Cologne Travel Guide

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Pro

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  great nightlife and restaurants, lots of good museums, majestic Rhine 


Con

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  If Kölsch is a beer then Zagreb tap water is Champagne 


In a nutshell

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  One of my favourite cities in Germany! 

 

Explore Cologne

Things to Do  

Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom

Cologne Cathedral/ Kölner Dom, Cologne

 246 Reviews  Since the 10th century The cathedral of cologne has been home to many treasures; stored safely in their treasury. These were purpose built rooms, but not open to the public. The first public display was undertaken in 1867! The 21 October 2000, saw the opening of the treasury in converted... 

Old Town

Old Town, Cologne

 43 Reviews  I just loved walking around Old Town Cologne; it's just so beautiful! There are so many colorful buildings, plazas and little streets to wander around and I would keep finding one area or building that I found to be cuter than the last! What I liked most it's not overrun with souvenir shops and/or... 

Rhine/ Rhein

Rhine/ Rhein, Cologne

 38 Reviews  Photos: 1. Boats on the Rhine River 2. Boats and the railroad bridge 3. Barge going under the Deutzer Bridge From Cologne there are plenty of opportunities to take excursion boats on the Rhine River. To avoid misunderstandings, however, I should point out that this is not the really famous part of... 

Imhoff-Stollwerck Chocolate Museum

Imhoff-Stollwerck Chocolate Museum, Cologne

 39 Reviews  &CBThe Imhof Schokoladen museum was opened by Hans Imhof in 1993. It is situated in the quarter of Altstadt - Sud on the Rheinauhafen peninsula. The museum exibits show of the entire history of chocolate, from its beginning with the Olmecs, Maya and Aztecs to the contemporary methods of the... 

4711 House

4711 House, Cologne

 19 Reviews  The 4711 house is where the perfume 4711 started, originally a health drink. A carillon plays at regular times. The number 4711 is the house number from when houses did not have street names in the address. Now you can browse or buy in the shop. 

City Centre Shopping

City Centre Shopping, Cologne

 14 Reviews  There are some nice shops right behind the Cathedral and it continues for some blocks. People just go along on their daily lives, I guess being used to the tourists trying to fit in, or just hanging out and watching the locals go by. 

Town Hall/ Rathaus

Town Hall/ Rathaus, Cologne

 30 Reviews  Cologne's city hall is the oldest functioning building of its kind in Germany. It's certainly one of the most distinctive. The rathaus was built in the 12th century. Its Renaissance arcade loggia was added three centuries later along with the ground rectangular tower. It's very Italianate, and could... 

Museums

Museums, Cologne

 27 Reviews  I was flabbergasted by this museum. The building, the collection, the lay-out, the sounds, - please take time to listen to the noise -, rooms in one word amazing. Visitors become part of the collection, the environment. Most stunning was the Armarium, this dark room with its glass displays on the... 

Römisch-Germanisches Museum

Römisch-Germanisches Museum, Cologne

 36 Reviews  The Roman - Germanic Museum was open in 1975 and is situated right next to the Cathedral. It has large collection of Roman artifacts from the Roman settlement Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, on which today's town is built. Inside the museum is original site of a Roman villa, discovered in 1941.,... 

Zoo and Aquarium

Zoo and Aquarium, Cologne

 11 Reviews  We made a visit to Koln Zoo; it was a pleasant Monday afternoon. The Zoo was not so busy but there was a lot to see and we did have a good time. Lots to see, sadly we spent all the afternoon in the Zoo and did not quite reach the Aquarium. 

City gates and walls

City gates and walls, Cologne

 19 Reviews  According to a (badly written) sign at the tower: "It was the north-western tower of the Roman fortifications. The only tower of the city wall built from 50 A.D. following the elevation of Cologne to a Roman colony, that is almost completely preserved, Elaborate, primarily original preserved... 

Churches

Churches, Cologne

 34 Reviews  St. Maria Himmelfarht (Assumption of Mary Church), the only big Baroque styled church in Cologne was built by Christoph Wamser for the Jesuit order and first completed in 1715. The interior of the church is decorated in Gothic style as appropriate to the Counterreformation. After the Jesuits were... 

Seilbahn (Cable Car)

Seilbahn (Cable Car), Cologne

 9 Reviews  Open from April to October each year - the service begins at 10.00 and continues to 18.00 each evening. It was an excellent experience and although a little windy, the service was comfortable and enjoyable. A great opportunity to take photographs when above the Rhine. Buy a return ticket; and iof... 

Wallraff-Richartz Museum/ Museum Ludwig

Wallraff-Richartz Museum/ Museum Ludwig, Cologne

 20 Reviews  To quote the museum themselves: "The Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud is cologne's oldest museum and one of the foremost picture galleries in Germany." The work on show dates from the 13th Century through to the 20th Century. there are a range of exhibitions held in the facility - thus... 

Bridges of Cologne

Bridges of Cologne, Cologne

 12 Reviews  The three humped Hohenzollern Bridge is one of Cologne's most iconic structures. It must have made an easy target for Allied bombers during World War 2, but despite their repeated attempts to destroy it the bridge remained standing. It was only after the Allied invasion of Germany that German troops... 

Hohenzollern Brücke

Hohenzollern Brücke, Cologne

 13 Reviews  The Hohenzollern Bridge is a rail and pedestrian bridge that crosses the Rhine River. The trains that cross the bridge leave from, or come into, the Cologne Hauptbahnhof (main train station). Pedestrians can access the bridge on one side from near the Cathedral -- and on the other side from near the... 

Food and Drink

Food and Drink, Cologne

 14 Reviews  The Frueh is a very well known local brewery-pub where the local beer "Koelsch" is served to throngs of hot tired weary tourists in summer and the more appreciative locals the rest of the year! It's a good central place to wait for your party to arrive. 

Christmas Markets

Christmas Markets, Cologne

 13 Reviews  Cologne has six Christmas markets, one of the most interesting is the medieval one at the Chocolate Museum. You have to pay an entrance fee, 2 Euro per adult, children smaller than a sword are free.There's someone standing outside with a sword in his hands and takes measure. Since Christmas markets... 

Hotels  

Hotel Domstern

 4 Reviews and 244 Opinions  We stayed at the Hotel Domstern for two nights, based on online reviews. Always a bit hesitant when... 

Excelsior Hotel Ernst

 5 Reviews and 264 Opinions  A member of the Leading Hotels of the World, Excelsior Hotel Ernst offers a modern version of old... 

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Favorites  

Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral)

Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), Cologne

 46 Reviews  Because of the age and size of the Cathedral, it is pretty much under perpetual renovation. At any given time, you will most likely see scaffolding in some sections where renovation work is being performed. So, if you see work being done on the Cathedral while you are there, don't think that you... 

Old Town/Altstadt

Old Town/Altstadt, Cologne

 16 Reviews  The old core of the town, called Altstadt, is undoubtelly the most charming part of the town. It is situated along the bank of the river Rhein and in the close vicinity of the Dom. The Altstadt is characteristic for its network of short and narrow streets, but most of all, for the traditional houses... 

The Place

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The People

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Advice from the Locals
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 Köln - Cathedral City - Cologne (German name: Köln) is one of the biggest cities in Germany and one of the main tourist attractions, mainly because of the famous cathedral (it's the second biggest in Europe) and also because... 

387 members live in Cologne

 

Questions and Answers

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Q:  Can visitors walk through the Cathedral between 11 and 2 when there are no scheduled tours? For self-guided tours: Will the... 

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A: guided tours http://koelner-dom.de/informationen.html?&L=1 opening hours http://koelner-dom.de/oeffnungszeiten.html?&L=1 There are all kind of printed materials. But... 

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Top Cologne Writers

1

Beautiful Cologne

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 Imagine a place where there are leafy parks, its so clean, the locals are friendly, theres fantastic shopping and even better beer! Imagine being able to get up in the morning and having the option... 

2

Koelsh, ja wohl

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 I was in Cologne once before but it was just a short time staying for a dinner, somwhere in the outskirts of the town. It was very good Italian seafood restaurant and I was hoping to find it again but... 

3

Köln am Rhein

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 Cologne proudly introduces itself as Germany's oldest city. Its famous Cathedral still attracts millions of modern pilgrims making it the most visited monument in Germany. Situated at the crossroads... 

4

Roman History, Magnificent Cathedral, and Kölsch

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 The German name for the city is Köln, and the French (and English) name is Cologne. However, the Romans originally knew it by a much longer name: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium in honor of the... 

5

My big neighbour, Cologne (Köln)!

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 Cologne (or Köln as we say) has always been one of my favourite city in Germany - along with Berlin and Hannover maybe! I don't know what it is that makes me so attracted to this place .. the... 

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Travel Editors for Cologne

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