Kölle to go

I am often asked by our guests about particularly great sights or about attractions that can be visited in quick succession . "If you are only in Cologne for 3 days, you cannot see everything" is actually my answer. Since I couldn't get the topic of "Kölle to go" out of my head, I have put together a small "instruction manual" here.

Cologne as a quickie

As is well known, our holiday apartments are so well located that you can actually go to almost everything on foot. And that's why I've come up with a good and fast tour that you can start in front of the door of the holiday apartment Cologne .

Here we go

Regardless of whether you are on Adolphstrasse or from Siegburger Strasse, you can comfortably reach Cologne Cathedral over the Deutz bridge and experience the most beautiful panorama from Cologne. Incidentally, the Cologne Marathon and ColognePride also go over the Deutzer Brücke. You can of course also take tram lines 1, 7 or 9 to go one station over the bridge, but why? When the weather is nice, it's fun to enjoy the view and watch the ships on the Rhine. True to the motto "Cologne is e jeföhl", we march towards the cathedral. You don't need a GPS or a map because you can see the Dom !

First stop at the cathedral

Our landmark , our love and certainly the biggest tourist magnet in town! The approx. 160 meter high cathedral or "High Church of Cologne" can actually be seen from afar. You can even see the cathedral spiers from the Cologne area. There are many sayings, many songs and pictures from Cologne Cathedral, but in the end the more than 630 years of construction were worth it, right? Take a good look at the cathedral inside and out: you will be amazed. And the ascent of the cathedral is certainly a great event experience, which you have to experience. The entrance has meanwhile been moved to the side and is definitely worthwhile (in good weather)! A great view over the city awaits you!


The Rhine promenade and the Ludwig Museum

If you leave Cologne Cathedral and go to the right (it is right next to it), you will see a very important Cologne museum . The Museum Ludwig has extraordinary works of art by the artists Roy Lichtenstein or Andy Warhol. A must for travelers interested in art. You will see the Philharmonie, the Roman Germanic Museum and the famous Hohenzollern Bridge. Known because all the love locks hang there, about which the Cologne band "Die Höhner" have already sung a song! On both sides of the bridge you can also see the equestrian statues of Friedrich III and Wilhelm II. You will see a wide staircase that you have to descend to get to the Rhine promenade or the old town.



To the fish market

So you can stroll further along the Rhine promenade and see the famous and popular Cologne breweries: the "Stapelhaus" or "Kunibert der Friese", for example. There are of course a lot more of them in the old town. The well-known "Cologne cheerfulness" or the way of simply enjoying life, this is what the people of Cologne are known for. And here in the old town it is lived. The old town is built or built very close together and yet you can quickly see the church of Groß St. Martin. The construction time was from 1150 to 1240 and the church is one of the 12 largest churches in the city. Of course it had also suffered from the war, but it was completely restored in 1985.

Tünnes and Schäl

If you now turn from the Fischmarkt into Lintgasse and walk to the church, you will find a statue of the two well-known Cologne residents "Tünnes and Schäl" on the way there. Tünnes is the idiot farmer and Schäl is supposed to represent the bon vivant. Both caricatures are of course only to be understood as jokes and appear in numerous plays and, among other things, in plays by Willi Millowitsch .

The Willi Ostermann fountain

Leave Tünnes und Schäl behind and go back to Lintgasse. If you go through the narrow passage on the left, you will come to a square that is "surrounded" by cafes. There is a small fountain there dedicated to the Cologne songwriter Willi Ostermann. "Ich mööch zo Foss no Kölle gon" was probably his best-known little song.

To the old market

And again you use the Lintgasse and come to the "Alter Markt" . There was a lot going on here in the Middle Ages! The old market was:

  • Weekly market
  • Place of jurisdiction
  • Place of execution

Today the opening of the carnival session on November 11th will take place here! You can walk there from our apartments and sway with us! Another figure from Cologne is the so-called "Kallendresser", which you can find opposite the town hall on the gable of the house "Em Hanen". He does his business in revenge against the city council in the (no longer available) gutter! In the middle of the square is the Jan-von-Werth-Brunnen and it is (again) surrounded by some breweries. The fountain stands for the unhappy love between the soldier Jan and the Cologne maid named Gried.

The town hall

If you now pass the Jan-von-Werth-Brunnen, please head for the "Kleine Budengasse" and if you turn there, you will already see the historic town hall of Cologne . It was mentioned historically for the first time in 1153, so it is already "damned" old! On the town hall tower you can see 124 stone figures depicting important Cologne residents. A beautiful carillon sounds exactly four times during the day. Off to the town hall .

The Gürzenich

And if you are not tired yet and have the time, then our quick tour through Cologne continues towards Gürzenich . To do this, follow Judengasse again and turn right onto "Obenmarspforten". On the left you can see another great museum, which you might or might want to visit again the following day. it is the Wallraf-Richartz Museum. If you pass the museum on the right-hand side, you will come to the Gürzenich. To do this, follow the street "Quatermarkt". The Gürzenich was more of a department store in the Middle Ages, today it is an event or festival house. You have surely already seen a carnival event on television that took place in Gürzenich!

The Heumarkt

Still fit? Go on! Use the Gürzenichstrasse and walk towards Heumarkt. Many important things used to be traded there:

  • hay
  • meat
  • cheese
  • Salt
  • leather
  • and much more

So it was a central hub for the most important goods in the Middle Ages. Of course (what else) there are some breweries here that you should definitely visit. There are also numerous restaurants and of course souvenir shops.

The Heinzelmännchenbrunnen

If you still have time and are fit, take the next station with you! Right in front of the (yes, again) Brauhaus The popular and well-known "Heinzelmännchenbrunnen" can be found early. To get there, you first have to stroll down the Rhine promenade again and then choose the street "Große Neugasse" (left). If you keep walking straight on this street, you will come directly to the Heinzelmännchenbrunnnen . We explain the story of the fountain on our website here.



So, and when you have managed all of this, you deserve our greatest respect! Started in the morning and relaxed in the brewery in the evening. This is the best way to design this crash walk. If you are not a good walker, you can alternatively use the hop-on hop-off bus . No matter how you decide, we hope you enjoy it!