It lookks like I may likely be spending a day or two in Koln mid April. Any suggestions for sights, moderate to budget hotel, pension, zimmer, etc., restaurants? I have been past Koln many times but never spent any time in the city. I think of it as mainly industrial. True?

Koln has two things that come to mind

1) The Dom - one of the largest cathedrals in Germany / Europe. It is worthy of a visit in its own right.

2) Kolsch Bier - you can't get it anywhere else but in Koln. They serve it in small 0.2L glasses that look like large test tubes and keep track of how many you've had by check marks on your coaster/beer mat. There are 5 or 6 Kolsch breweries in town. My # 1 recommendation is Malz Muhle on the south end of the Heumarkt. P.J. Fruh has a better location on the markt but I thought it was way more commercial and the beers were less distinctive. I also really liked one three or four blocks west of the main square - had one of my best German pub meals there and it is very non-touristy. It may have been Paffgen, but I can't remember for sure.

Koeln wouldn't be my travel destination eeven though I've been there quite a number of times for conference. Beyond what wayfarer already mentioned: the roman museum, the chocolate museum and, for some, the large shopping alleys.

You can take the train ( 15 min. travel) to Bruhl, to see Augustus Castle. It is in the front of railway station there, and it is nice.

Short rail trip to Aachen a town you might also enjoy.

I agree the Dom is about the only thing of interest and I'm not a Euro church freak.
I would head SW to der Nurburgring and drive a couple of hot laps on the famous Nordschleife and to the Moseltal or Mittelrein.
M

I think Koeln has a lot of great museums--if thats your interest....
El-de-Haus is devoted to Nazism, the basement still contains original holding cells with heart-wrenching graffiti by prisoners.
There's a fantastic religious artwork museum up the street from the chocolate museum (? name).
There's a very small permanent exhibit of Kaethe Kollwitz's pacifist sculptures and anti-war artwork tucked into a shopping/ office complex.
Beyond these, there is a huge museum close to the Dom devoted to photography
?AGFA by name.
If museums aren't your thing, visit the Dom, then be seated in any outdoor cafe to people-watch and down a few Koelsch biers!

Sounds like I wasn't too far off in passing Koln in the past. Any suggestions for public transport from Koln airport to Amsterdam?

If you press on Koeln on the map you can buy a train ticket from Koeln Hauptbahnhof to Amsterdam Centraal station for 19 euro. You have to buy the koeln airport to Hauptbahnhof separately to keep the 19 euro bargain price. I'll be glad to help you further if you need it. Good luck

I forgot to include the page address:
http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/que...ogram=esi&

When we were in Koln, we saw why the city looks like it does. They sell black and white postcards of what it looked like after the British flattened it, leaving all but a square and the Dom standing (that's not a judgement call on the war, btw, just what happened). What was rebuilt is not gorgeous but it's a nice city to wander around in. However, a weekend was long enough for us. What's nice about Germany is that you're never far from a short train ride to a classic picturesque town.

A couple years ago, we stayed at this hotel:
Comfort Hotel Central am Dom
An den Dominikanern 3
50668 Köln

It was situated on a corner that made a 'triangle' of the main train station, the hotel and the Dom. I think it was about 100E for a twin and included a huge buffet breakfast. It was quite nice, quiet and very convenient.

It doesn't seem to be listed on the ChoiceHotels.com website, but it's listed on many others.

http://en.venere.com/germany/hotels_...el_am_dom.html