Germany · North Rhine-Westphalia
Cologne travel guide
A soaring cathedral, Kölsch beer and Rhine cruises
Cologne Cathedral and the Rhine. Photo: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Cologne is a friendly, easy-going city on the Rhine, dominated by its huge Gothic cathedral, which took over 600 years to finish.
The old town is full of brewhouses serving small glasses of Kölsch, and Rhine cruises run to castles and vineyards upstream.
What Cologne is known for
- The cathedral
A UNESCO Gothic masterpiece.
- Kölsch
Light beer in 0.2 litre glasses.
- Karneval
Germany's biggest street party.
- Love locks
Thousands on the Hohenzollern Bridge.
Top things to do in Cologne
Where to stay in Cologne
Best time to visit Cologne
Best value: Feb–Apr, Sep–Oct. May to September; February for Karneval; December for the markets.
- Best valueGood weather, smaller crowds
- PeakBusiest, highest prices
- QuietCheapest, cooler or wetter
Getting there and around
About 1h 15m from London to CGN, and flights from most UK airports.
Walk the centre. Trams and the U-Bahn go further. Düsseldorf and Bonn are 30 minutes by train.
Good to know
- In a brewhouse, put a beer mat on your glass to stop refills.
- Hotels sell out during Karneval and trade fairs.
- The cathedral is free to enter.
Cologne FAQ
How long in Cologne?
Two days is plenty.
Can I fly direct?
Yes, to Cologne Bonn or nearby Düsseldorf.
More places in Germany
BerlinCity · Berlin
MunichCity · Bavaria
HamburgCity · Hamburg
Black ForestNature · Baden-Württemberg
Bavarian AlpsMountains · Bavaria
Back to the Germany travel guide + Add Cologne to your bucket list