Excursion tour in Cologne. Top architecture - monuments, castles, temples and palaces

View from the Bell Tower in Cologne Cathedral 1. Tourists are recommended to purchase WelcomeCard, which gives you the right to get reduced fares in public transport. In addition to this, owners of the card receive a discount when they visit museums, restaurants and shops. It can be purchased in any hotel of the city, but note you should present your card only with ID.
2. Traveling around the city by car is quite difficult. There are not so many parking slots on its territory, and the majority of central streets are available exclusively for residents. Bicycle will become a great alternative to a car in this city.
3. Local motorists are not distinguished by good knowledge of traffic rules. Therefore, you should be especially careful while crossing roads.
4. The local beer houses have very peculiar customer service. As soon as a waiter sees that a mug of beer is empty, he immediately brings a new one to a visitor. In order to stop waiters, you should simply put a little paper holder, which is always present on every table, on your empty glass.
5. July is the hottest month of a year, so those tourists, who prefer long walks and excursions, are better to refrain from traveling at this time of a year. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
6. Don’t forget to leave a tip in cafes and restaurants of the city. Thus, if the amount of your order was less than 5 euros, round up the total sum to full euro. In case your order exceeds 5 EUR, tips usually estimate 7 - 10%.
7. It is also traditional to leave small cash reward to taxi drivers. 1 - 3 euros will be enough; the amount of tip depends on the distance of your travel.
Discovering the architecture of Cologne from bird's eye view! Cologne Cathedral, Great St. Martin Church, St. Andrew Church, St. Kunibert Church, Colonius, Cologne Tower, all those monuments are defining the image of Cologne … Open
8. Those tourists, who expect to use public transport, should not try to use it without tickets in any case. According to some reports, violators of rules may be included in blacklists of tourists.
9. Tourists, who want to save money on food, are recommended to visit local pubs. In addition to widest choice of beer they offer high-quality meals at reasonable prices.
Cologne - guide chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17

What to visit being in Cologne - unique sights

Kolner Dom

From the series “The Most Iconic Temples in the World”
The well-known architect Gerhard has worked at the Domprojekt. As the legend tells, the devil helped him. This was the only way to explain the construction of such a grand architectural project. Every day, more than 20,000 people visit the Cologne Cathedral, which is to be graced by its magnificent interiors and the golden sarcophagus with its main sanctuary. The latter is a real masterpiece of jeweler art. For the decoration of the sarcophagus thousands of precious stones were used. In the cathedral there are also other sanctuaries - the Gerokreuz and the Milan Madonna, a unique statue from the 13th century. All those who are interested can climb up the Domgipfel and enjoy the panorama of Cologne, for which only 509 steps have to be overcome. … Read further

Dom Cologne Cathedral

From the series “Gothic Architecture – Magnificent Monuments”
A beautiful sculpture of the Milan Madonna is located in the cathedral. It is also considered an outstanding sculptural creation in the Gothic style. Many beautiful legends are associated with Cologne Cathedral. According to one of them, the devil helped the architect Gerhard make drawings of the unique facade. The architect's wife managed to outwit the devil and save her husband's soul from a terrible fate. Another legend says that the devil was so angry at the deception that he predicted the end of the world on the day when the cathedral will be completed. Perhaps this is why one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the world was never completed. … Read further

Kolner Rathaus

From the series “Famous Buildings of Renaissance Architecture”
During the reconstruction of the basement there were found ruins of the ancient Roman buildings. Today all rebuilt elements of the historical buildings are open for everyone. Another peculiarity of the Kolner Rathaus is the musical instrument that makes wonderful melodies with the toll. It has appeared in the town hall in 1958. This construction has 45 bronze bells. A lot of people come to listen to the sound of them.  … Read further

Tips for the cities around Cologne

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