TRAVEL: One day in Cologne (Koln), Germany. What would you do? ?

Show all answers

Erica

With the Bahn, you would get on a regional train to Koblenz (not a whole lot worth seeing there, though) and from there switch to another regional train to Koeln. Most of the Altstadt is a pedestrian zone and the Hauptbahnhof is incredibly central (as in, you leave the station and you're right at some tourist destinations), so I wouldn't even bother to drive.

The Dom is always a highlight; it is World Heritage and amazingly ornate. Make sure you climb the stairs to the top. Once you head out of the train station, it will be the first thing you see. If you haven't had enough of Roman artifacts in Trier, there is a Roman museum right next door.

The chocolate museum (http://www.schokoladenmuseum.de/index_e.html) is also a lot of fun, with its indoor cacao tree greenhouse and miniaturized chocolate factory, plus there are free samples.

The Museum Ludwig (http://www.museenkoeln.de/museum-ludwig/) always has a lot of interesting modern art exhibitions.

The last thing I would recommend is a trip to Coelner Hofbraeu Frueh (http://www.frueh.de/). Koelsch is the special beer brewed within 20 km of Koeln and it comes in small, test tube-like glasses. Frueh has arguably the best Koelsch in town and has very tasty food, too.

All of these locations are within a 10- or 15-minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof, so you shouldn't end up freezing too badly. : )

If you are staying in Trier and haven't been to Ville de Luxembourg yet, I would highly recommend it. It's really beautiful, but there's a lot of walking, and I don't know if that's exactly what you'd want in December. The tourism site is http://www.lcto.lu/ With a RegionalBahn, it should take about 45 minutes to get there, including the crew change just over the border in Wasserbillig, and if I remember correctly, the main part of the city is about another ten or fifteen minutes by foot from the Gare Centrale.

Ashley

There is a lot of good shopping malls and areas in Koln. The cathedral is pretty amazing too. Right next to the cathedral there is a tourist information center that should help you out a lot too. On the river within walking distance from the cathedral there is a chocolate factory too. Really just walking around and seeing everything in the downtown area will take up your day! It's a pretty city.

Gabriele G

There's a parking garage right near the Altstadt, so that wouldn't be a problem (follow signs to the Dom), although right now, with the Christmas Markts on, it might be a bit crowded. You could always take the train, but I don't know if there would be a lot of transfers from Trier. If you're going in the next few weeks, Koln has no less than 6 Christmas Markts on, so that alone is enough to do in a day. The cathedral really is something to see. I've been living in Germany for 2 years now (you don't say if you're German or tourists, so sorry if this is too basic information), and I've found it's definitely one of the most impressive in Germany. The shopping is always good around the Altstadt as well. Hope this helps.

marvin3127

I just went to Koln this past summer. The Dom (Cathedral) is beautiful and a must see, it is located right next to the train station. Koln is especially popular for its shopping, it has tons of stores to shop at. Also the Rhine (which is Germany's famed river) runs through it so you could stop by one of the cafes alongside it. You can also go on a boat ride on it. Other than that I dont know what else there is to do, my cousins are from there and thats all they took me to see, so im sure theres nothing else too interesting.

Zoe Dot

The cathedral. That's about it. The city was largely bombed to the ground in WWII, so there isn't much left that is actually historical.

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: