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!

I came here for a wedding reception, and this was a quaint and romantic venue. There's even a small…read moremoat around the castle and a bridge crossing it. The courtyard was made of cobblestone and the green meadow in the background made for a very picturesque scene. One of the large rooms was reserved for dinner and dancing. The room was a pretty decent size holding at least 15 large round tables. There were convenient restrooms and a makeshift coat room. There were actually two wedding receptions happening on the same night, so it's good to know they can accommodate multiple parties. They had a good sound system as the music was blasting! There was also a relatively large parking lot with free parking! They conduct tours (with or without guides) until 5:30pm, but the ticket office closes at 4:30pm. Unfortunately, we arrived after the ticket office had closed. The castle looks like it would be interesting inside, and it would be a quick stopover on the way to somewhere else. Thanks for making the night a charming and memorable wedding reception!

This was a great find. I was looking for things to do in the area and came across this castle…read moreonline and so glad I did. It was wonderful because there was only a few people there and you can basically wander around the castle wherever you want with a book to kind of guide you. There were a couple cool audio rooms that explained more about the castle and lots of fun and games for kids. The castle is very well preserved and I can imagine being even more beautiful in the spring or summer with the mote around it. I had a great stroll around.

When possible, I have formed a nice little tradition when visiting a city for the first time. Maybe…read moreyou'll find it a worthy approach, too. When exploring a city for the first time, it's nice to see the city from a helicopter level. That way, you start out big before diving into the city in a deeper way. KolnTrianglePanorama is an awesome way to do so. It offers panoramic views of the city from the top of a skyscraper. First off, I will say that it's not easy to find. Even with Google Maps, the directions weren't spot on. There are several skyscrapers in the general vicinity that look very similar, so it took us a while to find both the correct building, and the correct entrance. However, once you're in, for a small fee, you'll take an elevator to the observation deck. You'll have the opportunity to see the city from high above and take some nice pictures. A quick but fun attraction. And one that's listed on TripAdvisor as one of the top attractions in Cologne. Overall, Cologne was an awesome city! Enjoy it to the fullest if you're visiting just like I did.

This is a MUST-VISIT place when you are in Koln…read more As others have said, the views are spectacular, and are somewhat weather-dependent, so keep that in mind. The viewing area is roofless. Rather than with signs, landmarks are noted by delicate line drawings on the Plexiglas. A very nice touch. Admission was 3 Euros, well worth it. Visit this place !

This place has much history and information regarding the tragedy of WWII and Hitler's reign. The…read moreconcentration camp is home to where Ann Frank also died. Many photos, videos, chambers and whatnot are within this place and a must to visit and very educational and emotional.

Okay, while I didn't go inside (and I'm not even sure if you can go inside - I didn't check) this…read moreis still a pretty awesome place to check out. Like the towers of the cathedral and Martin Luther's church, the tower of the Historic Rathaus can be seen from most parts of the city, however the impressive nature of the building only comes to the for when you actually get up close to it. Basically the tower is covered in statues of various celebrities of the city. I have to be honest that I don't know who precisely the statues represent, but apparently one of them is a witch. However, even though I don't know the identity of the statues, it is still pretty cool to spend some time admiring the architecture.

If you're the sort of tourist who likes to learn a little about the social history of the places…read moreyou visit, and if you speak German, then I recommend popping into the City Hall. There are a couple tapestries and paintings to view that will give you insights into the city's history, and often art exhibits and such that will give you a sense of the current state of affairs in Cologne. There is also an atrium explaining the legend of the mayor and the lion. However, you need to speak/read German, as virtually nothing is written in English.