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) is one of Europe's oldest universities and Cologne has over 30 museums and hundreds of galleries you can visit too!

However, Cologne is very well-known for its beer, called Kölsch. Kölsch is also the name of the local dialect. The best time to see the real face of Cologne is during the Cologne Carnival, one of the biggest street festivals in Europe. It is held annually from 11th Nov to Ash Wednesday and it is fun fun fun! Come to Cologne and have fun in the friendlies city in Germany! Max from MEININGER Hotel Cologne City Center has hot tips for your stay there!

Best Kölsch in the City

If you like Germany, you have to like beer. Come to Brauhaus Früh am Dom (Am Hof 12-14) where waiters, known as Köbes, sporting white shirts and black aprons, bring you platefuls of cheap and filling food and small glasses of Kölsch - Cologne's pale fermented beer, the city's favourite 'social lubricant'. Try the centrally located Brauhaus Früh am Dom, where patrons sit - in semi-darkness - on long wooden benches around massive oak tables. This pub also has an in-house sauna!! Paffgen Brewhouse is some distance from the main tourist area, but if you are a beer/kolsch fan, then this is a must visit. You can walk from the Dom Square, which takes about 20-25 minutes (but take a map) or you can get the U Bahn to Friesenplatz. The beer is probably the best example of Kolsch, light and crisp and slightly more 'hoppy' than most, has a more bitter aftertaste, but the glass seems to empty even quicker than usual! Highly recommended.

Food in Cologne

If you like German cuisine, you can always find good sausage at the snack bar on the street. But if you prefer gourmet, go to Em Krützche ( Am Frankenturm 1-3) which specializes in traditional German cuisine and brews its own beer. Try cold melon soup with mint followed by Beef 'Rheinland' - pieces of succulent meat (marinated for three days) served with potato dumplings and apple puree. And don't forget to order the Cologne speciality, 'Veedel Hahn' - a bread roll with cheese and mustard - on the side. If you are looking for something really special, visit Fischers (Hohenstaufenring 53). It is a gourmet experience, a crash course in wine-drinking and a spectacle - all at once. The owner, Christina Fischer, is a TV star and one of the country's leading wine connoisseurs. She is also a perfectionist, ensuring that everything is up to the mark: spotless open-plan kitchen, young and friendly staff, an exquisite balance between 'cross-cultural' (in her words) cuisine and fine, mostly German, wines. Start with vegetable terrine in Rodesco sauce, followed by perch in lemon-grass sauce, or piglet Anjou-style. Reservations are essential.

If you are hungry, but have a low budget, go to Buon Giorno directly at Rudolfplatz, it is definitely the most favorite restaurant by young people in Cologne. With relatively low prices but great food with big sides. They have a menu that changes every day. The atmosphere and interior design is cool, too. You can either sit on the first floor or on a balcony looking down on the rest of the restaurant. On sunny days you can have a seat outside in a beer garden. The kitchen is open until 2 am. Perfect for a meal after hitting the bars or clubs. They also offer good breakfast starting at 7 am. Pizzas, Pasta, Antipasta, Salads, Meat - it´s all good.

Clubbing in Cologne

Das Ding (transl.: 'the thing') in Hohenstaufenring 30-32 calls itself a dance club for students. But the crowd is a mixture of students and other party people. A great music mix. From disco classics to charts and R&B hits. A great location for flirting. And they have special nights with cheap drinks. The Barracuda Bar in Bismarckstr 44 is known for its delicious Caipirinha. A small location that is usually packed and sometimes too overcrowded. The bar has a second room with a small dancefloor and a DJ playing lots of hip hop. A nice starting point for a barhopping night. Königswasser in Brabanter Strasse 9 is a mixture of a bar and a dance club. The interior design is really modern in a cold and sterile way- but still nice - in fashion. An absolute eye-catcher is the huge aquarium inside the bar area.

Stay in the cheap hostels in Cologne and save more money for all the fun there!