One day in Cologne

Day by day

1. Day 1: Cologne Cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge

   Cologne Cathedral, Hohenzollern Bridge, Museum Ludwig and Cathedral south tower climb, then Belgian Quarter in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Cologne Cathedral

      Visit early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the busiest hours, and dress respectfully as services take place daily. Allow 1 hour.

   2. Late morning

      Hohenzollern Bridge

      Cross at dusk and sit on the Rheinboulevard steps in Deutz to watch the cathedral light up. Allow 30–45 minutes.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Kölsch

      Traditional brewhouses in the old town and around the cathedral, and pubs across the city.

   4. Afternoon

      Museum Ludwig

      Start with the Pop Art galleries, then look for the Picasso rooms. Allow 2–3 hours.

   5. Late afternoon

      Cathedral south tower climb

      Climb in the morning before it gets crowded, and skip it if you are uncomfortable in tight, steep stairwells. Allow 1 hour.

   6. Evening

      Belgian Quarter

      Come in the late afternoon to shop, then stay for drinks around Brüsseler Platz.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Wallraf-Richartz Museum (Old Town): Do not skip the medieval Cologne School rooms, which are unique to the city.
• Swap in Chocolate Museum (Rheinauhafen): Go on a weekday morning; weekends and rainy afternoons bring long queues.
• Swap in Kolumba (Cathedral): Pick up the room guide at the entrance; the absence of labels is deliberate.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 7–9 hours of visiting over one day, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 7.9 hours in December to 16.5 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. Walking covers the old town, the cathedral area, the Rheinauhafen and the Hohenzollern Bridge to Deutz.

More or fewer days

• 2 days in Cologne
• 3 days in Cologne

Questions travellers ask