When in Cologne
Cologne has its origins in Roman times, but the city today is a thoroughly modern metropolis. This is mainly due to the Allied bombings of World War II, which damaged over 90 per cent of the city's buildings. However, what remains of the old Cologne is well worth seeing and the modern is not bad either, with some fantastic modern architecture and some fine museums.
Spring is generally regarded as being the best time to go, before the city's rainy season that lasts from June until August has had time to kick in. If you manage to get lucky and avoid the showers, however, the average summer temperature of 24°C makes it a wonderful time to visit. Winters are dry, but bitterly cold.
The Kölner Dom is the spiritual heart of the city and on every tourist's "to do" list. This magnificent structure, which is easily Germany's largest cathedral, miraculously avoided the Allied bombs and remains fully intact. Building began in 1248 but it had still not been completed by the time a lack of money caused construction to grind to a halt in 1560. For the next 300 years, the half completed building had various uses, including a stable for Napoleon's horses, until it was finally finished in 1880. Now it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and houses a wonderful number of treasures including the Shrine of the Three Magi, which is said to hold the remains of the three kings who "followed the star to Bethlehem."
The Domschatzkammer, or Cathedral Treasury, is also worth a visit. It houses a number of ecclesiastical items from years past, including robes, sculptures and reliquaries, while the 13th century building itself is something to behold.
In the Alstadt part of town, the Museum Ludwig can be found. It is home to a vast array of modern art, with, seemingly, all genres covered. Picasso has a number of works here and fans of the Russian avant-garde scene as well as German expressionism will have much to enjoy.
Surely the best way to arrive in the city is by train. Cologne has a huge number of connections to cities in western Europe and getting to the city from within the country could not be easier. Frankfurt is just under an hour and a half away and Berlin is reachable in just over four hours. Both cities have an hourly service. A train departs for Munich every two hours and makes the journey in a little over four hours.
Buses arrive at the Breslauer Platz, just behind the main train station and there are regular daily services to Paris, eight hours away, and Warsaw, 21 hours to the east.
Köln-Bonn Airport is not the biggest of places and you may be better off flying in to nearby Frankfurt, which certainly is.
Nipping around town is best done by bike or on the city's good bus, tram and local train systems. Tickets are available at most stops or on board trams and it is vital that you stamp them once on board.
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