Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
Köln's nightlife is centered on three distinct areas: along the river in the Old Town, which seems to be one big party on weekends; on Zulpicherstrasse near the university; and around the Friesenplatz U-bahn station. Many streets off the Hohenzollernring and Hohenstaufenring, particularly Roonstrasse and Aachenerstrasse, also provide a broad range of nightlife. In summer the Martinsviertel, a part of the Altstadt around the Gross St. Martin church, which is full of restaurants, brew houses, and Kneipen (pubs), is a good place to go around sunset.
In summer, head straight for the Stadtgarten and sit in the biergarten for some good outdoor Gemütlichkeit (coziness). At other times of the year it's still worth a visit for its excellent jazz club. Stadtgarten also runs a beer garden with cheap, tasty eats in the shaded Rathenauplatz park, by Cologne's synagogue.
