Cologne, or Köln as the Germans call it is a great city. Lively, with many pubs, restaurants, and nightlife, but also old, with lots of history, monuments, and sights. Carnival celebrations in Cologne are famous, and that's a great time to visit the city.

From Cologne you can take boat trips on the Rhine all the way to Strasbourg in France. The most scenic part of the route lies between St. Goar and Rudesheim (lots of castles vineyards hills etc. Theres a pleasant train ride from Frankfurt to Cologne passing Lorelei the Rhine Valley and other pretty places.

The city of Cologne offers more than history: Whether street music on the Hohe Strasse or galas in the modern opera house, whether pavement painting on the cathedral concourse or old masters in the Wallraf Richartz Museum, whether the annual music festival along the inner ring road or carnival in the entire city - in Cologne all this becomes synthesized into a vivacious work of art - in a cosmopolitan metropolis boasting almost a million inhabitants which, despite its size, has never lost its neighbourly character.

Cologne is one of Germany's leading gastronomic lights. From venerable breweries offering unique Kölsch beer and typical Cologne delicacies to first-class restaurants - boasting well in excess of 3000 public houses, restaurants and breweries Cologne is one of Germany's leading gastronomic lights. Per head of population, no other city in the Federal Republic boasts so many public houses, and also many top-class restaurants.

The world feels at home in Cologne, where people meet for a Kölsch, a chat or simply a laugh. Life in Cologne is uncomplicated and vivacious - the tolerance and cosmopolitanism of its inhabitants proverbial.