Cologne & Northern Rhineland

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Köln, Dom and Rhine, Germany

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Overview

Cologne's iconic Dom has twin towers that might as well be exclamation marks after the word 'welcome'. Flowing behind the cathedral, the Rhine provides a vital link for some of the region's highlights – Düsseldorf, with its great nightlife, architecture and shopping; and Bonn, the former capital, which hums to Beethoven. Away from the river, Aachen still echoes to the beat of the Holy Roman Empire and Charlemagne.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Interior Of Cologne Cathedral

    Kölner Dom

    Cologne

    Cologne’s geographical and spiritual heart – and its single-biggest tourist draw – is the magnificent Kölner Dom. With its soaring twin spires, this is…

  • Maria Laach Abbey, the west end with the paradisium, a narthex enclosing a garden. Maria Laach Abbey (iAbtei Maria Laach) is a Benedictine abbey situated on the southwestern shore of the Laacher See (Lake Laach), near Andernach, in the Eifel region of the Rhineland-Palatinate in Germany in July 2020.

    Abteikirche Maria Laach

    Cologne & Northern Rhineland

    Serenely tucked within beautiful Eifel countryside, Abteikirche Maria Laach is one of the finest examples of a Romanesque church in Germany. Part of a 900…

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    Aachener Dom

    Aachen

    It’s impossible to overestimate the significance of Aachen’s magnificent cathedral. The burial place of Charlemagne, it’s where more than 30 German kings…

  • The house of birth of Ludwig van Beethoven in Bonn, Germany.

    Beethoven-Haus Bonn

    Bonn

    Star composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in this rather humble townhouse, where today original scores, letters, paintings and instruments,…

  • Parts of the Berlin Wall and a Traband car can be seen during the reopening of the permanent exhibition at the 'Haus der Geschichte' (lit. 'House of History' in Bonn, Germany, 11 December 2017. Photo: Henning Kaiser/dpa (Photo by Henning Kaiser/picture alliance via Getty Images)

    Haus der Geschichte

    Bonn

    The Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland presents a smart, fun romp through recent German history, starting from the end of WWII. Walk…

  • Archäologischer Park

    Archäologischer Park

    Cologne & Northern Rhineland

    The Roman Colonia Ulpia Traiana has been reborn as an archaeological park, an open-air museum that features faithfully reconstructed buildings to help…

  • Felix Nussbaum Haus

    Felix Nussbaum Haus

    Cologne & Northern Rhineland

    Osnabrück-born Jewish painter Felix Nussbaum (1904–44), who emigrated to Belgium and was murdered at Auschwitz, hauntingly documented life, exile,…

  • RömerMuseum

    RömerMuseum

    Cologne & Northern Rhineland

    For a deeper understanding of the Roman presence in the region and the ruins in the adjacent Archaeological Park, the engaging RömerMuseum is a must. In a…

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The Rheinturm is one of the most distinctive structures in Düsseldorf's skyline.

Art and Culture

Western Germany’s hip region for digital nomads and urban creatives

Sep 28, 2021 • 6 min read

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