When tourists visit Cologne (Köln), they rarely visit places outside the old town.
Little do they know about the 86 different quarters the city consists of. But these quarter’s actually showcase the real life of the locals and they lovingly refer to the quarter’s as “Veedel”.
One of these one’s – my personal favourite – is the Belgian Quarter Cologne which I’d love to introduce to you. All the street names in this Quarter are named after cities in Belgium. This quarter in Cologne is very popular for its non-mainstream hip food and shopping offers.
Its centre is the Brussels square, ‘Brüsseler Platz‘ with its neo-romantic church St. Michael. Scenesters from Cologne can be seen here meeting up and buying drinks at the kiosks that surround the area. There is a really fun party atmosphere here. It actually reminds me of Spain where everybody just sits outside and has some drinks with his friends.
The quarter organizes events throughout the year under the name “Chic Belgique”. These events are created to encourage people to visit the quarter and discover the uniqueness of the area. You’ll find an interesting collection of street art in the Belgian Quarter – if this interests you then you should join this street art bike tour.
See also: Traditional Beer and Food in Cologne
Belgian Quarter Cologne
Here is a list of personal recommendations of exploring the Belgian Quarter Cologne that you might want to check out:
Breakfast
- Milchmädchen Bar: This place does brilliant breakfasts, great sandwiches, fresh juices, and lot of chocolate
- Stadtgarten: A Restaurant and Bar but also concert area and party location. The Stadtgarten is directly situated next to a park which is a good place to go running in the mornings.
- Cafécafé: A big variety of breakfast styles are available here
Cafés
- Salon Schmitz: Tasty quiches, fresh salades and cakes
- Café Feynsinn: Located at Rathenau Square. Bright and cheerful, come here for great lunches and dinners
- Hallmackenreuther: Directly located in the center of the quarter at Brussels square. Good place to go before exploring the quarter
Bars
- Zum goldenen Schuss: A relatively new casual bar that also broadcasts football often
- Scheinbar: A 70s style cocktail bar that has a laidback, chill out atmosphere
- Barracuda Bar: A small bar, known for its great Mojitos
Bars/ Nightclubs
- Sixpack: The place to go to in the quarter when everything else is closed or empty and you do still want to party. It closes at 6-8am but people are usually still queuing to get in
- Tausend: Another late night bar where you can dance the night away
- Zum scheuen Reh: A music club and café that also hosts lectures, dj sessions and flash mobs
Beer gardens
- Aachener Weiher: Directly situated next to a lake. A lot of free open air concerts take place at night during the summer
- Stadtgarten: A Restaurant and Bar but also concert and party location.
- Biergarten am Rathenauplatz: A large space, the Rathenau square offers plenty of atmosphere whilst drinking your beer
Shopping
- La Seda: Beautiful Accessories
- Magasin Populaire: This shop stocks hip fashion labels from young designers
- Boutique Frau Kayser: A unique gift shop that offers embroidered clothes, pillows and towels to extraordinary toys for kids.
So, get off the beaten path, head further afield from old town and explore the Belgian Quarter in Cologne! You’ll have the best time, that’s for certain!
