Where should I stay in Bonn or Cologne?
I need to be in Bonn for business, but figure I can get the train from Cologne.
I'll have time spare in the evening before the work, and the afternoon and evening after the work.
tbh Bonn looks a bit dead... so I'm very tempted by Cologne.
Is there a queer part of town where I should look for a hotel? Anyone have a hotel recommendation? Restaurant recommendation (I'm gluten free)?
Köln's queer area seems to be around the west edge of the Altstadt (I saw lots of rainbow flags and murals when I last visited!), but I'm not sure about Bonn. Bonn's definitely not dead, but it is a lot more muted than other cities.
If you do choose to stay in Köln, a word of warning about the public transport: although the train service to Bonn has a very high frequency and is pretty fast, it's also very unreliable. If I needed to make a meeting in Bonn, I would leave an extra half an hour just in case there are lots of cancellations. If you stayed near the Köln Süd station, you could also choose to walk to Barborassaplatz and get the number 18 tram instead, which takes double the time that the train does, but is a lot less likely to be disrupted.
Hope this helps, and enjoy your time in NRW :)
Dee in London
Sebastian Crane 🏳️⚧️