There’s themed hotels, and then there’s Hotel Charles Lindbergh.
Located on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany, this incredible steampunk hotel offers an immersive experience like no other, with next-level attention to detail and a setting that genuinely feels like you’re stepping into another world.
Not only has it won the award for Europe’s Best Theme Park Hotel multiple times running, it’s also located inside Phantasialand, with the thrilling F.L.Y. launch coaster closely weaving and wrapping itself directly around the hotel.
If you’re curious about what it’s really like to stay here – along with all the perks that come with it, like delicious 3-course dinners and exclusive fast passes, then keep reading.
Hotel Charles Lindbergh at a Glance 👀
- Voted Europe’s Best Theme Park Hotel
- 3-course dinner and breakfast included
- Exclusive fast passes for F.L.Y launch coaster
- Separate entry access to Phantasialand
- Sleep inside an aeronaut cabin!
In this article...
Exterior of The Hotel
We surprised the boys with a winter break to Cologne at Twixmas (those cosy days between Christmas and New Year when nobody knows what day it is) where we first spent one night at this hotel in Cologne to explore the city, before heading over to Hotel Charles Lindbergh the following day. Their excitement began the moment they set eyes on the themed exterior, with its rusty metal walls and protruding maze of pipes that create the impressive steampunk styling. Not only did the exterior of Hotel Charles Lindbergh look magnificent, it also kept another – rather unique surprise completely under wraps!
After buzzing through to reception, we walked through the huge industrial doors into the most impressive entrance space, thats designed to look like a conveyor belt stacked with vintage leather suitcases, each one topped with festive presents.
Then it happened. They heard screaming, and felt the rumble of something flying past above their heads super fast!
A peek through the metal grating and they quickly discovered that our hotel had its own rollercoaster entwined with it. At ages 10 and 11, you can imagine the excitement. And when we told them it wasn’t just one rollercoaster, but an entire theme park… and that we were staying inside it? Well, they lost their minds!
Theming of Hotel Charles Lindbergh
Hotel Charles Lindbergh opened in 2020 and still feels wonderfully fresh, tucked inside the steampunk district of Phantasialand called Rookburgh.
The hotel is named after Charles Lindbergh, the American aviator who completed the first solo transatlantic flight in 1927. Every single detail, both inside and out, reflects this aviation and industrial theme beautifully. The theming is so immersive and consistent throughout that it has won ‘Europes Best Theme Park Hotel’ 5 years in a row, and it’s easy to see why.
If you love dark, industrial, steampunk aesthetics, then you will absolutely love staying at Hotel Charles Lindbergh because they have gone all out!
Reception Area
Reception is just as impressive, with the red brick walls and curved glass ticket booths full of retro industrial details. There’s plenty of comfortable seating in here too, so the boys settled in watching the rollercoaster rush overhead while James and I checked in with the friendly receptionist.
During the check-in process, we also booked our breakfast and dinner timeslots for the next few days, as both were included with our hotel package. And trust me, the food was so good that it deserves its own section – i’ll get to that later!
Once checked in, we were given our:
- Room key cards
- Explorer packs
- Park entry tickets
- Exclusive F.L.Y. fast passes
The fast passes ended up being an incredible perk of staying at Hotel Charles Lindbergh, as that ride is super popular!
How Big Are The Aeronaut Rooms?
Let’s be honest – the rooms are tiny. Really tiny.
If you’re expecting lots of space and storage, then you will be disappointed – theres no denying that. But what they lack in space, they more than make up for in creativity and theming.
It’s a balancing act, but for a few nights, I think it’s absolutely worth sacrificing space for such a unique experience and memorable stay. Any longer, and the tiny footprint might start to feel a little restrictive and tedious (but then how many days do you want at a theme park? I think 2-3 is enough to cover Phantasialand)
Although small, the rooms are well designed and great fun to stay in.
Access to The Cabins
Cabins are accessed via external walkways and bridges, almost like a motel layout which is fun.
We were lucky enough to be on Level 3, which was the top floor of our part and it gave us an amazing view of F.L.Y. through our circular spoke window. Or you can simply step outside and watch it zoom past from the balcony walkway.
Don’t worry If your room isn’t on a high level, there’s also a viewing platform you can access for the same vantage point.
Staying Inside The Aeronaut Cabin at Hotel Charles Lindbergh
Each cosy aeronaut cabin has a single bed flanked either side of the arched cabin. I can’t remember the last time I slept in a single bed, so that did feel a little strange – but the beds were comfortable.
There was a small reading light beside each bed, along with an EU plug socket. If you’re bringing lots of tech that’ll need charging, you’ll probably want to bring an EU-adapter that has extra built in USB or USC slots. I always pack this travel adapter and this collapsable phone and apple watch charging stand, as both are brilliant when travelling.
One side of the cabin has a small tv which can be adjusted thanks to it’s movable arm, and theres a switch for the main light at either end of the room – it’s not the brightest, but it suits the moody theming perfectly.
Hidden behind a sliding pocket door you’ll find a fairly compact but perfectly functional shower-room, which houses a walk in shower and prison-esque stainless steel toilet and basin. Shower gel is provided (it’s the hotels own signature blend) and a hairdryer is hung up in here too.
Storage and Space
As far as storage goes, you’ll want to pack fairly light as there isn’t a huge amount of space to unpack. Myself and my youngest son shared a medium sized suitcase, and managed to unpack in a haphazard sort of way.
I kept everything organised inside my packing cubes, and popped some under the bed drawers, stacking the rest inside the small half height hatch-style wardrobe. Coats were hung from the hooks and the remaining bits and bobs like books, make-up and winter accessories we placed along the shelves that ran beside each bed. Then to stow the suitcase out of the way, I pushed it in the cubby beside the stool.
Although these cabins are small, you can tell thought has been put into making them as practical as possible for a short break away.
Interconnecting Cabins for Families
All the rooms at Hotel Charles Lindbergh are 2-person aeronaut cabins. If you’re travelling as a family, like us, you can put a request in for an interconnecting cabin (I left the hotel a note after booking the two rooms on their website)
After checking in, we were pleased to see our room-keys were for neighbouring cabins, but we didn’t yet know if our cabin was interconnecting or not.
Once inside, we spotted a studded door adjoining the two rooms, which was nicely labelled as an airlock door! We tried to open it and then quicky realised it was locked, but we were too eager to get into the park to worry about it for now. Later that night we asked a member of staff in reception if they could be unlocked, which they came and did right away.
Opening the two cabins up, made them feel far more spacious and we could also talk to each other easier than having to go outside and knock on each others doors.
We personally found this set up perfect, and it worked really well as a family of four. Plus it was handy having two showers and toilets!
Is It Noisy Sleeping Inside The Theme Park?
Being so close to the rollercoaster, you might be wondering if its super noisy inside the cabins? Well, when we visited in December the theme-park didn’t open until 11am, which meant test launches didn’t really start until 10-10:30am so we were never woken up to the sound of a rollercoaster zooming around. As for the evenings and getting to sleep, last entry to the queue line was 8pm, so by 8:30-9pm latest the ride had done it’s final round.
If you have young children who go to bed before 8:30-9pm then you would have a bit of screaming and shuddering until the final ride is over.
We personally had no issues with the rollercoaster keeping us up. However, if you’re a sensitive sleeper, or detest listening to your life tick away with the sound of a ticking clock, then you’ll want to pack some ear plugs! Thankfully I did, as the clock above the bed can’t be removed of muted, and in the stillness of he night my ears seemed to tune into it, and it became irritatingly loud.
Another thing worth knowing, is they start playing the theme tune in the park around 8am, which you can hear through your cabin! It’s nothing offensive, but it does get a little repetitive!
Location of Hotel Charles Lindbergh
Hotel Charles Lindbergh is around a 25 minute drive from Cologne Bonn airport, which cost us €66 (around £57) in an Uber – this was on New Years Eve so I’m not sure if that made this more expensive than usual?
The hotel itself is situated within Phantasialand, but it has it’s own entrance so you don’t need to queue up at the main entrance to get into it. Meaning you get to avoid the queues!
Hotel Charles Lindberg address: Berggeiststraße 31-41, 50321 Brühl
Eating and Drinking at Uhrwerk Restaurant & 1919 Bar
Hotel Charles Lindbergh has it’s own bar and restaurant, the latter of which we were able to enjoy for breakfast and dinner as part of our hotel stay.
The hotels restaurant – Uhrwerk, is located down in the basement of the hotel, which you can take the stairs or lift down to. Alternatively, it can be accessed directly from inside the Rookberg area of the theme park.
Spread across two levels, this steampunk themed restaurant has wooden tables with funky metal seats (like something off an old tractor) which swing out on movable arms. Coats can be hung from dangling chains and meat hooks along the back wall, and you can watch the chefs cooking away through the open kitchen window.
You have to prebook your breakfast and dinner spots at reception, and although not included, you can also book a reservation for lunch. We didn’t as we just grabbed a little snack inside Phantasialand. After all, there’s only so much you want to eat when you’re being thrown upside down on rollercoasters all day long!
As for the 1919 bar, they had a great selection of drinks, spirits and cocktails (I don’t think there were any hot drink options) Along with plenty of comfortable seating and a pool table.
Breakfast at Hotel Charles Lindbergh
Breakfast is a delicious continental buffet offering items such as fresh pastries, pancakes, french toast, fruit, and yoghurt. Along with enamel cups filled with scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, sausage and soldier of toast. It was like a mini fry-up served inside a convenient cup.
There were also cold cuts of meat and cheese, along with juices, bottled water and a hot drink machines to help yourself to. As there’s no kettle in the room, I couldn’t wait for a cup of tea at breakfast! Very British, I know.
You’re given a wooden serving board as a plate, and once shown to your table you can just go and help yourself to whatever you fancy. We all found something that we liked and everyone had happy bellies ready for a day of fun inside Phantasialand.
3 Course Dinner at The Uhrwerk Restaurant
As for your complimentary 3-course dinner, you’ll be given a QR code to scan which will bring up the menu in your chosen language. From there you can take a look through and can pick from a selection of starters, mains and desserts.
You’ll be asked to say all 3 choices together, so don’t skip looking at the dessert menu – I recommend the nougat cake.
All the food was freshly cooked and bursting with flavour. Thankfully the service was pretty quick too, which is great when it’s 9pm and you have two tired children who are now rather exhausted from a day full of adrenaline!
James and Jude loved The Captain burger (A steak burger with chunky slices of steak inside) and the Golden Fritz Cabin Crew (two different mini burgers served with a bowl of loaded fries) whilst myself and Jasper really enjoyed The Navigator (a chicken breast burger) and the Maverick pasta (garlic, tomato goodness with some chorizo). Jasper had the children’s options, which appeared to be the same size, they just missed out some of the, maybe slightly more grown-up ingredients.
It was so nice knowing we had a delicious meal waiting for us each night after a busy day inside the theme park, and every meal was faultless. The food was honestly so good.
Perks of Staying at Hotel Charles Lindbergh
There’s quite a lot of perks of staying at Hotel Charles Lindbergh, so lets break them down.
- 1 – Your within Phantasialand theme park! This means you don’t have to queue up with everyone else at the main gate in the morning. Instead you can go through a different entrance!
- 2 – You can easily take a rest, change your clothes (if you get soaked on one of the water rides) or drop stuff off at your room during the day.
- 3 – Your hotel stay includes park admission for every day. We stayed 2 nights which gave us 3 days park admission!
- 4 – Daily Breakfast and 3-course dinner is included within your stay – and its delicious freshly cooked food.
- 5 – You get exclusive fast pass tickets for F.L.Y – one of the most popular rides at Phantasialand. Each person staying gets one fast pass per day (or however you wish to use them, you can use all 3 in one day if you wanted) so we each had 3 passes!
- 6 – You’ll have access to the hotels observation deck which gives you an amazing view above F.L.Y!
Phantasialand
I’ve wrote a separate article all about Phantasialand as there’s so much to cover – you can read that here! But all I’ll say for now is – this park is incredible! The theming througout is beyond immersive, the park is compact which makes it easy to navigate and its packed full of brilliant thrill rides. We all loved Phantasialand and would love to return again in the spring or summer. If you’ve got kids who love rollercoasters, this is a brilliant theme park to bring them to.
Useful Information About Hotel Charles Lindbergh
Room Types: Twin aeronaut cabins
Star Rating: Doesn’t have a traditional star rating
Number of Rooms: 109
Distance From Airport: 33km
Website: Hotel Charles Lindbergh
Address: Berggeiststraße 31-41, 50321 Brühl
Phone Number: +49 2232 36600
Check In Time: 3:30pm
Check Out Time: 11:00am
Reception: 24 Hours
Final Thoughts
Staying at Hotel Charles Lindbergh was far more than just a hotel stay, it was a fully immersive experience from start to finish. From the moment we stepped inside to sleeping in our aeronaut cabins, enjoying delicious three-course dinners, and having the ultimate perk of being right inside Phantasialand, every part of our stay felt special and memorable. While the rooms are compact, the incredible theming, thoughtful design and unbeatable location more than make up for it. As a family, we absolutely loved our time here and wouldn’t hesitate to stay again or try out one of the other themed hotels at Phantasialand.
If you’re looking for a unique, fun and truly unforgettable themed hotel experience in Europe, Hotel Charles Lindbergh should be right at the top of your list.
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