I had a few hours before my flight and Museum Ludwig was the perfect activity to fill in that time…read more This place is massive (3 floors!), so wear your comfortable walking shoes as there is a giant staircase (elevators too of course). It's next to the main train station as well, so it's a great spot to burn time before a flight or train. I only had about 2 hours and it wasn't enough--give yourself the full afternoon or at least 3 hours! They offer a free service desk for jackets and purses. However, don't bring a large tote--they have a strict size limit and you'll have to leave it at the desk. Even if you aren't an "art person," the sheer variety here from Pop Art to Surrealism keeps it from feeling boring. Each room felt well-curated and combined with the high ceilings, there was an openness that allowed each art piece to breathe and have it's moment. Do not sleep on the gift shop. I found some nice trinkets for my desk and souvenirs for friends + family.

Museum Ludwig is the most popular museum in Cologne on TripAdvisor and one of the top attractions…read moreoverall in the city, and for good reason. I stopped by on a Sunday evening for two hours before they closed. Ideally, you'd like to spend 3-4 hours here, especially if you do the audio guide. Museum Ludwig is Cologne's preeminent museum of contemporary art. You'll find works of art from pretty much every major artist who painted in this style. Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Paul Klee, Piet Mondrian, Rene Magritte, etc. It's a feast of riches so I'm only scratching the surface. Beyond the quality of the art, something else I care about at museums is how the exhibitions are laid out. Here, it's intuitive. It's pretty easy to go from room to room without worrying about missing something. Some museums aren't laid out in the best way logistically---Museum Ludwig is. There are three floors. Start at the top and then make your way down. Outside of the layout and the artwork, the final piece for me is comfort. You have that here, too. There's air conditioning which certainly is not a guarantee in Europe. You have free lockers. You have free WiFi. Well done all-around. If you're visiting Cologne, Museum Ludwig should definitely be part of your itinerary.

By 50 AD Cologne was the largest Roman settlement north of the Alps with a population of 45,000…read more The Romans called it Colonia, Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (Colony of Claudius and Altar of the Agrippines). It was the massive Roman settlement that is the basis of the museum's collection. The first major find occurred in 1941 when while digging for an air raid shelter a large mosaic floor tile from a first century Roman Villa was discovered. It depicted the world of Dionysos (220/23). The find and other artifacts found represents the basis of the museums collection. Other notable objects are the reconstructed sepulcher of legionnaire Lucius Publicus (40 AD), the largest collection of Roman glass vessels and a unique collection of Roman and Medieval jewelry. The museum has three floors for viewing and countless objects. The Adult admission price is 9 Euros. Large bags are checked at the front desk. No credit cards are accepted. Some English translations and no English audio. the Cologne Welcome Card gets you a 20% discount. It's open Tues-Sundays 10-5. It's rather old school in the way objects are displayed with limited interaction and technology but the objects are well lit and there is much natural sunlight. I was impressed by the collection itself.

One of my all-time favorite museums!…read more After my first visit 6 years ago and then later while I studied in Cologne 4 years ago, the Romisch-Germanisches Museum came to feel like a home, connecting and emphasizing years of study at university in the US and bringing the culture and art of the Romans to life again. It highlights the history of Cologne as a "colonia" of Rome under the early emperors (from which its name derives) and its transition into Late Antiquity. The highlights of any visit are the in situ mosaic of Bacchus and funerary monument of Publicius, around which the museum is constructed and centers. Thanks to this set-up, you can view the mosaic from multiple levels and angles, taking it in in all its glory. The rest of the museum tour and collection is arrayed on a few floors and allows you to get up close and personal with the statues, busts, and other artifacts. Unless you're working on an archaeological site, this is the closest you'll get to such objects. I have loved every visit here and will definitely be back when I can!

Only went to the tim burton collection so can only review that and the general area of the museum…read more The museum seemed very modern in an older looking building, very beautiful. Parking was at the trainstation 200 meters away and was very cheap. 3€ for 4 hours. The tim burton expo itself was pretty good, lots of drawings and art-displays. The only thing that we though that could have been better was that it was really unclear where to start and in what direction to go. I don't have a problem finding my own way but there were arrows telling us to go in certain directions but they didn't seem to make any sense. Besides that we loved the expo and the museum and if they have another really cool expo like this, we'll def. be back!

Awesome Tim Burton exhibit going on right now! Couldn't take pics unfortunately. Go see it for…read moreyourself. It's definitely worth it. Quick trip from Köln HBF, easy to get to. Nice park and castle near by.

The Lindt Chocolate Museum itself is beautiful, informative, and genuinely enjoyable. The exhibits…read moreare well designed, the chocolate history is fascinating, the tasting stations are everything you'd hope for and staff interactions enhanced our experience. Up until the very end, our visit was truly wonderful. Sadly, the way we were treated by staff as we were leaving completely overshadowed what had been a great experience. While we were calmly waiting near the exit for family members who were finishing in the gift shop -- where they had just spent a couple hundred euros -- staff members became abruptly rude and aggressively chased us out of the building. Even more unacceptable, one family member was refused access to the restroom, despite being an active, paying customer who had just made a substantial purchase. The tone used with us was unkind, unnecessary, and frankly shocking for a company that promotes hospitality. Because of this final interaction, we would not return, and it's very unfortunate -- because everything else about the museum was excellent. A guest's last experience matters, and ours left us feeling disrespected and unwelcome.

Lots of complaints of crowds.... Arrive early, less people…read more We got here early and there was no line. Super comfortable and not crowded. The kids ordered chocolate and that takes 45 minutes so we went to the cafe shop and ordered some things to tide us over while we waited. By the time we left the lines were ridiculous, the entrance was super crowded and there were far too many people for my liking. Probably would not have paid to go into the museum had the crowds been there when we arrived. You can get chocolate during tour, when you walk in and during the tour itself. Lots of history. It was interesting. 44.50€ for a family, feels expensive for what it is, but a decent way to waste time. You can go in and get cake and coffee, chocolate or drinks and skip the tour.

When you think of Germany, a couple of things come to mind: one of which, for better or for worse,…read moreis WWI and WWII. This dark period in Germany's history still plays a part in German culture today. While in Cologne, I wanted to make sure I visited NS-Dokumentationszentrum. What a mouthful! We stopped by this war museum for a couple of hours. There were some things I liked, and some things I didn't like. One, it's affordable. I'm always going to appreciate that. Two, they have an audio guide. When time allows, an audio guide is a great way to get the most out of a museum. You'll see a bunch of pictures and information on the rise of the Nazi party, the World Wars, and the eventual collapse post-war. The museum is actually on the site of some Nazi activity. On the flip side, there's no A/C in the museum. Not easy for an American (we love our air conditioning). I also would have appreciated a little more sophistication in the presentation of all of the material in the museum. It wasn't bad by any means, but it could have been better. Nevertheless, it's well worth your time when visiting Cologne. It's an important part of world history, and you're getting it directly from the source.

A necessary stop to appreciate the dark side of history. Allot yourself at least 2 hours to read…read moreall the placards. Audio is available in most languages for a nominal fee, Google Translate was helpful for the written displays. The most heavy moment is walking thru the basement cells and seeing the hopeless scratchings on the walls from former prisoners.

We visited several museums in Köln during our recent stay. This was far and away the best and most…read moreinteresting museum we visited. It is compact and multi-level, but with an elevator, which was much appreciated due to my bad knee. The museum has a modern feel. The information is attractively presented concisely and clearly in both English and German. I did not make it to the top floor. I sat on a conveniently placed stool near the evaluator while my wife went up. She said that I missed the best part, so be sure to check it out.

The museum's permanent collection is closed (at least as of fall 2019) while a new building is…read morebuilt, with the date that will happen unknown. The two special exhibitions I saw (about the Cologne pavilion at the 1937 World's Fair in Paris; also an exhibition of Cologne buildings before and after the war) were both interesting, and there were some interesting local books for sale (about Carnival, etc.). Still worth a stop if the special exhibition sounds interesting, but somewhat disappointing if you want to learn the history of Cologne. Do walk all the way around the building to enjoy the sight of the gold winged car on the roof and the statue /fountain paying tribute to Cologne's Roman history (there are pieces of the Roman wall quite close).