Köln
Cologne is the fourth-most populous city of Germany and the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia with over 1.0 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urban region.
Cologne is also part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Centred on the left bank of the Rhine, Cologne is located on the River Rhine, about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southeast of the North Rhine-Westphalia state capital Düsseldorf and 22 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of Bonn, the former capital of West Germany.
Getting to Köln
- 01Cologne Bonn Airport
This airport handles international and domestic flights and is a hub for the low-cost Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings.
- 02Düsseldorf Airport
- 03Köln Hauptbahnhof
- 04Köln Messe/Deutz
Cologne is linked with Amsterdam, Brussels, and Paris by Eurostar (formally Thalys) and ICE (high speed trains).
Things to do
Cologne's strong side is its cultural life. For latest information on what is happening around in town, get the StadtRevue for €2, Kölner for €2 or Live for free.
Where to eat
Cologne has a wide variety of restaurants, German and otherwise. One can eat pretty well in most traditional-style Kölsch restaurants, and in fact as a visitor, you should try some of the local food, which is quite rustic, but tasty, hearty fare.
- 01Weinhaus Vogel
Eigelstein 74.
- 02Thiebolds-Eck
- 03Curry B.
Breite Str.
- 04Maison Baguette
Fantastic sandwiches, very well served and with incredible bread.
- 05Lizbät
Delicious crepes, a nice ambience and great service.
Getting around Köln the local way
- 780 AST 780 · SWH
OpenStreetMap contributors.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.