Can someone recommend a hotel in Köln for a 4-night stay in late October. I'd like to stay near the cathedral and train station if possible, but without breaking the bank. I'll be meeting up with a relative who lives in Europe and will need two rooms. Thank you!
There’s an Ibis at the train station if you’re ok with a low budget chain. I stayed there in 2019. Basic but can’t beat the location. And bonus, the room windows face the cathedral.
I stayed at the CityClass Hotel Europa am Dom in May of this year and really enjoyed my stay there. The rate was reasonable (I think I paid $110 per night) and the hotel was clean, roomy, had an elevator and was very close to the attractions (in fact, I had a beautiful view of the Dom from my window). I wound up getting it at the last minute as my other hotel fell through but was very happy with my choice.
Forgot to mention that the hotel is very close to the train station - I think it took me 3-4 minutes and I'm not a fast walker.
If you wind up there (or someplace else nearby) I highly recommend maiBeck FÜR DICH, a nearby restaurant. I went there for lunch and it was one of the best meals I had in Germany. I also enjoyed some good sauerbraten and beer at nearby Brauhaus früh am Dom.
I think most people don't mean Hilton when they say "breaking the bank", but we were happy with the proximity to the HBF and the huge breakfast buffet.
I suspect that you already know that much of Cologne is within walking distance of the HBF, but there are few other places that you might find worth a subway ride: Botanical Garden, Medieval Museum, next to the modern Ethnographic Museum. Also a small Kathe Kollwitz museum, attached to a shopping mall. We enjoyed a long walk over the river from near the museums and back over a different bridge, maybe 2-4 miles.
One of our Kolsch stops only made potato pancakes one day a week, but we got some.
You'll have to do research, but on our visit you could sign out a key to the medieval Mikveh by leaving your passport. I think the Roman Praetorium may be closed for a while, but otherwise not to be missed.