It's hard to talk about Cologne without mentioning the cathedral, the Rhine or the carnival - this trio alone could be used to describe the city's mindset. But there's much more here: Museum Ludwig, Roman-Germanic Museum and, and, and ...

By train to Cologne: Plan arrival

Who knows that Cologne has the most galleries in Germany, even more than Berlin? That the "art market" was invented here, from which the renowned ART COLOGNE emerged - and that there are two more art fairs in Cologne, Cologne Fine Art and Art.Fair 21? And finally, that the Museum Ludwig is one of the most important art museums in Europe?

In fact, almost everything in Cologne is in the shadow of the overpowering cathedral, with its 157-meter-high towers the undisputed and much-praised landmark of the city. Close to the cozy old town of Cologne with its numerous breweries, the cathedral is something like the eternal fixture of the people of Cologne - even if the Rhine, the grandiose Rhine bridges and the modern Rheinauhafen with its urban loft architecture and the striking crane buildings also claim a little attention.

Those who only have time for a weekend in Cologne are likely to have problems: In addition to the usual suspects (cathedral, old town), the chocolate museum, Rhine boulevard, Südstadt (the student entertainment district, along with the Belgian quarter and the more bourgeois Klettenberg), Schildergasse and Cologne's numerous green spaces are all enticing. We recommend the Volksgarten in the south with its casual beer garden. Here, as in many other pubs in Cologne, the motto is, after all, "Drink doch ejne met!"

By the way, you can find tips on how to travel comfortably and inexpensively on long-distance and local trains with Deutsche Bahn here.

Cover image: ©istock.com/querbeet

More articles from North Rhine-Westphalia

In collaboration with Tourism NRW e.V.

Reasons for a Vacation in North Rhine-Westphalia there are plenty - the living Cities, the old Castles and palaces and the unique Nature are just a few of them.

 

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