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Guide to Cologne, Germany
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Cologne A city of splendid architecture, friendly people, and a great social scene and nightlife, Cologne is an exciting place to be any time of year. Whether theres a chill in the air or the summer sun is beating down, Cologne continues to be a wonderful destination for those in the mood for architecture, clubs, people, music, and much more.
When to go:
We consider the ideal time to visit Cologne to be during the autumn to winter seasons. The daily temperatures are just right, and if you choose to visit during early winter (around mid-November) youll get to experience some of the carnival season. Much of Germany does not make a great deal of this celebration, but Cologne is a special exception. The people of this city make a great spectacle of the whole occasion.
Getting there and around:
Cologne/Bonn Airport serves both Cologne and its neighboring city, and is in fact Germanys fastest growing airport, with greatly increasing traffic. Its location is some distance from the city centre, so you will have to take transit. There is a train station on-site and a train will take you into the city in about 15 minutes, and they run on a frequent basis. A great advantage you get with using this system means that you can use the universal tickets available from vending machines or kiosks in some stations, which give you access to Colognes public transit services comprised of the U-Bahn, trams, and buses.
Colognes subway and tram system is a wonderful way of getting around the city, and again, is very simple to utilize with the universal ticket system.
Attractions:
Cologne Cathedral should be on the top of your list of sights to see. Built over the span of 600 years, yes, 600 years, it stands as a Gothic architectural masterpiece. It is designated as a world heritage site, and is very close to the train station (which means youll see it right when you arrive in the city from the Cologne/Bonn Airport). There are a series of exactly 509 steps which, if youre up to it, you can climb and get a beautiful view of Cologne. The Cathedral is open 6am-7:30pm except for mass, which, yes, is still held on a regular basis here.
Museum Ludwig is a great place to visit as well, with wonderful modern pieces, some great permanent exhibits as well as occasional and circulating exhibits. The grounds on which the museum sits on are quite nice as well, having somewhat of an abstract yet entirely fitting image. There are also many more museums throughout the city, such as Museum fur angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Art), the Wallraf-Richartz Museum, and Museum Schnutgen. The Museum of Applied Art houses some wonderful popular design pieces and has some notable exhibitions that come and go temporarily. The Wallraf-Richartz Museum houses work by Rubens and Rembrandt and mostly highlights traditional pieces. Museum Schnutgen highlights works from the Middle Ages and Baroque period.
If youre in Cologne during February, be sure to stick around for the end of Cologne, when Carnival is at its highest peak. For five days there is lots of partying going on, and goes on just about day and night, and on the last night, Cologne celebrates the Nubbelverbrennung (the burning of the spirit of carnival to make up for the past wrongs done during the carnival season).
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