I am hoping to travel to Cologne at the end of April,can anyone recommend an economic local gasthoff,within a sensible bus journey to the city centre.No frills,family run ? Fed up with multi-national city centre boxes.Thanks in anticipation.
Don't be put off by the word 'hostel' in that URL. Simply click 'Additional search options' and select both 'Guesthouses' and 'Budget hotels'. A quick glance at that site (including reading the reviews) show several hotels which might meet your needs.