Restaurant in Bonn offering homemade burgers including cucumbers or sauces.Read more
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TimetableBars and cafés in Cologne, Düsseldorf and Bonn are open every day of the week. Cafés usually open early in the morning to allow you to enjoy a"Frühstück" (breakfast), while some bars considered more nocturnal generally open around 5-6pm. Bars close late (around 1 or 2 a.m. on average), while cafés draw their curtains at around 7 or 8 p.m., just as your footsteps will take you into these very bars. There are a few "happy hour" establishments, but not many. Germans go to bars and cafés at all hours.
Budget & TipsIn cafés where you sit down to enjoy a hot drink, prices are generally low, although surcharges may apply for plant-based milks, for example. Juices and soft drinks are often served by the glass, and you'll be asked for the size of glass you want. The same applies to beer, although this is specified on the menu. Cafés are a good option for a low-cost lunch, as they often offer small dishes and sandwiches at any time of day. Here too, as in a restaurant, the waitress or waiter will listen attentively if you leave a tip at checkout time. Beer lovers will notice that it's cheaper in Germany than in France.
Age restrictionsLegislation on alcohol consumption differs slightly in Germany. From the age of 16, beer and wine may be consumed and you can go to a bar without any problems, with a curfew generally set at 10pm. It's not until you're 18 that you can drink "strong" spirits and enjoy the atmosphere of a bar all night long. It's not uncommon to come across groups of young people whom our French minds would consider "very young". The mores are different, and partying is safe from adolescence onwards.
What's very localThere's no similar principle to the Italian aperitif or the French apéro among our German friends. The fact that dinnertime comes earlier makes this idea obsolete. Instead, beer can be enjoyed at any time of day, even while walking down the street or sitting in a park. Until late at night, of course. In the traditional breweries of Cologne and Düsseldorf, the waiter will bring you a new glass of beer as long as you haven't placed the establishment's coaster on your glass, signifying that you've had enough.
KidsDaytime cafés are very welcoming for parents accompanied by their children. Children are a full-fledged part of German society, and are seen as people to whom we offer a good time, whether in a stroller or on their own. Some cafés have play areas for our little ones. As far as evening bars are concerned, it's up to parents to decide, but in the early evening on sunny days, it's not uncommon to see children playing around parents enjoying a drink on the terrace.
SmokersUnlike some Länder which tolerate smoking bars, North Rhine-Westphalia is very strict on this point: smoking is totally banned in enclosed spaces, whether bars, cafés or discotheques. On the other hand, it will be possible to smoke on terraces.