For couples · Cologne · Germany
Romantic things to do in Cologne
Ideas for a couples' trip, from small moments to a special day out.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Elke Wetzig ( Elya ), CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Cologne's romance is unpretentious: love locks on the bridge, sunsets over the cathedral from across the river and candlelit evenings in the Belgian Quarter. Couples tend to stay in Old Town (Martinsviertel).
Key facts
- Romantic ideas
- 5
- Couple-friendly sights
- 3
- Area for couples
- Old Town (Martinsviertel)
- Best months
- May and September
Romantic ideas
1.Love lock on the Hohenzollern Bridge
Add your padlock to the thousands on the bridge railings, then watch the cathedral light up from the Deutz side.
2.Sunset on the KölnTriangle
Ride to the rooftop platform in Deutz for the skyline view as the sun sets behind the cathedral.
3.Evening Rhine cruise
See the illuminated cathedral and old town from the water.
4.Belgian Quarter dinner
Choose a small restaurant or wine bar around Brüsseler Platz for a relaxed evening.
5.Brühl palace gardens
Stroll the formal Baroque gardens of Augustusburg Palace, 20 minutes away by train.
Sights couples love
Landmark · Cathedral
Hohenzollern Bridge
Cross at dusk and sit on the Rheinboulevard steps in Deutz to watch the cathedral light up.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Couples
- Views
- After dark
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Viewpoint · Deutz
KölnTriangle viewing platform
Time your visit for sunset, when the cathedral is lit from the west.
- Time needed
- 30–45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
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Waterfront · Old Town
Rhine promenade and river cruise
Walk south along the river to the Rheinauhafen and return through the old town for a two-hour loop.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Couples
- Views
Where couples should stay
$$$ · Best for first-timers, nightlife and couples
Old Town (Martinsviertel)
Between the Alter Markt, the Heumarkt and the Rhine promenade, the old town's lanes around Great St. Martin Church are packed with brewhouses, pubs and restaurants. The row of narrow coloured houses on the Fischmarkt is one of the classic views of the city.
- Good
- Historic atmosphere; Brewhouses on every corner; Riverside walks
- Watch out
- Touristy restaurants; Loud on weekend and carnival nights
- Nearby
- Great St. Martin Church, Cologne, Cologne City Hall, Rhine promenade
Romantic day trips
- Brühl palaces (About 15–20 minutes by train) — Augustusburg Palace and the Falkenlust hunting lodge are UNESCO-listed Rococo palaces with a grand staircase by Balthasar Neumann and formal Baroque gardens, opposite Brühl station.
- Königswinter and the Drachenfels (About 1 hour by train or tram) — A rack railway, one of the oldest in Germany, climbs the Drachenfels in the Siebengebirge hills to a castle ruin with views up and down the Rhine; the neo-Gothic Drachenburg Castle sits halfway up.
- Koblenz (About 1 hour by train) — Where the Moselle meets the Rhine at the Deutsches Eck, a cable car crosses the river to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress; Koblenz is also the gateway to the castles of the Rhine Gorge.
For dinner
Share local specialities such as Heaven and earth, Rhineland sauerbraten and Pork knuckle. Some pubs are cash-only; carry some euros.
Questions travellers ask
+Is Cologne romantic?
Cologne's romance is unpretentious: love locks on the bridge, sunsets over the cathedral from across the river and candlelit evenings in the Belgian Quarter.
+What is the most romantic thing to do in Cologne?
Love lock on the Hohenzollern Bridge: Add your padlock to the thousands on the bridge railings, then watch the cathedral light up from the Deutz side.
+Where should couples stay in Cologne?
Old Town (Martinsviertel): Narrow lanes, brewhouses and colourful gabled houses facing the Rhine.