Cologne city districts and neighborhoods

Hi All,

I'm pleased to say that I will be moving to Cologne in December

I've booked a trip to visit this coming weekend, and would be interested to hear your advice on which neighborhoods I should explore as my potential future location. Basically, this is what I'm looking for:

1. An area that is relatively central and not isolated- not too far from the nightlife etc., and with a lot of young professionals (nicht der Stadtrand)
2. An area from which I could easily travel to Solingen via public transportation (i.e., not too far from the nearest metro stop)
3. I think it might be most practical for me to get a fully furnished apartment for my first year in Germany since I won't have much time to shop for furniture etc. (and probably won't get too far with my three words of German : ) Will this be hard to find?

Do you think I should look at the "Belgian Quarter", for example? Thanks in advance for your advice

Hi looks like we're both after the same sort of info The Sun King, I'm moving to Cologne soon too.

I too would like info from you guys. I was wondering what people's opinions are on Kalk? I've seen a really nice place there. Closer for my commute to work as well so would suit. So whats it like?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cologne is split by the Rhein, with the West/left side (Links-Rhein) being the original city started by the Romans. Links-Rhein is arranged in a series of semicircular rings against the river with the Old City (Altstadt) and shopping area in the centre. The first ring is usually just called the Ring. Much of the night life takes place in a few places along the Ring (Friesenplatz, Clodwigplatz, Zulpicherplatz). Everything inside the ring is considered Innenstadt (inner city). There are some nice places around here if you like downtown living, but prices are not cheap.

A few hundred meters outside of the Ring is the main railway track which forms another ring. Between the tracks and the Ring is a belt of neighbourhoods that include some of the nicest and most expensive, like the Belgian Quarter (Belgisches Viertel) and Agnes Quarter (Agnesviertel). They are somewhat peaceful areas that have some nice pubs, and are still very close (five minutes walk) to the nightlife.

Just outside the tracks is a ring of parks and green space, followed by another set of neighbourhoods, including Ehrenfeld, Lindenthal and Sulz. I find these areas quite nice, though they are still more expensive than living further out. Each has a small shopping area for groceries and such and some nice pubs and cafes. Walking to the Ring and Innenstadt takes from 15 to 30 minutes depending on where in the neighbourhood you live, or 5 to 10 minutes by subway/tram (U-Bahn).

Anything further than that is more like suburbs. I don't know a lot about these regions. There are also other neighbourhoods in the city that I'm not as familiar with.

The East/right side of the river (Rechts-Rhein) is somewhat separate from the main city, though U-Bahn connections are still good. There are some nice areas around here, though I don't know specifics. The main neighbourhoods here are Deutz and Kalk. Though it is further from the main night life areas, it can make commuting to some places a lot easier.

I personally live in Ehrenfeld. I like the atmosphere, and it is still close enough that I can walk home in 15 minutes after a late night. Living farther becomes fairly complicated because most U-Bahn lines only run every hour after 1:00AM. I think most of the neighbourhoods around the Ring (Belgisches Viertel and Agnesviertel) and just outside the railway tracks (Ehrenfeld, Lindenthal and Sulz) are nice, though of course some parts are better than others.

To answer The Sun King more specifically:
To commute to Solingen, you will have take a region train that departs from either the Hauptbahnhof in the city center, or Deutz on the other side of the river. The train itself takes about 25 minutes. If you need to commute to the Hauptbahnhof first, you can expect to add another 15 to 30 minutes including connections and such. Check the Cologne U-Bahn plan (below) to find areas with a good connection to the Hauptbahnhof.

Some useful links:
The KVB, the Cologne U-Bahn system
Cologne U-Bahn plan
The train schedule that runs to Solingen

Hi Gents,

Sounds like we need to get together at some point and share ideas over a drink or two!

Martin, many thanks for your helpful advice. I spent the whole weekend walking around Koln until my feet ached, trying to identify which neighborhoods would be most to my liking. So far of the places I've seen, the ones I am most attracted to are Agnesviertel, Lindenthal, and perhaps Friesenplatz (Belgian Quarter). What's the environment like in Ehrenfeld, is it quite lively? I saw a bit of it, but perhaps chose the wrong part (and wrong time).

Medicine Man, my hotel was actually in Kalk Kapelle this weekend. I didn't explore the area too much but around my hotel it looked fairly quiet, rather residential, and quite clean etc. It's quite easy to connect from there to the lively areas in the Belgian Quarter etc. using the S-bahn (about 10-15 minutes I suppose).

The part of Ehrenfeld I like the most (and where I live) is around Venloer Straße, between Piusstraße and the Gürtel (as seen here). It is mostly local shopping (groceries, small shops), so it is very lively in the day, but not much outside of some cafés and pubs at night. Most people just make the short walk to Friesenplatz to find night clubs. One of the most popular live music venues, the Live Music Hall is in Ehrenfeld.

Or six! Where are you in the UK before you leave? On the off chance we could moan together about the amount of things to sort out before we leave. I'm in Leeds and will be in Nottingham soon.


Cheers for that, thats exactly the stop where its positioned 5 minutes away from there. My logic is its expensive to live in the centre, yes convinient but its only 15-20 minutes away which isn't far. Not sure what time U-bahn runs till if it would be a problem after a long night on the raz? It would cut my commute and be cheaper so it makes sense. I'll be on the S-bahn on the way back from work so not getting off and going staright to the centre for a session is always an option. You only have to sleep there right! or entertain there...the size of it is great for that.

One thing that is really putting me off getting it is the fees that these online agencies charge. I really can't believe how much they charge for hooking you up with a 1 year contract. I nearly chocked when I say that. I'm just finishing my studies and money was always tight so spending that amount to me on getting a place is huge!

Did you notice many food shops, cafes, bars or restaurants? Supposedly alot of immigrants live there, large turkish community (good for kebabs - hopfefully no donner crap ), so it is classified a lot less desirable. Also not supposedly as safe? See any strange looking people appearing threating ?

Hi there,

The part of Kalk that my hotel was in definitely didn't look unsafe, and there was no evidence of a large immigrant community. However, I was speaking to a future coworker today about neighbhorhoods I should consider, and he brought up Kalk and told me to avoid it. When I asked him why, he was a bit evasive and basically said that it's "looked down upon" by the average Koln resident. Hmm...Perhaps there are indeed a lot of immigrants there in certain parts, and he didn't want to appear racist by admitting that's a turn-off for most people? The area I was in seemed to have a lot of normal shops and restaurants (instead of bars etc.); it was really quiet.

As you said, one of the advantages of Koln is that it seems quite centralised and easy to access the good nightlife, and like all German cities I've been to, the public transportation is better developed and cheaper than the English Third World systems.

I live in a dreadful town called Marlow, by the way, in Buckinghamshire, about an hour west of London.

Can you give me an example of what kind of fees you are seeing for the online agencies, for a 12 month contract? Are you looking at "e-rent" for furnished apartments?

Cheers

I think that could be the case, especially the way you describe it. I wouldn't care about the stigma attached to it personally.


Third world systems I like that, commute to London by any chance?


Yeah I know it, my friend lives in Bourne End.


I've looked at e-rent, this place too http://www.zeitwohnen.eu/index.php?lang=en

They charge 1.5 months rent for a one year contract. So for a 800 euro place you'd be paying about 800 quid for a years contract. To a student mind thats a lot of wonga! Maybe I shouldn't be thinking like a student anymore seeing that I have a proper job. The catch is also that if you ever renew you have to pay the commision again. So thats why I'm thinking it might be better to get a longer contract as you can always give 3 months notice and break it from what I've read here.

Hi mate,

Yeah, the commissions can be quite stiff- although I think with the standard real estate agents ("Immobilienhandler" in German), it can be even worse- 2 to 3 months' rent per contract. Any chance your future company will reimburse you? If not, the one good thing is that I'm quite sure you can deduct such expenses from your taxable income, so definitely save all receipts related to your relocation costs.

Looks like you're quite far from Marlow but if you stop by Bourne End, send me a PM and we can have a "pre-relocation pint (or seven)". It will be even better to meet in our new city- with Martin too- I'm really excited to start enjoying Cologne. When are you leaving? I'm moving the 6 December. Are you going to stay in a hotel for a while until you find the right flat?

Cheers

Jesus, now that is a sting. I don't know but I can always ask They did say they would cover relocation if I stay a minimum 2 years. Its a small start up, profitable, but those types of companies also count the pennies more than the big boys.

Interesting stuff on the tax deductable issue, I'll look into it when I have the time.

Yeah no can do before I leave, I'm starting the job on the 1st Nov. Company said they will put me up somewhere for a while at the start. So I'll be in Cologne when you arrive and hopefully know a lot more.

Even if you find a place yourself, you might end up paying 1 to 3 months rent just for the privilege of moving in. Most people who rent out flats can't be bothered to deal with it themselves, so they find an Immobilien to do it for them. The Immobilien is paid by the tenant in the form of a Provision. It's a bit backwards from what I'm used to in Canada, but it seems to be the norm here.

Well over half of all flats in Cologne will require a Provision. There are some Provisionfrei (no Provision) places, but there will be a bit more competition for them, since nobody wants to spend an extra 1000 EUR.

I've been living in Kalk for four years now and it's fine. The rental prices are more affordable too.
It's mainly a residential area with normal working folk and families, that type of person. Also it's not overrun with students - which is often a bonus.
Yes there are foreigners in Kalk - many Italians, Turkish, Croats, and Arabic/Middle Eastern. This only adds to the diversity of the place.

Kalk is sometimes looked down upon, almost always by people who've never been here.
They've just opened a large modern Shopping centre/mall and are building a large parkland area behind it.
For those "in the know" Kalk is often mentioned as an up and coming area...

Connections to the City Centre are splendid...

It's not the most up-market part of town, but it's a friendly place to live.

Don't let people with racist sub-texts or snob-values put you off.

Thanks for that Rojack you've just put my mind totally at rest. I look at the diversity as being one of the big benefits as I like all types of people irrelevant of where they are from. You've just helped me decide that I don't need to be cautious anymore. Yeah I've heard that some have said it is an up and coming area and that to me is always better then paying the extra and being in THE area. Get more for your money.

Nice description of Cologne there, MartinH - this should go in the WIKI.

I'm naturally 'linksrheinisch' biased because I have to commute westwards & Mrs FG works in Suelz. Can also confirm that the "Guertel" bits from Marienburg round to Lindenthal are definitely leafier/trendier than elsewhere & much too expensive for us because we needed 'Space'. This means suburbs like Rodenkirchen (which has beaches & floods), Rhondorf (dreadful), Huerth (passable but featureless), Frechen (nice main street, but apparently pollution problems), Pulheim (fast train connection). If you work south of Cologne, Bruehl can be an option too.

This won't help you guys coming shortly because you'll want to be more central.
Good luck with the search - most of the stuff on offer is probably still in the Koelner Stadtanzeiger but there are a few online 'Immobilien-Boersen'.

Just wondering guys about the flight path of planes ... do you get a lot of disturbance from this ? Also especially with regards to the Kalk area?

I've edited and added my description to the Wiki, fnkygbn. Now it's your turn to add the areas that I missed.

Kalk is looked down upon because in the past (until the 1990s) it was heavily industrialised and especially chemical factories polluted the air. Besides all the areas right of the Rhine are traditionally despised as “schäl sick� (wrong side) by “real� Cologne people. Even Konrad Adenauer, former mayor of Cologne and first Chancellor once stated that Siberia started near Deutz .
Lindenthal is a very expensive part of town for flats because it’s considered to be “elegant�, Sülz and Ehrenfeld and Nippes are cheaper and more multicultural ( even shopping for food is cheaper there). Nippes has got a market which makes you think you’re in Turkey.
From Sülz, Ehrenfeld and Nippes it takes about ten minutes to the city center by public transport. If you've got a car, parking is a problem in all these areas

Hello!

I will be soon moving to Köln. I am sent by my company in Stuttgart to a project at Ford (Merkenich) so I've been checking maps of the city looking for a district to live where I could commute easily to work without having to miss the flair of the city. So far the best location seems to be Nippes, but I am also considering something more up north, like Weidenpesch.

What could you tell me about these places? Do you know other places where people working at Ford tend to live? I wouldn't like to get an apartment in Köln-Merkenich. It seems to be too far away from the real life.

Any suggestions? I would really appreciate them!

Greetings,
Carolina

Hi Carolina!
Well, if you want anything thats near the city I wouldn´t go for Weidenpesch!!! Nippes is allright. There is a good u-bahn connection between Ford and the City(line 12, look under www.kvb-koeln.de) It all depends what you are really looking for. I would suggest Agnesviertel,Belgisches Viertel .But all areas are really good connected and I think you would like Sülz(lively), Klettenberg(a bit greener), Südstadt and Ehrenfeld too...

Thanks for the suggestion!

Weidenspesch is out of the search now. Too far away. I'm checking for places around Hansaring, Ebertzplatz or Losehstraße. I think Nippes (Neusserplatz) would be my limit to the north and Friesenplatz to the south.

Any additional tips are more than welcome!

Greetings,
Caro

My family and I planning to move to Cologne in October, since our previous plan to move in August, was thwarted by our to-be landlord, who wanted me to sign a contract that I could not get out of for 2,5 years (Kündigungsverzicht), and he wanted 3 months net rent in advance (in addition to the 3MM deposit), which he would "pay back" to me on a monthly basis (2,5 years = 30 months - 3000 Euro / 30 = 100 a month). When I pointed out that the advance payment is not mentioned in the contract, he said he couldn't put it in there as it's illegal. What a joker!

So, now we're back to square one. The plan now is to look on the internet (Immobilienscout, kalaydo) and then drive over mid July for 2 weeks to find a place in and around Cologne (preferably somewhere between Cologne and Düsseldorf).

I was wondering which areas you would recommend for a family (daughter is 6 years old, we're both in our 30s), and which ones to definitely avoid?

Do you think looking mid - end July is too early for renting at the beginning of October?

If you have any other tips on how to go about finding a place, I'd appreciate a reply.

Topics merged by admin

Where are you going to be working? I would ask some people who you will work with if they can ask around their landlords / landladies about places to rent. The advantage being that they prob wont set you up with a shitty landlord, they know the areas and how to get to and from work, and any potential landlord / lady will know that you are in good employment and will make the rent (because their tennent already does).

If you don't have a job set up, then sorry... none of that is any use to you! :-)

What sort of school are you planning for your daughter ?

Dear Carino,

You've probably already gotten that far, but the area you're looking for a place in would be called "agnesviertel" or "Eigelsteintor" and I think its really lovely there. Good luck finding a place! One suggestion, if you havent already found one, would be to look at studenten-wg.de. Whether you're a student or not, you can find rooms or whole apartments there.

Welcome to Cologne!

Sally

Ha ha ha ...

Ok the guy that started this thread ended up living in Agnesviertel...and now it pops up again. Yes it is a lovely area of town, but not cheap. That whole area is good to live in, I would say. Also the student site mentioned is good for bargains. That is where i picked up my flat which is great value for money and huge. You save on paying a lot of fees with the internet companies that offer places. But at the end of the day the transport is so good here it doesn't really matter soooo much like in other places where you live.

Good luck

hello everybody,

I am thinking about moving to Cologne too, around September from Paris. From the posts on this thread, I get an idea that the Belgian Quarter (Belgisches Viertel) is probably one of the best neighborhoods around the city which is also close to the nite life. I would like to stay somewhere with young crowds though not overcrowded, and would like to know what other areas might be appropriate?

thanks,
cogmecs

Sort of a warning to newbies, and a reply to the first postings: avoid e-rent !!! Stick to immobilien-scout, etc.

Hi there!

I am planning to move to Cologne in June this year Now trying to orient myself a little bit re.which areas of Cologne I shall consider to live in... Would really appreciate advise of those who know the city!
Shortly about my situation: I will be working in Deutz, not far from Deutz railway station. Would prefer to spend not more then 30 min for commuting to/from work. Plan to have a car. will search for 2 rooms apartment. I would like to live in nice safe green area, preferably not far from water (Rhine or some lake with nice park to have walks in...), being close to nightlife is not that important to me - do not go out too often, so can take taxi in such cases. would be also great if the area will have a good fitness club and swimming pool, but I guess those shall be available almost in all areas.
Any hints which areas I shall look into?
thank you very much in advance

Topics merged by admin

how much do you wanna spend? and are you taking that car or the tram to work?

Deutz is not that great an area,
try finding an apartment in the Altstadt (Nord or Süd) and then simply take the train to Deutz
that way you have shops and museums to see on the weekends and evenings, and you can jog on the Rhine promanade
or, if you need more green, Riehl is just to the NW of Altstadt and has the botanic gardens (nice)
a car is really not useful in Cologne, but if you want real green and rolling hills, go east along the A4 to Bergische Land
though, if you want a house, you could try Porz, small town feeling

Thanks guys!
well, it is not so important - I can go both with car or with public transport, whichever will turn out to be more comfortable!
about costs... of course the less the better at the moment I live in Stockholm and here housing seem to be very expensive from my point of view, my 45 sq.m. unfurnished apartment costs me about 900 EUR per month (plus electricity, insurance, internet etc.) and it is not in prime location... so anything under it will seem acceptable for me now I guess - though I will be happy to stay within 500-700 EUR. I do not mind to have it unfurnished and it does not have to be big, starting from about 50 m2 is absolutly fine for me.
what do you think about Mulheim? or maybe some other areas to the north - northeast of deutz? from what I found on the net it seems that that side of the river is considered to be not so attractive, but I can not understand why is it - is it just being on the wrong side of the city center or are there some other reasons?

Muhlheim has some decent things, E-werk, the Stunksitzung,
and some TV studios where some artsy people work
but otherwise it is far enough away from Cologne to make it difficult to commute

if you do not care to go out and hang out in a world-class city, then Muhlheim should be fine
Do you want to live in a small town?

Cologne real-estate ads are segregated by which side of the Rhine they fall on.
Living on the right side of the Rhine is wrong by Cologne standards (not my personal opinion as I live in Düsseldorf now)

http://www.koelnbaeder.de/index.php?id=1

may help you locate swimming pools.

Freibad means open air and only open in summer.

How true, it's at least 4 stops on the tram.

Bensberg would be a good bet, the number 1 tram straight into Deutz and surrounded by countryside. You could even rent my Dachwohnung ( a snip at 550€ pm warm) overlooking Mediterana and the lake.

Mandrax is right, Bensberg is very nice, the countryside is great in that area, and there is a good local restaurant

Ok so now its my turn to ask for help too!

Possibly got a new job in Euskirchen, decided I would like to live in Cologne over Bonn or surrounding towns. Questions:

1) Commuting by car - what's the traffic like?
2) Living in Cologne - i'm guessing a district in the West/South-West will be most practical for my commute. Any suggestions which districts?

I'm currently staying in a 3 room apartment in central Frankfurt (800€ warm), looking to downsize to save money - large studio or 2 room apartment would be fine. As I'm in my early 20's, don't want to be out in the sticks so a good compromise between commuting location (parking is also a consideration), rental prices, proximity to city nightlife is what im looking for.

Oh yeah and I've not been to Cologne yet, so please excuse my ignorance!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
//bc

Just a word of advise if you get contacted by someone offering you a room to rent in cologne, by the name of engelland... run like hell.

anyone else got some advice?