Getting Around

Overview

Driving in Cologne can be awful. You can all too easily end up in a tunnel you don't want to be in, or on a bridge you don't want to cross. And most streets in the centre have residential parking only, so you'll often be forced to pay too much for the pleasure of leaving your vehicle. Note that some parking lots close at night and charge an overnight fee, while taxis can be ruinously expensive. It's much better to hire a bike or take public transport. Cologne's mix of buses, trams, and U-Bahn or S-Bahn trains is operated by the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg in cooperation with Bonn's system. Buy your tickets (either short-trip or 24-hour) from the orange ticket machines at stations and aboard trams; be sure to stamp them.