The German name is Köln, and is the largest city in the Nordrhein-Westfalen region, situated on the Rhine. Cologne was already inhabited by the Romans who have left important monuments in the city. Today is one of the most important industrial centers of western Germany. It was severely destroyed during the last war. Cologne has a famous and oldest university founded in the fourteenth century, is now one of the largest universities in Germany.
The people of Cologne are known for happiness and their carnival and for that annually attracts more than a million visitors from all over Germany. During a walk in the center must also taste the traditional city beer, "Kölsch". Starting from Köln there are many possibilities for boat trips on the Rhine.
What to see
Cologne Cathedral and the Roman-Germanic Museum
The city is dominated by the cathedral, an imposing Gothic building that alone would be enough to make Cologne a top tourist destination. The interior is surprising for the size especially for the height. The visit to the treasure you pay for but it's worth it. The cathedral can be seen from any part of the city and stands out in surprising ways. Do you go to Cologne without seeing it: it is a bit like going to Rome and not seeing the Colosseum!
Right next to the cathedral there is the Roman-Germanic Museum, which gives an idea of everyday life 2000 years ago. It allows you to know the history of Roman civilization in the capital of the province of Lower Germany, Colonia Agrippina. The modern building, perhaps questionable from the urban point of view, compared to the splendid Gothic cathedral behind him, however, allows an excellent thematic exhibition, which shows the different aspects of daily life in Antiquity with wonderful exhibits, such as beautiful polychrome mosaics and epigraphs and funerary monuments of great interest, certainly a visit desirable not only for lovers of history and archeology but also for those who want to revisit the past and Roman world in this corner peripheral, yet strategically Roman Empire.KölnTriangle
Getting on this tower placed on the other side of the Rhine over the old city is a must do. At a cost of only € 3 from up there you can see the panorama of the city at 360 °. The observation is made easier by the indications of the main buildings of the city places on the windows.
Flora Garten and the Cologne Zoo
First of all it's great that to enter in the Garden Botanical do not pay anything and is held fantastically, with flowers and well-kept facilities with which the public can interact, take pictures always without pay. Inside there is the "Dank Augusta" a local very distinctive offering lunch in jars and in place of Tray uses of funny shooper, very original.
The Cologne Zoo is quite large, it takes at least five hours to visit it all, including the aquarium and the insectarium. Many of the species present, the flamingo, the tiger, all hippopotamus, elephants, monkeys of all kinds, far too many to list. It is a tour suitable for both children and adults, highly recommended. While cost is 19.50 € absolutely worth the effort.Other
These are the main things to do in Cologne but if you have more days to visit this city I will also recommend: The 'Hiroshima Nagasaki and the Rheinpark, the Great St. Martin, the chair lift and the Hohenzollern Bridge.
For those who love shopping instead Cologne is the perfect city! The streets with more shops are Hohe Strasse and Schildergasse.
