Our Favorite Things to Do in Cologne

We loved living in Cologne, and we tried to experience it as much as possible. So I have compiled a list of a few suggestions and a few of our favorite things.....

In the City

Things to Do & See
"Must Do's" (where we took visitors)

(L-R: View from the Dom tower, a choir concert at the Dom, Köln's Altstadt)

• The Dom - towering over the rest of the city and directly next to the Hauptbahnhof, the Kölner Dom (Cologne cathedral) is hard to miss! There are many Dom-related activities, and they are all worthwhile.
• Explore the Dom - best on a weekday or in the mornings to avoid the crowds. I prefer going when it's quiet, so it's easier to absorb the awesomeness of the Dom without bumping into people.
• Dom Concerts - Orgelfeierstunden (organ concerts, literally "organ celebration hours") in the summer, and regular choir concerts the rest of the year. Not to be missed! If the website looks out of date, check their Facebook page for the most timely info.
• Climb to the top of the Dom towers (info) - I'll be writing a post on this soon! It is a very neat experience, and absolutely worth climbing all 533 steps.
• Attend a mass. Lots of pomp and circumstance, and a good way to hear the organ play if you couldn't make it to a concert.
• Roman Praetorium + Archaeological Zone - visit underground Roman ruins at the Praetorium and see an ongoing archaeological excavation of the old Jewish quarter
• Roemisch-Germanisches Museum - next to the Dom, with really neat displays of all sorts of Roman artifacts found in the area. Some of the museum info is in English. Even if you don't go in, check out the Roman mural, which is visible through a big window near the Dom.
• Walk through the remaining Altstadt near Groß St. Martin Kirche and Heumarkt - It's pretty touristy, but you'll get a feel for what Cologne was like before it was bombed in WW2.
• Stop by one of the old city gates. Our favorites are in Rudolfplatz, at Severinstrasse, and just south of Ebertplatz. Our favorite thing to do was walk from our apartment to Ebertplatz and eat gelato in the shadow of the Eigelsteintor. 
• Visit other churches and cathedrals in the city. Our favorites are St. Gereon's Basilica (built in the 1100s) and St. Mariä Himmelfahrt (go inside to see incredible pictures of WW2 destruction; also, the name means "the Assumption of Mary, or literally, Mary Heaven-travel", not what it sounds like in English!).
• Go to an FC Köln Game - they just moved back up from a lower league to the main Bundesleague. Games are a blast! Learn the words to the FC Köln hymn beforehand, wear red and white, and buy a scarf on the way in to hold up during the game.

Other fun things....

(L-R: Tierpark, Botanic garden, a Rhein Spaziergang)

• Lindenthaler Tierpark - a free petting zoo in the Grüngürtel. One of my favorite weekend activities! Best in spring and early summer when the baby animals are there.

• Buchermeile + other antique/flea markets - once a month during the warmer months, used book sellers set up stalls along a long street. You can find all sorts of books, from expensive rare finds, to paperbacks, to old cheap books for a Euro a piece. I only went once because I came back with 5 books (including a huuuuge 1950s world atlas)! There are a bunch of other Flohmarkts (flea markets) throughout the city, and they usually have lots of inexpensive treasures. If you want a Kolsch glass or a pair of Lederhosen to take home, you can find them at a Flohmarkt for a much better price than anywhere else!
• Botanishergarten + Zoo - the botanic garden is free and quite lovely, with a couple of parrots named Moriz and Oskar. The zoo is not free, but you can get discount tickets on Mondays, and it's great fun if you're trying to learn German! Check the calendar, and try to watch them feed the piranhas.
• Walk along the Rhine - from the Dom up to the Zoobrucke and then a bit past it to enjoy a nice riverside park. You might also run into a flock of Rheinische lawnmowers (pictured above, at far right) hard at work. This is a long walk, but wonderful on a pretty day -- bring beer and snacks!

Food

(L-R: Oma Kleinmann's, a local cafe, Nippes daily market)

• Bei Oma Kleinmann - the best and largest Schnitzel in the city! We took all of our visitors here. Closed Mondays.
• Fruh am Dom - a typical Koelner brauhaus, with decent food. Try the Sauerbraten (marinated roast)!
• Max Stark - the best Reibekuchen in the city (served on Tuesdays after 6pm only). It's quite small, so arrive early and be prepared for a wait.
• Cafe Eichornchen - the only place in the city to get delicious Belgian beers. Rochefort 10 is the best!
• Kaffeekiosk Nippes - the best cappuccinos in the city, run by two best friends. Grab one after a morning of shopping for cheap produce at the daily market (Mon-Sat, 7:30am-1pm) .

Special Events

(L-R: Zons Easter egg market, Marburg Christmas market, Karneval parade)

• Christmas Markets - running from late November to December 23. There are 7 markets in the city, each one different. German Christmas markets are such a special experience! If you're in Germany for the season, be sure to go to a market in a small village, such as Bad Münstereifel, too.
• Karneval - a full week of city-wide partying in early March. Be sure to bring a costume and a bag for candy!
• Zons Easter Egg Market - a nice day outing in the spring. Explore the medieval town and check out the beautiful egg crafts at the market.

Day Trips

(L-R: Rhine cruise, Bonn, Bad Muenstereifel)

• Brühl - the historic home of the Archbishop-Elector of Cologe. The palaces are best seen in spring or summer when the gardens are green, but it's still fun to go in winter. Post forthcoming!
• Koenigswinter - a nice hike to castles overlooking the Rhine. Best in summer when the Biergarten is open, but still a fun hike any time of year!
• Bad Munstereiffel - charming walled village, just an hours ride on the S-Bahn. There's a shop here with THE BEST mustard I've ever tasted.
• Bonn - we visited this city several times on day trips. Things to do include the Beethoven House (his birthplace and a museum), the German National Museum of Contemporary History (really excellent, and free, with lots of English translations), and the botanic garden at the university. We really wanted to visit the Rheinische Landesmuseum (history museum about the Rhineland), but we never made it.
• Rhine Cruise - I did this with my mom and sister. We caught a train to Bacharach, saw the town, then caught a river cruise ship up the river to a couple more towns before getting off in Mainz and catching the train back to Cologne. It was very relaxing! Unlike driving, everyone gets to enjoy the views and everyone has a good view. You can get on and off wherever you like along the river, or ride the boat all the way back to Cologne. I think it would be really fun to do this over several days.
• Mainz - often a starting or ending point for Rhine or Mosel cruises, this is a fun city in its own right. Bibliophiles should definitely visit the Gutenberg Museum!
• Industry Museums - Cologne is in the Ruhr, Germany's industrial region. There are a lot of very interesting museums in the area, including an old woolen mill (the Tuchfabrik Museum in Euskirchen) and mining museums (post forthcoming!)

Making this list has made me realize that I still have a number of things that I want to post about before I forget the details. I kept travel journals from all of our big trips, but our smaller day trips are documented mostly with photos and ticket stubs. So look for more Ausflug posts soon!