Cologne · Backpacking

Marzellenstr. 44-56, about five minutes from both the Hauptbahnhof and the cathedral. Rooms run from singles to six-bed dorms, some with private bathrooms; reception is open 08:00 to midnight with staff on site around the clock, plus free luggage storage, laundry and late check-out.

A hostel in the Belgisches Viertel with themed rooms — a spaceship bed, a ballet hall, a boat cabin — sitting above its own café-bar and a 70-seat theatre. Breakfast is ordered at check-in. You pay a little over the going rate, but for the neighbourhood rather than the bed.

From €9, this covers unlimited second-class buses, trams and local trains inside Cologne for 24 or 48 hours, plus reduced museum admission and up to 50% off many city tours. A group version covers up to five people on one card.

Friesenstraße 64-66, open daily from noon. A 0.2 litre Kölsch is €2.40 and the Köbes keeps replacing it until you lay your beer mat over the glass. It is the cheapest way to sit down indoors in the centre with something hot to eat.

Fixed costs you can check today: a KölnCard from €9 covers 24 hours of transport; €2.40 buys a Kölsch at Päffgen; the cathedral's north transept is still free for quiet visits, but since 1 July 2026 the tourist route through the interior needs a ticket, and the south tower climb is charged separately. Walking the Rhine promenade and the Ring costs nothing. If you are moving on by regional train, the nationwide Deutschland-Ticket is €63 a month.