Allgemein EN

Guys attention please! I'm going to tell you something that is like general knowledge in Cologne, but funnily, very few tourists know. You can walk along the Rhine in Cologne non-stop. From one side all the way to Bonn - that is, to the other side. No joke! Really cool! At the same time, this means you can go on mega cool bike tours, because - come on, what's better than going along the water by bike when the weather is nice? With a cool breeze on your face, through the green, through sun and shade... Seriously, what could be better than a bike ride on a beautiful sunny day? Only if you can find the time, of course. But for the sporty nature lovers among you who like to exercise in the fresh air, take your time. On top, you'll get to know Cologne from a totally different side :)

Every year in February or March, the time has finally come. The big carnival weekend is starting. Entire Cologne dresses up, packs food, alcohol and good humour and meets either at private parties or somewhere in the city. Just like on 11.11, we on Weiberfastnacht also count down, because! street carnival is on! Zülpi, the Südstadt, the Altstadt (Heumarkt + Altermarkt) and everywhere else in the city will be buzzing all day long. People sing, dance, sway, drink and celebrate together. It's an amazing atmosphere that you really have to experience at least! once. Everyone walks around in costume, chats with everyone and celebrates our fifth season. Apart from the opening of the street carnival, there is a second important thing about Weiberfastnacht. It is the day of the women. This means that in the past, for example, women could not be prosecuted for crimes of passion or love (aka cheating etc). Today's tradition is rather that the women cut off the men's ties just below the knot and then there is a Bützche (kiss) - whether on the mouth or the cheek is up to the woman. So my shoutout to all the men: please don't wear your best ties on Women's Carnival Day. You will probably bitterly regret it :D Apart from that, of course you all HAVE to come to Cologne at least once for the whole carnival season. It's simply.... Honestly too awesome to miss :D

Let yourself be taken you into the world of magic, acrobatics, juggling and the art of artistry! No I´m just joking. That sounds far too melodramatic and wooooooaaaaahhhh! But Circus Roncalli is actually pretty cool. It usually camps at Neumarkt every summer and offers us its circus show. It changes every year, of course, but it's still always a feast for the eyes and a real experience. If I sound stilted, please excuse me, I am a circus child. I just like going to the circus and really appreciate a polished, well thought-out and well presented circus show. And Roncalli has simply proven over the years that it gives high-quality performances. At least for the most part. After all, there is also the Höhner Rocking Roncalli Show (the Höhner are one of the greatest carnival bands ever). I practically grew up with this show. That means not going to the Roncalli, doesn't really exist for me at all. For you: If the Roncalli is in town and you still have some time and like circus, go. You really get your money's worth. If not, go anyway and let yourself be infected by the circus fever :D ;)

If I go by general opinion, I'd say this is the best known and most popular Christmas market of all. For me personally its on number 3. The reason why this Christmas market is so popular is certainly not the many food stalls and mulled wine stands, which, among us, are slowly taking over. That's also the reason why it's "only" good enough for third place for me. And that's more because of the "2nd part of the Christmas market - but more about that in a separate post. The reason is quite simple: it has by far the largest ice-skating rink. And that at a Christmas market with a Christmassy atmosphere.... Of course it's a bomb and everyone wants to go, loves it and of course it's full - don't get this wrong, every Christmas market is full. In addition to the ice rink, there's a cute bridge that goes over the ice rink where you can watch the people while they are ice skating. And that's really fucking cool. Honestly mega! I go there myself every year and get mesmerised by the skaters :D So of course you have to go! No question about it! Especially since ice skating there is not really that much more expensive than in the Lentpark - our ice rink in Cologne (Post) where you can skate at non-Christmas market times. You are realizing you have to come here in December, huh? :D :D

The graffiti of El Bocho is, in contrary to what it might look like on the photo, quite big and quite difficult to photograph. Believe me, it took me a while to get it so "perfect"... Apart from that, the graffiti is surprisingly imposing and impressive and above all so big that you have to take a step back. If it is worth going there just for the graffiti? No, definitely not. Unless you're a huge graffiti fan. Then you should though either take some time to visit Ehrenfeld - it's not the only graffiti worth seeing in Ehrenfeld - or look for a graffiti tour. Maybe you'll get lucky. As the graffiti is the work of a well-known artist, your chances might be good. So feel free to check it out! 😊

I do connect quite a lot with our zoo. Mainly cute little suricates right at the beginning, the rock of baboons which in former times I always found by myself and by now I no idea why have to search on the map….. Check feeding time! Because!!! Last time I noticed the difference between no feeding time and feeding time. It was like spectacle versus silence and boredom. So, keep the clock in mind, set an alarm and head at feeding time to the baboon rock. It´s worth the way, promise! :D (and probably then you wont either need the map, cause the baboons will scream make that much noise that you´ll find the rock all by yourself). What else? Right, the monkeys! The house of the monkeys also I pretty cool. Especially the big chimpanzee, who always sit there and watch back :D I personally also like the elephants, who always are an eye-catcher, the giraffs with their long necks who never seem to stop eating, the fat rhinos and the massive bisons. Alright enough listing of animals. I think the message has been received. I like the zoo. By now it though has become quite expensive. Therefore: only do go when you rally like zoos and! Only when you´ve done, seen and visited all the free stuff in Cologne. The zoo is cool, really, but… at a budget backpacker I would also think three times about it `:D

The promenade in the old town along the Rhine lies exactly between the bridges Hohenzollern and Deutz and is actually the place in Cologne that is on the one side very touristy because it is the old town – also btw mega overpriced. At the same time, however, people from Cologne walk along here all the time and/or chill out on the green areas of the elevation right next to the promenade. Hence "most local tourist place". The Rhine promenade in the old town is simply a chilled-out place where you can sunbathe and look out over the Rhine. In the evenings or on particularly great summer days, they often play music. Apart from that, all our boat tours depart from here. Important tip: If you want to get a good shot of the beautiful houses in the old town with their colourful architecture and the little church in between, the Rhine promenade is your place to be. Apart from that, a visit to Cologne should include a walk through the Old Town and thus also the Rhine promenade of the Old Town. My tip: Pick a sunny day. Then you will experience the full flair.

...Don't ask me why, but I really like that bridge. It's nothing special, it's industrial and looks slightly dirty. Also would I never ever walk along there at night, but!!! It really caught me when I found it by accident at some point. There is just something mysterious about the bridge and... somehow it cast a spell on me. In my opinion, it's even an excellent insta and photoshoot spot. But that's just my opinion :D So, if you're up for a rather unusual spot that you might not even find special, but are open for the experiment, go ahead! :)

I loooove the Christmas market at the cathedral. So it's probably not surprising if I tell you that it's also my absolute favourite Christmas market of all! The reason? I went to this Christmas market as a child. Right in the centre where a stage is set up and live music is always played in the evenings. That's when I looked up at the chain of lights stretching from the tree to the first stalls around it. It... was simply absolutely magical. Like looking straight up into a sky full of stars. Call me nostalgic, but that moment sealed it. Since then, this Christmas market has been the one of my heart. It's also always the first and the last one I go to. Every year. Apart from that it really is a beautiful Christmas market. The imposing fir tree coming out above everything else, the Christmassy red roofs, the Christmas music blaring from little loudspeakers at the stalls/huts.... Ah what can I say, the sky full of stars caught me as a kid, the Christmas atmosphere picked me up as an adult. And there's everything you could want: Mulled wine stalls, food stalls, masses of cool Christmas gifts, traditional Christmas stuff and of course Cologne stuff. Honestly, you have to come to Cologne in December. The Christmas markets are simply premium. So don't think twice 😉

Yes, I know it's not actually a gondola, but a cable car, but honestly. It doesn't matter, it's a real highlight. Especially when the weather is nice. The Cologne cable car is one of those things where I don't understand at all why it's not one of the main attractions. With that I mean well known and frequently visited by tourists etc. Because the ride over the Rhine is really great. And between us... You fly over the Claudius Therme. For all those who don't know what that means: nude bathers. At least a few. Maybe not always what you would wish for as a view, but it still has something :D ;) But back to serious, the ride over the Rhine in the cable car is really worth it. I would even put it in my top 5 in Cologne.