Cologne is a fantastic modern city with
many pubs, restaurants, and great nightlife, and at the same time has
preserved its ancient glory captured in multitude of historical monuments
and sights. Major attractions offered by the city are street music on the
Hohe Strasse, galas in the modern opera house, pavement painting on the
cathedral concourse, old masters in the Wallraf Richartz Museum, the annual
music festival along the inner ring road - in Cologne all this becomes
synthesized into a vivacious work of art. Carnival celebrations in Cologne
are very famous, and that's a great time to visit the city.
From Cologne one can also take boat trips on the Rhine river all the way to
Strasbourg in France. The most striking and memorable part of the route lies
between St. Goar and Rudesheim with lots of castles, vineyards, hills and
much more. There’s another pleasant train ride from Frankfurt to
Cologne passing Lorelei the Rhine Valley and other pretty places.
Several splendid bridges in the historic parts of the city connect to the
industrial areas where major trade fairs and exhibitions are held. An
impressive view of Cologne and its beautiful skyline can be enjoyed from one
of the many boats that cruise the Rhine, or from the river's east bank.
Fact File
Country : Germany
Population : 3 million
Languages : German, English
Climate : Temperate climate throughout the year with warm summers
and cold winters, but prolonged periods of frost or snow are rare. Rain
falls throughout the year.
Official Currency : Euro; 1 Euro = 52.443 Indian Rupee = 1.2047 US $
= 0.678141 GBP(subject to change)
Location : The city is situated on the banks of the River Rhine,
Cologne is one of the largest cities in Germany. Cologne is located on the
eastern part of the city where Frankfurt lies to the southwest of the city
and Dusseldorf to the northeast of the city.
Getting
There
By Air : The ‘Köln-Bonn international airport’ is
situated half way between the two cities. A taxi ride from the airport to
the city centre takes about 20 minutes.
The ‘Bonn Airport Konrad Adenauer’ (CGN) is located ten miles
(sixteen kilometres) southeast of Cologne & 27km north of Bonn. Many
domestic and international carriers use Cologne-Bonn Airport Konrad
Adenauer, one of Germany's prime airports.
By Road : Cologne is surrounded by concentric Rings, thus
orientation is not really difficult. The outer most is the "Autobahn
ring". From here the main arterials radiate inwards the city. By
following centre signs, one can reach the Dom as well as the central
station, where one can park rather easily (underground parking) but it will
cost one more than in the outer areas.
Getting Around
By Road : There are various methods to move around in the city.
Trams, buses, hired cars and taxis are some of the options you can select
from.
Accommodation
The city of Cologne has very good hotels to ensure a comfortable stay for
the tourists. Mentioned below is a list of some of the hotels in the city:
5 star hotels in the city:
Dorint Kongress hotel Koeln
Concorde Hotel Terminal
Hotel santo
4 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Cristall
Hyatt Regency Cologne
Renaissance Koln hotel
3 star hotels in the city:
Hotel Imperial
Ibis hotel Koln Am Dom
Ibis Koeln Messe
Major
Tourist Attractions
The Cathedral : This renowned feature is unique owing to its great
size. Its twin towers are one-third the height of Sears Tower, but
constructed with medieval technology.
Old Market Square : The charming old market square is an example of
medieval housing in the city.
Flora Zoo : Approximately 12,000 species of plants are present in
the botanical gardens, which were bombed in the war and restored since. The
zoo is adjacent to the park.
Boat Tours : One can view the enigmatic Cologne skyline and
landmarks in the surrounding country from a boat ride on the river Rhine.
4711 House : Located opposite the Opera, this is the headquarters of
the famous original “Eau de Cologne” fragrance, and it is proud of
a ‘carillon’ that chimes every hour.
Opera House : Modern opera house features the performances of both
opera and theatre.
Museum of Chocolate : The local Stollwerck chocolate factory is the
link between the city and the cocoa bean grown in regions thousands of miles
from here.
