Cologne
 

We are going to Cologne for an overnight in April . Can anyone recommend some good things to see and do in about 1 1/2 days?<BR>

Certainly the cathedral. But we spent a couple of days exploring the city and to be honest, didn't find a lot. I'd think most of your time would be best spent on a boat, exploring the other river towns to the south.

Cologne is one of our favorite European cities. From our last visit, I can recommend: <BR><BR>1. Visit the Cologne Cathedral, take the guided tour in English which includes a film, climb to the top and enjoy the view of the city. <BR><BR>2. Walk along the River Rhine and enjoy the sights.<BR><BR>3. Walk across the River Rhine on the Deutzer Brucke (bridge) for a lovely view of the city.<BR><BR>4. If you like chocolate, take the tour of the Imhoff Stollwerck Chocolate Museum.<BR><BR>5. Get tickets to the Kolner Philharmonie (Cologne Philharmonic), and enjoy the music and modern architecture.<BR><BR>6. There are also museums to enjoy.<BR><BR>Cologne offers plenty to do, and these highlights come to mind.<BR><BR>Woody<BR><BR>

If you happen to have a car, and like Birkenstocks, their factory outlet is about halfway between Koln and Koblenz on the right bank of the Rhein, in a town called Bad Honnef. The outlet is huge and you can get some really fantastic bargains there.

Cologne was largely destroyed during the war, so only a few pre-WWII sites remain, including the Cathedral which is a must see. The town hall is interesting as in the basement are the ruins of the Roman governor's residence, and the &quot;Old Market&quot; is quite nice. We particularly enjoyed sitting in the cafes along the Rhine south of the Cathedral sipping &quot;Kolsch&quot;, the local brew which is quite distinctive. The Rhine around Cologne is not that impressive - the scenic part of the Rhine starts around Koblenz and extends south to Mainz.