Would you like to know what the real interesting sights in Cologne Germany are? I am going to let you know about 18 of my good ones here.

If you would like to know something about Cologne Germany and its history, visit the Cologne link at the end of this article for information about that. In this two-part article I"ll give you 18 insider tips of Cologne – short and sweet – so that you can print them out and easily scour the sights and restaurants.

First, once you arrive in the city, go to the tourist office. It’s located at Cologne Cathedral in a street called "Unter Fettenhennen" (under fat hen ;-).

Now, shall we get started? Great!

Sightseeing and Culture

1. The city hall (Hansasaal) was built in 1330. Its Renaissance arcade (16th century) and tower (15th century) had been added later. The building complex suffered extensive damage during World War 2 and underwent reconstruction until 1972. It"s located at Alter Markt.

2. The City Gates are awesome. Three of the total of twelve city gates from the mediaeval city fortifications (1180 - 1220) have been preserved and are still used today for various purposes. Just look for the Severinstor, the Eigelsteintor and the Hahnentor. The smaller Ulrepforte and restored sections of the city walls are to be found along the Sachsenring circular boulevard. Also, all of them have a U-Bahn stop.

3. The 4711 House, the new Gothic head office of the famous "Eau de Cologne" manufacturer with a carillon that chimes every hour, is located opposite the opera in Glockengasse. The number "4711" refers to house-numbering system adopted by the French occupying power in 1795. For greater clarity, all private houses were numbered sequentially from 1 - 7 404.

4. The Cologne gardens (Flora/Zoo) were landscaped in 1863 according to designs by Peter Josef Lenné and Joseph Maria Olbrich. It further contains an botanical garden, which was added in 1914. The site was destroyed during World War 2. Once it was completely restored, it now has a stock of plants including approx. 12 000 species. Cologne Zoo is located directly adjacent to the gardens.

5. Cologne cathedral with its two spires 157 m. in height, has been the city"s most famous landmark for centuries and the most well-known architectural monument in Germany. It took 632 years (!) until construction of the largest German cathedral was completed. Visit http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/cologne-cathedral.html for further information and some images of Cologne Cathedral.

6. Cologne Germany is a city of churches. As in no other German city, twelve large Roman collegiate and monastery and convent churches are located in the confined area within the boundaries of the mediaeval city wall, churches which rank among the most important in Western Europe.

7. Shopping Passages -- Cologne has some; I am just going to tell about two of them. The Neumarkt Passage, located at Neumarkt, and the Olivandenhof, located right between Neumarkt and Breite Strasse. In this glitter world, you are going to find stores with clothes, foods, non-food, many taverns and pubs, etc. Just a good time to take a loooong rest... ;-)

By the way, right at Neumarkt starts Germany"s most visited shopping mile -- the Schildergasse. Hourly 17,760 people come in flocks through this "street."

8. Okay, this now is outside Cologne, but definitely worth a day trip. The amusement park located near Cologne is called Phantasialand. It offers a wide selection of attractions, ranging from the old Berlin steam roundabout, including a wild-water course and extending to the Space-Center, which draw several million visitors every year to the southern gates of Cologne. Children in particular love the fantastic world with its many adventures. Phantasialand is open daily between April 1st and October 31st.

Now, visit http://www.smart-travel-germany.com/cologne.html for further information, and for some pictures of Cologne Germany.

Fine, that was the first part. We passed some quite interesting sights today. In the next part we will cover 10 TOP bars and restaurants. Look forward to it!

Best regards,
Marcus Hochstadt
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