Schoenen Dunk goes Podcast!

[MD0817]

Hi guys. My German is pretty poor, so will write in English, hope you don’t mind Me and my friends are planning to go to group stage of Eurobasket to your country, precisely to Cologne (Koeln). So need some basic info about the area to get better view on how much money to take, how safe it is, what to look for and etc.
We rented an apartment couple of km away from the arena, so wondering how safe that district/area is, I mean you can get easily into some trouble, so better stay in group, keep your phone and money deeper in your pocket or it’s pretty safe?
Then food/drinks. We ain’t planning to go to some fancy restaurants, but let’s say some mid-class pub prices - glass of beer, some burger/pizza or maybe buy some fastfood in street like kebab. Overall how good is fastfood in streets outthere, worth a shot or better not risk and stay away?
Also regarding beer, how much some average bottle (0.5) costs in supermarket? I’m wondering should we take some more from Lithuania, or just buy it there in Cologne. Let’s say in our country, pint of beer in shop costs around 1.20-1.30 euro. I bet it should be cheaper in Germany. The same question about stronger drinks like vodka/whiskey, not those the most expensive brands, but just those average ones like i.e. Ballantine’s, Tullamore, Smirnoff, Finlandia and similar. By the way, is it legal to drink alcohol in public places in your country? In Lithuania you could get into troubles with that
Then is it more popular/comfortable to pay with cash or card outthere, should I always have money in my pocket or will have no problems to pay with card?
I guess that’s all for now, would appreciate any info. Thnx

[werbung]

ANZEIGE

[gannar]

Hello!

Someone more local to the area can tell you about the exact safety of the area around the arena, but generally German cities are quite safe by any standard. Pickpockets might be an issue in more touristy areas though.
I will again bow to locals when it comes to the best food options.
When buying beer from a super market you can get it a lot cheaper than 1,20 Euro per 0,5l bottle, or more expensive, depending on your taste. The harder stuff you`re talking about will be 10-14 Euro per 0,7l bottle. It is usually legal to drink in public places in Germany, being obviously very drunk in public is frowned upon, but not illegal.
Debit cards are widely accepted, credit cards less so. It is adviseable to carry some amout of cash, 20 Euro is okay, just in case.

I am sorry that I can’t help you with your more Cologne specific questions (if you have a reddit account check out the subreddit for Cologne or for Germany. If you don’t have one, make one anyway, ask there as well and then join r/Euroleague for more discussions of European basketball in English.

Have a great trip!

[murcs]

i would say: don’t worry too much!  safety depends on your expectations.  in tourist areas like the city center and the main station there are some pickpockets like all around the world but less than in most other cities i have visited.  you can pay with card, cash or your phone.  it’s common to pay less than 10€ in cash.  i have more or less 50€ in my pocket to be prepared.  there are ATMs in most places.  places to go out are severinsviertel and südstadt – i would say: do not stay to much in the inner city! =;^)  beer prices start at 80 cent PER LITER in the supermarket!  but it depends on the amount you buy and the brands you like.  drinking in public is permitted but it depends on the area you are if it feels okay.

[basketball-grandpa]

ome subjective tips … from my very personal point of view.

The first thing you have to see, of course, is the Cologne Cathedral.

You can of course go to the old town, where it is very touristy. So better go to the Südstadt.

The party mile is in the Cologne Veedel “Belgische Viertel” around the Brüsseler Platz. The best club in Germany is in Cologne “Das Bootshaus”.

In any case, you must visit a Cologne brewery. No. 1 “Lommerzheim” in Cologne Deutz. I recommend in the old town the “Peters Brauhaus” or otherwise the “Brauhaus Em Kölsche Boor”. What you must eat in any case is “Himmel und Äd” and a “Hemmsche met Sauerkraut”.

The Rheinauhafen is great. The special thing about it is the mixture of old buildings like the harbor office and new architectural highlights like the huge crane houses (architect Hadi Teherani) directly at the river.

Museums: The Sports and Olympic Museum shows exhibits from 3000 years of sports history, in the neighborhood is the Chocolate Museum.

If you still have time: discover street art in Ehrenfeld

You need exercises: Go to JUMP House a great trampoline hall in Cologne.

If you have this all … Start at the beginning again.

Edit: if you like to eat international spend some time in the eldest Mexican Food Restaurant of Germany: https://www.cafe-especial.com
Very good to eat but also very expensive is the “https://www.ristorante-alfredo.com”. The boss used to be a singer at the opera and at the end of the evening often former colleagues come and there is a small concert for the guests

[Maethorath]

One obvious thing to mention when it comes to Cologne is that Cologne has its own brand of beer, the (in)famous Kölsch (a PGI). Depending on whom you ask in Germany, it’s either the best beer in the world or just above water. It’s brewed with top-fermenting yeast, so it tastes a little differently than your off-the-peck lager or Pils. In Cologne’s pubs, the above-mentioned Brewery houses, you are served primarily Kölsch. They come in tall 200-millilitre-glasses, and the servers walk around with circular trays and replace empty glasses wherever they see them. The number of beers is marked on a coaster and, at the end of the day, you pay whatever is marked there. One glass of Kölsch is around 1,60€. When you don’t want another, you place your coaster on top of the empty glass, otherwise you’ll be served continuously. Some more traditional brewery houses also don’t like to split bills, so you might be required to pay for the entire table and sort amongst yourselves who owns what to whom.

For moving around in Cologne, you might want to download the apps of either the local transport services (Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe - KVB) or the German Bundesbahn (DB Navigator) in order to buy tickets via app, which is usually cheaper (~10%) and more convenient than buying at vending machines. The German public transport ticketing system is a mess and for tourists it’s better not to try to understand the different zones and prices. Just go with the app, which will tell you exactly which ticket you need to get from A to B.

Regarding food: The Belgisches Viertel has already been mentioned, I’d add the Aachener Straße to the Brüsseler Platz as a recommendation. It’s the same area. In general, all food services have to conform to health standards, so in Germany you can buy pretty much any food from any vendor and be quite safe. Food poisoning is rare.

[Dunki_Kong]

And don’t ask for Altbier (beer brewed in Düsseldorf), then people in Cologne could become very dangerous.
Try to get some coins (70ct to 1€) for public restrooms, they are seldom for free.

[basketball-grandpa]

@Dunki_Kong sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

And don’t ask for Altbier (beer brewed in Düsseldorf), then people in Cologne could become very dangerous.
Try to get some coins (70ct to 1€) for public restrooms, they are seldom for free.

For heaven’s sake what is Düsseldorf?

[werbung]

ANZEIGE

[Steal123]

@basketball-grandpa sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

@Dunki_Kong sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

And don’t ask for Altbier (beer brewed in Düsseldorf), then people in Cologne could become very dangerous.
Try to get some coins (70ct to 1€) for public restrooms, they are seldom for free.

For heaven’s sake what is Düsseldorf?

I heard Düsseldorf is very dangerous and the beer tastes awful. One just should not go there.

[Marduk]

For public transport, I would use the app Citymapper. Otherwise, you can also rent e-scooters everywhere. Actually, public transport should be included in the ticket, otherwise it’s only a 15-minute walk across the Rhine in Cologne city centre. There are many food options and supermarkets in the immediate vicinity of the arena. And the Rhine boulevard with great views of the cathedral and sunset is also on the same side of the Rhine as the arena.
Germany is not really dangerous, in some corners and with some groups of people you should listen to your feeling, like everywhere else, but that happens quite rarely.
You can get beer in the supermarket for under €1.

[jsb]

@basketball-grandpa sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

@Dunki_Kong sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

And don’t ask for Altbier (beer brewed in Düsseldorf), then people in Cologne could become very dangerous.
Try to get some coins (70ct to 1€) for public restrooms, they are seldom for free.

For heaven’s sake what is Düsseldorf?

Well depending on the point of view it’s Germany’s third world city. Roughly 50 km north of Cologne that’s considered differently

[murcs]

@jsb sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

@basketball-grandpa sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

@Dunki_Kong sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

And don’t ask for Altbier (beer brewed in Düsseldorf), then people in Cologne could become very dangerous.
Try to get some coins (70ct to 1€) for public restrooms, they are seldom for free.

For heaven’s sake what is Düsseldorf?

Well depending on the point of view it’s Germany’s third world city. Roughly 50 km north of Cologne that’s considered differently

its called „our parking site“ in cologne.  for good reasons.  …and just avoid drinking either „kölsch“ or „alt“!  even if both are called beer.  it’s a complete wasting =;^)

[jsb]

@murcs

The Third world saying was raised in Düsseldorf, that’s right. It was just said, that people from Cologne would phrase it the same.
Back to beers from the trap: Be aware a large beer most likely being 0,4 l. Not 0.5 as it would be in southern, northern and eastern Germany. Well just about everywhere than in the West

[Cameronia]

@jsb sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

@basketball-grandpa sagte in Visiting Germany for Eurobasket:

For heaven’s sake what is Düsseldorf?

Well depending on the point of view it’s Germany’s third world city. Roughly 50 km north of Cologne that’s considered differently

A village can never be a city. Just sayin’

[werbung]

ANZEIGE

[Dumars]

He asked for beer and you guys offered Kölsch. Best joke of the day.

[ginobili20]

@MD0817 Great to have an international vibe in the community! I hope it’s ok if I don’t add anything because I’m not from Cologne either and I think the more general questions have already been answered.

You can do me one favor though: When you’re in Cologne, show your colors and love for basketball as much as you can but I’m sure you will. The basketball-crazy atmosphere will be good for basketball in our country, where very few people are even aware that such a big sporting event is taking place right in our midst! I’m also going to be there on Sunday to enjoy the atmosphere! I hope we will enjoy a great and close game

[MD0817]

wow didn’t expect so much feedback and info Thnx a lot to all of you, that makes it all so much easier to plan and then to enjoy the staying in Cologne. Great to read that beer is cheap, food is good, what else we’ll need, only good basketball I guess

@ginobili20 we’ll do our best I heard there might be couple of thousands Lithuanian fans in Germany during the tournament. Usually our fans creates great atmosphere and are very loud and supportive, I guess game vs your NT will be great competition not only on court, but in stands too Cheers to all