Anyone here ever been to Frankfurt/Cologne? Also, are there cheap hotel chains in Germany?

[Asprilla 96]

Going to England in a couple of weeks and driving up through Switzerland/Germany....anyone here got any good info about what to see and do?

[Meenzer 15871]

Frankfurt is pretty dull, it's a business city first and foremost, although the old town - such as it is - is pretty.

 

Cologne is a bit better, at least it has some tourist sights like the Cathedral (and the extensive Christmas markets, not that that helps you much at this time of year ), but even then I reckon it's pretty unspectacular outside of a few locations.

 

Selling it well, aren't I? There's definitely things to do along that way, though - between(ish) Frankfurt and Cologne you've got the drive alongside the Rhine between Mainz and Koblenz (and beyond), for example, which is really nice as long as you're not looking to make rapid progress along the Autobahn. Off out for a run now but I'll have a think about it (and hope that Isegrim comes along in the meantime with actual knowledge rather than lived-in-the-country-5-years-ago knowledge .

 

Hotel-wise, if you don't mind cheap-and-cheerful and you've got the car, Formule 1 (http://www.hotelformule1.com) apparently has branches in Saarbrücken and (near) Cologne. There's one in Kassel too but that'd be a bit out of your way... Otherwise maybe try the websites of chains like Accor and Ibis.

[Asprilla 96]

Frankfurt is pretty dull, it's a business city first and foremost, although the old town - such as it is - is pretty.

 

Cologne is a bit better, at least it has some tourist sights like the Cathedral (and the extensive Christmas markets, not that that helps you much at this time of year ), but even then I reckon it's pretty unspectacular outside of a few locations.

 

Selling it well, aren't I? There's definitely things to do along that way, though - between(ish) Frankfurt and Cologne you've got the drive alongside the Rhine between Mainz and Koblenz (and beyond), for example, which is really nice as long as you're not looking to make rapid progress along the Autobahn. Off out for a run now but I'll have a think about it (and hope that Isegrim comes along in the meantime with actual knowledge rather than lived-in-the-country-5-years-ago knowledge .

 

Hotel-wise, if you don't mind cheap-and-cheerful and you've got the car, Formule 1 (http://www.hotelformule1.com) apparently has branches in Saarbrücken and (near) Cologne. There's one in Kassel too but that'd be a bit out of your way... Otherwise maybe try the websites of chains like Accor and Ibis.

 

Meenzer my dear this may have been the perfect reply....

 

 

Thanks chap.

[Dr Kenneth Noisewater 0]

Don't they have Das Travlenlodgen?

[Isegrim 10017]

If it's a choice between Frankfurt and Cologne I'd recommend Cologne (as I have a regional hatred for Frankfurt I wouldn't recommend it anyway). Both cities have suffered from some horrible modern post-war architecture. Cologne is an old Roman and episcopal city with loads of roman sites and churches (with the cathedral being the most important). Cologne is also famous for its local beer (only served it very small glasses though) and breweries.

 

I would of course recommend Kassel. Not because it is actually that pretty but it is my home region!

 

Don't know much about cheap hotels here unfortunately.

[Asprilla 96]

If it's a choice between Frankfurt and Cologne I'd recommend Cologne (as I have a regional hatred for Frankfurt I wouldn't recommend it anyway). Both cities have suffered from some horrible modern post-war architecture. Cologne is an old Roman and episcopal city with loads of roman sites and churches (with the cathedral being the most important). Cologne is also famous for its local beer (only served it very small glasses though) and breweries.

 

I would of course recommend Kassel. Not because it is actually that pretty but it is my home region!

 

Don't know much about cheap hotels here unfortunately.

 

 

Cheers man. I've driven past the cathedral and it's somewhere I definitely want to visit.... also Cologne is higher on the list for me, it's just that I'm passing through Frankfurt anyway so I wondered if there was anything I should know about.

 

 

I'm up for any good museums and anything related to photography (I know that photokina is on there now but will be over when I get there) or maybe some good bars where they have jazz/other chilled live music. Not so into the "neck some pills and talk shite all night" anymore.

[Meenzer 15871]

Cologne is also famous for its local beer (only served it very small glasses though)

 

Aye, that was fun when we were in town for the Leverkusen match. Every time they brought a new Kranz it was finished before they'd even left the table.

[NJS 4446]

Went to Cologne for the Leverkusen match, nice cobbled old market street with good bars and a fantastic curry house around the corner from our hotel (Intercontentinal I think).

 

The cathedral is a good visit - though we bottled the tower climb after seeing some fans who'd just come down in desperate need of oxygen masks and new legs.

[Asprilla 96]

Went to Cologne for the Leverkusen match, nice cobbled old market street with good bars and a fantastic curry house around the corner from our hotel (Intercontentinal I think).

 

The cathedral is a good visit - though we bottled the tower climb after seeing some fans who'd just come down in desperate need of oxygen masks and new legs.

Worse than legging it up to level 7 at 2:58pm after 3 pints and a quick rollie?

[spongebob toonpants 4183]

I went to Cologne 30 years ago on a school exchange trip thing.

 

The german schoolboy I stayed with was gloriously named called Wolfgang Fritz

 

I saw FC Koln beat Rot Weiss Essen 5-1 and somebody throw themselves off the Cathedral

 

Happy memories