Get ready for Gay Games

With this year’s Cologne Gay Games a little over three months away, now’s the time for those making the trip to Germany to organise their travel plans, if they haven’t already.
If you have frequent flyer miles, you should contact your airline and reserve your seats quickly. If your sports team is planning to book discounted group tickets, you need to contact the airlines directly for discounts.
Cologne has many flight and train options, with an international airport and rail links to the rest of Germany (meaning a relaxing European holiday after Cologne is a relatively inexpensive possibility).
Flying from Australia to Frankfurt, around 100km away from Cologne, is also an excellent option as a train leaves the airport travelling directly to Cologne’s city centre. You can check your bags through via train and not go through customs in Frankfurt. This may be quicker than a flight that connects in another city in Europe. It can also save on travel costs.
The Cologne Gay Games have set up a hotel partnership to ensure there are plenty of rooms on offer during the Games at all prices and ratings. Via the Hotel Reservations System on the Games Cologne website, you can preview the accommodation and book your hotel. A small amount of the booking fee even goes towards supporting Cologne Gay Games.
Cologne will also have limited hosted housing and will assist people in travel and room share — but get in quick. The details are on the Cologne Gay Games website.
Those who register for the Games will be given a transit pass good for the S-Bahn (street train) and for the U-Bahn (underground train) for the week of the Gay Games. The trains are very convenient and the train from the airport is fast and inexpensive — there is no need to take a taxi from the airport.
Taxis around town are good for late-night returns to your hotel, but you can walk, or take an S-Bahn for free. Cologne is virtually flat, so walking is a great way to explore the city and won’t sap your energy before competing.
Remember to do the obvious well ahead of time: set your travel dates, notify your employer and ensure you can take the time off, check your passport and renew it if needed, book your flights and reserve your accommodation.

info: Visit www.games-cologne.de