230,000 square meters, 1400 exhibitors, ten hours a day - if your feet don't hurt, were you really at the convention? Gamescom starts in Cologne, and we've written down all the things you can do in the city after a day at the trade fair.

Chill out by the Rhine

The first thing this author's body cries out for when she leaves the crowded, noisy, large exhibition center is a place to sit down comfortably. To take a deep breath. Somewhere where a stranger's elbow doesn't land in her ribs every five minutes. It's handy that Cologne has this wonderful Rhine panorama built right in.

The bad news: it's a 1.7-kilometer walk to the Rheinboulevard. The good news: you can take the train for at least one stop! Take the 3 or 4 from the Kölnmesse stop, then the 1, 7 or 9 from Messe/Deutz to Deutzer Freiheit and you can already see the Rhine from there. The steps of the Rheinboulevard are pretty, made for sitting on, and the skyline is unbeatable. Cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge included!

Admittedly, the white steps are a popular meeting place. If that's too busy for you after the fair, there are various other benches, meadows and little walls up and down the river.

By the way, you can get a wonderful Veedel feeling a little further upstream in Mülheim. The „Mäuerchen“, a low boardwalk wall, is a meeting place for neighbors, friends, dates and people in love with Cologne all summer long. If your feet are willing to carry you a little more, this is a great place to spend the evening.

Have a beer – somewhere quiet

If you still have some energy left somewhere and want to go home with the feeling that you've really gotten to know Cologne (at least more than just the exhibition grounds), then sit down in a nice beer garden and have a Kölsch. Or three. Or a soft drink instead. Real Cologne locals avoid the tourist hotspots of the big breweries in the city center (although you will of course also be well catered for here) and prefer to look for a cozy location in the neighbourhoods.

Although it is also 20 minutes from the trade fair, the beer garden at the „Stadtgarten“, or City Garden Cologne, only a short way of that is on foot. Line 3 or 4 from Kölnmesse to Köln West - at least the first stations are above ground, and the view of the Rhine from the bridge is always nice. If you want to stay on the right bank of the Rhine, perhaps walk from the Messe/Deutz station (line 3 or 4 or walk one stop) to the Rheinterrassen. From here you can also see the beautiful cathedral and sit down by the river before or after.

More Tips for beautiful beer gardens in the city are here (in german).

Cooling off

It feels like 40 degrees Celsius between people at the trade fair, about 140 degrees on the trains and buses, and the weather outside promises nothing but summer. Sure, the hotel air conditioning cools things down well, but spending the evening in your room and not seeing anything of the city is not really an option.

Visitors who are sensitive to temperature need to multitask: see Cologne and cool down at the same time. Those who still have energy and are receptive can of course visit the cathedral first. Pleasantly cool and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the perfect combination. If you are looking for a quiet place, the Melatenfriedhof, the citys famous cemetary, is also a recommendation - but be considerate of other visitors.

If you can't think of anything other than a cooling dip after a hot day at the hot con in a hot cosplay suit, the Claudius Therme, a thermal bath and spa, might be the right place to spend the evening. Last admission is at 10.30 pm and the facility is not far from the trade fair (just over a kilometer). The healing waters and Kneipp pools are certainly good for an exhausted body. It may also prevent the otherwise inevitable sore muscles.

Touch some grass

According to its own figures, 320,000 people visited Gamescom in 2023 and while this number naturally refers to all five days of the trade fair, for the author of this text, even one day with a fifth of the crowd is enough to drain the social batteries. 64,000 people is more than the population of Mülheim, Cologne's largest district (around 43,000). Of course, nobody goes to a convention to be alone, but after ten hours full of all the sights, sounds, colors and smells of the world, returning to the world outside the bubble does you a world of good.

(Plus: Photos of literally stopping to smell the roses tend to end pointless discussions with family members who think you should give up your video game hobby in favor of the “real world” wonderfully well).

In addition to the romance of the big city, Cologne also has beautiful green spots to offer. Perfect for relaxing your ears, eyes and brain (and nose). For example, it's worth visiting the Flora (one stop on the 3 or 4 to Stegerwaldsiedlung, then take the 118 bus to the other side of the Rhine) - a popular spot a few years ago for playing Pokémon Go, in case you're looking for some 2016 nostalgia.

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Merken

If you want to see (and perhaps pet) some real animals after all the virtual creatures, you can visit Lindenthal Zoo until 8 p.m. (from the Messe/Deutz stop, take line 1 to Maarweg, then a short walk).

Speaking of walks: here are even more beautiful parks in Cologne for walking and relaxing (in german).

Prove that you were here

If you travel all over the world and nobody sees the photos, have you ever really been away?

Apart from cosplayers with impressive props and wacky wigs, exhibition stands with light shows, semi-celebrity streamers and 1000 selfies, the city can also be photogenic. Another opportunity to show your family member from above what a social hobby gaming can be. For the non-plus-ultra photo package of Cologne, you need these subjects (in this author's opinion):

1. The cathedral, of course! Wether from directly in front of it at a steep angle upwards, or from the other side of the Rhine in a postcard panorama with the Hohenzollern Bridge. It can never look bad anyway. By the way, the correct answer to „Why is there scaffolding on it?“ is: „Because otherwise the world will end.“ (Ask a local to explain, if you like)
2. The Hercules Bridge in Ehrenfeld. Perfect in itself for beautifully composed pictures (anyone else so in love with symmetrical architecture?), also a perfect background for portraits.
3. Colorful half-timbered houses on the banks of the Rhine. There used to be five colorful buildings on the fish market, but two of the historic houses are dilapidated and had to be demolished. However, three are still standing and still put on a pretty face.
4. The crane houses in the Rheinauhafen. It is now impossible to imagine the skyline without these striking buildings.

We have listed the ten best Insta spots in the city here (in german). If you take photos, maybe even in full Gamescom gear, tag us on Instagram (@ksta_koeln)!

Do you have any other tips for winding down after exhausting days at the trade fair? Go-tos in Cologne that are still missing from our list? Write to us at community@ksta.de or on our Discord server @cologneheroes.