If you want to go on a quick Sunday walk without leaving the center of the city, this is one of my favorite spots. The two Lindenthal canals were built in the 1920s and I always have this picture in front of my eyes: The rich citizens of Cologne with their parasols strolling along the canals on a warm summer’s day.

To get there, you start right from the opposite side of the street from the Museum for East Asian Art. The first canal has beautiful old trees on both sides and is simply nice to walk along. At the end of it, you’ll find the Christ resurrection church that throws you back to the 1960s: a Catholic church with very unusual and interesting Brutalist architecture (visit the inside!)

To get to the second canal, turn left in front of the church. You´ll get to a nice little basin with a fountain and two sculptures. If you continue down the canal, you can see some of the most expensive homes in Cologne. In spring and summer, the canal is home to a family of swans and lots of cute ducklings. They even have a wooden house on the water!

If you get to the end, you are at Stadtwald already – the biggest park in the city. Connecting Aachener Weiher and Stadtwald, two of the largest green areas of the city, the canals are also an excellent path for jogging.