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Special Event Hotels > Carnival in Cologne Overview City Information Dining Attractions Event Information |
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Cologne Information Ring The Ring begins at Chlodwigplatz and ends at Ebertplatz, following the contours of the old city wall. It forms a giant semi-circle around the center of town and supplies one with ample sources of amusement--you could spend months just going from place to place along this road and still not get bored. This guide follows the Ring from South to North through the various quarters, then further out to Nippes and Ehrenfeld. The center of the Südstadt is Chlodwigplatz, a network of streets and lanes extends from it, hiding a multitude of bars and theaters. Good cocktails can be found at Chin's American Bar and the Fiffi Bar. The Südstadt is also a good part of town if you like rock music. This quarter also has plenty of bars for gays and lesbians, for example, the Mephisto or Indigo. During Karneval, the Südstadt goes wild, but otherwise it is usually pretty mellow. The Odeon is the only cinema in the Südstadt, but in exchange there is plenty of theater on offer, notably the Theater am Sachsenring and the Theater der Keller. Cologne's main student hang-out is found around Barbarossaplatz and Zülpicher Platz. Masses of bars and pubs are located here, and it is hard to decide where to leave your money. There are also plenty of good clubs in the area; Liquid Sky features underground electro and techno, there is also the more mainstream Prime Club and MTC for rock fans. Bars like the Blueshell, Aceton and Stereo Wonderland get together for a package deal on New Year's Eve--they are all close together and ideal for a bar crawl. Rathenauplatz is surrounded by many good cafes and bars, like Jonny Turista, and the Vampire, as well as Hotelux. The Hohenzollernring is another busy area for bars. It is also home to many bistros and restaurants, and excels in inexpensive Italian cusine. Quite a few Mexican-style restaurants can be found near here, such as Pocoloco. Joe Champs is also worth a mention, for all sports bar and American bar fans. There are three cinemas on the Hohenzollernring--UFA Palast Kino Center, UFA Scala and the One-Dollar-Kino (Rex). One (cocktail) bar after another--you won't stay thirsty for long in the Friesenviertel. With an empahsis on elegance, there is a tendency towards slightly more expensive restaurant-bars such as Heising und Adelmann, as well as stylishly decorated scene bars like the XX-Dos Equis. Media-types and artists seem to congregate around Friesenstraße. The best way to find the Belgian Quarter is from Rudolfplatz. The names of the streets will let you know if you're in the right place. Antwerpener Straße and Brüsseler Platz sound pretty Belgian. This is pretty much the coolest part of Cologne, with attractive old buildings and expensive apartments. Many bars and restaurants have made this their home, hoping to bring in the media crowd. This has not proved difficult for Alcazar, its façade is well-known from the opening credits of the Saturday night comedy show Samstag Nacht. Easy listening sounds and the feel of the Sixties are to be found at Hallmackenreuther. The Six Pack still draws in the crowds from among Cologne's music scene. The M20 and the Tronic normally offer excellent DJs. The closer you get to Ebertplatz, the more sparse the bars, but there are still a few gems to be found, like the classic Elektra, Cafe Spitz and Cafe Schmitz. Some of the best cinemas in town are located here. The Metropolis, offering English language films, the arty Filmhaus, the massive Cinedom and the tiny Filmpalette. Nippes isn't quite so central, but still has a lot to offer. The Kantine is found here, as well as various bars; Rosenrot and the Froschkönig, or Mach'et and Gernot's, to name but a few. Those who make the short journey from Ebertplatz will be pleasantly surprised. Lots of students and down-to-earth people live here. What was once a bit run down has since been revived as an area of cultural activity. Lots of bars and cafes can be found in the side streets off the long Venloer Straße, which runs right through Ehrenfeld. Cafe Sehnsucht is a well loved place for Sunday Frühstück-breakfast. The area around Herbrands with the Cinenova cinema and cafe offers a full program of events. Ehrenfeld's live music venues, Underground and the Live Music Hall can be found further down towards Gürtel. If you turn right at the corner Venloer Straße / Gürtel you will come to the ARTheater that is not only a theatre. Besides it offers art and readings and the electronical parties are very popular. The Königsblt is a new, friendly cocktail bar. |