This 2,000-year-old city spans the Rhine and its cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spelled like the French world for perfume, the German pronunciation of the city is Köln.

There are fabulous examples of Gothic architecture and opportunities to peruse some great museums and tour some pretty cool castles within a stone’s throw of the city. Pop over to Cologne if you’re visiting Belgium or Luxembourg. Maybe make it a stop if you are considering a cruise on the Rhine. If you are interested in a visit to Cologne, GetAway Travel can map out a great adventure for you!

One of Europe’s most stunning cathedrals

 Cologne Cathedral is one of the most visited tourist sites in Europe. Construction on the cathedral, which is the seat of the archbishop of Cologne, started in 1248, and then stalled for almost 300 years so construction took 600 or so years!

The twin-spired high Gothic marvel of architecture dominates the city skyline. It is the world’s third largest Gothic-style cathedral and it took more than 300,000 tons of stone to construct. It has the largest facade of any church in the world.

One of the most important pilgrimage sites in Northern Europe, it is host to the Shrine of Three Kings. Perched on the high altar is a massive gold shrine that is said to contain relics of the Magi. It is thought to be one of the finest examples of medieval gold work that is available for viewing. The vaulted ceilings are breathtaking, but it is the Richter window that makes visitors gape in wonder.

The 515-high window in the southern transept contains 11,000 hand-blown panels in 72 different colors. The other 14th century windows in the cathedral are also impressive. Along with the historic furnishings, such as the choirs stalls that were carved from 1308 to 1311, there is also a modern bronze altar created by Elmar Hillebrand between 1960 and 1971.

There are at least a dozen other churches in the city including St. Martin Church, a Romanesque church with lovely stained glass windows. St. Maria in Kapital Church is another great example of Romanesque architecture with beautiful frescoes.

 An eclectic mix of museums

 The Museum Ludwig is next to the cathedral. Chocolatier and industrialist Peter Ludwig gave his name to this museum which features an amazing collection of modern art. The third largest collection of Picassos in the world is here. There are pieces by Salvador Dali and Roy Lichtenstein as well as multi-media exhibitions, photography and sculptures.

The Farina Fragrance Museum has been in existence since 1709 and is one of the oldest perfume museums in the world. Several floors detail the complex process of creating a fragrance from start to finish. Create your own!

The Wallraf Richartz Museum has art pieces from medieval times to the 20th century and you can find modern and classic Christian artwork in the Kolumba museum. The Schnütgen Museum also has Christian artwork as well as prints and textiles from medieval to modern times.

And when you need a break from artwork and artifacts, track the 5,000-year history of chocolate making at the Chocolate Museum. Yes, there’s a chocolate fountain, several gift shops, you can make your own creations and museum staff offers samples to visitors along the tours.

Beer, wine, other places to visit

 Kölsch is a pale, hop-forward beer created only in Cologne. It comes in six-ounce glasses, but wait staff is quick to keep your glass refilled where ever you may be drinking.

The middle Rhine Valley, abut two hours from Cologne, is historically famous, but also famous for its vineyards. It is THE place for white wine grapes because it is dry, sunny but cool, and is one of the most diverse geological areas in Europe. The area produces white grapes that are aromatic and high in acidity. Six of the seven wine varieties from the region are white wines.

The Hohenzollern Bridge is an iconic landmark. Constructed in the 19th century for rail and car traffic, it is now used for rail and pedestrian traffic. Couples “lock” their love in for each other by putting a padlock on the rails of the bridge. There are estimates that more than 340,000 locks are on the bridge rails.

The Cologne Zoological Gardens is one of Germany’s oldest zoological gardens. Animals are housed in historic enclosures retrofitted to modern standards. The elephants are in a Moorish style enclosure and a traditional Russian church is home to the chimpanzees.

Essen, Bonn and Dusseldorf

 Zollverein Mine Complex in Essen is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The complex includes museums, historic sites and monuments. Ruhr Museum inside Zollervein tells the story of the region, not just the coal mine, and it includes an exhibit of rocks from all over the world.

You get to it on a long escalator within the mine’s former coal washing plant and in addition to the geological displays, there are fascinating exhibits on the cultural heritage of the area.

The Red Dot Museum is in Shaft 12 of the mine. It’s a contemporary museum with designs from all over the world.

The Folkwang Museum houses art from the 19th and 20th century including a 350,000-piece poster collection of political and cultural posters. The photography exhibit has 60,000 items.

Bonn is the birthplace of Beethoven. One of the oldest cities in Germany, it is home to a prestigious university and its cathedral was built in the Romanesque style with five imposing towers.

Beethoven’s house contains rare artifacts and documents. There is an original portrait of the family, personal letters, handwritten sheet music and a digitalized music research center includes all his works, including several rare recordings.

There are museums galore including the Alexander König Museum which is one of the country’s top history and zoological museums. Arithmueum is a museum dedicated to the study of mathematics and exhibits include antique calculators and rare books. Haus der Geschichte leads visitors through the contemporary history of Germany leading up to WWII.

Drachenburg Castle was built in the Gothic Revival style. Perched above the Rhine, you can take the long path up, or take advantage of the tram. The interior is decorated in flashy Baroque style.

Dusseldorf is a fashion and art hotspot, but also pretty well known for its beer halls. The local beer is Altbier, a smooth, malty brew.

The Museum Kunstpalast has five permanent collections and some interesting revolving exhibits. The museum has a huge glass collection, 3,000 pieces from Roman times to the Middle Ages as well as Art Nouveau to the present.

Take a ride on the U Bahn, even if you are just riding it to go through the stations. Six of the stations have interactive and digital artwork with video and sound. A visitor favorites is the station that has 3D animated stickers of stars and planets that make it seem you are riding a space ship.

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