5 days at Cologne (Koln) and Bonn??

[evehow]

YAAA!!!  Need help!  Might be going to Koln and Bonn this Friday!  Dear friends, would like to learn more about these two cities...... what are the must-see sights, must-buy things, etc.  (I have an interest in churches, museums and natural sights, as well as food (as usual).  As for souvenirs, I like stamps, books, writing instruments and watches.)

For a budget traveller who looks forward to visiting museums and eating some authentic German food, how much should one budget for a day?  (Exclude hotel - paid for.)

Also, should I get DM or Euro?

Do I have to start taking a crash-course in German?  (I speak some french though... if it helps    )

Lemme see... tickets from Safe 2 Travel I guess?  

Any pertinent information for the hastily informed (i.e. me)

[Junebug]

Cologne is a beautiful city... You should definitely go into the Koelner Dom, walk along the Altstadt. If you get a chance, you should also go on a boat trip along the Rhein. Don't forget to take your camera and pray for good weather...  

Currency is still DM.  

[Blond Girl]

Koln is definitely a good choice....The 'Dom' is a must and there are a couple mor churches to see, if you want to.  http://www.koeln.de/
I'm not sure about Bonn, but check http://www.bonn.de/tourismus//e_index.htm
Since the goverment has moved to Berlin it is a bit more quiet. There is a museum called 'Haus der Geschichte' if you want to learn about German History after World War II.

The prices in Germany are similar to here but in DM (they give all prices in Euro as well, so make sure that you watch out for the right prices not to be surprised about the double price at the end) which means that things are probably cheaper compared to here. It still depends on what you are looking for.  Food might be more expensive, because there is nothing like the Hawker Centres....
I guess, English will help you more than French - try to ask younger people they should all speak English (unfortunately they sometimes don't).
I would be happy to provide more details if you want, just email me.
Tell me afterwards if you liked it or not.

[This message has been edited by Blond Girl (edited 08-10-2001).]

[evehow]

Are Bonn and Cologne pedestrian-friendly?

Don't worry I have a German phrasebook at home!!

[Junebug]

Yes they are, as all German cities...  

[evehow]

Now what's left is to get cheap air tickets and an extra bed in the room!!!  Anuga will be on..... all hotel rooms fully-booked!!!

Advisable to take TG flight (SIN-BKK-FKT)?  Or should I go for direct instead?

[Blond Girl]

It is definitely more convienient to go directly. But I don't know what the difference in prices are and if there are still direct flights available.
How do you go from Frankfurt to Koeln ? Do you take the train (I think it's less than 2 hours) or do you have an additional flight to airport Koeln/Bonn?

[Junebug]

I would also go on a direct flight if possible. It saves a lot of time and hassle... And make sure that you get a flight to Koeln/Bonn airport, then you don't have to take the train...

[evehow]

Price difference between direct and stopover is a few hundred bucks... quite a large sum actually.

I'm thinking of taking the train from Frankfurt!  Is there anything I should know?!

[Junebug]

Taking the train is fine. It's just that your total travel time will be very, very long... I prefer to pay a higher price and have a shorter journey, but that is just my personal view (which is very different from Andrea's - if you chose her as your travel agent).

If you can do something in a total of 14 or 15 hours, why spend 20 or even more hours doing the same thing...? As I said, it's just my personal opinion.  

[contralto]

haven't been to koln or bonn, but passed by Frankfurt (and quite a few other places!) on my way to northern germany last year.

just wanted to say that the ICE trains are great.   they can get crowded so if u could reserve a seat ahead that would be best.

[Blond Girl]

The train (especially the ICE) is not too bad. But if you have to pay the full price (without special promotions) the ICE is sometimes as expensive as a flight for a longer distance (e.g. Berlin-Frankfurt), but this should not be the case for Frankfurt-Koeln. As far as I know there is no ICE for this distance yet as they are still building a new track. But there are the normal trains (EC, IC). You can get a reservation (usefull on Friday and Sunday nights), but it is not necessary - you can always go onto a train - but maybe you will not find a seat.
I just checked www.bahn.de  (unfotunately I think it is only in german): with the train you need nearly exactly 2 hours and a single trip is 66 DM for the regular price. But there are a lot of promotions for a family , etc. There is as well a ICE (but it is not faster) and the price is 72 DM for a single trip. Reservations are 5DM per person.There are a lot of possibilities for the trains, but I would choose one directly from the airport (there are two railway stations directly at the airport). Check this: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/dn?L=adr&  
Junebug is right, because after a long flight  it is not very convienient to hop onto a train especially, when it is crowded....
But if you want to safe money than it is maybe the better way.

[This message has been edited by Blond Girl (edited 09-10-2001).]

[evehow]

Just found out that Koln and Bonn share the same airport... DUH!!!

Direct flights to FKT cost around the region of $1,700, economy (and that's corporate rates!)  Very expensive!!!  If I am willing to stopover at KL or BKK, can save abt $600.  That's the cheapest I could find!  (Unless one doesn't mind a few more stopovers, or an airline such as Egypt Air...)  So that's quite a bit of money..... YIKES!!

Thanks Blond Girl... my husband understands German... will ask him to check the prices out!  I have the Eurail/Europass timetable too and the FKT-Bonn route looks quite well-served.

[evehow]

Will be travelling on Malaysian Airlines - stopover at KL.

Can I ask a question about the train?  Do I have to pay to make reservations?  (And does this depend on what kind of train?)  I got the GermanRail pass so will be using the train extensively.

Also, for those who are familar with the Frankfurt Airport, are there two train stations serving the airport or what?!  I heard that there's a station within the airport itself and another one (the HBF) just across the road?!  Getting a bit confused?!

[Blond Girl]

Okay - as I said before: each reservation is 5 DM for one way (this means if you have to change trains, you get the reservation for both trains for 5 DM). Normally you have to do the reservations at least one day before, but there are now as well reservations possible until shortly before the train is leaving. Very often it is not worth to make reservations especially during the day. You can only make rservations for long distance trains, but not for the regional short distance trains.
Concerning the railway stations at the airport: There are two: one for the short distance trains (called Regionalbahnen )and the underground trains (called S-Bahn, they are indicated aus a white S one a green circle) to Frankfurt city  and then there is a very new one for the long distance trains like the ICE, IC and EC.
The first mentioned railway station is directly in the basement of the airport (completely underground). Since I have never walked to the other one so far, I'm not sure how to get there, but I'm sure that there is a pedestrians lane to it.
But check the trains schedule before to check where the train is really leaving. There should be schedules posted at the airport - otherwise just ask.
Depending on which of the connections your are taking it is possible that you have to take the S-Bahn to Frankfurt Main Station (Hauptbahnhof, Hbf) and then the final train from there. It is a very big railway staion with at least 20 tracks - quite busy as well.
Hope this helps.
Have fun in Germany!

Just checked your post again: the Hbf is definitely not across the street because it is located rigth in the middle of Frankfurt downtown. But you are still rigth about the two railway stations though....

[This message has been edited by Blond Girl (edited 11-10-2001).]