Arrival by car

Germans drive on the right side of the road. Drivers and passengers must wear seatbelts. Compulsory for children are special car seats and appropriate restraints. It is prohibited to use a hand-held mobile phone or similar device when driving.

A network of ten star-shaped motorway axes from all directions leads into a motorway ring that encircles the city – A 1, A 3, A 4, A 57, A 59, A 555, A 559. In addition, Cologne is connected to several major “Bundesstraße” B roads.
We recommend using one of the over 150 Park and Ride facilities with more than 20,000 parking lots all over the town to avoid getting into traffic jams.

Only vehicles bearing a green environmental sticker (Emission Group 4) can enter the Cologne Low Emission Zone. The driving ban applies not only to automobiles lacking a sticker but also to vehicles bearing only a red or yellow environmental sticker. Under certain conditions, the City of Cologne can, upon request, make exceptions for vehicles lacking stickers or bearing only red ones. In addition, cars and trucks bearing yellow stickers can continue to enter the Low Emission Zone if the vehicles in question were registered in the name of their current owners before 1 January 2008 and they demonstrably cannot be retrofitted to make them eligible for the green environmental sticker. Additional requirements do not have to be met, and no special exceptions have to be granted.

Alternatively, you can park your car at one of the P+R parking lots in Cologne and comfortably travel downtown on a bus, train or tram.

Further information: www.stadt-koeln.de (only in German)