Away from the traditional taverns of Gross St Martin in the Altstadt, nightlife is concentrated along the ring road. The Belgian Quarter, Belgisches Viertel, is the best of the bar hubs. The 6 Pack (33 Aachener Strasse, 254 587) might just be the best bar in town. Also on Aachener Strasse, Tausend (No.57, no phone) is good, as is M20 on Maastrichtstrasse (No.20, 519 666). The Quartier Lateng, or Latin Quarter, is set around Zülpicher Strasse, which is lined with bars. A new, and good, one is Radio One (no phone) at No.15 – it’s retro and minimal, with Richard Rowntree pictures. The Latin Quarter mingles with the less studenty Südstadt, or St Severin quarter, near Ubierring. The Ubier Schänke (Ubierring 19, 321 382, www.ubierschaenke-koeln.de) is bohemian and the Fiffi Bar (Rolandstrasse 99, 340 6211, www.fiffibar.de) has a good mix of people, despite the dog theme.

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