Very short stay in Cologne, Köln

The only reason we stayed in this hotel was for the location. The reason for our trip to Cologne was a concert of Keith Urban at E-Werk. This hotel was, for us, the best option. It’s about one kilometer from E-Werk. It’s probably a 10-15 minute walk. The hotel has a large lobby with two different sitting areas. The first thing you’ll notice is the cigarette and cigar smell in the lobby. You’re allowed to smoke in the lobby. That’s nice for smokers, but not very nice for non-smokers. After check in, we brought our car to the underground secured parking garage (€12.50).

The hotel is in a area with lots of Turkish restaurants and cafes. Near the hotel, there are two German restaurants. If you want to go to the city to see the Dom, you can take the tram, it takes 10 minutes to get you there. It depends on the nature of the visit, but it’s perfect for concerts at E-Werk and Palladium.


The hotel offers rooms at the quiet side of the hotel, but that isn’t necessary in April. We experienced it ourselves. Our room was very quiet, thanks to double-glazing. The noise I heard was from our neighbor snoring. If you’re staying in the summer months, you need to know that most of the rooms are not air-conditioned. You will have a problem with the noise of the street if you want to open a window. The rooms are very clean, with a large closet and safe. The pillows are very thin and are terrible to sleep on. There is only one extra pillow in the closet. We were with two people in the room, it wasn’t comfortable for one of us.

The hotel has a ‘cocktail bar’ which was very poor. The bar is located half in the lobby, across from the elevators, that is not a very cozy atmosphere! The hotel website says the operating hours of the bar are daily from 5pm-1:30am; although it wasn’t 1:30am but midnight when the staff member began to the clean the bar. Our romantic candle was moved away and blown out. I hate that. The bar should be open for at least an hour and a half, but she was already cleaning up. That is not very polite to their guests. I had a Tequilla Sunrise which costs €8 and my spouse had a beer for €2.50. The price was reasonable for a hotel bar.

The price we paid was €88 for one night/two persons, breakfast included. In the morning they served a generous breakfast buffet. Hot and cold, like sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, fresh fruit, yogurt with several cereals or muesli, croissants, different pastries, all kind of cheese, coffee, orange juice, tea.

Overall: The hotel was way beyond my expectation for the price.

We went to a concert of Keith Urban in Cologne. The venue of the concert was E-Werk. This concert hall is located in an old fabric warehouse. It’s one of the largest live music venues in Cologne. The acoustics in this warehouse are just perfect. Crowds from all over Europe come to this place for concerts. There are three bars inside the hall; one upstairs on the balcony, and two downstairs. The best view for a concert is the first row at the stage or up on the balcony close to the stage (15m-20m). From here, you’ve got a great overview of the stage and hall. It’s a hall for 2000 people. That’s what I like about E-Werk, the small, intimate atmosphere. The bar serves a selection of beer, wine, and mixed drinks. Other artists who’ve been here are Lenny Kravitz, Justin Timberlake, Van Morrison, David Bowie, and many more.

The concert was amazing. We waited for two and a half hours and finally, at 7pm, they let us in. We had a great spot on the balcony. It was crowded downstairs, but I had a lot of space around me, enough to dance. Wow, next time I will try the same spot. It was so perfect. It was great and I'll never forget this concert!!! Keith Urban made the evening, but the venue contributed a lot.

E-Werk,when there is no concert, is a nightclub/danceclub. For events or data check the website.

Website: http://www.e-werk-cologne.com/

Stations close by are: Wiener Platz: U4; L13, L15, L16