Coloane

I have moved to Cologne (in German it's Koeln) in 1989 and lived there until 1999, when I moved to Berlin. I have visited dozens of other cities around the world, such as Rio, New York, Tokyo, Rome, Cairo, Vancouver, etc. but Cologne is still among my top 5 list. Here's why: ***ITS PEOPLE*** Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany (Berlin, Hamburg, Munich) with about 1 Million inhabitants. What most distinguishes it from other German cities is its people. Whereas I would without hesitation admit that many Germans are quite passionless and reserved, this does not apply to the Colognians. An Italian friend of mine once called Cologne the Naples ...  Read the complete review

Cologne is definitely worth a visit. My grandmother was born and raised there and I don't know how often I've been there on school trips etc. First of all there's the famous cathedral, a very impressive building (gothic I think) and you can climb the tower for a good view all over cologne if you're not afraid of heights that is. It is situated directly next to the Central Station and you can hardly miss it. The street directly adjecent to the cathedral is Cologne's main shopping mile (Hohe Straße) and usually it's packed, so keep your elbows up! probably I should add that in Germany shops close rather early (6.30 or 8.00 on weekdays and 2.00 or 4.00 on ...  Read the complete review

The obvious thing to 'do' when you are in Cologne is to go and see the cathedral - and this is indeed probably where your visit to the city should start, as it's right in the centre and fairly close to the tourist office. The building itself is enormous and easily findable, as the spires rise above the city well! Climbing the tower is cheap and, if you can manage the 500-odd steps, affords great views of the city. Cologne has some good shopping too - make sure you go on a weekday though as shops shut at lunchtime on Saturdays - and whatever you do, try to get to the Imhoff-Stollwerck museum on the banks of the river, about 25 minutes' walk from the ...  Read the complete review