D.o.D...yeah...not gonna bother with that. However, I have not booked my flights, and have limited time so am looking for some fun stuff to do. Actually, I would rather go to Normandy and see Omaha beach where my Grandad fought, but I don't want to drag my team there on a personal trip, I will hit that up when I have more time. So, I was looking for castles, WW2 stuff, and drinking.... Amsterdam I have been too, but it is a great city and not too far of a drive to Cologne, so I am leaning towards 2 days there....great beer and fun city. DD
Hi DD, would love to meet you on your trip, not sure I can make it, though. I am originally from Bonn, which is right next to Cologne, so I know the area rather well. Cologne can be a fun town and the people there are generally nice, but I guess one would have to know where to go. People there are known to like partying, especially during "Karneval", which is like Mardi Gras in New Orleans, just much bigger. Cologne is also known as Germany's "gay" city, a bit like San Francisco in the US. Try a "Koelsch" beer, which is quite different from the beer in Bavaria - it is served in rather small glasses, so you can drink 10 of them and still not get drunk. You could do an excursion on a boat on the river "Rhein" and drink beer and wine on the boat. If you want to see a castle, there is a nice one not too far from Cologne (about an hour to an hour and a half drive - not spectacular, but not bad, either) - it is called "Burg Eltz". I think you can have fun in Cologne for a few days, just hanging out in the beer gardens, etc. You should visit the cathedral which is rather impressive, but beware, the main train station is right next to it, so this is not the very best area of town. But generally, it is safe, and from the cathedral, you can walk through the pedestrian zone and do some shopping, if you so please. This is a night view of the cathedral from the Hyatt hotel at the other side of the Rhine river (I can recommend this one, the Hilton is decent, too, and there is the Dom Hotel right next to the cathedral (Le Meridien, part of the Starwood chain, which has the best location, and if you have status with Starwood, they will give you a nice upgrade)). Amsterdam, of course, is not too far away (probably a three-hour drive or train ride - beware of the cabs ), and is fun, too. As others have said, Frankfurt, while it has its nice spots, is more of a business city and there is really no major tourist attraction there or special reason to go there, I would think. I guess you won't be there yet at the time, but if you are in town on the 15th or on the 22nd, the local football (soccer, as you guys call it) team "1. FC Koeln" has a home match (on both days mentioned above), which should probably be sold out and the atmosphere should be great. Let me know if you have any more specific questions, I know Cologne very well, so should be able to help you with info. Edit: A couple more things, after I re-read the thread: Don't think of driving to Austria from Cologne, it is about a 7-hour drive. Also, Celle, I have been there (was best man at a wedding there), it's a nice little town, but nothing special - definitely not worth the at least 3-hour drive from Cologne just to go there. Just remembered that there is also another (Rokoko) castle called Schloss Brühl not too far from Cologne (only half an hour away or so), they have a website, seems to be all in German, but you can click through the pictures and see if you would like to visit it: http://www.schlossbruehl.de/Augustusburg_Fotogalerie Here is the tripadvisor page with things to do in Cologne: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g187371-Activities-Cologne_North_Rhine_Westphalia.html Note that if you are interested in WWII stuff, there is a museum listed there that seems to be interesting, it shows historical stuff from the Nazi times in Germany: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...po_Prison-Cologne_North_Rhine_Westphalia.html
Will you be going to Amsterdam the weekend of the 15th, or the one of the 22nd. If you drive to Amsterdam from Cologne you pass my city (Wageningen).
I know you hate beer and obviously spend your entire life veering away from beer's tendrils, but please. PLEASE. For your own sake, try some beers.
I lived in Cologne for two months. AroundTheWorld pretty much told you everything... There are a couple of good modern art museums there. Definitely try the Koelsch beer...each neighborhood brews their own and they are all fantastic. There are some good restaurants that overlook the Rhein The Dom (Cathedral) is very impressive Don't remember there being any WW2 stuff there Luckily for me, Amsterdam was just a couple of hours away by train
