Cheap flights to Cologne

Cologne, known locally as Köln, has one of Europe’s most awe-inspiring cathedrals, which attests to the city’s importance over the ages. Explore its history around every street corner, or in museums, or just relax in a café on a cobbled square, or at a beer garden. Cologne has museums for sports fans, chocolate lovers and aficionados of art and design. The city even smells nice – visit a museum dedicated to the art of perfume, since this is where our infatuation with eau de cologne began.

Scents of history

A Roman arch rises next to the cathedral’s spires, since this riverside city has been a trading capital for centuries. Its most famous products are now eau de cologne and Kölsch beer, which you can enjoy at a perfume museum and the flagship store of 1711 brand or beer halls and beer gardens, respectively, for a city break that will appeal to all the senses.

Cologne Cathedral, old town charm and new museums

There are enormous, beautiful churches in the cities of Europe, and then there is the Kölner Dom. This quintessential cathedral soars with flying buttresses and one of the tallest steeples in the world. Inside, see medieval stained-glass or the contemporary coloured squares of Gerhard Richter’s window. Visit the glittering Shrine of the Three Kings behind the altar, which is said to hold the remains of the kings, who brought gifts from afar to the stable where Jesus was born. To see the cathedral and Cologne’s other sights from above, ascend to the viewing platform on the KölnTriangle building on the other side of the Rhine. Vestiges of Cologne’s Roman history are to be found underneath the Romanesque Gross St. Martin cathedral, the remains of the governor’s palace beneath the medieval Rathaus, or Town Hall, and a Roman arch right outside the Dom. Cologne’s more recent past includes, of course, the invention of eau de cologne by Johann Maria Farina in 1709. Stroll through the Duftmuseum dedicated to the art of scent, in the original factory building, or the flagship store of the iconic brand 1711. Speaking of museums, explore the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, showcasing works by Rembrandt and Monet, or Museum Ludwig for Picasso and Warhol. The city’s religious treasures are housed in Kolumba, while NS-Dokumentationszentrum relates the difficult Nazi history in the former headquarters of the local Gestapo, with the cells in the basement now a memorial to the victims of the regime. Admirers of Aalto and Eames designs can see them and more at Museum für Angewandte Kunst, while sports lovers will enjoy the Deutsches Sport & Olympia Museum, with exhibits describing the controversial and tragic Games in Berlin in 1936 Berlin and 1972 in Munich as well as Germany’s sporting triumphs.

Schnitzel, Kölsch and markets

Bei Oma Kleinmann, that is, at Grandma Kleinmann’s, you’ll be served up classic German comfort food such as schnitzel of veal or pork. For pork knuckle, another German speciality, Haxenhaus is the place to go, or it’s worth walking across the Hohenzollernbrücke over the Rhine to Gaststätte Lommerzheim for pork chops in a pub. There’s plenty of choice when it comes to other culinary traditions – Zippiri Gourmetwerkstatt serves the best of Sardinian cuisine, while colourful Shaka Zulu offers southern African specialities in a cross between tapas and street food bar. Savour the two Michelin-starred French flavours of Le Moissonnier. Freddy Schilling has burgers both beefy and vegan, or head to Kuchi Mami for Asian fusion. Location-wise you’ll want to enjoy the cobbled market square Heumarkt lined with cafés and restaurants. Lively any time of year, it comes into its own during the festive season, when it hosts a cosy Christmas market, one of seven in the city, notably in front of the medieval Town Hall as well as the Dom. Market lovers should head to Rudolfplatz on Thursday evenings for a street food fair and farmer’s market called Meet & Eat Markt, while chocolate lovers can trace the 5,000-year history of the cocoa bean creation at the Schokoladenmuseum, with tastings, of course. As for drinks, Cologne has its own designation, a hoppy ale called Kölsch that’s not only served everywhere, it’s served constantly. It comes in a small glass, but after a few rounds by the waitstaff you’ll need to put a coaster on top to stop the beer from flowing.

Truly original colognes and beers

4711 House of Fragrances is home to the original eau de cologne, created in 1792 as a miraculous elixir that you could wear or even drink mixed with wine. The building is now the company’s flagship store, where you can take a fragrance seminar, if you’ve got a secret dream to become a nose. There’s also a Lego megastore, the Globetrotter outdoor shop (test winter jackets in the freeze chamber before you buy), La Galana for cigar lovers, and the upscale Neumarkt Passage collection of shops in the old town. Come evening (or afternoon, for that matter), start your fun at Biergarten Rathenauplatz, a community-run beer garden, or Brauerei zur Malzmühle, a family-owned beer hall and brewery since 1858. Have many a Kölsch at Päffgen, serving indoors and out since 1883. Need more history with your beer? Schreckenskammer has been a local favourite for almost 600 years. Beyond beer, go down into Gewölbe, the vault, for underground vibes, choose well-known DJ venue Bootshaus or explore the uncategorizable Odonien, where you can have a beer, watch a film, create your own art, see others’ creations or just soak up the creativity.

Beethoven’s birthplace and hilltop castles

Travel up the Rhine to Dusseldorf, which has a charming Altstadt paired with an avant-garde harbour area Medienhafen as well as a vibrant art scene. To the south, visit Bonn, birthplace of Beethoven and another inviting riverside town, one that served as West Germany’s capital until reunification in 1991. You can make either of these trips by boat on the Rhine, and you can choose to go as far as Königswinter, with castle ruins atop Drachenfels, or Dragon’s Rock, home to a dragon who – don’t worry – was slain by the hero Siegfried, or so legend has it. Climb there for the view, or admire Schloss Drachenburg, a castle built in the late 19th century.

Cologne airport

Cologne Bonn Airport serves both cities. S-Bahn line 13 takes you into central Cologne, while line 60 connects the airport with Bonn’s main train station. Taxis are also available for the 15-minute ride to either city, and rental car options are abundant. The airport has clothing, accessory and duty-free shops, and dining choices include snack bars, coffee shops and bakeries, plus options to enjoy sushi, wurst or beer.

Cologne weather

In Cologne, summers are mild, and winters are cold, so the best time to visit is from mid-May to mid-September. Summer daytime temperatures are between 20°C and 25°C, but be prepared for possible cool and rainy days. Winter can be windy with temperatures around 0°C, while snowfall is usually light and occasional, dusting the Christmas market with an extra-cosy atmosphere.

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