Cologne is an easy destination to plan yourself: hotels, flights, car rental and activities in one place, no juggling ten different sites. Cologne works well as a base for day trips to nearby towns and scenic routes. The city has an airport, so you can fly in directly. There are currently around 20 places to stay listed in and around Cologne, covering a range of budgets. The catalogue includes 8 vetted activities and tours with real guest ratings. 4 routes to nearby towns are mapped out from Cologne, handy if you're planning side trips beyond the city itself.
Accommodation in Cologne starts at around €70 per night, with a typical rate near €110 across roughly 20 nearby options — handy for budgeting your trip.
Well-reviewed hotels: Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom, 5-star, guest rating 9.2 from 578 reviews, from €251 per night; Adina Apartment Hotel Cologne, 4-star, guest rating 9 from 3999 reviews, from €108 per night; Ruby Ella Hotel Cologne by IHG, 4-star, guest rating 9 from 8155 reviews, from €112 per night; AMERON Köln Hotel Regent, 4-star, guest rating 8.8 from 3396 reviews, from €88 per night; URBAN LOFT Cologne, 4-star, guest rating 8.8 from 6576 reviews, from €98 per night.
Day trips & routes: Koln — about null km, 0m drive; Bonn — about 30 km, 38m drive; Dusseldorf — about 42 km, 46m drive; Krefeld — about 63 km, 1h 0m drive. Fastest option is Koln: 0m by car.
Cologne: what to know
Things to see: "Street Art Tour Köln Ehrenfeld", rated 5 from 34 reviews, from €27.5; "City Tour per Rikscha in Cologne", rated 5 from 31 reviews, from €62; "Aachen Walking Tour: Explore Top Sights & Hidden Gems", rated 5 from 11 reviews, from €66.99; "Echoes of War: A National Socialism and Cologne WWII Tour", rated 5 from 9 reviews, from €15; "Private photo tour in Cologne", rated 5 from 9 reviews, from €150.
Cologne has its own airport, so a direct flight is the fastest way in. Getting around the city and out to the 4 nearby destinations listed above is easiest by car — intercity public transport tends to be slower and less frequent. The median nightly rate in Cologne is around €110, useful for comparing overall trip cost against nearby cities.
To rent a car in Cologne you usually need a passport, a driving licence and a bank card for the deposit hold. With 20 places to stay nearby, it's worth comparing a base near the rental desk against one closer to the sights. Given 4 routes worth driving from here, check the mileage and one-way drop-off terms before you book. When touring Germany, plan stops in advance: fuel stations and car parks in smaller towns are not always open around the clock.
