Cologne Travel Forum

I am considering traveling to Cologne next month and am debating whether to go the weekend of Karneval or waiting till the next weekend so I can see a football match at Dortmund and in Cologne (I am a HUGE football/soccer fan and is a major reason why I chose this region to begin with). By the way, the weekend of Karneval, Schalke 04 (against Borussia Dortmund) and Borussia Monchengladbach have home games. Keeping these interests in mind, which weekend would be a better choice to the members here with knowledge of Cologne and these football stadiums?

The match of Schalke 04 against Borussia Dortmund will most probably be the most interesting one at February 21st. These teams have a traditional rivalry and matches of Schalke and Dortmund are always hard-fought. Tickets might be sold out already, I fear. But if you have a chance to get a ticket for this match I'd suggest going there!
Please note that Cologne will have an away match in Munich at the Karneval weekend!

I have no idea abt football but everybody in Cologne is on a holiday during carnival and most of the touristy places are closed during this time

Happy Travels
HB

Cologne will close down and go completely mad for carnival. If you plan to join the festivities, fine. If you don't, better avoid the city like the plague during those days. Finding accommodation won't be easy that weekend.

So if I do plan to visit during Karneval, does someone have a different city to stay in in the region? I want to try and travel budget-style and stay in hostels.

Do you mean a completely different city in the region where Karneval is also celebrated? Or a town close to Cologne that will have cheaper accomodation but will still allow you to visit Cologne Karneval?

Another major city in the region, where I can still easily travel into Cologne to see Karneval, but I'd still prefer to stay in Cologne. Also, I read above that everything shuts down during Karneval, does that mean I cannot visit other tourist sites in the city? I do want to see what the city offers besides Karneval.
Also, does anyone know of any lively hostels in Cologne?

The days that will most of all be affected by Karneval are Thursday 19th February and Monday 23rd February (when the huge parade takes place). These are the days when all Cologne goes crazy and most places will be closed.
If you plan to visit the city on Friday/ Saturday you should be more lucky and the sights should be open.
Most cities and towns around Cologne will also celebrate Karneval. How far from Cologne would still be ok for you?

Regarding the football matches I can only recommend you to go to see a match of Borussia Moenchengladbach. It is a team with a long tradition. Also the Borussia Park is a proper football stadium whereas the Veltins Arena of Schalke 04 looks more like a sports hall due to its closeable roof.

On the weekend 20.-22.02. Borussia Moenchengladbachis facing Hannover 96. Tickets are still available and can be bought online at www.borussia.de. Unfortuntaly terraces are already sold out, but seatings are available from 25 Euro.

Please note that the exact day of the match (Fri 20:30 h, Sat 15:30 h or Sun 17:00 h) hasn't been fixed yet, but probably will be fixed soon.


I hope this helps

HORSCHECK

On further thought and a check of available hostels in the area for Karneval weekend, I will probably visit the weeekend after. Where I should be able to find an open hostel in the city center (I hope!). Your help and information has been invaluable Elena, I really appreciate it!!

What about Signal Iduna Arena where Borussia Dortmund plays, I know it is one of the largest stadiums in Germany if not all of Europe. Or where FC Koln plays, wasn't that a 2006 World Cup venue?
Also, are stadium tours available on weekends when the club is away?

Yes, you are right the Signal Iduna Park is very large, but the club Borussia Dortmund is not too attractive. I would definitely prefer Borussia Moenchengladbach, but I might be biased as I am a supporter of Borussia Moenchengladbach. *winkygrin*

However, the stadiums of Cologne, Dortmund and Schalke all hosted games during the 2006 world cup.

Regarding stadium tours, I would check the webpages of the clubs.


HORSCHECK

Stadium tours are available as follows (when the clubs are away):

Dortmund
Fridays at 04:00 pm
Saturdays & Sundays at 02:00 pm
Tickets can be purchased at fan shops in Dortmund
6,00 Euros

Cologne:
Saturdays at 02:00 pm
Tickets can be purchased at the KölnTourism Service Center and at the stadium
7,00 Euros

Mönchengladbach:
Fridays at 03:00 pm
Saturdays at 11:00 am
Sundays at 11:00 am, 01:00 pm & 03:00 pm
Booking via: stadionfuehrung@borussia.de
8,00 Euros

By chance I'm a supporter of Borussia Mönchengladbach as well! So unsurprisingly I'd suggest to do the tour at Borussia Park! ;)

Btw, I think it's a good idea to visit Cologne the week after Karneval. It will make things much easier!

Enjoy your trip,
Elena

Although I have been a fan of Borussia Mönchengladbach for many years I can only say that the atmosphere in the Dortmund stadium is nearly unmatched. And the game between Schalke and Dortmund is high voltage, the greatest derby of the Bundesliga. But I agree, you would get a ticket by miracle only ;-)

To calm down Gladbach fan Horscheck I can tell you that his club indeed a great tradition (Netzer, Vogts, Heynckes, etc.) - but this already indicates that the great days are over. Still the club has lots of supporters. I know someone who travels from Ulm in the very south to Mönchengladbach on a regular base, just to support the team. But this guy is crazy in other respects, too LOL

Hannover unfortunately is not a very attractive opponent, and there is no special rivalry in the game. But you never know. Sometimes the games that seem to become the most boring ones of the day end up being the most exciting ones. And the people in Mönchengladbach are passionate about their team, as the city is relatively small and the identification factor is high.

Regarding tradition, there is no other club in Germany with a greater tradition than Schalke. Even my now more than 80 year old mother has kept her love for Schalke, despite the scandal that has overshadowed the tradition in the 1970's. Schalke has been there forever whereas Gladbach's tradition started in the late 1960's only.

BTW You have made a good decision to choose this region for watching and experiencing football. Especially in the Ruhrgebiet the people live and breathe Fußball, it is part of their identity.

Sissi,

That's a fabulous summay of the football situation in the Rhine Ruhr region. Of course I slightly disagree with some of the things you state, especially about stadium atmosphere, but as I said I might be biased.

HORSCHECK

LOL

Horscheck, I expected that you would disagree with some of my remarks - but you are really biased :-)))

I am from the south (now supporting Hoffenheim LOL - just a joke) and can regard the issue with a certain distance :-)

Thank you so much for all the football advice, I didn't know I had wandered onto a Borussia Monchengladbach forum :))) I have no problem attending a game, I am aware of their tradition, and I do keep an eye on the club from over here in Chicago because of the American Michael Bradley who plays in the midfield there. I do want a significant portion of my brief trip to include taking in all the football that is on offer there. Thank you again for all the information provided. My other question is how far are Dortmund and Monchengladbach from Cologne?

Köln to Mönchengladbach is about 60 km (45 min), Köln to Dortmund nearly 100 km (1 hour).