Cologne is famous for its perfume, but it has much more to discover. Most cities in the Ruhr region are not really interesting and are focused on industry. However, Cologne is a fun city with a nice character. Over one million people inhabit the city, and it is the fourth city of Germany.  If you want to see what sights Cologne has, keep reading.

1. Admire the fantastic Cologne cathedral

The absolute highlight of Cologne is the famous cathedral. This incredible building is in gothic style and very impressive. Building this cathedral took centuries, but it has been worth it. Seeing it from the inside and outside is something you will remember; as for me, it is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: High

How much time needed: 1 hour

2. Have a stroll in the old town (Altstadt)

Cologne is one of the cities with a gorgeous old town (Altstadt). While most of the city is quite boring and pretty ugly, the Altstadt is beautiful and really worth walking around. A free walking tour is also recommended, as there are many good stories about perfume, carnival (which is popular in Cologne), and Bill Clinton. 

Price: Free

Tourist occurrence: Medium

How much time needed: 2-3 hours

3. Observe animals in the Kölner Zoo

If you want to have a lovely day in a zoo, the Kölner Zoo is a perfect one. The zoo has a large variety of animals; they have a huge elephant section, many primates, bears, big cats, birds, reptiles, lemurs, meerkats, herbivores and many more. It is remarkable how many duck species they had. The enclosures are pretty big for a zoo (but never big enough, of course). 

Price: € 23,-

Tourist occurrence: Low

How much time needed: 4-5 hours

4. Have a tough time in EL-DE-Haus

The El-DE-Haus is the former headquarters of the Gestapo during the Nazi period. Now it is a centre that holds documents of that time. There is information about the daily life of that horrific time. It is very interesting to learn about it.  As a tourist, there is a complication: most of the information is in German. 

Price: € 4,50

Tourist occurrence: Very low

How much time needed: 2 hours

5. Be surprised by the small beers and its culture

Germany is famous for its big beers, and the culture is built around it, but Cologne is different. There are many Brauhausen (brewery houses) where they mostly serve small beers, Kölsch (many different beers brewed around Cologne). This is odd in Germany, but so much fun, and I tell you why. When your small beer glass is empty, the waiters will just give you a full one without asking you. You have to pay for it. The waiter will write another stripe on your coaster. They stop giving you beer until you put your coaster on top of your empty beer glass. This is a fantastic beer culture you cannot miss when in Cologne. 

The numbers in the map correspond with the number of the sightt. 

Things I have not done, but could be cool

I think these are the most important sights of the city, but there are more to visit like the Chocolate Museum.

Final thoughts

Cologne is the most interesting city in the Ruhr area, as it has the gorgeous cathedral and a fantastic beer culture. It still has some non-interesting parts, but the city has enough to see and do for a nice weekend. Admire the slightly different culture here.

If you want to know more about Germany, check out: