Cologne (German: Köln, Ripuarian: Kölle) is a city on the Rhine river in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is the fourth largest city in Germany with around 1.1 million residents (2025). It is one of the nation's media, tourism and business hotspots, and is considered one of the most liberal cities in Germany. Cologne has a rich history, reaching back to the time of the ancient Roman Empire, when it was founded. It has remained a constantly inhabited important regional centre since.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Cologne lies on both sides of the river Rhine, which flows through it in a northerly direction. The left hand, or western side, is Cologne proper with the Old Town (Altstadt), the famous cathedral and most landmarks and museums. The right side, or eastern side, used to be a separate town called Deutz, now it is a neighbourhood and a train station. Cologne is divided into 9 districts (Stadtbezirke), numbered from 1 to 9. Stadtbezirk 1, called Innenstadt ("inner city"), is probably the one most tourists will spend all of their time in, as it contains most of the city's points of interest. It is also the only district that lies on both sides of the Rhine, as it includes Deutz.
Cologne has an excellent public transport network consisting of trams, local trains and buses. Bicycles are also available for hire on the northern side of the Hauptbahnhof. Local transport systems rarely provide announcements in English, but network maps are commonly available to assist with your journey. Those wishing to explore areas away from the central city should plan their journey and potential connections before leaving. The KVB (Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe) website is a good source of public transport information. Tickets are valid for subway, tram, bus and regional train within the VRS-network.
1 Kölner Dom (Cathedral) (U-Bahn: Dom / Hbf). M-Sa 10:00-17:00; Su 13:00-16:00. A UNESCO World Heritage site, this monumental cathedral took 632 years to complete, finally being consecrated in 1880. Cologne's Dom is the first thing you will notice when leaving through the main exit of the central station. If you don't see it, you've likely taken the back exit. If you are in good shape, you can climb the 509 stairs to the top of the south tower. The round trip takes about an hour and requires comfortable shoes, but the panoramic view is well worth the hike. Touring the cathedral is forbidden during Mass; to ensure the doors are open for visitors, check the liturgical calendar: koelner-dom.de.
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. 1 Kölner Philharmonie, Bischofsgartenstrasse 1. Central concert hall, opened in 1986. Main season September to June. Special summer shows. (updated Jun 2026) 2 Oper Köln, Rheinparkweg 1. Operas are performed in the Staatenhaus while the opera building at Offenbachplatz is being renovated. Season starts in Mid-September. (updated Jun 2026) 3 Stadtgarten, Venloer Straße 42 (U-bahn to Friesenplatz, walk 5 minutes).
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. The brewery taps (Früh, Sion, Pfaffen, Malzmühle, etc., in the old town south of the Dom) are worth taking note of to that respect, although they tend to be expensive for what you get. Places out of the way such as Schreckenskammer and Max Stark (north of the train station, the former being within crawling distance of the Station Backpackers Hostel), Päffgen (Friesenstraße) and both of the Cologne independent brewpubs (Hellers Brauhaus on Roonstr…
There are so many bars and pubs to choose from that you could spend most of the night going from one bar to the next. For traditional breweries, head to the Altstadt around the Dom, where the Früh Kölsch brewery is the most famous with visitors and locals. You will find a younger crowd at Hellers Brauhaus on Roonstraße, near metro station Zülpicher Platz or Brauhaus Pütz on Engelbertstraße close to Rudolfplatz. Furthermore the Päffgen, on the all-bar street Friesenstraße close to the Friesenplatz, and the Mühlen near Heumarkt are traditional brewery pubs but less touristy than the "Früh".
Cologne's safety levels are historically average by German standards, but since the mid-2010s, the city has been plagued with significant waves of crime and decay. Tourists should take normal safety precautions, particularly in the city centre, where pickpockets are known to be active. Also, be careful on the Ring, which is full of clubs and night-time crowds in the streets. Day and night be careful in outlying neighbourhoods like Chorweiler, Porz, Seeberg, Ostheim, Bocklemünd, Ossendorf, and Vingst. In general, stay away from drunk people. At street crossings, watch the trams.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
Top-rated tours and tickets from €15 — book ahead for the popular ones.
Tours and tickets provided by Viator (a Tripadvisor company). Some links earn Stayonomy a commission.
In Jul, Cologne typically sees ~24°C daytime highs and 15 rainy days.
Cheapest destinations travellers searched recently — refreshed daily.
Flight prices are real fares travellers found in the last 48 hours, refreshed daily — the booking site confirms the final price. Train, bus and ferry fares are shown on the operators' booking sites. Weather data by Open-Meteo; exchange rates: ECB reference. Data updated 2026-07-21. Some links earn Stayonomy a commission at no cost to you.