Seeing Cologne Cathedral, it is impossible to not be impressed. The exterior is so intricate &…read moredecorative. I could see this structure at one time being the tallest in all of Europe. I walked into the cathedral with the flow of crowds to stand in the perimeter while listening to parts of the Christmas Day church service. Later in the day, I returned to walk through the church. It's huge inside. There are many triptychs, beautiful stained glass windows and ornate pieces. This church is a must see on a trip to Germany! Visiting Cologne at Christmas time also has the bonus of holiday markets!

First visited the cathedral on May 24, 2024 during our Basel to Amsterdam Viking River Cruise. Had…read moreonly a few hours in the city, and it was cold and rainy. Came back on June 22, 2025 during our Grand European Viking River Cruise. Wife and I went in briefly, wearing long pants, to meet the dress code requirements. This despite temperatures in the 90s during the great heat wave of 2025. In my younger days I would have tried taking the 533 steps to the top of the Cathedral tower, but wife was in no shape to do that. Our boat docked about 1.5 miles north of the Cathedral. We got a new vantage point to view the Cathedral at night from the river. Sailed past the lighted Hohenzollern bridge at 10:20pm with the Cathedral in the background. The new lighting done to save energy barely could be seen, compared to the old lighting which lit up the sky. Undoubtably I was the only person wearing a Hawaii hat visiting the cathedral that day.

The St. Lambertus church is one of the oldest buildings in Düsseldorf with the first documentation…read moredating back to Pope Hadrian IV dated May 23, 1159. The spire is uniquely twisted and while I've only seen one like this in Chesterfield https://www.yelp.com/biz/parish-church-of-st-mary-and-all-saints-chesterfield, this was apparently unintentional. After a fire in 1815, they rebuilt it with fresh wood that was too fresh and then after the damage of WWII, it was rebuilt twisted at the request of the parishoners. And in 1974, the church "promoted" papal minor basilica by Pope Paul VI. As a parish church, the church is dedicated to St. Lambertus, a martyr who was murdered in Liège in 705. The interior of the church is amazing and a reminder that no one builds churches quite like the Catholics. Well worth a visit, even if this isn't your particular religion. [Review 16353 overall - 161 in Germany - 1860 of 2021.]

This was one of the stops on our tour of the city of Düsseldorf and I enjoyed finding out the…read morehistory about the unique feature of this Catholic church - look up and you will see Spire has a distinct kink and is absolutely twisted! Our guide said one legend has it that it twisted when a young couple were asked by the priest if they were coming pure to the marriage and they lied, but the more prosaic truth is that there was a mistake when the spire was built. On the cold December day when I was visiting, I ducked in while the guide was speaking in German, and found it a warm and holy refuge. There were some postcards of the church and the Christ cross available for 30 cents each, as well as info pamphlets in a variety of languages. The warm and mellow brick of the building is a giveaway to its medieval origins and it's a spiritual place to take a break and rest up. Yelp 243/ 2018

Awesome music venue in a historic church just a couple of blocks East of Königsallee. Even with…read morethe ancient architectural interior, sound doesn't seem to echo. Additionally, there are a myriad of mid-range to high-end eateries in the immediate area, including a really nice Italian bistro and a haute Champagne bar.

Groß St Martin is a lovely church from the 1200s. While it is much more basic than the cathedral,…read moreit is still quite nice and is well worth stopping by as you walk through the old town. The church itself is pretty, but the really impressive part is the excavation Roman ruins in the basement. They aren't huge, but it is a unique experience, and they are well signed and maintained. The church is free, but there is a ,50-cent fee to walk down into the excavation (they have laminated descriptions in four languages, but the signs are in German). Definitely worth the ,50 cents to see the ruins!

Nice church with a history and beautiful architecture. A couple sculptures and statues outside and…read moregood location. Parking lots at walking distance, so are the public transits. Good area and easy to find. The colour and designs are amazing from the ancient times and the fact that it's still standing in good condition is awesome.