Germany

Cologne

Cologne ( kə-LOHN; German: Köln [kœln] ; Kölsch: Kölle [ˈkœ̂lə] ) is the fourth-most populous city of Germany and the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia with over one million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urban region. Cologne is also part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Centred on the left bank of the Rhine, Cologne is located on the River Rhine (Lower Rhine), about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southeast of the North Rhine-Westphalia state capital Düsseldorf and 22 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of Bonn, the former capital of West Germany. The city's medieval Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) was the world's tallest building from 1880 to 1890 and is today the third-tallest church and tallest cathedral in the world.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)

Must-see in Cologne

The most notable places, ranked by how widely they are documented on Wikipedia.

landmark

Cologne Cathedral

06:00–20:00Photo: Wikimedia Commons

More places in Cologne

Filter by type. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, details from OpenStreetMap.

Schloss Morsbroich

culture · Tu-Su 11:00-17:00; Th 11:00-21:00; PH ThDetails & map

Basilica of the Holy Apostles

landmarkDetails & map

Museum Schnütgen

culture · Mo off; Tu-We,Fr-Su,PH 10:00-18:00; Th 1Details & map

Kölnisches Stadtmuseum

culture · Mo off; Tu,We,Fr,Sa,Su,PH 10:00-17:00; TDetails & map

DITIB-Zentralmoschee

cultureDetails & map

St. Maria Lyskirchen

landmark · Mo-Sa 09:00-18:00; Su,PH 10:00-18:00Details & map

St. Kunibert

landmarkDetails & map

Käthe Kollwitz Museum

culture · Mo off; Tu-Fr 10:00-18:00; Sa,Su,PH 11:0Details & map

NS-Dokumentationszentrum

culture · Tu-Fr 10:00-18:00,Sa-Su 11:00-18:00Details & map

Kolumba Kunstmuseum

culture · Mo,We-Su,PH 12:00-17:00; Tu off; Aug 15-Details & map

St.Andreas

landmarkDetails & map

Groß Sankt Martin

landmark · Mo off; Tu-Sa 09:30-19:39; Su 10:00-19:1Details & map

Synced from OpenStreetMap on Fri Nov 13 2026. Places not seen for 45 days or reported closed are removed automatically.

Plan your days in Cologne

Your Cologne day plan

Grouped by neighbourhood, lunch included. Built from places we verified recently.

How many days?

Longer trips (up to 10 days): part of Pro

2 days · Balanced · about 8 stops

Standard plan shown. Sign in (free) to build your own.

Climate in Cologne

Best time to visit: Jun–Sep

Average temperature

3°

Jan

3°

Feb

6°

Mar

9°

Apr

14°

May

17°

Jun

19°

Jul

19°

Aug

15°

Sep

12°

Oct

7°

Nov

4°

Dec

Crowd level (0–5)

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Mar

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Jul

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Dec

Flights to Cologne

Compare fares and price history from the biggest departure cities.

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Day trips and nearby cities from Cologne

Staying more than a few days? These cities are close enough for a day trip or a night away. Distances are straight-line from Cologne; times are rough estimates by road.

From Cologne you can reach Dusseldorf (33 km), Neuss (33 km), Wuppertal (37 km), Duren (38 km) and Ratingen (39 km) in about 40 min to 45 min by road. Each city page has its own sights, a day plan and flights.

More in Germany

Questions about Cologne

The most pleasant months are Jun to Sep, with comfortable temperatures and lighter crowds. Right now it averages about 7°C in November.

Among the most notable places are Cologne Cathedral, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud, Museum Ludwig, St. Gereon's Basilica, Duftmuseum im Farina-Haus. Browse photos and opening hours for more on this page.

You can fly into Cologne Bonn Airport, Dortmund Airport, Düsseldorf Airport. Use the flight links on this page to compare fares and set a price alert.

Most visitors enjoy 2 to 3 days. Use the route builder below to get a day-by-day plan that groups sights by neighbourhood and includes lunch.

Cologne