Name: Novotel Köln City
Address: Bayenstr. 51, Altstadt-Süd, Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Cologne, Cologne Government Region, DE
Price range: $72–$656 per night
Rating: 8.35

What guests think

At Novotel Köln City, travellers praise the friendly, professional staff, clean modern rooms, and a convenient location by the Rhine near the Chocolate Museum, with the old town typically a 15–25 minute walk or short bus ride.

Breakfast is widely liked for variety and taste, though several guests find it pricey, and bar or dinner options receive more mixed feedback. Common drawbacks include ineffective or noisy air conditioning causing warm rooms, street noise if windows are opened, and some family rooms or sofa beds feeling small; parking is on site but often considered expensive. Facilities such as a sauna and small gym earn praise but occasional complaints about limited equipment or outages appear. Expect a clean, family‑friendly city base with good value in location and service.

Facilities

Cleanliness

Rooms

Service

Location

Dining

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AI-generated summary based on recent guest reviews

Facilities

On-site parking is convenient but often considered expensive, with an entrance that some find tight. A sauna and small gym are available and generally liked, though equipment is limited and there are occasional outages; a bar is present.

Related guest reviews

10

Romain

Aug 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Close to city center. Fitness and Sona facilities.

8

Fe

Dec 8, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The room was neat and clean and location is about 26 min walk to the Cathedral square. However, the available self parking was a bit expensive for 21 Euro for a night, especially this is not mention in the booking that the self-parking has an extra charge. But overall stay was great.

8

Ansgar

Jul 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Close to the City. Parking garage but to expansive. Breakfast good but to expensive. In general nice hotel. Friendly staff.

10

Johann

Aug 11, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Le sauna ne fonctionnait pas et l'espace fitness manque un peu d'équipement. Mais le reste est un sans faute !

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10

Sophie

Nov 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff were helpful and friendly, the whole hotel was very clean, modern and nice. Breakfast was amazing and tasty, so much choice and buffet was kept clean and tidy. I used the gym which is small but has a few cardio machines, there is only one weights machine and it doesn't do a lot. The sauna is great, however, as a woman i did not appreciate men not wearing bathing shorts in the sauna/sauna room. I felt very uncomfortable. This needs to be made extremely clear to guests. The room was big, the bed very comfortable. Would be great if the tv had streaming services like netflix or casting capabilities. The room was a little dark in the daytime for natural light. Overall I would stay again but maybe not use the sauna on my own :(

6

Kai Fan

Dec 17, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was very small for 4 people. A/C made noise but didn’t actually cool the stuffy room, therefore, opened window which was on the main busy road which was not ideal. Great parking garage well lit, clean and secure.

10

Keon

Aug 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Bar and parking garage

10

Marc

Nov 4, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Gutes Frühstück, bequeme Betten. Zustellbett allerdings sehr hart. Gute Sauna mit toller Dachterrasse

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10

Naweed

Oct 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Godt hotel i det nyere område ved vandet. Personalet var flinke. Der var parkering under hotellet. ( indgang til parkering er virkelig snæver ) + der er ladestandere

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8

Paulina

Feb 9, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Sehr sauber, schöne Saune und Fitnessraum. Zimmer modern. Alles in allem top. Das einzige Manko ist die Einfahrt ins Parkhaus. Bis man da einen breiten 5er BMW reinmanövriert bekommt, braucht man einige Züge. Aber sonst, alles super! BIn schon das zweite Mal da gewesen.

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Cleanliness

Cleanliness is a strong point, with many guests praising very clean rooms and public areas. A few reported issues such as stained linens, dirty carpets, or a dusty fridge.

Related guest reviews

10

Christopher

Aug 18, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Friendly staff. Clean. Nice location. Great stay.

10

Jeanette

Nov 2, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Sauberes Zimmer , haben uns wohlgefühlt

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10

Karolina

Dec 22, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was excellent and well staffed, meaning items were refilled quickly and efficiently. Location was perfect for us as a family - we came for the Christmas markets and the train car taking you around the four main ones was a few minute walk!

10

Steven

Aug 11, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Very clean and comfortable

10

David

Jul 7, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Wir haben eine Nacht im Novotel Köln City verbracht und waren insgesamt sehr zufrieden mit unserem Aufenthalt. Das Hotel liegt sehr zentral in der Nähe des Rheins, nur wenige Gehminuten von der Altstadt und dem Schokoladenmuseum entfernt – ideal für einen kurzen Städtetrip. Unser Zimmer war modern, sauber und ruhig. Besonders positiv hervorzuheben sind die bequemen Betten und die gut durchdachte Zimmeraufteilung. Auch das Badezimmer war geräumig und gepflegt. Das Personal an der Rezeption war freundlich und hilfsbereit. Der Check-in verlief schnell und problemlos, ebenso der Check-out. Für einen kurzen Aufenthalt in Köln absolut empfehlenswert – gute Lage, saubere Zimmer und freundlicher Service.

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6

Christine Marie

Nov 24, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

bed sheets with blood stain towels appeared old shampoo and shower gel run out in just overnight stay beds seems old and almost no foam carpets are dirty for 320 a nght for 2 rooms some receptionist are unfriendly and unwelcoming for travelers not my moneys worth

10

Olgu

Jan 28, 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was neat and clean. The staff were friendly and helpful. The location was good enough to walk towards the Centre.

10

Evelyn

Jul 26, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Kurzfristig gebucht. Alles super. Saubere Zimmer. Immer wieder gerne

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6

Stephan

Aug 20, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

Würde es nicht wieder buchen. Für ein 4 Sternehotel waren wir enttäuscht. Löcher in der Bettwäsche der Kühlschrank war verschmutzt und die Handtücher waren dreckig. Die Tür zum Badezimmer war beschädigt und der Teppich verdreckt

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10

Linda

May 2, 2024

·

Stayed 3 nights

Heel schoon en net hotel met vriendelijk en behulpzaam personeel. Locatie zeer gunstig, veel mogelijkheden voor gebruik van OV. Ontbijtbuffet ook zeker een aanrader. Wij komen graag weer terug!

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Rooms

Rooms are modern and comfortable, but several reviews cite ineffective or noisy air conditioning leading to warm stays and traffic noise when windows are opened. Family rooms and sofa beds can feel small, and pillows or bed firmness divide opinions.

Related guest reviews

6

Arnold

Dec 28, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

De zetel als slaapbank voor 2 personen is echt veel te klein.

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8

Sara

Feb 9, 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

The reception staff were friendly and professional, reception areas very nice. The room was very clean and modern, well paid d out. Would have given 5 stars but the pillows were t good and the bed was a bit firm for me.

10

Anne Kathrin

Apr 24, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Schönes modernes Hotel zu humanen Preisen. Frühstück für 24€/P. ist sehr teuer, waren daher außerhalb essen. Bar für den Abend top, auch preislich im Rahmen. Schöne Zimmer, allerdings sind die Familienzimmer wirklich seeeeehr klein.

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8

Andrew

Apr 18, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

We had a room with two beds. Beds were comfortable but yoo small. Staff very professional and friendly Will come back to Novotel

8

alex

Oct 23, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Having stayed in Novotels before, i knew what to expect from them. I would say that the hotel was good but having stayed in the Brugge Novotel the night before, we couldnt help but be a little disappointed. Our room was adequate for what we needed, albeit, a little small. The only downside was that our room was SO HOT (end of October)- we had the thermostat turned to the lowest setting but ended up having the window open (that faces the main road, with busy traffic all night), throughout the night, so that we could feel comfortable enough to sleep (although sleep with the noisy traffic was just as hard!). We didnt have breakfast at the hotel, as at €24 pp, it was far too expensive. The hotel is located about a 20 minute walk from the city centre. It was too far for our youngest to walk, so we got buses and a taxi (€15) back. We used the car park during our stay. Considering it is the hotel car park, we couldnt believe that hotel residents we being charged such a high price to stay there and that no discounts were offered. It was €64 for our parking for 3 nights! Overall, an ok stay but I wouldnt return there.

8

Shona

Jan 5, 2024

·

Stayed 4 nights

Lovely hotel, outstanding breakfast selection. Bedrooms modern and clean, although we found the rooms very warm even in January. Road noise when window open and air con not much good.

8

C.

Oct 25, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Sauber Zimmer, insbesondere das Badezimmer war sehr gepflegt. Personal top, vor allem beim Frühstück! Einzig die Zimmer waren viel zu warm, trotz Klimaanlage und Außentemperaturen um 13 Grad.

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6

Carol

Mar 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice hotel, 10 min walk from Chocolate Museum and square. Room was very clean but way too hot and the air on was really noisy and not very good. Bed lovely and comfy, bathroom spacious with gorgeous Rituals products. Very friendly reception staff. Breakfast looked good with lots on offer but the hot food was cold… (7.30am Sunday morning). If I was to return to Cologne, I’d choose another hotel due to the aircon/heat in room.

8

John

Jul 27, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel is on the 133 bus route, 4 stops from the station or a 25-minute walk (very straightforward). I was very impressed by the condition of my room. It was clean and spacious, the WiFi was excellent and the shower very good. The breakfast was also very good quality. My only issue was that it is very much a family hotel and the small children in the room above me ran back and forwards like a herd of elephants until late at night.

6

Kai Fan

Dec 17, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was very small for 4 people. A/C made noise but didn’t actually cool the stuffy room, therefore, opened window which was on the main busy road which was not ideal. Great parking garage well lit, clean and secure.

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Service

Service is widely praised as friendly, professional and helpful, including with families, though some guests experienced slow or unfriendly reception and inconsistent communication.

Related guest reviews

6

Dmitrij

Jun 19, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Check-in was sad. There were no twin rooms, as i got in confirmation, but got upgraded to double room. Receptionist had no idea if we paid or not, i had to go and find it emails. city tax paper was given in German, even i find out on checkout there is one in English.

10

Jasmin

Jun 16, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The staff are friendly and approachable. Exceptionally customer service.

10

Andreas

Feb 20, 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Nettes Personal, top Zimmer, Frühstück überdurchschnittlich gut, ich komme wieder.

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8

Jan

Nov 3, 2023

·

Stayed 1 night

The hotel is well located next to the Rhine river. The check-in attendee was too busy, tired, confused, newly hired or just unfriendly to welcome us at the reception. We are not used to wait that long at check in. The rest of our stay was ok.

8

Thais

Apr 19, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Der Mitarbeiter war unfreundlich und genervt bei der Anmeldung

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10

Amr

Apr 2, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Das Team in diesm Hotel (Front Desk, Bar und Housekeeping) ist sehr freundlich und professionel. Immer sehr hilfsbereit außerdem ist das Hotel sehr Kinderfreundlich. Das Zimmer war auch sehr sauber und sehr modern. Wir haben da zwei Übernachtungen gehabt und das Hotel und das Team hat uns sehr gut gefallen. Vielen Dank

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10

Oliver

Jul 17, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Tolles Hotel, nettes Personal

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10

Jörg

Jun 15, 2023

·

Stayed 2 nights

Die Freundlichkeit des Personals war überragend. Große Klasse.

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4

Philippa

Oct 20, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

The desk staff were not friendly. In addition despite placing a label on my room door indicating that I was in the room and didn't want to be disturbed, the cleaner just opened my room door and let himself in, until I said that I was in the room. This was unforgivable.

6

Richard

Jul 31, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Our biggest issue was the lack of response from the admin team. During our trip we intended to stay at this hotel twice, but because of a flight cancellation we had to miss our first night. I messaged the hotel to find out how to reclaim the 10% cost we were entitled to but I heard nothing back. Similarly our 2nd booking was for two rooms. We requested interconnecting rooms but nobody told us this wasn’t possible until our arrival. One of our rooms had a faulty minibar which we reported right away because we need it for milk, but there was no action. Eventually I chased this up face to face and they refused to accept it was broken. It was clearly warm inside unlike the one in the second room we booked. We made do with just the one despite having paid for two. Reception often lacked personnel and the food service was slower than expected, especially for my son’s two scoops of ice cream. We nearly offered to scoop them ourselves by the time they arrived. One of our rooms had a window with no curtain and a broken luggage bench which had screws sticking out of it. The original room layout was not thoughtfully arranged for a family and so we moved the furniture to make it more comfortable. It didn’t live up to my expectations.

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Location

Location is convenient by the Rhine and the Chocolate Museum, with buses nearby and about a 15–25 minute walk to the cathedral/old town. Some find it a bit far for small children or in poor weather.

Related guest reviews

10

Fabian

Feb 22, 2026

·

Stayed 1 night

Gute Lage am Rhein, Südstadt aber auch Dom zu Fuß gut erreichbar.

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8

Heather

Mar 6, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Walking distance to downtown, good dining options, clean and quiet

8

susanna

Jan 7, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

I liked this hotel. It's a little bit far from the old town, maybe 1.5kms but still convenient. Hotel is lovely and clean and the service was great. Easy to get to by taxi or Uber. Hotel feels safe. There was a terror alert in the city on NY so being a little further away was quite comforting. Breakfast was also very good.

10

Ingo

Sep 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Gute Zentrale Lage

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10

David

Jul 7, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Wir haben eine Nacht im Novotel Köln City verbracht und waren insgesamt sehr zufrieden mit unserem Aufenthalt. Das Hotel liegt sehr zentral in der Nähe des Rheins, nur wenige Gehminuten von der Altstadt und dem Schokoladenmuseum entfernt – ideal für einen kurzen Städtetrip. Unser Zimmer war modern, sauber und ruhig. Besonders positiv hervorzuheben sind die bequemen Betten und die gut durchdachte Zimmeraufteilung. Auch das Badezimmer war geräumig und gepflegt. Das Personal an der Rezeption war freundlich und hilfsbereit. Der Check-in verlief schnell und problemlos, ebenso der Check-out. Für einen kurzen Aufenthalt in Köln absolut empfehlenswert – gute Lage, saubere Zimmer und freundlicher Service.

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10

David

Oct 1, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

A welcoming hotel, with clean rooms and good food for eating during the early evening. Staff friendly and approachable. The rooms do have a kettle etc in them so no need to bring your own. The hotel is located on the edge of the city which you can either travel on the bus number 133 from Cologne station (rear Entrance) taxi out the front or walk which will take approx 20 minutes. City sightseeing bus stops 10 mins walk away by the Lindt chocolate Museum/ Factory starting from 10.30.

10

Olgu

Jan 28, 2026

·

Stayed 2 nights

The room was neat and clean. The staff were friendly and helpful. The location was good enough to walk towards the Centre.

10

Tobias

Oct 12, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Für mich war das Hotel von der Lage her perfekt, da am Rheinauhafen ein schönes Panorama geboten wird. Da ich zwecks Konzert im Bürgerhaus Stollwerck zu Gast war, war auch die Nähe zur Konzertlocation ein großes Plus. Das Zimmer war still und angenehm eingerichtet. Das Frühstücksbuffet war abwechslungsreich und mehr als ausreichend. Insgesant war es ein sehr gelungener Aufenthalt und ich werde in Zukunft sicherlich zurückkehren.

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10

Yusuf

May 1, 2023

·

Stayed 3 nights

The hotel is situated right on the Rhine river. It is very close to the Main railway station. Taxi is easily available and it cost 11-12 Euros one way from the station. The Cologne Chocolate museum is only 5 minutes walk from the hotel. The breakfast is very good with all the usual baked goods.

8

Scott

Aug 18, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

This hotel is in a great location, ten minute walk from the Olympic museum as well as the chocolate museum. 15 minute drive/taxi from to airport makes it great for getting your holiday started as soon as possible

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Dining

Breakfast is frequently highlighted for quality and variety, but many consider it expensive; at busy times there can be queues or hot items not hot. Restaurant and bar feedback is mixed, and some guests missed room service.

Related guest reviews

8

Michael

Aug 31, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Good location, front of house helpful building a bit tired. The safe had to be fixed and the door came off and trapped my son in. We had a view of the satellite display as well which wasn't great despite an upgraded room. Breakfast and service is amazing, the bar not so great... Not bad.

10

Michael

Aug 28, 2025

·

Stayed 4 nights

Really nice hotel. Nice welcome on arrival and small activity packs for the children. Good location for the river and chocolate museum and not too far to walk to the central area of the city (about 20 minutes). We stayed here for 4 nights in a heat wave (+35c), and the room stayed comfortable with the cooling/ventilation running. Ate one evening in the hotel restaurant - food was good. Great selection at breakfast. Would recommend!

8

Andrea

Aug 8, 2024

·

Stayed 2 nights

Great location, you can go to the main attraction walking or take the bus, your choice. Dinner was not the best and overpriced, better to go out and enjoy a better meal same price.

10

Karolina

Dec 22, 2025

·

Stayed 2 nights

Room was very clean and comfortable. Breakfast was excellent and well staffed, meaning items were refilled quickly and efficiently. Location was perfect for us as a family - we came for the Christmas markets and the train car taking you around the four main ones was a few minute walk!

8

Denise

Dec 5, 2022

·

Stayed 19,329 nights

The hotel was at a good standard, clean and organised with nice decor, but the breakfast was very expensive and overpriced for what it was - there should be a more reasonable rate for customers who decided to choose this particular hotel, out of the others.

10

Sophie

Nov 10, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Staff were helpful and friendly, the whole hotel was very clean, modern and nice. Breakfast was amazing and tasty, so much choice and buffet was kept clean and tidy. I used the gym which is small but has a few cardio machines, there is only one weights machine and it doesn't do a lot. The sauna is great, however, as a woman i did not appreciate men not wearing bathing shorts in the sauna/sauna room. I felt very uncomfortable. This needs to be made extremely clear to guests. The room was big, the bed very comfortable. Would be great if the tv had streaming services like netflix or casting capabilities. The room was a little dark in the daytime for natural light. Overall I would stay again but maybe not use the sauna on my own :(

10

Adriana

Jun 9, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Really good Hotel with good options for breakfast

10

Chelsey

Jun 20, 2025

·

Stayed 3 nights

Wonderful staff and a great breakfast

6

Carol

Mar 23, 2025

·

Stayed 1 night

Nice hotel, 10 min walk from Chocolate Museum and square. Room was very clean but way too hot and the air on was really noisy and not very good. Bed lovely and comfy, bathroom spacious with gorgeous Rituals products. Very friendly reception staff. Breakfast looked good with lots on offer but the hot food was cold… (7.30am Sunday morning). If I was to return to Cologne, I’d choose another hotel due to the aircon/heat in room.

10

Heather

Dec 8, 2024

·

Stayed 1 night

Christmas markets within walking distance, excellent, helpful front desk staff. Lovely breakfast buffet. Rooms were clean and quiet with comfortable beds.

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Month	Average price
January	$121
February	$178
March	$163
April	$192
May	$156
June	$174
July	$145
August	$141
September	$168
October	$234
November	$171
December	$182

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8 $223	9 $170	10 $146	11 $165	12 $245
13 $102	14 $219	15 $656	16 $259	17 $143	18 $149	19 $171
20 $78	21 $103	22 $294	23 $284	24 $123	25 $151	26 $183
27 $79	28 $105	29 $147	30 $119

Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
				1 $111	2 $134	3 $233
4 $87	5 $115	6 $210	7 $204	8 $109	9 $98	10 $129
11 $72	12 $113	13 $114	14 $92	15 $91	16 $114	17 $126
18 $87	19 $100	20 $120	21 $121	22 $106	23 $107	24 $126
25 $86	26 $186	27 $325	28 $310	29 $249	30 $143	31 $119

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Monthly average prices

About this property

Location

Guest reviews

Very good

Who stays here?

What guests think

Property Policies

Check-in instructions

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