Tell us about your move
Where you are moving from and to, when, and roughly what is coming with you. It takes about two minutes, it costs nothing, and you are not committed to anything at the end of it.
In Cologne a lot hangs on carnival and the start of term: in both weeks the good companies are booked out well in advance, and asking a fortnight ahead means paying the premium. Comparing early costs nothing and saves exactly that.
Cologne is tightly built and full of life on both banks of the Rhine, and you notice both when you move. In the Südstadt, Ehrenfeld, Nippes or the Belgian Quarter, old buildings line narrow streets where a van can hardly stand double-parked for two minutes without a horn sounding. The flats are often on the third or fourth floor, and a lift is rare. In Chorweiler, Porz or Weiden the approach is easier, but the way into the centre is longer.
The Rhine divides the city, and the bridges are its bottleneck. Anyone moving between Deutz, Mülheim or Kalk and the left bank should not estimate the driving time by kilometres. Roadworks and closures on the Rhine bridges have been part of daily life for years; a company that knows the city plans the route and the time of day around them.
For a move within Cologne you should generally expect around 500 to 1,500 euros. A room in a shared flat or a small flat is at the lower end, a larger flat over several floors with dismantling and assembly at the upper end. These are guide values, not fixed prices.
What the price depends on:
How to describe your belongings so that the quotes are right is covered in How to fill in a moving request properly.
In the inner-city neighbourhoods a no-parking zone is close to compulsory. It is applied for at the City of Cologne; the road traffic authority is responsible. Allow about two weeks, because the signs have to be in place some days beforehand. Many moving companies handle the application and the signs for a surcharge.
Large parts of the city lie in the low-emission zone. Vehicles need a green sticker there, which goes without saying for a moving company and is worth a look on a borrowed van.
Between Weiberfastnacht and Ash Wednesday nobody likes moving in Cologne: streets are closed, helpers are celebrating, and many firms are not working at all. The start of the university term in April and October is in heavy demand too. Outside those weeks, and away from the end of the month, you have the widest choice. Comparing several quotes is worth it in any case.
Where you are moving from and to, when, and roughly what is coming with you. It takes about two minutes, it costs nothing, and you are not committed to anything at the end of it.
Every request is read by a person before it goes anywhere. It then reaches the companies whose service area covers your pick-up address — you do not have to find them or ring round.
Each one arrives by email with a link to your own page. Compare the prices, read what each company says it includes, and ask them anything before you decide.