Cologne

Cologne (Köln) lies about 40 km south of Düsseldorf on the Rhine and is the easiest big-city day trip from the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia. Regional trains (RE1, RE5, RB27 and S6) take roughly 35 to 45 minutes from Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof to Köln Hbf and are covered by the Deutschlandticket, while the ICE takes about 25 minutes on a separate ticket. Because the station sits directly beside the cathedral, the first sight appears within minutes of stepping off the train. The Kölner Dom, a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Domkloster 4, is the anchor of the day: visitors can enter the nave free of charge, climb the south tower for the view over the Rhine (a small fee applies), and see the Shrine of the Three Kings and the Gero Cross. A sensible morning arc starts with the cathedral at opening time, followed by a walk through the Altstadt along the Rhine promenade to Groß St. Martin church and the Rathaus. Around midday, the Kölsch brewhouses such as Früh am Dom, Gaffel am Dom or Brauhaus Sion serve the local top-fermented beer in 0.2 litre glasses alongside Halve Hahn, Himmel un Ähd and Rievkooche. The afternoon can be spent at the Roman-Germanic Museum beside the cathedral, the Museum Ludwig, the Schokoladenmuseum on the Rheinauhafen peninsula, or on a shopping stroll along Hohe Straße and Schildergasse. Crossing the Hohenzollern Bridge on foot, with its thousands of love locks, rewards visitors with the classic skyline view from the Deutz side, and the Rhine cable car offers an alternative river crossing in season. The best window runs from April to October, when terraces along the river are open, although the Christmas markets in December also draw large crowds. Arriving before 10:00 avoids the heaviest cathedral queues, and a return train from about 18:00 to 21:00 leaves time for dinner. Trains run late and frequently, so the trip is flexible; the full loop is practical as a relaxed half or full day. Visitors who want depth can add the Cologne Cathedral Treasury or the Roman Praetorium underneath the town hall.