Trip to Cologne
Categories: Family and Kids, Shopping, Dining
I always enjoyed trips to Cologne (Cologne vacation rentals | Cologne travel guide) (Köln). With less than 100 miles away from Wetzlar (Wetzlar vacation rentals | Wetzlar travel guide) (where we used to live.) this is a perfect day trip. Driving is mostly on the Autobahn. Travel time (from Wetzlar) is about 1 hour and 30 minutes only.
About Cologne
Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city after Berlin (Berlin vacation rentals | Berlin travel guide), Hamburg (Hamburg vacation rentals | Hamburg travel guide) and Munich (Munich vacation rentals | Munich travel guide), and is the largest city both in the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than 10 million inhabitants. It is one of the oldest cities in Germany, having been founded by the Romans in the year 38 BC. Cologne was granted the status of a Roman "city" in the year 50 AD.
Cologne lies on the Rhine. The city's famous Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Cologne. The University of Cologne (Universität zu Köln) is one of Europe's oldest universities.
What you can do in Cologne
Cologne is a major cultural center of the Rhineland and has a vibrant art scene. Cologne counts over 30 museums and hundreds of galleries. Exhibitions range from local ancient Roman archaeological sites to contemporary graphics and sculpture. The city's Trade Fair Grounds are host to a number of trade shows such as the Art Cologne Fair, the International Furniture Fair (IMM) and the Photokina. Cologne is also well known for its celebration of Cologne Carnival and the LGBT festival Christopher Street Day (CSD.)
As a highlight you definitely need to visit the Cologne Cathedral. This is a must. I highly recommend to read through A day's walk through the city of Cologne
to give you more ideas on how to get the most out of your Cologne trip (see link below.)
[ source: Wikipedia ]
Related Links
More Germany Travel Related Articles
- Frankfurt Top Ten
- Museum und Park Kalkriese – Visit the site of the Varus Battle
- Hamburg Going Green, A Model To Europe
- Once upon a time in Goslar
- Grimm Brothers — The Fathers of Fairy Tales
- Visit a 13th century old Castle: The Ronneburg Castle
- Jazz in Quellenpark 2009
- The Aalto in Essen – Enjoy Inspiring Performances in Stunning Surroundings
- Alemannic Fasnet
- "Rhine in Flames", Golden Wine Autumn with Fireworks and "Federweisser"
Nearby Destinations Where You Can Find Nice Germany Vacation Rentals
Cologne
Founded by the Romans in 38 B.C., Cologne (Köln) lies on the Rhine river, and is the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia. Besides visiting the awesome Gothic Cathedral, visitors will want to explore the city’s even older Romanesque churches, as…
Related: Cologne travel guide
Heidelberg
Situated on a peaceful stretch of the Neckar river and overlooked by one of the most famous ruined castles in the world, Heidelberg is one of Germany's most popular and picturesque travel destinations.
Related: Heidelberg travel guide
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is famous for its nightlife, carnival, events, and shopping, and also for fashion and trade fairs like the Boot Messe (famous for boats and watersports) and Igedo (fashion). Every year more than 4 Million people visit the big fun fair (Kirmes)…
Related: Düsseldorf travel guide
Koblenz
The history and sites of Koblenz, located where the Moselle flows into the Rhine, stretch back to Roman times. No visitor to Koblenz should skip a tour of the Saalburg—the most fully-reconstructed Roman fortress in Germany.
Related: Koblenz travel guide
Wetzlar
Wetzlar, in central Hesse, features an amazingly well-preserved and restored Old Town (Altstadt), with historic plazas, a 13th century Cathedral (Dom) and scores of half-timbered houses. Choose one of several vacation homes in the Old Town itself!
Related: Wetzlar travel guide
Browse Related Photos (Interactive Slideshow)
The pictures shown are part of our Live Like a German Travel Guide to Germany group on Flickr. If you have great Germany pictures please consider joining that group and sharing them on Flickr. If you tag them with cologne (and they got approved) they will also show up in the slide show above.
Feedback, comments, questions?
If you have visited here please share your experiences with our readers on Facebook. Or, if you have other cool trip suggestions and would like to contribute a travel guide here, please drop me an email. We also are encouraging free-lancers, travel guide writers or publishers who have great Germany related content to send us an email and get in touch with us.
