CITY-WIDE EVENTS

Useful though it may be, the metro is not the only way to sight-see in Cologne – there are many yearly events that take place right throughout the city...

Karneval

Mid-late February

Cologne Carneval takes place over a weekend - from Thursday, to the following Monday – in February every year. The whole city (and, obviously, many tourists) turns out to celebrate ; usually decked out in ridiculous clothing. The fancy-dress outlets make a killing, as do the kiosks, as thousands take to the streets to drink, sing ridiculous and catchy ditties and enjoy the various parades as they travel through the city.

The largest of these parades takes place on the final Monday of Karneval and goes through the heart of the city. Thousands flock to Cologne for this parade alone, so be sure to get out there early to secure yourself a good vantage point. If you can't, though, it is no great disaster : the floats are impressive so you'll still see plenty and sweets, chocolates and flowers are thrown out into the crowd from a-top these floats so you should still come away with a decent haul. Alternatively, listen out for details on parades in smaller communities on the days leading up to the climactic Rosenmontag. I, myself, went to a parade amongst a small community in Wesseling, which was just as fun .

Christmas Markets

Open for a couple of months, leading up to Christmas

Cologne's Christmas markets are just what you might expect from a Christmas market, having become somewhat of a tradition also now in the UK – just expect a grander scale. Rather than just being confined to one area, they spread out across the whole of the city centre : throughout the Altstadt, around the Cathedral, at Rudolfplatz, and Neumarkt (my personal favourite), etc. They are also much more diverse than you would find in the UK : There are markets on boats, along the Rhine and there is even a medieval-themed market near the Chocolate Factory that incorporates theatre performances.

C/O Pop Festival

Late June

C/O Pop is a festival that runs every year in Cologne in bars and music venues throughout the city. The genre of the acts playing can be quite diverse, with bands from all over the world coming to take part, so it is worth looking into, no matter what kind of music you prefer. The vast marjority of events are also priced very reasonably indeed, though you may need to fork out a bit more for some of the bigger names.

The highlight of this festival for me, though, is the 'Chic Belgique' event ; the 'festival within a festival' – a full day's worth of gigs played in boutiques in Cologne's Belgian Quarter that is totally free to attend.

So, what is the best way to reach and take in the Belgian quarter ? Leave the metro at Rudolfplatz head down Hohenzollenring in the direction of Friesenplatz. Turn off left at Maastrichterstrasse and follow the road around through Brüsseler Platz and Brüsseler Strasse. Feel free to pop into any of the little boutiques that you see along the way and browse (some sell some interesting clothing and knick-knacks) while the bands play : An unforgettable experience that you are unlikely to get elsewhere.

For more information, see their website: c-o-pop.de

INDEX

THE RHINE

DOM & ALTSTADT

NORTHERN COLOGNE

RUDOLFPLATZ

LINDENTHAL

EHRENFELD

SÜLZ

ZÜLPICHER PLATZ

SOUTHERN COLOGNE

CITY CENTRE

CITY-WIDE EVENTS

CITY CENTRE

Noteable Metro Stations:

Appelehofplatz/Breitestrasse – Lines 3, 4, 16, 18

Neumarkt – Lines 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 16, 18

Rudolfplatz – Lines 1, 7, 12, 15

Dom/Hbf – Lines 5, 16, 18

I don't have all that much to say about the city centre in Cologne. Partly for the reason that it is filled with, mostly, exactly the same shops as any European city centre, partly because I've never really been one for shopping.

Hohe Strasse - Schildergasse

If shopping is your … erm … bag, then you should start off on Hohe Strasse (Dom/Hbf), a rather cramped, ugly little street near the Cathedral. Partly due to the nature of the shops here (there are about three “H & M”s), and partly because it double up as a handy thoroughfare, Hohe Strasse gets very busy and is probably best avoided on a Saturday.

left-hand photo courtesy of marriott.com; right hand photo courtesy of koeln.de

This route does expand as you near the second street of note – the rather more modern and appealing Schildergasse, which stretches as far as Neumarkt and, as well as the usual favourites, does have some welcome additions. One of these being “The English Shop”, tucked away down a side street. It sounds like a ridiculous point of interest for a British visitor to the city, but it really is invaluable for providing all of those foodstuffs that you'll be surprised you miss (for me, it was HobNobs), and it is a great place to shop for “traditional English” gifts for any Germans that you might meet as a cultural exchange, or expression of gratitude for services provided/sofas slept on.

Be warned though, whilst more spacious, Schildergasse, too, can become hideously busy at peak times. According to the minimal research conducted for this guide, it is actually the busiest high street in Europe! Which makes it all the more eeyrie on a Sunday when the shops are closed and there is not a soul about.

Breite Strasse/Ehrenstrasse

My own personal trek through the city centre, though, would have me setting off from Appelhofplatz/Breite Strasse and taking a leisurely stroll to Rudolfplatz via Breitestrasse and Ehrenstrasse. In my opinion, this area of the city centre is far more diverse and has something to offer almost anyone. It isn't as plagued by the usual high-street culprits, so visiting a boutique there might mean that you actually witness something new for a change, whether that be tasteless knick-knacks, vintage clothing, household items, fabrics, books or sex toys.

The area also offers a lot of choice in the way of refreshments. There are traditional pubs, chic bistros, budget bakeries, trendy restaurants and charming cafes. A personal favourite of mine is the cafe in the Opern Passagen on Breite Strasse. Try the cake – it's fancy.

NS-Dokumentationszentrum

Appelehofplatz/Breitestrasse – Lines 3, 4, 16, 18

If you've come into town with friends, but shopping doesn't interest you at all, then leave your friends to wander of window licking whilst you stop off at the NS-Dokumentationszentrum at Appelhofplatz 23-25 (that's the National Socialist (Nazi) documentation centre to you). This former Gestapo headquarters has been transformed into a museum; a representation of life in Cologne during the Second World War.

As a former Gestapo base, the building was used, in the early days of the war, to house politically subversive prisoners. Some painstaking restoration has removed the layers of plaster hurriedly applied to the tiny cells to reveal graffiti and etchings made by those incarcerated. It really is an eye-opener. You will also learn plenty about the fate of Jews and “genetically imperfect” peoples during the war, in general, with many case studies to be viewed, along with enormous prints of photographs of Cologne taken during the war. These photos will show Cologne as you've never seen it before and, hopefully, never will again. The NS-DZ is a fantastic legacy and a wonderful memorial to all those who died. Let's hope that by remembering and honouring, future monstrosities on this scale can be avoided. 

INDEX

THE RHINE

DOM & ALTSTADT

NORTHERN COLOGNE

RUDOLFPLATZ

LINDENTHAL

EHRENFELD

SÜLZ

ZÜLPICHER PLATZ

SOUTHERN COLOGNE

CITY CENTRE
CITY-WIDE EVENTS

SOUTHERN COLOGNE

Noteable Metro Stations:

Eifelstrasse  - Lines 16, 12, 15

Eifelplatz – Line 12

Ulrepforte – Lines 16, 15

Chlodwigplatz – Lines 16, 15

Southern Cologne is quiet, and filled with parks and fantastic ancient architecture. If you are the kind of person that does not require constant stimulation to have a great day out, and has previously enjoyed wandering through the cobbled streets of the Old Town (Altstadt), then this area is ideal for you.

Architecture

Ulrepforte – Lines 16, 15

Chlodwigplatz – Lines 16, 15

This area of Cologne is littered with ancient remains of city walls and fort-type constructions. To get the best of this, I would really recommend abandonning the metro out of town at Ulrepforte and taking a leisurely walk up to Chlodwigplatz and wandering the surrounding streets. The last time I was in Cologne the area was, unfortunately, quite heavily laden with steel barriers and construction zones, but I'm hoping that these have been cleared by now, as this was over three years ago (yes, this travel guide is well overdue).

right-hand photo by ingeline-art

Volksgarten

Eifelstrasse  - Lines 16, 12, 15

Eifelplatz – Line 12

The Volksgarten is a beautiful, large park ; ideal for picnics and general gatherings when the weather is good enough. It is most easily accessible from Eifelstrasse (if you don't fancy changing) and takes about 5-10 minutes on foot from here (just follow Eifelstrasse until things start to look green). You can enter the park from Eifelstrasse, or at multiple other points along the Volksgarten's perimeter. If you happen to be travelling there on Line 12, you can stay on an extra stop (Eifelplatz) and shorten your walk a little.

One way in which the Volksgarten stands out from the many other parks you will find dotted around Cologne : The Hellers Kölsch brewery. This charming little brewery is almost all beer garden – very little sheltered – and is situated in smack bang in the middle of the Volksgarten, overlooking a lake. They also serve some simple, yet delicious, dishes along the lines of 'pasta with pesto and feta cheese', and the kölsch is the best to be sampled in Cologne. Perhaps the setting makes my opinion biased here, because on the right day it really is a lovely spot, and maybe it just tastes exactly like all of the other variants of kölsch on offer, but it left a lasting impression on me. For those who are not fans of the local tipple, you can also order other beverages here such as Weissbier and Weizenbier – both very interesting and more adventurous varieties of wheat beer.

Tsunami Club

Chlodwigplatz – Lines 16, 15

I only managed one evening out in Southern Cologne during my stay, which consisted of a picnic in the aforementioned Volksgarten, followed by extended partying (when the night had become too dark to see very much of anything in the park) at a local club called Tsunami.

If your idea of clubbing is sweating buckets and dancing the night away, don't come here. Tsunami is an indie club, in a very real sense. This is not the kind of 'indie' club you might find somewhere like Manchester, playing britpop hits and upbeat modern indie numbers. Expect to hear lots of The Smiths (naturally, an indie club cannot claim to be such unless it plays The Smiths), but the neglected tracks such as 'There is a Light That Never Goes Out', forgotten gems such as 'Female of the Species' by Spaced, and a ton of other obscurities that you have never heard, and have fun trying to dance to them. This place really is unique and well worth a visit. You can find it on Severinstrasse, just behind the impressive Severinstorburg (the big old crumbly fortress thing near Chlodwigplatz)

images courtesy of tsunami-club.de

INDEX

THE RHINE

DOM & ALTSTADT

NORTHERN COLOGNE

RUDOLFPLATZ

LINDENTHAL

EHRENFELD

SÜLZ

ZÜLPICHER PLATZ

SOUTHERN COLOGNE
CITY CENTRE
CITY-WIDE EVENTS