GERMANY - COLOGNE 3 NIGHTS SPECIAL

Arrival at Köln/Bonn Airport (if different to be addressed)

Transfer from Airport to Hotel. Check-In (from 15:00)

We suggest Dinner in GAFFEL KÖLSCH - a typical Brewery Restaurant in Cologne (making their own beer of coruse)

After a nice breakfast, it´s time to say Hi to Cologne. Start a stroll with our guide through the city to see the highlights - large and small.

The Dome

Cologne’s geographical and spiritual heart – and its single-biggest tourist draw – is the magnificent Kölner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is the Mt Everest of cathedrals, jam-packed with art and treasures. For an exercise fix, climb the 533 steps up the Dom’s south tower to the base of the steeple that dwarfed all buildings in Europe until Gustave Eiffel built a certain tower in Paris. The Domforum visitor center is a good source of info and tickets.

The Dom is Germany’s largest cathedral and must be circled from the outside to truly appreciate its dimensions. Note how its lacy spires and flying buttresses create a sensation of lightness and fragility despite its mass and height.

This feeling of airiness continues inside, where a phalanx of pillars and arches supports the lofty nave. Soft light filters through the medieval stained-glass windows, as well as a much-lauded recent window by contemporary artist Gerhard Richter in the right transept. A kaleidoscope of 11,500 squares in 72 colors, Richter’s abstract design has been called a ‘symphony of light’; in the afternoon especially, when the sun hits it just so, it’s easy to understand why.

The pièce de résistance among the cathedral’s bevy of treasures is the Shrine of the Three Kings behind the main altar, a richly bejeweled and gilded sarcophagus said to hold the remains of the kings who followed the star to the stable in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. The bones were spirited out of Milan in 1164 as spoils of war by Emperor Barbarossa’s chancellor and instantly turned Cologne into a major pilgrimage site.

Other highlights include the Gero Crucifix (970), notable for its monumental size and an emotional intensity rarely achieved in those early medieval days; the choir stalls from 1310, richly carved from oak; and the altar painting (c 1450) by Cologne artist Stephan Lochner.

During your climb up to the 95m-high viewing platform on the south tower, take a breather and admire the 24-tonne Peter Bell (1923), the largest free-swinging working bell in the world.

Lunch in Brauhaus Sion

Afternoon - free to stroll around.

Dinner - to be discussed

See Cologne fo0mr the waterside. Some areas in Germany call the Rhine Vater (Father) - and in some other areas Mutter (mother) - however, it´s clearly of very high importance. Enjoy a 3 hours cruise with explanation (drinks can be purchased onboard)

Römisch-Germanisches Museum

Sculptures and ruins displayed outside the entrance are merely the overtures to a full symphony of Roman artifacts found along the Rhine. Highlights include the giant Poblicius tomb (AD 30–40), the magnificent 3rd-century Dionysus mosaic, and astonishingly well-preserved glass items. Insight into daily Roman life is gained from toys, tweezers, lamps, and jewelry, the designs of which have changed surprisingly little since Roman times.

Plenty of remnants of the Roman city survive around the museum, including a street leading to the harbor and two wells. Other vestiges from the ancient settlement include a Roman arch from the former town wall outside the Dom and the nearby Römerturm.

Schokoladenmuseum

This boat-shaped, high-tech temple to the art of chocolate making has plenty of engaging exhibits on the 5000-year cultural history of the ‘elixir of the gods (as the Aztecs called it) as well as on the cocoa-growing process. The walk-through tropical forest is a highlight, although most visitors are more enthralled by the glass-walled miniature production facility and a sample at the chocolate fountain.

You can also learn about the mysteries of truffle making, find out how chocolate bunnies are born, have a bespoke chocolate bar created in the workshop and, of course, stop in the museum shop to stock up on your favorite flavors.

NS-Dokumentationszentrum

Cologne's Third Reich history is poignantly and exhaustively documented in the NS Documentation Centre housed in the very building that served as the headquarters of the local Gestapo (Nazi secret police). The basement prison, where scores of people were interrogated, tortured, and killed, is now a memorial site. Inscriptions and drawings on the cell walls offer a gut-wrenching record of the emotional and physical pain endured by inmates. The execution grounds in the courtyard are also part of the memorial. An audioguide may be rented for €2.

After Breakfast - with a suitcase full of impressions you will start the journey home!