Post: #1

Intro
I lived here for about 2.5 years as both a student in college and working expat. It's one of the hidden gems in Germany, and tourists are usually hard to come by, making foreigner status a huge advantage. The Cologne/Bonn area is more or less one city, with students and professionals traveling back and forth on a daily basis. These two cities make up the "fun" area of Nordrhein-Westfalen, which is otherwise very industrial and grungy (Düsseldorf, Essen, etc.).

I will update the thread later with information on Cologne venues, more to come.

Culture
Germans here are neither friendly nor cold but somewhere in the middle. If you've spent time in Munich, you'll find most people a bit dull and unexcitable. On the other hand, it's very open and social compared to northern cities like Bremen and Hamburg.

Traditions are important here. The annual "Karneval" in February is an absolute fuckfest, something I can only compare to Mardi Gras in the U.S. but with less of a social stigma on indescriminate stranger banging. The streets are filled with people in Halloween-style clown costumes including a large student population, and partying goes on for several days.



The language here tends to be of a softer or less harsh dialect compared to the quickness of Berlin or the rhythm of Bayrisch. If you're new to the language, this should be a great starting point as most of younger crowd speaks standard Hochdeutsch. A great opener here is walking up to a girl and asking for a lighter, but in a very low-class Turkish accent ("Hasfeuerbrüda?" instead of "Hast du Feuer?") It's a very politically correct society, and little cracks like this go a long way in getting Germans to loosen up.

Demographics
You can find 1-2 million people in the area, spread throughout Cologne and the neighboring cities (Bonn, Leverkusen, etc.) As it's an industrial area bombed to hell during WW2, there's a very large Turkish / North African population. Even though crime is pretty low, it's not regarded as one of the most "German" areas of Germany anymore and has the industrial feel of Cleveland or Detroit.

Fortunately, these are massive student cities and there are more 18-25 year old girls than you can possibly count. Quantity is never a problem, ratios are generally solid, but quality can be a bit of an issue. High on average, but I'm very often surprised by the lack of stunners. Mostly brunettes; blondes are rare compared to Hamburg or the east of the country.



Female Bitch Scale
It's difficult to describe the girls here because the dating culture skews the frame of reference. Compared to other cities in Germany, girls are friendly and open to conversation with strangers, but have massive bitch shields when it comes to first-night bangs. Club sluts and other exceptions obviously abound, but ONS's are harder to come by with German girls unless you're after ERASMUS exchange students. Think of German girls as coconuts - thick shells on the outside, very hard to get the first crack, but when you break the shell, everything comes out and you have her locked down for all the time in the world.

Our black RVF members will have no problem in the Cologne area, but I've seen Asian friends of mine have some very fucking long winters. White guys with dark hair do well. Hispanic or Middle Eastern / Persian guys (for lack of a better term, "brown") could be a disadvantage unless you immediately separate yourself from the immigrant population through clothing and hair. Like anywhere in Germany, regardless what physique you have, you're going to struggle unless you dress well.

Logistics
Trains run regularly between Cologne and Bonn (every 20 minutes), and both cities are situated within 30 minutes from major airports (Düsseldorf, Köln/Bonn). The cities themselves have fantastic infrastructure, and S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines connect everything. The bus system in Bonn is also great, especially at night or on weekends.

Bonn is very small and while there aren't many venues, logistics make it one of my favorite cities in Germany. After a night out, you can go home to most parts of the city in as few as 10-15 minutes. Cologne is a larger, more spread out city and the transportation is noticeably worse.


Note: Ratios here have a tendency to fluctuate in a short time. Germans stick to walled-off social circles so large groups will disappear or reappear all at once.

Venues - Bonn
Nachtschicht - Mostly party/electro/hip hop and a younger crowd of students. This is one of the trashier places, but lays are easy to come by, especially from foreign exchange students. Turks will usually flood the place towards the end of the night looking for drunk girls and starting fights, so the golden window is between 1-3 AM.

Carpe Diem - Same music as Nachtschicht, but cleaner and with a slightly less rowdy/trashy crowd. Another easy venue for student bangs but most girls tend to arrive in huge groups (compared to American girls, this is a cockblock death sentence)

3 Raum Wohnung - Smaller venue with more neutral party music, fantastic lounge area. I always recommend going here after meeting girls in other clubs/bars as it's easy to escalate on the couches and sofas. Fair mixture between students and native Germans.

Tante Rike / Kreuzberg - Two clubs with very similar techno/dance music and live DJ's. Lots of drugged up students, but otherwise, very clean places. Most of the girls here tend to be on the older end of the student spectrum (22-25) and most are native Germans.

Day Game
In Cologne, there are fields near the university (just get off at the "Universität" S-Bahn stop) where students crash and relax. These fields and the neighboring streets are good for day game on students, but you'll do just as well in the cafes or shopping centers. There really isn't a bad place to day game in Germany, because girls are all equally awkward and unprepared when a guy approaches them with interest (deer in headlights effect; German guys stick to clubbing). There's very little room for error with German girls and humor often goes over their heads, best to stick to logistical questions and expand as she picks up on your accent.

In Bonn, again, pretty much anywhere. The Hofgarten, a big field in front of the university building, is solid in the summer while the smaller cafes and bars have good numbers.

Post: #2

Great data sheet and very timely for me - I just booked a ticket to spend a long weekend there on a whim. Since this isn't a heavily touristed part of Germany, what do you think the reaction is toward a short-time visitor? If there's a stigma, is it better to rent an apartment (AirBNB)? Hotels seem to be a pretty good value, to my surprise.

Post: #3

Quote:Great data sheet and very timely for me - I just booked a ticket to spend a long weekend there on a whim. Since this isn't a heavily touristed part of Germany, what do you think the reaction is toward a short-time visitor? If there's a stigma, is it better to rent an apartment (AirBNB)?

You're fine. Remember that Bonn was the former capital of West Germany, so many large enterprises and institutions still have headquarters in the area (UN, Deutsche Telekom, etc.) Both cities are international-friendly and the quality of logistics (transportation, accommodation, pricing) for travelers is superb.

Post: #4

Wish I had something like this when I was driving up to Cologne from the south with a bunch of soldiers in 1977.

+1

Post: #5

Good datasheet - I wasn't able to make it to Cologne when I was in Hamburg several months ago and it was something I wish I could have done. +1.

HSLD

Post: #6

I hit up Koln for a little while back when I was in the Area for Karneval.
But my friends were mostly in Dusseldorf, so I spent most of the Festival there.

I can't really say to much about Koln itself.
But If you are in the area during Karneval, You must go.

A week long costume party where ITs OK to be drunk before noon. and keep drinking till the sun comes up.
And its almost all Germans.

Unlike Oktoberfest.
My whole week, I never ran into a foreigner.

I don't wanna jack this thread ( I'm just tossing in a post on the Festival)
..but a couple years back I posted some data and pictures of Karneval.
Koln is a much better city..Thus Karneval is even better there
Karneval In Dusseldorf

Post: #7

Perfect Timing as I am on my way there now

Post: #8

What are peak pussy dates for Carnival in Cologne? If it doesn't clash with Carnival in Venice next year it sounds worth a visit.

Post: #9

I went to Cologne last June was fantastic weather and so many stunning girls walking down the streets (eyegasm) but it seemed very clique to me at night girls all seemed to be in large groups around tables not much opportunity to open up.

The bars in Cologne seem proper crap to what im used to in the UK not much of a club scene either but i didnt venture out to places like Bonn as mentioned so i guess i missed out.

Post: #10

(02-25-2015 04:56 PM)Blick Mang Wrote:  Our black RVF members will have no problem in the Cologne area, but I've seen Asian friends of mine have some very fucking long winters. White guys with dark hair do well. Hispanic or Middle Eastern / Persian guys (for lack of a better term, "brown") could be a disadvantage unless you immediately separate yourself from the immigrant population through clothing and hair. Like anywhere in Germany, regardless what physique you have, you're going to struggle unless you dress well.

I noticed this here in Wien also. Even though I'm 100% American, I look Persian (a bit like Roosh actually) and it seems to put off girls until I start speaking and they hear my American accent. It seems as if the Turks have ruined Germany/Austria for any guy that looks remotely middle/eastern

Post: #11

Any bars or clubs that I should be going to in a Thursday night in Köln?

Post: #12

Same question for Friday and Saturday nights as well.

Post: #13

(02-25-2015 04:56 PM)Blick Mang Wrote:  

Intro
I lived here for about 2.5 years as both a student in college and working expat. It's one of the hidden gems in Germany, and tourists are usually hard to come by, making foreigner status a huge advantage. The Cologne/Bonn area is more or less one city, with students and professionals traveling back and forth on a daily basis. These two cities make up the "fun" area of Nordrhein-Westfalen, which is otherwise very industrial and grungy (Düsseldorf, Essen, etc.).

I will update the thread later with information on Cologne venues, more to come.

In Bonn, again, pretty much anywhere. The Hofgarten, a big field in front of the university building, is solid in the summer while the smaller cafes and bars have good numbers.

Great data sheet. Having been to Cologne many times, I've realized that you really
have to get outside of the downtown tourist area. It seems exciting with a lot going on,
but the reality is you have to move away from the downtown area to meet girls.

The (attractive) girls only spend a fraction of their time downtown, mainly traveling
enroute to work & studying. If you want to see a lot of crowds/tourists then
downtown is the way to go.

There is a lot of potential in Koln and Bonn, however you'll need to really amp up your
social game and spend a while in the area.

Of course that's pretty much any city....

Post: #14

I just got back from a long weekend in Cologne and think the comments on the thread accurately describe the city. It's pleasant with a good infrastructure (the transit system runs 24hr on the weekends!), 100% English fluency, and no tourists. Being an American represented a huge exotic factor - I only met one other in three days and girls were incredibly excited to talk to someone from NYC.

The bad was that there isn't a whole lot to do once the cultural sites are exhausted and quality was mixed. The comments on social circle were spot on. When I did have opportunity chat up girls, generally by speaking loudly in English at the bar in the most American accent possible, the best looking ones had cockblocking guys hovering over them within seconds. I ran night game and was blown out in the student areas , but had decently long evenings elsewhere clubbing, which was fun and low hassle.

It was a short trip (two nights) and ultimately I took one girl home of dubious quality but who wanted it rough. It's always funny how pillow talk translates: "choke me" became "take my breath away" (hello Top Gun) and I got a few choice words in German when I started fucking her ass, though she thanked me later for it. I don't know if this is representative of German women - she was a biter too, which I don't like (the better part of valor is discretion), but flag captured.

Anyway, weidmannsheil or good hunting to those visiting Cologne next. Thanks to the OP and subsequent posters - useful stuff!

Post: #15

A few thoughts:

Cologne is good when you look exotic. Being black, half asian or brazilian will open you doors! But you should not look like the average refugee at the Moment. Being from Canada is top, too. But looking european is acceptable too.

Daygame is a good choice in Cologne (Area around Rudolfplatz, Schildergasse, Südstadt).

In the City you can see lots of 7+ , so knowing how to open indirect in a grocery store or book store is important.

I live in Cologne. If you have questions just send me a private message.

Post: #16

^^Agreed. I spent a few days in Bonn and got the rockstar treatment. Girls are easier to approach IMO than Berlin (also not hard). If you are a well dressed guy of any race you should do decent here. The center area near the Dom is prime hunting grounds during the winter. Lots of chicks out just wasting time.

-CD

Post: #17

(01-17-2016 03:50 AM)tw67b Wrote:  Cologne is good when you look exotic. Being black, half asian or brazilian will open you doors! But you should not look like the average refugee at the Moment. Being from Canada is top, too. But looking european is acceptable too.

We don't even have a specific look here in Canada. Unless of course you mean the 'Canadian accent'. In which case, I agree. Girls dig it

Post: #18

(01-17-2016 10:13 AM)WeekendCasanova Wrote:  

(01-17-2016 03:50 AM)tw67b Wrote:  Cologne is good when you look exotic. Being black, half asian or brazilian will open you doors! But you should not look like the average refugee at the Moment. Being from Canada is top, too. But looking european is acceptable too.

We don't even have a specific look here in Canada. Unless of course you mean the 'Canadian accent'. In which case, I agree. Girls dig it

yeah i know. but the Country Canada Displays high value.... I think Germans have a good pic of the average canadian in their heads..

Will you visit Cologne again ?

Post: #19

(01-17-2016 10:01 AM)coverdoc Wrote:  ^^Agreed. I spent a few days in Bonn and got the rockstar treatment. Girls are easier to approach IMO than Berlin (also not hard). If you are a well dressed guy of any race you should do decent here. The center area near the Dom is prime hunting grounds during the winter. Lots of chicks out just wasting time.

-CD

So you look more exotic i guess for german Standards? I totally agree...
Will you visit Germany again?

Which oher hunting grounds did you try?

Post: #20

Yeah, but germany is very diverse now so the only way to really stand out IMO is to dress well and have good game/personality.

Just area around the Dom and the Mall. I found Bonn/Koln boring, so only stayed for two days.

-CD

Post: #21

I went to Cologne last weekend and quality seems pretty good. Not astonishing, but good enough. Girls there seem very friendly and receptive. Much more so than in Berlin for example. Places where I went:

Das Ding - a bit on the young side but saw quite some talent.
Subway - better, more quality crowd.

Heard about:
Reineke Fuchs - seems like the go-to place for trendy youth, the line and bad weahter kept me from going in, but seems promising.
Roonburg - similar to Das Ding but supposedly better, maybe somewhat older crowd.
Die Halle

Eating:

Erstandige Vertratung - good German food for a fair price.

Post: #22

I just wrote up a Cologne Data Sheet however from the perspective of a black guy.

/thread-1964-page-99.html

To add to some of things you guys are saying:

Karneval:

I don't care for the atmosphere too much but they are spot on with the sexual freeness.. ALOT of people hookup on Karneval... Lots of reports from my friends here about hooking up and ONS. Tourists are expected to be here and girls are extremely social and approachable... Even though I dont care for it like I said. Ill be out there one or two days putting some work in.

Additional Club and Party:

Theres a club called "Die Halle Tor 2" and once a month they host a party called "Candy Shop" which I think is the best party in Cologne for sheer size and amount of girls... I dare to say the best quality too... You can approach for the entire night and not run out of girls to talk to. I've met some decent girls there. Dress to impress however stylish!

In the summer Aachener Weiher is great for day game... especially during BBQ season. as I said in my link I am not a day game guy but even I have picked up girls on a hot summers day there. Get your grill out there and start cooking and inviting girls over.

I'd say the party scene is ok. Satisfactory if you are visiting for a while. Karneval is high time for pickups... Otherwise Saturday night on the Ring, Zülpicher or Ehrenfeld is a decent time.

On the race topic.... There ARE problems to get into clubs and would be also hard pressed to find a black/african guy with a german girl 8 quality and up. Lower levels are doable as well as the ERAMUS girls as previously stated...

PS: Düsseldorf tends to be fancy not grungy.

Post: #23

I'm heading to Cologne this Thursday and staying until Sunday. Any suggestions for places we should go on these nights?

Post: #24

(02-02-2016 06:54 PM)cheguevara Wrote:  I'm heading to Cologne this Thursday and staying until Sunday. Any suggestions for places we should go on these nights?

See my field report for the entire Cologne data sheet. Go to the clubs I mentioned there and there will be more than enough for you to do.

Post: #25

Thanks for the suggestions, my friend is actually arriving on Friday night but I'm here on Thursday. Anyone want to hang out tomorrow night, I'll be getting the drinks in!