Preparing for Cologne: Tips & Hints

1. Tourists are recommended to purchase WelcomeCard, which gives you the right to get reduced fares in public transport. In addition to this, owners of the card receive a discount when they visit museums, restaurants and shops. It can be purchased in any hotel of the city, but note you should present your card only with ID.

2. Traveling around the city by car is quite difficult. There are not so many parking slots on its territory, and the majority of central streets are available exclusively for residents. Bicycle will become a great alternative to a car in this city.

3. Local motorists are not distinguished by good knowledge of traffic rules. Therefore, you should be especially careful while crossing roads.

4. The local beer houses have very peculiar customer service. As soon as a waiter sees that a mug of beer is empty, he immediately brings a new one to a visitor. In order to stop waiters, you should simply put a little paper holder, which is always present on every table, on your empty glass.

5. July is the hottest month of a year, so those tourists, who prefer long walks and excursions, are better to refrain from traveling at this time of a year.

6. Don’t forget to leave a tip in cafes and restaurants of the city. Thus, if the amount of your order was less than 5 euros, round up the total sum to full euro. In case your order exceeds 5 EUR, tips usually estimate 7 - 10%.

7. It is also traditional to leave small cash reward to taxi drivers. 1 - 3 euros will be enough; the amount of tip depends on the distance of your travel.

8. Those tourists, who expect to use public transport, should not try to use it without tickets in any case. According to some reports, violators of rules may be included in blacklists of tourists.

9. Tourists, who want to save money on food, are recommended to visit local pubs. In addition to widest choice of beer they offer high-quality meals at reasonable prices.

Other articles about Cologne:
Traditions and lifestyle
Cologne sightseeing
Best restaurants and cuisine
Cologne attractions and leisure
Cologne cityguide
Photogallery of Cologne