Station - Hostel for Backpackers
150 metres from the Hbf, 4 minutes from the Cathedral — Cologne's backpacker classic with its own bar
Cologne's classic backpacker hub — 150 m from the Hauptbahnhof, 4-minute walk to the Cathedral. On-site bar with live music and DJs, beer garden, sports on big screens, breakfast buffet. 4128+ reviews, 7.1 rating, dorms from around 32 EUR.
Station - Hostel for Backpackers occupies a five-storey building on Marzellenstraße, exactly 150 metres from the side exit of Cologne Hauptbahnhof and a four-minute walk under the railway viaduct to the foot of the Cathedral. There is no other Cologne hostel inside this radius. For travelers arriving on a late train, this is the hostel — you walk to the front door in two minutes from the platform.
The building is older but properly run, with the standard backpacker formula: dorms with bunks, lockers, your choice of en-suite private bathroom rooms or shared bathroom by floor (the cheaper option). The on-site bar is the main social engine — Kölsch on tap, sports on big screens, live music and DJs on weekends, a beer garden out back for summer. The bar's atmosphere is more sports-pub than design-bar, but it solves the social problem in central Cologne where most brauhauses close by 23:00.
A breakfast buffet runs every morning, and a varied evening menu (mostly burgers, schnitzel, pasta) is served from the kitchen until late. The combination of bar, restaurant and beer garden makes this hostel the one Cologne option where your Friday night can happen without leaving the building.
Reception closes at midnight; if you arrive later, the hostel emails you a key code and a 'find your room' instruction set. The Cologne pedestrian zone (Hohe Straße and Schildergasse — the Cathedral shopping streets) is at the door. The Koelnmesse trade fair grounds in Deutz are one S-Bahn stop or 15 minutes walking via the Hohenzollernbrücke.
- 01150 metres from Cologne Hauptbahnhof — the most central hostel in Cologne by a margin
- 024-minute walk to Cologne Cathedral and the Hohenzollernbrücke
- 03On-site bar with live music, DJs, sports screens, beer garden — Friday night without leaving the building
- 04Choice of private en-suite bathroom or shared-floor bathroom price tier
- 054128 recorded stays — Cologne's most-tested backpacker formula
- 150 m from Cologne Hauptbahnhof and 4 min walk to the Cathedral
- On-site bar open late with live music, DJs and sports screens
- Choice of private bathroom rooms or floor-shared facilities
- From 32 EUR / night dorm bed in Cologne's most central hostel
“Value for money. Extremely convenient location right by the train station, it's clean and everything works. If you need a quick and convenient stay on a budget, this is a perfect choice.”
“I like how near it was to the Köln Cathedral and the staff was really nice.”
“Staff was super helpful and friendly, showers and toilets were clean.”
- Cologne Hauptbahnhof (DB ICE, S-Bahn, U-Bahn)150 m / 2 min walk
- Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom)4 min walk
- Hohenzollernbrücke (love-lock bridge)6 min walk
- Hohe Straße + Schildergasse pedestrian streetsRight at the door
- Friesenstraße brauhaus strip (Päffgen, Sion)10 min walk
- Koelnmesse trade fair (via S-Bahn)1 stop on S-Bahn or 15 min walk
