Have you already completed the photo tour? Or are you not the most enthusiastic photographer?
Then here is a suggestion for a day in Cologne that is not just focused on taking good photos. Rather, the day is planned so that you can get a good first impression of the city in general. On this tour we will take you to the top highlights of the city of Cologne.
Your perfect day starts directly with one of Cologne's landmarks, the cathedral.
This is extremely easy to reach by public transport and is also very central to the other stops on your perfect day. Photos of the cathedral can be taken from the Domplatte. If you want, you can also take a look inside the third largest church in the world. It is even possible to climb up the main tower of the cathedral, which was the tallest building in the world when it was completed. "Only" 533 steps separate you from a unique view over the city. If that's too many steps for you, there is a less strenuous alternative later on in the tour.
From the cathedral, you cross the Hohenzollern Bridge to the other side of the Rhine. The bridge itself is famous for its many love locks. It is almost impossible to recognize the bridge because of all the castles. It is now thought that more than a million locks have been attached to the bridge. Anyone who wants to and, more importantly, who can find a free space, can attach a lock with their initials. Once the lock has been fastened, the key is thrown into the Rhine. The love is then sealed, forever.
Once on the other side of the Rhine, you can enjoy the perfect view of the cathedral and the Chocolate Museum. The Rhine boulevard with its steps is a great place to linger and enjoy the unique view.
When you leave the Rheinboulevard and move away from the cathedral, you should quickly notice a relatively tall tower: The Köln Triangle.
This striking, triangular skyscraper offers you a great view of the city and the Chocolate Museum from its 100-metre viewing platform. This tower is also an alternative for those who don't want to climb the 533 stairs of the cathedral. This is because the Köln Triangle has an elevator.
Once you have had your fill of the view, even if it is difficult to imagine, continue away from the cathedral towards the next bridge. Cross the Severinsbrücke bridge to get back to the other side of the Rhine. Once there, you can immediately see the next stop of the day, namely the Rheinauhafen and the Kranhäuser. We have already reported extensively on their suitability as photo motifs in this blog (more tips for photo motifs in Cologne here).
The path along the Rhine under the Crane Houses finally leads to the real highlight of the day: the Chocolate Museum.
You can honestly spend a whole day in this adventure museum with adjoining restaurant. Explore the 10-metre-high tropical house and feel like you're in the Brazilian rainforest with real cocoa trees, watch the in-house chocolate production in the glass chocolate factory or marvel while our master chocolatiers make and decorate artistic chocolate figures by hand.
As you can see, the Chocolate Museum has a lot to offer. In fact, a few hours is far too little to fully explore the entire exhibition. We recommend a guided tour, our experienced museum guides will be happy to accompany you. You can of course book all our offers online in our webshop. Need a break? Then the Chocolat Grand Café is the place to go. Here you will be spoiled with delicious cakes, drinking chocolates and much more. And are you still looking for a suitable gift for friends or family at home? The Chocololat store offers fresh chocolate, homemade pralines with a wide variety of fillings, hand-cast chocolate figurines and colorful coins. All handmade in the chocolate museum's confectionery.
If you actually manage to leave the museum, you can head back towards the cathedral, hopefully with plenty of chocolate in your luggage. After a short walk along the Rhine, you will discover Cologne's Old Town, with its colorful half-timbered houses. If you're not already full enough from your piece of cake from the chocolate museum, you can sit down in one of the countless restaurants here and perhaps try the traditional Cologne dish "Halve Hahn".
From the Old Town, you can simply walk back to the city center via the Domplatte. This is the perfect opportunity to do a little shopping. Along Hohe Straße and Schildergasse there are numerous stores from brands ranging from A for Apple to Z for Zara.
Once your shopping bags are full of souvenirs from the Chocolate Museum and many other things, the day draws to a close. Take the train out of the city center at Neumarkt and head to the Belgian Quarter. Enjoy the young and urban city flair. Incidentally, the name is derived from the street names, which refer to Belgian provinces and cities.
The district has a lot to offer. Take your time and stroll through it in search of a restaurant to round off the day. You won't have any trouble finding a restaurant. You'll be spoiled for choice here.
Once you've decided on one, the best way to end the day is with a glass of Kölsch. And for dessert, you'll hopefully have some chocolate from the Chocolate Museum in your luggage.
