Cologne

Cologne — Köln to its residents — was founded as the Roman colony Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium in 50 AD by decree of the Empress Agrippina, making it one of the oldest cities in Germany. For centuries it was the largest city north of the Alps and a linchpin of medieval trade along the Rhine. Its twin-spired Gothic cathedral, the Kölner Dom, took over six hundred years to complete — from the laying of the foundation stone in 1248 to its final consecration in 1880 — and remains the city's towering centrepiece, a UNESCO World Heritage Site visible from virtually every corner of the city.

What strikes visitors about Cologne is its warmth and conviviality, a quality the locals call Kölsche Gemütlichkeit. Despite suffering near-total destruction in World War II — ninety per cent of the old city was flattened — Cologne rebuilt itself with a spirit that blends respect for history with a forward-looking energy. The Romanesque churches, twelve of them strung along the old city walls, were painstakingly restored. The Museum Ludwig houses one of Europe's finest collections of modern art, including major works by Warhol and Lichtenstein, while the Chocolate Museum on the Rhine peninsula traces the history of cocoa from Aztec rituals to Belgian pralines.

Cologne's culinary soul revolves around the Brauhaus — traditional brewery taverns where waiters in blue aprons shuttle small glasses of Kölsch, the city's distinctive pale ale, to your table without being asked. The classic accompaniment is Himmel un Ääd (Heaven and Earth) — mashed potatoes with apple sauce and blood sausage. The Ehrenfeld neighbourhood has emerged as the city's creative dining quarter, with Levantine, Japanese, and modern German kitchens sharing cobblestoned streets. During Carnival season (Karneval), the entire city erupts in costume parades, and the demand for Krapfen (jam doughnuts) reaches fever pitch.

Bonn, Beethoven's birthplace and the former capital of West Germany, lies just twenty-five minutes south by train. The Drachenfels, a ruined castle atop a volcanic hill overlooking the Rhine, is a forty-minute excursion that rewards with sweeping river panoramas. The Ahr Valley, one of Germany's northernmost red wine regions, is an hour's drive south and offers excellent Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir) tastings.

Cologne is a major hub for Rhine river cruises, hosting A-ROSA, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Celebrity Cruises, CroisiEurope, Emerald Cruises, P&O Cruises, Riviera Travel, Scenic River Cruises, Tauck, Uniworld River Cruises, Viking, and VIVA Cruises. Its central Rhine position makes it a natural starting point for both northbound journeys toward Amsterdam and southbound voyages through the Rhine Gorge to Basel. The Christmas markets in late November through December are legendary, but late spring and early autumn offer ideal weather for river cruising.