Tours

Tour One: Shopping around the Ehrenstraße

Apostelnstraße, Ehrenstraße, Friesenwall and Mittelstraße are forming the round course for fastidious shoppers in Cologne.

A little bit off the racket of the Schildergasse/Hohe Straße pedestrian zone, this mecca for the trend setter offers a variety of designer stores and little boutiques, interrupted only by strategically well-situated coffee shops and restaurants. Depending on how long you choose to visit the stores along the way, the tour will take anywhere between 20 minutes and 3 hours.

St. Aposteln at Neumarkt, one of the twelve great Roman churches in Cologne, marks the starting point for the beginning of the tour. On the way towards St. Aposteln you should make a brief detour to the Richmodstraße. On the left hand side of the street you will find Gummi Grün. This store—for generations now—sells everything somehow related to rubber. It's one of a few stores along the way that are typical for Cologne. Somehow out of place and stemming from another time but therefore very charming. The smell and the atmosphere are well worth the detour.

The tour continues towards St. Aposteln. After you passed St. Aposteln on the left you are on Apostelnstraße. On the little stretch between St. Aposteln and the corner of Breite Straße it has a lot to offer. The Kunstkaufhaus features works of established and young artists for prices between EUR25 and EUR2500. Across the street, the Gloria is a good place for a break. On the same side of the street, just a few houses further, you will encounter part two of the most grotesque stores in the area. Filz Gnos is not connected to Gummi Grün in any way, however, it's hard not to get the feeling of both stores sharing more than just a mere geographical proximity. The Buchhandlung König, at the corner of Apostelnstraße und Breite Straße, is well know as the best address for sophisticated and hard-to-find books. From coffeetable books to limited edition art books to scholastic books on art, culture and society you will find everything in this addictive bookstore. Even the most exotic book will be found, and cross-referenced, by the knowledgeable staff. Having finally found what you were looking for, the Broadway across the street, awaits you for a coffee break. This small movie theater offers the best view on the trendy and beautiful crowd of the Ehrenstraße.

Along the Ehrenstraße, towards the Hohenzollernring, you may give way to your urge to buy. Almost every label is represented, whereby the Ehrenstraße serves the mid-prize category and the parallel Mittelstraße features more precious labels such as Gucci, Fogal, Versace, Armani etc.

Before turning left at the end of the Ehrenstraße you should follow your nose into the Käsehaus Wingenfeld. It's the last of the three aforementioned out-of-place stores. Hopefully stimulated by the variety of cheeses, continue following the Friesenwall towards the Hahnentor. It was built in the 13th century and is one of Cologne's oldest city gates. It used to be, and in a way still is, the main entrance for Cologne merchants. Take a left now and follow the Mittelstraße. St. Aposteln coming back in sight marks the end of the tour through Cologne's shopping hotzone.

Tour Two: Altstadt Tour

Any visitor to Cologne should definitely take the time to explore the Altstadt. There are still many old houses and lanes, and reminders of the city's long history.

Starting from the Dom, walk across Roncalliplatz, with the Römisch-Germanische Museum to the left, the regal Dom-Hotel to your right. Across the square you'll see Früh am Dom and the Heinzelmännchenbrunnen.

Make your way down the Hafenstraße, which leads from Roncalliplatz to the Philharmonie. The huge cobblestones are from the Roman era. Go straight on and you'll come to the Alter Markt. The old marketplace is lined with cafes and pubs—particularly pleasant in summer. On the eleventh day of the eleventh month of each year, crowds gather here to Ring in the Karneval. In the middle of the square is the Jan-von-Werth Fountain. Only a few of the buildings have actually been standing since the Middle Ages. One of them, the house Zur Brezel zum Dorn, was constructed in 1580.

Before exploring the many narrow lanes that lead down to the Rhine, cross the square and climb the stairs to the Alte Rathaus, the old city hall. In front of the Rathaus is the Mikwe, the Jewish baths, which have been excavated and can be viewed through the glass pyramid.

Now make your way back to Alter Markt, toward the Martinsviertel. The quarter surrounding the church of St. Martin is home to plenty of romantic small streets. Many a charming little corner is waiting to be discovered near the Salzgasse, Rote-Funken-Plätzchen, the Buttermarkt and the Fischmarkt. Stop into at least one of the traditional Kölsch pubs, which are an essential part of the Altstadt experience!

Emerging from the network of tiny streets, you'll appreciate the panorama of the Rhine promenade. It's worth walking across the river on the Deutzer Brücke—the bridge provides the best view of the old houses, the magnificent Dom, and the Schokoladenmuseums.

Tour Three: Left and Right of the Rhine

Taken as a stroll, the following tour takes approximately two hours. If you want to take advantage of all the sights along the way you should calculate to spend the entire day.

The prelude is a ride with the Rheinseilbahn from its station at the Riehler Straße, best reached with the U-Bahn lines 15 and 16 to Zoo/Flora, to Mühlheim on the other side of the Rhine. When the weather is good, the view over Cologne from out of the little gondolas is breathtaking and one of the most beautiful point of views on the old part of the town and the cathedral.

Next to the cable railway is the Claudius Therme. This wellness bath is fed by thermal waters, providing everything from sauna to chalk - and mudbaths to help the stressed wash away the week's distress. Now relaxed, follow the Rhine upstream through the Rheinpark, the green lung of Cologne on the right hand side of the River and an eldorado for rollerbladers and joggers, to the Rheinterrassen. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the 1950s but especially on the weekends, when the city's most abundant brunch is served, a mixed crowd can be found enjoying the unique view of Cologne's skyline.

For about EUR 1 per person the ferry will take you from the Rheinterrassen to the promenade on the left hand side of the Rhine, just below the cathedral. Here you will have the opportunity to switch to a, for this part of the world, rather untypical means of transportation—a rikscha. Advise the driver to use his muscle power to reach the Schokoladenmuseum. The 20-minute ride costs about EUR 15 each. It's certainly nicer though to stroll upstream along the promenade through the old town. The Schokoladenmuseum is located on a small peninsula, about 30 minutes from the pier. Sponsored by the Stollwerck company, local manufacturer of fine chocolates since 1839, the ship-like building houses a paradise for the chocolate enthusiast. All questions you might or might not have had concerning chocolate will be answered vividly, and of course, there is plenty of opportunity to replace those calories you lost at the Claudius Therme.