A beautiful historic building, this luxury hotel offers magnificent views of the cathedral and is steps away from the bustling city centre. Enjoy a delicious breakfast buffet, tea time, and a 7-course dining experience, all while receiving attentive and friendly service.
Located in Old Town Cologne, a neighbourhood in Cologne, Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom is near a metro station. Cologne Cathedral and St Gereon's Basilica are local landmarks, and some of the area's activities can be experienced at Cologne Cable Car and Rheinau Harbour. Travelling with kids? Make time for Phantasialand, or head to an event or a match at LANXESS Arena. Take the opportunity to explore the area for outdoor excitement like hiking/biking trails. Visit our Cologne travel guide
Trankgasse 1-5 / Domplatz, Cologne, NW, 50667
What's nearby
Cologne Cathedral
1 min walk - 0.1 km
Musical Dome
5 min walk - 0.4 km
Old Market
6 min walk - 0.5 km
City Hall
7 min walk - 0.7 km
Hay Market
9 min walk - 0.8 km
Getting around
Cologne (QKL-Cologne Central Train Station)
2 min walk
Appellhofplatz Breite Strasse U-Bahn
5 min walk
Cologne - Bonn Airport (CGN)
23 min drive
Restaurants
Café Reichard
1 min walk
McDonald's
3 min walk
Haferkater
4 min walk
Starbucks
4 min walk
McDonald's
1 min walk
About this property
Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom
Luxury family-friendly hotel in the business district
A short walk from Cologne Cathedral, Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom provides a terrace, shopping on-site and dry cleaning/laundry services. For some rest and relaxation, visit the sauna or the steam room. At the two on-site restaurants, enjoy lunch, dinner, children's meals and a Michelin star rated meal. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi, and guests can find other amenities, such as a bar and a gym.
Other perks include:
Limo/town car service, buffet breakfast (surcharge) and valet parking (surcharge)
Express check-out, express check-in and supervised childcare (surcharge)
A ballroom, multilingual staff and a banquet hall
Guest reviews say great things about the helpful staff
Room features
All 133 individually furnished rooms feature comforts, such as 24-hour room service and premium bedding, as well as thoughtful touches, such as pillow menus and laptop-compatible safes.
Other conveniences in all rooms include:
Childcare services and free infant beds
Bathrooms with free toiletries and hairdryers
Flat-screen TVs with satellite channels
Separate sitting areas, tablet computers and daily housekeeping
Awards and affiliations
Eco-certified property
This property is certified by this third-party sustainability certification scheme: Green Globe. For more information on what this certification requires and verifies, please visit their website.
The property is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.
Yes, pets are allowed at this property. There's a fee of EUR 55 per pet, per night. Service animals are exempt from fees.
How much does it cost to stay at Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom?
As of 11 Nov 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom on 13 Nov 2026 start from HK$2,706, excluding taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
How much is parking at Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom?
Self-parking is available for EUR 35 per day. Valet parking is available for EUR 35 per day.
What time is check-in at Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom?
Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; check-in end time: 5:30 AM.
What time is check-out at Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom?
Checkout is at noon. Late checkout is available for a fee (subject to availability).
Does Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom provide a shuttle to the airport?
Yes, there's an airport shuttle that runs on request. A fee of EUR 65.00 per vehicle applies.
Where is Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom located?
This family-friendly Cologne hotel is located in the historical district, just steps away from Hohe Strasse and Cologne Cathedral. LANXESS Arena is 1.3 mi (2 km) away. Cologne (QKL-Cologne Central Train Station) is only a 2-minute walk and Appellhofplatz Breite Strasse U-Bahn is 5 minutes.
Can I cancel my reservation for free and receive a full refund?
Yes, this property offers free cancellation on selected room rates because flexibility matters! Please refer to the property cancellation policy on our site for more details about any exclusions or requirements.
Have a question?
AI iconBetaBeta
Get instant answers with AI powered search of property information and reviews.
Reviews
Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom Reviews
9.6
Exceptional
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.More informationOpens in a new window
Wonderfully convenient to the main train station and the Dom. The hotel is lovely and staff were wonderful. Breakfast was a highlight, both the menu offerings and buffet. Would most definitely return!
This historic property was as spectacular to see as it was an impressive and comfortable stay.
The staff was very professional and courteous. Conveniently located steps from train station and Cologne Cathedral. Highly recommended!
Our stay at the Excelsior Hotel Ernst am Dom was amazing, and not long enough! The room was absolutely beautiful with plenty of space, and the staff was so welcoming and friendly! It's an excellent location right around the corner from the train station and the Dom and shopping! This will always be our go to hotel when visiting Cologne!
Elegant, a bit pricey, but worth every penny. Location is phenomenal - 2 minute walk from the train station and directly across the street from the awesome Gothic masterpiece Koln Cathedral.
This is a beautiful hotel that dates back decades but feels very modern in style and amenities. It appears in a novel by Graham Greene.
I’ve stayed in many high end hotels, but never one with a staff at once so friendly, professional, and helpful. I can’t recommend this hotel enough.
It also is perfectly situated next to the Cathedral and museums and near the Rhine and in a vibrant dining and shopping quarter. Stop looking at other hotels in town and see if they’re available!
It’s a beautiful hotel right in the center of the city. I was just passing through, on the way to Austria, so I only stayed for one night. I would have liked to stayed for longer. Maybe next time.
The staff were very polite and helpful. Buffet breakfast was quite nice. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone.
Charming, elegant, comfortable hotel. Some rooms are modern while others are a bit dated but all comfortable. The first room I checked into was modern but had an issue with the AC so I was moved to a larger, older room. The staff was responsive and solved the issue promptly. Great location. Would stay again.
Expensive but marvelous breakfast, served in a lovely room and staffed with attentive staff. Ideally located 2 minutes from the train station and immediately across from Cologne Cathedral. 5-star property and service.
room was spotless it was very spacious very comfortable bed the hotel was very close to all tourist hot spots within a few mins walk great food options the staff were excellent polite precise and very helpful
The staff was friendly and attentive. We frequented the bar several times and the drinks and food were excellent. The hotel is renovating the kitchen which was under our room. The work awakened us at 7:30 each morning which was startling. I wrote to the manager who wrote a nice note of apology and gave us an afternoon treat and two drink vouchers. Is it weren't for the construction noise, the stay woukd have been excellent.
Best location. Friendly and well trained staff, generous service & amenities.
Special compliments to Front Office, Housekeeping and senior doorman. Room is very spacious, bright, comfortable and super clean.
We absolutely loved this hotel stay! Staff was wonderful. They treated our son like a prince! Close to train station, cathedral, shopping, and dining. Will stay here again for sure!
### Beautiful Hotel, Excellent Service, but Breakfast Was Disappointing
We stayed at the Excelsior Hotel Ernst during our visit to Cologne in October 2026 and overall had a very enjoyable stay.
From the moment we arrived, the hotel felt like a true five-star property. The staff were extremely professional and attentive, and the level of service throughout our stay was excellent.
Our room was spacious, luxurious and spotless. The location is also hard to beat, right beside Cologne Cathedral and within easy walking distance of everything we wanted to see.
The one disappointment was breakfast. For a hotel of this standard, we expected much better. When we arrived for breakfast, the hostess didn't fully explain how everything worked, which made the experience a little confusing. The service was also not particularly attentive, and the selection and food quality were below what we would expect from a five-star hotel, especially given the price. To their credit, they did a great job accommodating my wife's celiac disease, which we really appreciated.
Overall, this is a beautiful hotel with exceptional service and an unbeatable location. It's certainly not inexpensive, but we felt the quality of the accommodations and service justified the price. Unfortunately, breakfast really let the experience down and was the main reason we couldn't give it five stars.
Would we stay again? Possibly, although we'd probably look at other breakfast options next time.