Cologne or Heidelberg - worth two days during our 15 night trip?
 

We are going to Germany and Austria in late November for 15 days (not including travel days) and it will be our 5th visit to these countries. Berlin is the first stop and then we are spending time in Bamberg, Wurzburg, Regensburg and Nurnberg. We will be with a small group but have a few days free in the middle of our trip while we are in Nurnberg, which we have visited before. We want to spend these two free days somewhere we have never been and that is not too distant for travel - 3 hours would be about the limit.

We are looking into a visit to a city within reasonable distance of Nurnberg to spend two nights and Cologne caught my interest. I have also been researching Heidelberg.

We enjoy architecture and a good variety of walking routes and want somewhere with a good variety of things to keep us occupied for 2 full days and nights. I cannot get a really good feel for these two cities so would love to hear opinions on both.

Prague is 3.5 hours so we are also considering that possibility as we have never been there and it is doubtful we would make a special trip to visit in the future.

All thoughts appreciated!

I wish I had skipped Cologne and spent more nights in some of the charming towns along the Rhine. The only thing worth seeing in Cologne is the Dom IMO.

I did enjoy Heidelberg for 2 nights. Also took side trips to Trifels Castle and the cute town of Desidesheimer.

Loved Prague!!!

Heidelberg!

Oops... sorry, should be Deidesheim.

Haven't been to Heidelburg. I agree Cologne is worth max 1 day.

If transportation works out fairly easily, and you won't be spending all of your time going back and forth, I'd vote for Prague. Another idea: we stopped in Karlovy Vary (the spa town also known as Carlsbad) between Bamburg and Prague and enjoyed it. You could make a 2 day trip there and also stop at Marienbad for a bit.

I can not agree with the previous posters. Köln is a great city and easily worth two days. The Cathedral is one of the best I have seen and there are also some nice museums (The Roman one next to the cathedral is my favorite). Walking along the Rhine is a nice way to spend an evening.

Heidelburg is also a very nice city. The palace above the city is very interesting.

Personally I would save Prague for it's own trip, unless you just want to get a taste of the area to excite you about a future trip. Two days are not enough for Prague and the surrounding area.

jgwagner is right: Cologne has many more attractions than the Cathedral. Firstly, the Cathedral is special - it is one of the very few gothic cathedrals which were really finished. Secondly, it has the shrine of the three magi. Thirdly, it has an outstanding treasury.

Besides the Cathedral, the Roman-Germanic Museum is absolutely stunning. Then you have two world-class art museums and the chocolate museum. You have one dozen romanesque churches. You have the remains of the Roman palace under the medieval City Hall. And, and, and.

There is another reason that speaks for Cologne:

End of November is the worst time to go to Germany. It will be cold, rainy, dark and drairy. You won't enjoy Heidelberg. In this time of year, a city with heated museums and other attractions will be more comfortable.

sp: dreary

Funny... I was there in October, Heidelberg was sunny and lovely while Cologne was rainy and dreary.

"
End of November is the worst time to go to Germany."

We go for the festive atmosphere of the Christmas Markets and have been several times. Weather can be iffy but so it goes everywhere.

Cologne without a doubt. Only you can answer this. Go to the websites of both cities and see what attractions will interest you. Koln seems like it’s a bit more than 3 ½ from Prague though.

Heidelberg is fine but Koln is more interesting imo.
Actually, if you like modern architecture and great museums, you cannot beat Stuttgart.

<<Koln seems like it’s a bit more than 3 ½ from Prague though. >>

Our start and return city is Nurnberg. We had considered Stuttgart but I was concerned it would be more like Frankfurt, which we did not care for. It felt quite industrial and bordered on seedy in the areas we visited.

We are ooking for a city with a lively and interesting core that encourages walking about, lots of good dining options and some nightlife..

We will have many museum choices in Berlin so not particularly interested in those though I suspect we would visit the Mercedes Benz musuem as we both love cars.

Frankfurt isn't my favorite city, I've enjoyed the museums but I wouldn't go out of my way to go to Frankfurt. It's just so often along the way.

Stuttgart is much different. The MB museum is not only spectecular because of the cars, that would be enough but the building itself is worth the trip, if you like architecture. Check out this building: http://www.architectureweek.com/2006...esign_1-3.html

Have you considered a day trip to Bamberg?

Bamberg is on our itinerary already. We stopped there briefly last year and found it lovely and worth more time.

The MB museum is spectacular - thanks for the link!

I agree with those who say Cologne would be a great choice given the time of year and your interest in architecture.

Consider Tubingen. If you enjoyed Bamberg on your brief visit last year, you may also enjoy this city. It's within your travel limit of three hours. Richard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tubingen

The more I research Cologne, the more it reminds me of Milan, a city I quite enjoy. Has anyone been to both and is this an accurate comparison?

I know both cities and I doubt if they are really comparable.

Since 90% of Cologne was destroyed in WWII, the cityscape is not exactly beautiful. There is a small part of the Old Medieval Town along the riverfront which is very attractive and then there are the great architectural monuments like the Cathedral, the twelve romanesque churches and the City Hall which have been spared by the bombs or reconstructed. Milan looks more "southern".

Cologne has a lot of museums and other attractions and is full of urban life. You find a lot of Brauhäuser with rustic regional fare and home-brewn local beer ("Kölsch") as well as star-awarded gourmet temples.

Thank you, Echnaton. That is quite helpful.