The Lanxess Arena in Cologne-Deutz is Germany’s largest indoor arena, with up to 20,000 seats for concerts, the Kölner Haie ice hockey, handball finals and shows almost every night of the year. Getting in is quick if you know the rules and slow if you don’t: bags larger than A4 are not allowed, the arena’s own cloakroom (Garderobe) is paid and queues for 30–45 minutes before and after big shows, and bag drop-off is compulsory for anything oversized. This guide covers the bag rule, the cloakroom, prohibited items, when doors open, how to get there by KVB tram and from the Hauptbahnhof, parking at P1–P4, and the 24-hour luggage storage five minutes away that skips the queue.
Arriving with a backpack? Store your bags five minutes from the arena at a 24-hour partner and skip the Garderobe queue.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Address | Willy-Brandt-Platz 3, 50679 Köln (Deutz) |
| Capacity | Up to 20,000, Germany’s largest arena; about 18,500 for ice hockey |
| Bag limit | No bags larger than A4 (21 x 30 cm); backpacks refused |
| Cloakroom | Paid Garderobe for jackets and oversized bags; long queues at big events |
| Doors (Einlass) | Usually 90 minutes before concerts, 60 before sport |
| Tram | KVB lines 1, 3, 4, 9 to Bf Deutz / LANXESS arena, right outside |
| Train | Köln Messe/Deutz (S-Bahn, regional, some ICE), 5 min walk; Hauptbahnhof 15 min walk over the Hohenzollern Bridge |
| Parking | Multi-storey P1–P4, pre-booking recommended; P1 is slowest to exit |
| Seating plan | Lower tier (Unterrang), upper tier (Oberrang) and floor (Innenraum); the interactive seating plan is on official website |
Lanxess Arena Bag Rules
- A4 or smaller. Handbags, cross-body bags and small drawstring bags up to about 21 x 30 cm go in after a search at the entrance. Clear bags speed things up.
- Backpacks, laptop bags, shopping bags and luggage are not admitted into the hall. At large events bag drop-off at the Garderobe is compulsory for anything over the limit.
- Promoters can go stricter. Some touring artists impose a no-bag or clear-bag-only rule for the floor; the event page on the arena’s site and your ticket email say which applies.
- ID checks apply at personalised-ticket events; keep your ticket on your phone until you’ve left.
The Garderobe: what to expect
The arena runs cloakrooms on the concourse for coats and oversized bags, charged per item. On a sold-out concert night the queue to drop a bag can take 30–45 minutes, and the queue to collect it afterwards is worse, with 20,000 people leaving at once. Items are stored at your own risk. If you’re carrying anything bigger than a handbag, dropping it off before you cross to Deutz is faster and cheaper than the cloakroom, and you walk straight out at the end.
Prohibited Items at the Lanxess Arena
| Category | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Bags | Anything over A4, backpacks, luggage, hard cases |
| Drinks and food | Bottles, cans, glass, flasks, outside food and alcohol |
| Tech | Professional cameras with interchangeable lenses, video cameras, selfie sticks, tablets at many concerts, laser pointers |
| Display and noise | Large flags and banners, poles, air horns, vuvuzelas |
| Misc. | Umbrellas (to the cloakroom), helmets, scooters, pepper spray, pyrotechnics, weapons, drugs |
The arena is cashless; food, drink and the cloakroom are card-only. Drinks inside are served without caps.
How to Get to the Lanxess Arena
| From | Route | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Köln Hauptbahnhof | Walk across the Hohenzollern Bridge to Deutz, or S-Bahn one stop to Köln Messe/Deutz | 15 min walk, 5 min train + 5 min walk |
| Neumarkt / city centre | KVB tram 1 or 9 to Bf Deutz / LANXESS arena | About 10 min |
| Köln Messe/Deutz station | Walk via Deutzer Freiheit | 5 min |
| Cologne Bonn Airport | S19 to Köln Messe/Deutz | About 15 min |
| Düsseldorf | Regional or ICE to Köln Messe/Deutz | 25–40 min |
Your event ticket is normally valid as a VRS public transport ticket on the day (check the small print). After the show, the tram stop outside is a scrum; walking over the bridge to the Hauptbahnhof takes 15 minutes and is usually faster than waiting for a tram with space.
Parking (P1–P4)
The arena’s multi-storey car parks P1–P4 can be pre-booked through the arena’s parking partner and sell out for big shows. Regulars avoid P1 because it takes the longest to empty after an event; P3 and P4 or the Messe car parks across the road clear faster. Street parking in Deutz is residents-only on event evenings. If you’re coming from outside Cologne, parking at a park-and-ride on the KVB network and taking the tram in is the stress-free option.
Luggage Storage Near the Lanxess Arena
Deutz is Cologne’s second station, so a lot of arena visitors arrive by train or from the airport with luggage and leave straight after the show. With backpacks refused, a 45-minute cloakroom queue and the Hauptbahnhof lockers full on event nights, storing bags before you enter is the smart move.
Radical Storage has three 24-hour partner locations within 12 minutes of the arena, plus more around Köln Messe/Deutz, the Hauptbahnhof and the Dom. Book online in a minute, pay a flat rate per bag with no size or weight limits, drop your luggage and collect it whenever the show ends. Every bag is protected up to €10,000, cancellation is free and travellers rate the service 4.8/5.
- Luggage storage next to the arena, 24 hours, five minutes away.
- Luggage storage at Köln Messe/Deutz for S-Bahn and airport arrivals.
- Luggage storage near Köln Hauptbahnhof and the Cathedral.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Only bags up to A4 size (about 21 x 30 cm) are admitted after a search. Backpacks, laptop bags and luggage must go to the paid cloakroom, which queues for 30–45 minutes at big events, or be stored outside the arena beforehand.
Yes, paid cloakrooms on the concourse take coats and oversized bags, card payment only, at your own risk. Expect long queues to drop and collect items at sold-out shows. Radical Storage’s 24-hour partners five minutes away are the faster alternative.
Walk 15 minutes across the Hohenzollern Bridge into Deutz, or take any S-Bahn one stop to Köln Messe/Deutz and walk five minutes. KVB trams 1, 3, 4 and 9 stop at Bf Deutz / LANXESS arena right outside.
Up to 20,000 for concerts, making it the largest indoor arena in Germany, and about 18,500 for Kölner Haie ice hockey. The seating plan has a lower tier, upper tier and floor (Innenraum).
Pre-book the arena car parks P1–P4; they sell out for big shows. P1 is the slowest to exit afterwards, so regulars prefer P3, P4 or the Messe car parks. Street parking in Deutz is residents-only on event evenings; park-and-ride plus tram is the easy option.
Usually 90 minutes before a concert and about 60 minutes before sport, but it varies by promoter; the exact Einlass time is on your ticket and the event page. Arrive early for bag checks and ID checks at personalised-ticket events.
Radical Storage has three 24-hour partner locations within 12 minutes of the arena, plus more at Köln Messe/Deutz and the Hauptbahnhof. Book online, drop your bags at a verified local business and collect them whenever the show ends, with protection of up to €10,000 per bag.
