What to do/see in Cologne?
 

Hi,
I will be in Cologne for 6 days at the end of September and was wondering what are the best things to do and see. I will be there on business, so my free time will be mostly in the evenings. I'd love to hear about your recommendations for pubs, restaurants, sights etc! Also, are there interesting towns/villages within a half hour train ride from Cologne that might be worth an evening trip?
Thanks!

The Dom and the three Magi "gold coffins" - most tourists miss those.
Trip down the Rheingau on the West bank is great as are the Mittelrhein vills.
Several very recent threads with specifics on those.
Moseltal is perhaps better with the Castle Burg Eltz just W of Koblenz perhaps the very best.
M

Directly across from the Dom in Cologne is the Cafe Reichard which is a restaurant/bakery combo and a great place to eat. Grab a table outside so you can gaze at the Dom and the "passing show" while you enjoy that typical German afternoon pasttime of coffee and cake.

We enjoyed a couple of hours in the old town area of Koblenz.
- Four Corners
- Jesuit church
- "spitting boy" fountain

Cologne/Koln also has a nice old-town area to walk through and a pedestrian shopping area (modern) near the Dom. We were only there one night so that was all we had time for (of course, we went inside the Dom first thing in the morning).

You can also head to Bonn, birthplace of Beethoven. It's only 20mins away by train. I've only been there during the day, so cannot comment on how it is in evenings.

I've spent many days in Koln, and can say it's one of the most boring cities in Europe - at least visually. Nearly all destroyed in WWII, blahly rebuilt. There is little of interest within 30 mins save Bonn - a nice city with Mozart House, etc. Drachenfels, a clifftop ruined castle near Cologne make s a nice easy trip - take the cable car up top for a swell view of the Rhine. There are Rundfahrt boat cruises on the Rhine - in evening some of these have brass bands and meals. They putz up and down the river from city centre. Dusseldorf is just a few minutes by train north - a nicer city and its Altstadt, Old Town, along the Rhine hops at night. On a nice night many outdoor restaurants and a jovial atmosphere. A great little excursion if you can get out early is to train to Koblenz, about 30 min, then train to Cochem, a dreamy wine town with the castle of your dreams in the gorgeous Mosel Valley - get there in about an hour from Koln (Cologne) - the town of your dreams, surrounded by vineyards, with wine stubes along the Mosel - just fantastic place. Trains run very frequently so no problem coming and going. In Koln itself, you can go to some of the 100% turkish districts and feel like you're out of Germany entirely.

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned the Deutsches-Romanisches Museum near the Cathedral (Dom). A lot of excavation went on in and around Cologne before, during, and after World War II, and these digs discovered a great amount and variety of Roman ruins. You see, Cologne was a Roman provincial capital (Colonia Agrippina was its Roman name, hence, Cologne or Koln). Under a city buiding near the cathedral is an entire Roman praesidium or administrative building.

If art is your thing, be sure to see Cologne's new fine arts museum.

And almost next to the Dom is a wonderful beer restaurant (bierstube) called "Fruh." They serve a local brew called "koelsch" (KELCH), that is mild, tasty, and unique. You can't find it elsewhere in Germany because "it doesn't travel well."

I went to school there! (but I've not been back in well, decades?) I think they have a movie of me there as well!

I should go back, huh? It WAS pretty boring-but there's good jazz to be heard there in the old city!

Sorry USNR- that's not the correct pronunciation of Koelsch!

On the east bank of the Rhine about 25km upstream is Siebengebirge (Seven Hills). Lots of interesting history all around. Take a steamer upriver to Königswinter, and ride the Drachenfels rack railway up the mountain.

http://www.bonn-region.de/articlevie...;articleID=649

PalQ
Agree: Other than the DOM, which the Brit AF somehow manage to spare in W II, the rebuilt place is a bit like Dallas, Atlanta or FRA.
M

Ok, lesser know Cologne sights:

1. Chocolate museum literally right on the river (called the Imhof-Stollwerck Museum) is a functioning chocolate factory and will give you a great insight into the history and production of cocoa and chocolate.

2. The Elde-Haus, which is the only Gestapo HQ in a major city that survived the war. You can tour it and even see the graffiti on the cells in the basement that the prisoners left. Very sombering experience.

3. 15 minutes by train and right by the train station in Bruehl: Augustusburg castle, which is classed as UNESCO World Heritage. Cool castle in true Versailles-style with appropriate interiors and nice manicured gardens.

4. As far as nightlife goes, Dusseldorf is "around the corner". The old town (Altstadt) has one pub next to the other, and will make a great evening out. Frequent trains.

Cologne itself of course has great nightlife as well!! It is, after all, Germany's fourth largest city.

If you get off work early enough: Be adventurous and go see the modern art in Museum Ludwig (located directly next to the cathedral).
http://www.museenkoeln.de/english/museum-ludwig/

A definite must is to have a glas of Koelsch (you know, the local beer) at brewery Frueh at the cathedral (from the cathedral walk past the Dom Hotel).

Besides that: People up into at least their late thirties don't really go out in the old parts of town at the Rhine. But rather it's the areas around Friesenplatz (a town square and also an Underground stop by the same name) that are hip and triving.

And yes, go to Duesseldorf to the city's old parts of town. It's a special atmosphere there.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions! I think I will definitly spend an evening in Dusseldorf as well as seeing some of the museums and sights in Cologne. Hopefully, the trip won't be all work and will leave some time to explore! Thanks again.