Alternatively, make for the Belgisches Viertel, so called because so many of the district’s street names (Brüsseler Strasse, Antwerpener Strasse, Genter Strasse or Brabanter Strasse) reference Belgium. It brims with hip boutiques. If you’re into street art, check out the Ehrenfeld district, where graffiti and murals are daubed across walls everywhere.
Continuing in an arty vein, discover Cologne’s Museum Ludwig, which prides itself on its massive Picasso collection and the most extensive portfolio of pop art in Europe. You’ll marvel at head-turning Lichtensteins, Warhols and Rauschenbergs. If your cultural tastes are somewhat sweeter, go to the Chocolate Museum, home to a chocolate fountain that’s three metres high.
Round off your trip with a night in a brewhouse, chatting with friendly locals and learning why they love their home town so much. Don’t forget to raise your glass of Kölsch and say “prost” in a toast to this fabulous city. Also, remember to place your coaster or beer mat over the top of your glass when you have had enough to drink, or you will continue to get an endless amount of refills.
ologne Bonn Airport has seen some famous
faces since it opened in 1951, but surely none
more recognisable than the Queen’s. This is where she first set foot on German soil for the royal tour in 1965. While the trip took her to important landmarks across the country, among the most memorable moments was her visit to Cologne Cathedral.
Work began on this gothic masterpiece in the mid-13th century and wasn’t completed until 1880. Now a Unesco world heritage site, it is a beauty to behold, with a stained glass window by Cologne artist Gerhard Richter, as well as a tower façade that tops out at almost 160 metres. If you have a head for heights you can climb the southern tower, where a platform about 100 metres up affords a sensational outlook over the city and the snaking River Rhine.
Prefer something more down to earth? Cologne – the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia – is a destination big on districts, known as veedel in the local dialect (Kölsch, which is also the name of the city’s lager). Go south to Chlodwigplatz and you’re in the heart of perhaps the most popular area: the Südstadt. Here bar-hoppers spill onto pavements and cafes do a brisk trade in alfresco cappuccinos.
C
COLOGNE
© Getty Images, jotily
The city’s gothic cathedral took more than 600 years to build
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A colossal cathedral, friendly neighbourhoods, Picasso and pop art
ologne Bonn Airport has seen some famous faces
since it opened in 1951, but surely none more
recognisable than the Queen’s. This is where she first set foot on German soil for the royal tour in 1965. While the trip took her to important landmarks across the country, among the most memorable moments was her visit to Cologne Cathedral.
Work began on this gothic masterpiece in the mid-13th century and wasn’t completed until 1880. Now a Unesco world heritage site, it is a beauty to behold, with a stained glass window by Cologne artist Gerhard Richter, as well as a tower façade that tops out at almost 160 metres. If you have a head for heights you can climb the southern tower, where a platform about 100 metres up affords a sensational outlook over the city and the snaking River Rhine.
Prefer something more down to earth? Cologne – the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia – is a destination big on districts, known as veedel in the local dialect (Kölsch, which is also the name of the city’s lager). Go south to Chlodwigplatz and you’re in the heart of perhaps the most popular area: the Südstadt. Here bar-hoppers spill onto pavements and cafes do a brisk trade in alfresco cappuccinos.
Alternatively, make for the Belgisches Viertel, so called because so many of the district’s street names (Brüsseler Strasse, Antwerpener Strasse, Genter Strasse or Brabanter Strasse) reference Belgium. It brims with hip boutiques. If you’re into street art, check out the Ehrenfeld district, where graffiti and murals are daubed across walls everywhere.
Continuing in an arty vein, discover Cologne’s Museum Ludwig, which prides itself on its massive Picasso collection and the most extensive portfolio of pop art in Europe. You’ll marvel at head-turning Lichtensteins, Warhols and Rauschenbergs. If your cultural tastes are somewhat sweeter, go to the Chocolate Museum, home to a chocolate fountain that’s three metres high.
Round off your trip with a night in a brewhouse, chatting with friendly locals and learning why they love their home town so much. Don’t forget to raise your glass of Kölsch and say “prost” in a toast to this fabulous city. Also, remember to place your coaster or beer mat over the top of your glass when you have had enough to drink, or you will continue to get an endless amount of refills.