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Voykit pocket guide · Germany
Cologne
Köln
Give Cologne 2 nights: cathedral and Old Town on day one, a museum or Deutz on day two. Add a third only for Carnival or a Rhine day trip.
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city, built on the Rhine around a cathedral that took 632 years to finish. The historic centre is compact and walkable, so two nights covers the cathedral, the Old Town and one museum without rushing. It works as a stand-alone stop or as the western anchor of a Rhine trip, with Bonn 25 minutes away by train.
- Country
- Germany
- Local name
- Köln
- Best months
- Apr–Oct; also Dec for Christmas markets
- Avoid
- Nov (grey and wet); Carnival week if you want quiet streets
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR). Card acceptance has improved but some bakeries, bars and small restaurants are still cash only.
- Daily spend
- Budget €60–95 excl. bed · Mid €95–160 excl. bed · High €160+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Telekom, Vodafone and O2 are the networks; Aldi Talk, Lidl Connect and congstar resell them cheaply in supermarkets and electronics shops.
- Emergency
- Fire and ambulance 112 · Police 110
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US devices need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurant: Round up or add 5–10%; say the total you want to pay as you hand over money or card.; Bar and café: Round up to the nearest euro.; Taxi: Round up by €1–2.; Hotel housekeeping: €1–2 a night, optional.; Free walking tour: €10–15 per person.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Restaurants usually sell bottled water; fizzy (mit Kohlensäure) is the default, ask for 'still' or 'ohne'.
- Toilets
- Station toilets cost €0.50–1.50 (Rail&Fresh WC); restaurant toilets are for customers; the 'WC' at motorway rest stops takes coins and gives a voucher.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee in a café | €2.50–4.50 |
| Kölsch, 0.2 l in a tavern | €2–3.50 |
| Schnitzel or Halve Hahn with a drink | €14–22 |
| Single KVB ticket, zone 1b | €3.80 |
| Short trip (Kurzstrecke, up to 4 stops) | €2.30 |
| Cathedral south tower or treasury | €8 each; combined €12 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CGN · Cologne Bonn Airport
- S-Bahn S19 or RE6 to Köln Hauptbahnhof, about 15–20 min
- DUS · Düsseldorf Airport
- More airlines and long-haul routes; RE1, RE5 or RE6 to Cologne, about 40–60 min
- FRA · Frankfurt Airport
- ICE direct to Cologne, about 1 h
Typical fares
- CGN airport → Köln Hauptbahnhof, S-Bahn
- about €3.80, 15–20 min (check)
- KVB 24-hour ticket
- €9.20; group ticket for up to 5 people €18.60 (check)
- ICE Cologne → Frankfurt Airport
- about 1 h; book ahead for the cheapest fare (check)
Get around
Trams, U-Bahn and buses run under the KVB network; tickets are valid on tram, bus, U-Bahn and regional trains inside the VRS zone. Validate your ticket in the platform stamping machine before boarding — there are no barriers, and inspectors fine you. The centre is small enough to walk: Rudolfplatz to the cathedral takes about 30 minutes on foot.
See and do
Known for
- Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom)
- Kölsch beer taverns
- Carnival in February
- Romanesque churches
- Rhine riverfront
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bonn | RE or S-Bahn from Köln Hauptbahnhof, about 25 min | About 45 min |
| Brühl | RE or S-Bahn from Köln Hauptbahnhof, about 20 min | About 40 min |
| Königswinter | RE or S-Bahn to Königswinter, about 40 min, then the Drachenfelsbahn | About 1 h 15 min |
| Leverkusen | RE or S-Bahn from Köln Hauptbahnhof, about 15 min | About 35 min |
| Siegburg | RE or S-Bahn from Köln Hauptbahnhof, about 25 min | About 45 min |
| Bad Honnef | RE to Bad Honnef, about 45 min | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Altstadt / Dom
- Cathedral, riverfront and Kölsch taverns on foot; noisiest and priciest.
- Neustadt (Belgian Quarter)
- Cafés, bars and design shops; 15–20 min walk to the cathedral.
- Deutz
- East bank by Köln Messe/Deutz station; cheaper rooms, cathedral view across the river.
- Ehrenfeld
- Former industrial quarter, good value and food; 10–15 min by S-Bahn to the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Guten TagGOO-ten tahk |
| Thank you | DankeDAN-kuh |
| The bill, please | Die Rechnung, bittedee REKH-noong, BIT-tuh |
| One Kölsch, please | Ein Kölsch, bitteine KULSH, BIT-tuh |
| Can I pay by card? | Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?kahn ikh mit KAR-tuh TSAH-len |
| Where is the toilet? | Wo ist die Toilette?voh ist dee toy-LET-tuh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Firm handshake with eye contact; 'Guten Tag' or 'Hallo'; avoid: Hugs with people you have just met
- Names: Herr / Frau plus surname until invited to use first names; avoid: Using 'du' with officials or older strangers
- Punctuality: Arrive on time for tours, dinners and appointments; avoid: Being more than 5–10 minutes late without a message
- Queues and rules: Follow signs, wait at red lights, sort rubbish; avoid: Walking in cycle lanes
- Conversation: Direct and factual; people say what they mean; avoid: Taking directness as rudeness, or joking about the Nazi era
- Home visit: Bring flowers (odd number, not red roses) or wine; shoes off if the hosts do; avoid: Arriving early
- Paying: Say the total including tip as you pay; avoid: Leaving coins on the table and walking off
Scams and watch-outs
- No ticket barriers, but you must stamp your ticket before boarding; fines are issued on the spot.
- Cars need a Low Emission Zone sticker to enter the city centre; order it weeks ahead if you drive.
- Long-distance buses cannot stop in the centre — they use Leverkusen Mitte or the airport.
- Carnival week (February) fills hotels and closes some streets; book months ahead or avoid it.
- The cathedral charges a sightseeing fee for tourists from July 2026; worshippers still enter free.
Cologne is a safe big city by day and on the main nightlife streets. Watch bags at the Hauptbahnhof and on the Domplatte after dark, and expect pickpockets in Carnival crowds.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Cologne yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom)
- Kölsch beer taverns
- Carnival in February
- Romanesque churches
- Rhine riverfront
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Cologne (official): www.stadt-koeln.de/
- KölnTourismus: www.cologne-tourism.com/
- Cologne Cathedral (official): www.koelner-dom.de/
- KVB Cologne public transport: www.kvb.koeln/en
- Cologne Bonn Airport: www.koeln-bonn-airport.de/
- Düsseldorf Airport: www.dus.com/en
- Wikivoyage: Cologne, revision 5332444 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5332444
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
CologneKöln
Zu dieser Adresse, bitte
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
The US has a consulate general in Düsseldorf (check the address); most other countries: embassies in Berlin, consulates in Düsseldorf or Frankfurt.
Tipping: round up or add 5–10% and say the total as you pay.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/cologne). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.