Cologne, or Köln in German, is the largest city in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westfalia and the fourth largest city in Germany with a population of about 1 million people.
The Eropa Holiday team would like to share some of the highlights and recommended places to visit in this beautiful German city!
Churches
Cologne is particularly famous for its 157-meters tall Cologne Cathedral (the “Kölner Dom”). It is German’s most visited landmark and the tallest twin-spired church in the Europe. You can go inside to see its impressive architecture and religious art works or climb to the top.
Also famous are its twelve Roman Catholic landmark churches located throughout the Old town (“Altstadt”).
Cultural buildings
The inner city of Cologne was destroyed during World War II and it is now characterized by post-war buildings and a few reconstructed pre-war buildings, such as the Cologne Opera House and the Cologne City Hall (Kölner Rathaus). The City Hall was founded in the 12th century and is the oldest city hall still in use in Germany.
Another famous building is the University of Cologne (“Universität zu Köln”), which is the oldest university in Europe.
Moreover, Cologne has more than 30 museums and hundreds of galleries, so it is a perfect city for culture and art lovers.
Rhine River
The Rhine River crosses the city of Cologne and there are many bridges to get from one to the other side. The Hohenzollern Bridge (Hohenzollernbrücke) is the most eye-catching one with its three big iron arches. There is also a cable car that runs across the Rhine, the “Kölner Seilbahn”.
German food and beers
Cologne is a nice city to try some traditional German food. A must-have is a real German pretzel (or “Brezel”). You can for example get one at Merzenich, a small chain of bakeries that you can find all around the city. Another famous German delicacy to try is Apfelstrudel.
Germany has a variety of great pork dishes. So if you are a pork lover, get yourself some schnitzel or crispy pork knuckle (“Schweinshaxe”) in Cologne.
And have you ever tried Heaven and Earth (“Himmel und Ääd”)?
This is a local German dish with apple (from the sky/heaven) and potatoes (from the ground/earth), which is often served with blood sausage.
For the beer lovers among us, try some of the city’s signature Kölsch beer. Every brewery has its own unique flavour.
Finally, don’t forget to eat some “Sauerkraut”, which is often served with traditional meat and potato dishes.
Eau de Cologne fountain
Also recommended by the EropaHoliday team is to visit the home of the original Eau de Cologne. Here you can immerse yourself in the original fragrance that flows from the fountain in front of the building. Isn’t that a nice and unique experience?
The Eau de Cologne building has a beautiful shop where you can buy various Eau de Cologne products, gift sets and souvenirs.
Outdoor shopping
Last but not least, Cologne has some very good outdoor shopping areas. The Schildergasse is the busiest shopping street in Europe and the Hohe Straße consists of many gift shops, clothing stores, fast food restaurants and electronic goods dealers. Its a perfect place to buy souvenirs for your family and friends, and for yourself of course 🙂
We can give you more recommendations and tips for your trip to Cologne and other European cities, so please get in touch with us via info@eropaholiday.com or whatsapp and follow us on instagram and facebook for the latest info on our amazing European travel destinations!
