Cologne Holidays

Cologne city breaks

This German giant’s most famous for its gargantuan Gothic cathedral, its top-notch beer scene and the Rhine River, which cuts right through it. But there’s a whole lot more to the city than that – from its cobbled old town to its riverside museums, modern city centre and open-‘til-dawn nightlife.

A whopping great cathedral

The city centre’s dwarfed by the humungous cathedral that sits slap bang in the middle of it. This by-the-river beaut’s been keeping watch over Cologne for the best part of 150 years, with the final piece plonked down in 1880. It’s so massive, though, that the first foundations were laid back in 1248 – more than 600 years earlier. The cathedral’s one of Germany’s most-visited attractions, and its soaring spires stretch skywards for almost 160 metres, making it the second-tallest building in the city after the TV tower.

Strut around the old town

Head down towards the banks of the Rhine and you can’t miss Cologne’s charming old town. Classic pubs, cobbled streets and old-school restaurants which dish up local grub are all part of the picturesque package down here. There’s a medley of museums to mosey around, too, including a chocolate museum where you can taste the sweet stuff and get your own custom-made bar. There’s a couple of centuries-old squares, too – head down on market day and you can snap up some souvenirs.

Cologne at Christmas

This place is a corker all year-round, but it really packs a punch over the festive season. The city’s Christmas market has planted its trotters right next to the cathedral, and it pulls in punters from all over the Continent. Handmade decs, arts and crafts are all par for the course, and there’s a decent line-up of festive foods, too. And the action doesn’t all revolve around the centre. Smaller markets have popped up in recent years around the city’s neighbourhoods, while the zoo’s taken over by a Christmas Garden over the hols.