Köln - Germany. It's an exciting city located in North Rhine-Westphalia and an excellent place to explore the Rhine Valley. We stayed in Köln for 1 year and traveled all around the region. Our favorite days in Germany can be accessed here. Destinations are all accessible through transportation.
Best Day Trips from Cologne
Where can i stay in Cologne: Hostel die Wohngemeinschaft (budget), Savoyhotel (midrange), 25hour Hotel Koelner, The Circle (midrange), or Excelsior Hotel Ernst (luxure). This post links to our favorite products and services. Please support us. Thank you very much. – Sandro and Caterina.
Monschau, Germany
Monschau is just two hours away from Köln, making it an old-time travel experience. The small community near Eifel is rich in historical charm and cobbled streets. It runs directly into Rur. The Monschau Castle was built in the 11th century and remains virtually unchanged over the last 300 years.
Explore Historic Old Town Cologne
As you visit numerous historic cathedral and museum sites in Cologne's centre (Innenstadt), you cross Cologne's lovely Altstadt (Altstadt). You can walk through countless alleyways lined with traditional houses, many now housing boutiques, galleries, cafes and restaurants.
And its numerous nice routes across the Rhine offer ample chances to take in the beautiful panoramas as you plan your way around the ancient city. You can also be amazed at the numerous landmarks in and around this area.
What to See and Do in Linz am Rhine
Option 1: Discover Linz early. Hike Stage 19 on the long Rheinsteig path to Bad Honnef. This walk takes about 7 hours. End your day in Bad Honnef with dinner then hop on regional train back to Köln.
Find out the full story of the trail at Rheinstraße 19. Option two: Arrival at Linz. Enjoy an easy hike to Burg Ockenfels (25 mins). Return to Linz for dinner. How to get a bus in a hurry? Make a good connection.
Follow the Pilgrims (and Tourists) to Cologne Cathedral
It's almost impossible for a person to see Cologne Cathedral from any vantage point, and it'll also be impossible for other buildings to be bigger. The church is the tallest church with twin towers to have been discovered all over the world.
This is a German favorite tourist attraction and you'll like going to its halls and savouring its history. It was built using the Gothic style popular throughout all the European countries during the 13th century.
The Wallraf-Richartz & Ludwig Museums
Art lovers might enjoy visiting the Wallraf-Richartz Museum and Louis Museum in Cologne. These two excellent galleries house some of the more new architecture in the city. The earliest works by Rembrandt, Manet, Renoir Leibl, Loverman, Le Vogt, and Manet.
Wallraf-Richartz Museum is primarily focused on working from Cologne, while Ludwig's focus is modern painting. In another building there is Agfa-Foto-Historama featuring photos and camera from 1840.
Bruhl, Germany
Augustusburg, Brhl Castle is a simple day trip to Cologne, and is also a popular destination. Both Augustusburg and Falkenlust are UNESCO World Heritage sites. This castle was built between 1790 and 1905.
Augustusburg is the first German rococo building that served as a favorite residence of Cologne rector clemen August. He is buried here. The modern building sits on the ruins of an ancient castle. For some time Clemes August employed Falkenlust as a hunting lodge.
Delve Deep into the Past at the Romano-Germanic Museum
If you like historical things we think you'll enjoy the Romano-Germanic Museum too. Even with your limited interest, this beautiful museum remains a very worthwhile place to explore in the old city of Cologne.
The museum, like most of the city, has been built on the ground of Roman ruins dating from the earliest time of Cologne. The museum was designed to preserve ancient Roman buildings and the colourful mosaics discovered in the Second World War.
Groß St. Martin
The skylines of Köln are still intact today without its stunning crossing tower of St Martin and the Towers. The restoration allowed the restoration of this magnificent rheenish monument to explore its foundations dating back to the period Roman times.
Below the original trefoil chancel is visible the church walls that resemble a Roman storehouse and are harmonious. The restoration took place in the 1980s and the interior has typical Romanesque architectural features and minimal decoration.
Take a Break at the Flora and Botanical Gardens
Why not plant garden plants? It is particularly important to explore the city of Köln. It will be very easy for you to see if the city is a good location to escape concrete, including a flower garden and botanical garden.
There are more than 10,000 species of plants in Cologne which are nurtured and cultivated throughout Europe, in both the outside and inside environment. Take a short walk around this outdoor area, where you will discover various temperate species arranged around a large fenced area.
Hop aboard a Rhine River Cruise
It wouldn't be fair if we didn't visit a beautiful city by boat along the Rhein. On an 1 hour Cologne sightseeing tour you can enjoy unsurpassed views of Cologne's biggest landmarks including the twin towers of Cologne Cathedral, the charming Old Town buildings and the Hohenzollern bridge.
In Cologne night the Rhine River evening Panorama Cruise is the most popular tourist destination. Guests have access to the breathtaking scenery while preparing regional dishes in the buffet on the Cologne Rhine River Dinner cruise.
Ludwig Museum
Ludwig Museum is a modern museum in the city center of Ludwig. In the 1980s, the building was designed for exhibition of art. The attraction grew in the 1970s after Ludwig, Peter, and Irine donated a multimillion dollar collection to the museum.
Amongst many Pablo Picassos and the extensive Russian Avantgarde collection are iconic examples of Pop Art such as Warhol's “Brilloboxe” and “Maybe” of Lichtenstein. It's also part of a Haubrich collection covering Expressionist Art by Erich Heckel Kirchner, August Macke and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, among others.
Satisfy your Sweet Tooth at the Cologne Chocolate Museum
The chocolate museum in Köln - Schookoladen Museum traces its origins with the purchase of the chocolate factory in Stollwerck by Hans Imhoff in 1972. It contained discarded boxes filled with broken machines and packing materials. In the spirit of the project, he started to preserve and restore these as the foundations of this museum.
The present exhibit covers the entire chocolate production process from beans through to the packaging. Highlights include interactive displays, moulded collection, vintage chocolate packaging and wrappers, along with free samples from Chocolate Fountains.
Konigswinter, Germany
Konigswinter is situated south of Bonn and is easily accessible via public transport. This is located along the Rhine cycle route which goes through the German Alps to the Netherlands. If you like to cycle, it will cost about two hours to travel to Konigwinter with your bike. Konigswinter combines natural and historic interests at once.
The hill above Konigswinter gives a magnificent view of both the Rhine valley and surrounding communities. Schloss Drachenburg is an 18th century palace and one of the biggest attractions at Konigwinters.
Bonn, Germany
Bonn is an attractive town located in Germany, formerly the German Capital. It dates to 12th c. when Rome visited the Castra Bonavista. It's impossible to go to Cologne unless we go to Bonn. This town has stunning buildings, fascinating museums, museums, excellent food and surprising good shops in a city of that size. Bonn is the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Aachen, Germany
Aachen, also called Aix Chapellé, is a western German city near Holland's borders and Belgium's borders. It is surrounded by extraordinary greenery on one side, with Eifel Nationalpark on one side and the Ardenne Mountains on the other side.
Historically, Aachener was regarded in Europe as the largest thermal center of the region. In the past century, the healing properties of the Aachen hot spring have drawn scores of visitors.
Ahr valley, Germany
Beer is an essential part of German beer drinking tradition. In Germany beer is not the only thing. They also produce excellent wines. Ahr valleys is a German wine and a major producer in the northernmost region of the World. Fortunately, vineyards in the area can keep themselves safe from freezing rains on the Eifel hill.
It is located about 1 1/2 hours from Köln. The Ahr, river tributary of the Rhine, traverses the valley. This rolling hill with its green hue makes it a wonderful destination for people wanting to escape for a few hours.
Add a Lock to the Hohenzollern Bridge
A very popular attraction in Köln is the famous Hohenzollern bridge an industrial and unusually beautiful bridge which runs the Rhine. If you arrived on train, then you will have already crossed the bridge at the main station of Cologne.
If you go walking along the river you will not find any way out of sight. The bridge dates from the early 1920s although it collapsed in WW2 and was completely rebuilt. Cars cannot travel over bridges, but walk over them. Cross the rapid Rhine River between Cologne and Leipzig.
Cologne City Hall (Rathaus)
A special highlight in the city's historic city centre are Kölns historic city hall and the Kölner Rathaus or City Köln. It has the most extensive history dating from 1574 and was the oldest public building in Germany.
The castle today reflects various architectural influences. Among these are the main buildings dating back 14 years and the tower dating to 15 centuries and an elegant loggia and cloister. In this case, 20th-century influence is pleasing.
Discover Cologne's Dark Past at the NS Documentation Museum
Cologne has grown up into a modern European powerhouse, but many parts have been destroyed in the Second World War. Often people forget that they were under Nazi rule of Germany in the not very distant past.
But instead of ignoring the darkness of history, Cologne decided on preserving the story to prevent future generations from forgetting what happened as the result of Nazism. Visit NSS Documentation museums and find many other things. Prepare for an emotional and often harrowing journey in which the Museum preserves the Nazism stories.
Smell the Perfumes at the Fragrance Museum
Cologne means smelling perfume. It's essentially "eau de Cologne", perfume which paved the way for the city's history dating from the 1800s. Currently many people use "colognes" as a synonym for almost every fragrance but originally the product was created in the area by an Italian perfume maker that paired citrus fruit with liquor.
Eau de Cologne has enjoyed widespread popularity throughout Europe particularly among royalty. The best place to discover all about the city is the Fragrance Museum. The museum was built on the Farina House where Johann Maria Farina began developing eau de cologne.
Get Your Design Fix at the Museum of Applied Art
The Museum for applied artistic works in Cologne or MAKK are located to the southeast of the cathedral. It was a newer museum established in 1888 and is widely known for its impressive collection of over 200,000 pieces of applied and decorative art from medieval periods onward.
Another important collection includes jewellery, furnishings, porcelain and weapons. There are several interesting architectural displays. Addresses. An der Rechtsschule. D506677. Cologne, Germany. Official web sites:
St. Gereon's Basilica
The Romanesque St. Gereons Basilica (Basilika Sankt Gereon) is probably the most unusual cathedral of Köln. The building is situated on a former church of the 7th-century which was subsequently built in the 12th century on a 10-sided domed building dated to Roman times that is currently visible.
Dedicated to St Gereon the Roman Catholic Church is an attractive structure that boasts an unusually long choir. Among the other highlights is a series of medieval murals amidst mosaics and other artefacts. Location: Gereonsklater 2, 50671, Köln, Germany.
Visiting Schloss Drachenburg
It's possible to get to castle Drachenburg with regional express trains from HBF in Köln to Königswinter Bahnhof in less than 30 min. This ride will take 40 mins. At the Königswinter station, follow an Eselsweg path towards the palace of Königswinter.
On the road you pass through the Felder's am Weinhauschen restaurant, which offers a good lunch or drink in the restaurant. There will also be a round trip Rhein-Rhine cruise between Köln and Königsburg. Schloss Drachenburg has its opening year-round. Schloss Schloss is open only during the week from January 7 to March 3. Hour of operation.
Must-do things in Brussels
Grand Place is a beautiful square in Europe. It is located close to the city center but very hard to miss. Grand Palace is home to a 15th century city house and six baroque guild rooms used by city merchants in those days.
Historiography of the place dates from 1220. Grand Place witnessed some of Belgium's best historic activities. We definitely recommend an excursion to Brussels city center for exploring history, culture and architecture.
Take a Trip to Brühl to See Augustusburg and Falkenlust Palaces
In Brühl, a charming town located just 15 km north of Köln sits the historic palace Augustusburg. The 18th-century building is famous for being the home of Archbishop Cologne. Its magnificent staircase is well decorated with exquisite furnishings in an upscale, Late Baroque/Crocoque style building.
Other highlights include the vast parks used for free-form concerts and festivals. In another park there is the Falkenlust palace erected around 1740 which constitutes one of many World Heritage site areas. Brühl is the home of several museums and historic sites.
Linz Am Rhein, Germany
Linz Am Rhein are towns of the Rhinelander and Platinate states. It lies at the right side of the Rhine River in front of Koblenz City. The town has many attractions such as the Linz Castle, the Linz Cathedral and the Linzer Torte (a sort of cake).
Tourists at Linza am Rhein are able to explore and ride on the Rhine-river and to try local wines. Easily accessible with trains & buses this is a great place to explore the surrounding area. Linz am Rhein offers everything for everyone.
Must-do things in Maastricht
If you are in Maastricht for just one day, start a walking tour which explains some important historical sites. Vrijthof is the center of the city, surrounded by lovely Old Town houses, a charming Parliament, and a central square with a large bar and restaurant. The area contains the impressive Saint Servatio basilica which was built during the 11th and 12th centuries.
Saint Pietersberg Caves also offer an excellent opportunity to visit. Founded on a rocky ledge over centuries, this cave was a manmade labyrinth that was built by digging deep underground in an attempt to mine Marl. Throughout the walls there have been centuries of graffiti.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Is it true Amsterdam is easily accessible by car from Köln? Oh yeah! We thought it was impossible until we did. It's easy to take the train to Amsterdam from Cologne. Start now. You can board trains between 3.30am and 3pm, but it does not require leaving early.
Our view is that a safe hour should start at 6am so you can be at Amsterdam at 9 a.m. or 9 p.m. Amsterdam has an idyllic canal system with beautiful historic houses. The charming backdrop is enhanced by the city's bright bicycles.
Eifel National Park, Germany
Eifel National Park is an amazing place to visit for people that are interested in nature and hikers. The park sits in Germany's Eifel region, and has many landscapes that include forests, rivers and mountainous areas.
A large variety of wildlife viewing opportunities exist in the park as it has several different kinds of animals. The park offers a wide selection of historic and cultural attractions including castle and Roman bath ruins. Eifel's natural beauty will offer you the best holiday experience.
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