Whenever you’re crossing the Dom square, you can watch people trying to get a good picture of the huge church with everything in the frame.
Spoiler alert: in most cases they don’t manage to do it...
The best thing to do for a clear view, and not only of the Dom, is to go up a tall building.
But there aren’t so many of them in Cologne. The television tower is closed due to a state of disrepair and the tower of the Dom is quite hard to climb : 533 steps in a very small staircase and in summertime very overcrowded and with muggy air...
So where can you go? Again, to the other side of the river Rhine! From there you have an excellent view over the old city and the Dom. For example, from the Rheinboulevard.
But you can go higher: on top of the Köln Triangle!
So just take a lovely walk over the railway bridge (Hohenzollernbrücke) to the other side of the river to the Köln Triangle (also reachable by public transport/car/bike from the other side). Find the entrance to the observation deck (Aussichtsplattform) on the right hand side (coming from the bridge).
Having reached the top, you will have a fantastic 360° view of the Dom, the old city and the other areas of Cologne and the scenery around.
The platform is fully secured with big windows on which there is information about what you can see.
The best view of Cologne in my opinion!
Find your way with 139 Insider Tips from our Local Spotters
Lichtspiele Kalk is an independent cinema with an 87-seat screening room and it shows not only contemporary movies but also children’s and classic movies.
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What struck me the most were the frescoes in the three apse ceilings by Hermann Gottfried. These powerful frescoes bring colors and dynamism to the church.
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To maintain this habitat open and thus preserve the associated species - there is a shepherd with goats and sheep. There are also free tours you can join!
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Knippschild Werk 2 is a rather small family-run restaurant with 30 seats inside and 18 seats in the biergarten, and multiple kinds of Schnitzel!
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In this museum, you can see more than 20 tramways, a model railway, historical props of the Cologne tramway, and technical objects.
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La Vincaillerie offers natural wines from all over Europe, including Austria, France, Georgia, and Germany. And you can rent the store for private events!
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"Kunstbruder" in Cologne is a restaurant inside a street art gallery! I love their varied, international menu -- I always get something different...
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Moving within your city means you can explore new neighborhoods. My new shoemaker in Cologne did a very good job fixing an old leather bag...
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Perlenfischer is a beautiful corner store has specialized in rubber stamps: flowers and leaves, fruits, animals, graphic shapes, or whole letterings.
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My favorite breads from Ährensache Biobäckerei are the Überraschungsbrot (literally the “surprise bread”) and the vegan Dinkel-Kamut Hefebrot Mohn.
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At Alte Metzgerei the burgers and burritos are made from regional products and contain a 150g homemade patty made from 100% responsibly raised beef.
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o.k.-international was founded in 1997 and there you will find objects from everyday life that Lukas Plum found abroad (e.g. in Cambodia or Turkmenistan).
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139 Insider Tips from our local Spotters
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Escape the Crowd & Travel Slow 🐌
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