Best neighborhood in Cologne for 20-something?

I'm a single 20-something American girl moving to Cologne in January. I"m looking for a place on WGgesucht and studentenwg, but I don't know what neighborhood to choose.

The two most important considerations:
1. close to a train station (I commute to Bonn everyday and don't want to spend half an eternity in the Strassenbahn) and
2. full of cafes bars and fun "city" stuff.

So far I think Belgian quarter looks good, but Im worried its too far from good public transit. What about Ehrenfeld?

Can anyone tell me about the area around Koeln Sued?

Anyone have experience commuting to Bonn from cologne--what neighboorhoods work best?

Thanks for any help or advice you can give!

Hi Pinkpixiestix,

I can't really say much about the Belgian quarter because I haven't spent much time there, although I hear it's a multi-culti, vibrant area with stuff going on. I live in Nippes and I think that it's one of the nicest places to be but isn't much of a party place, it's close to the train station and if you find a place near to the number 16 UBahn line you can get that directly to Bonn (although from Nippes it would probably take about an hour). Ehrenfeld is a fab place to be. I have a friend who lives there and she loves it, it's close to a shopping area and also has some nice bars and a couple of indie/rock clubs (also v good if you like going to gigs cos the Live Music Hall is nearby and a lot of groups play there). I work in the Süd-Stadt and it's quite a busy place, although not the prettiest and full of building sites at the moment cos they're building a new UBahn line. Anyway, that's a good place for commuting to Bonn because the line 16 goes through it (alot of my colleagues commute to Bonn from there). The main student area (for going out at night) is probably around Zülpicher Platz. There are tons of bars and clubs around there but it's is quite a dirty part of town. I have a friend who lives here and she thinks it's great because of all the places to go but she's had her bike stolen from outside her flat about 5 times so it's perhaps not the most secure! Plus, it gets crazy at Karneval time in February cos a lot of people head there to party so the streets are full of drunk people and litter, which is not so bad if you're one of the drunk people but not the best if you want to sleep in peace and quiet! lol Personally, I would stay clear of any places on the other side of the rhine, like Mülheim or Deutz (oh and also Chorweiler but that's actually on the left side) - the rents are maybe a bit cheaper here but they'e generally known as not very nice places to live. Plus, you're then much further away from the center of town and taxis after nights out would probably be more expensive. Hope this helps a bit!

For what you are looking for in a city it sounds like BV or Süd are definitely the best places for you. They both have excellent train/tram services. They are served by numerous tram stops and both have their own S-Bahn stations with regular connections to Bonn. I live in Belgisches Viertel and commute to Bonn daily. I actually take the longer S-Bahn from Hbf through Deutz to Bonn-Beuel, can be handier depending on which side of Rhine you are working. Anyway the options are pretty much endless. If you don't move to these areas then please don't let it be because of the transport links!

thanks for the advice,, its definately given me something to think about!

I currently commute from Ehrenfeld to Bonn and it takes no time at all. I am most often leaving out of the station at Koeln West, and the time to Bonn Hbf is less than 30 minutes.

I've only been in Ehrenfeld for a couple months, but my boyfriend has lived here for a year and really likes it. There are plenty of bars and restaurants within a few minute walk and finding a train or underground station is never a problem because they are everywhere. When I first arrived I thought it was not the nicest area in Cologne, but it's actually really well suited for someone my age (24) because there are so many things to do within a rather small space.

Send me a message if you're in Cologne and want to hang out. I'm always happy to meet someone new!

I am American and moving to Bonn in January as well. I was actually thinking of living in Bonn itself. Does anyone know what neighborhoods are nice? Is Endenich a good place to live in (especially for a young female alone)?

Why are all these young females moving to Bonn / Koln?? I mean, I'm certainly not complaining being a young... single... 25 year old male But I guess I didnt think of girls as being so free about moving abroad, Hmm.. I guess I was wrong

I actually live in bonn now and can tell you that its nice but boring. If you're looking for nightlife you're in the wrong town. But it's pretty.

pink...

dont know what you are talking about bonn no party... you are kidding me
i live in koeln and study in bonn so tram and Rb is a daily thing for me... i live in nippes and can definitely recommend it. from florastr it takes me 10mins to reach hbf and from there 30mins to bonn hbf. an hour door to door for me.. each direction.

you can move to koeln west area but it is more expensive and much less fun.

in nippes you will find loads of cafes, bars, knippes, and even a cocktail bar called perle... honestly they have damn good cocktails.
in nippes you will also find lots of old ladies but that is something i guess you are used to... since you live in bonn... there is turkish veg market, all known banks have branches here and a kaufhof... it is a city within a city... you would rarely need to go out of this place to find something. the botanical garden is only a walk away and 5 other parks.

the tram lines 12 and 15 will lead you directly to rudolf platz and frisen platz... party hubs so to speak... dont have to change five time when you come back in the mornings drunk like hell.

but bonn has a much bigger paty scene then koeln, here it is more of social drinking get together style... most people seem to be in late 20 and early 30's and all they want to do is stand around drink and make dumb jokes.

do let us know if youa re moving to nippes... will show you the cocktail place.

rigs

hey thanks for your advice... will definately check out nippes when i get to cologne, i do love cocktails.

im really surprised to hear that you found bonn to be a good party city,,,,i guess it just goes to show how subjective the whole thing is; you had a great time in bonn, i was bored to tears.

each to his own, i guess:)

cheers!

I personally haven't seen any partying in Nippes! But maybe that's cos I'm in the wrong part - there aren't many places to go out around Amsterdamerstrasse that I've seen but maybe around Neussser strasse... However, it is pretty with lots of parks, the botanical gardens, the Rhein and the cable cars (good when you have visitors) but for a student I think there are much more interesting places to live than Nippes - I guess it depends what you want from your area, if you want pretty parks, a safe part of town close to the center then Nippes is great. If you want a proper stundenty area with loads of pubs and clubs then i would go somewhere else, like Ehrenfeld or Zülpicherplatz.

@loneeagle: I would love to know where all these cool places are in Nippes! Maybe I just haven't explored my area enough : )

i find bigger parties in bonn basically because all my uni mates are there... they constantly have hause parties, pubs, clubs, park, concerts... you name it and it is all happening in bonn.

i dont go out much by myself so i dont really know koeln that well... dont really know fun people in koeln... looking for a few...

ehrenfeld is great for parties but not for living... have friends who live down there and complain constantly....!!! same with müllheim.

and oh ya... no adive not by any means... just some general exchange... that is all