Why go
- Largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
- Known for EDM, dance music.
- 1 curated must-see attraction on record, including Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom).
- Served by Cologne Bonn Aiport (CGN).
History
Cologne is the fourth-most populous city of Germany and the largest city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia with over 1.0 million inhabitants in the city proper and over 3.1 million people in the Cologne Bonn urban region. Cologne is also part of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region, the second biggest metropolitan region by GDP in the European Union. Centred on the left bank of the Rhine, Cologne is located on the River Rhine, about 35 kilometres (22 mi) southeast of the North Rhine-Westphalia state capital Düsseldorf and 22 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of Bonn, the former capital of West Germany.
Must-see attractions
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 26 airlines, 92 direct destinations
- Germanwings 4U (A319, A320, CRJ) · 66 routes: Algier, Antalya, Athens, Barcelona, Bari, Bastia, Berlin, Bologna, Budapest, Cagliari, Calvi, Catania, Dresden, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Edinburgh, El Aroui, Faro, Friedrichshafen, Gran Canaria, Hamburg, Heraklion, Heringsdorf, Ibiza, Istanbul, Jerez, Kavala, Kerkyra/corfu, Klagenfurt, Kos, Laage, Lamezia, Leipzig, Lisbon, London, London, Manchester, Marrakech, Milano, Mykonos … +26 more
- Air Berlin AB (737-800, 737-700, A320, A319, A321, A330-200) · 18 routes: Antalya, Arrecife, Berlin, Calvi, Enfidha, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Hurghada, Ibiza, Istanbul, Kerkyra/corfu, Kos, Malaga, Menorca, Munich, Olbia, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife
- TUIfly X3 (737-800) · 11 routes: Antalya, Boa Vista, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Kos, Munich, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodos, Tenerife
- Norwegian Air Shuttle DY (737-800) · 5 routes: Alicante, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Oslo, Tenerife
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 5 routes: Faro, Gerona, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife
- Austrian Airlines OS (A319, Fokker 100, A320, CRJ, F70) · 3 routes: Klagenfurt*, Salzburg*, Vienna*
- Wizz Air W6 (A320) · 3 routes: Gdansk, Katowice, Skopje
- Condor Flugdienst DE (757) · 2 routes: Antalya, Palma de Mallorca
- Lufthansa Cargo LH (Fokker 100, A319, A320, A321, Embraer 195, F70) · 2 routes: Munich, Vienna*
- Pegasus Airlines PC (737-800) · 2 routes: Ankara, Istanbul
- SunExpress XQ (737-800) · 2 routes: Antalya, Izmir
- Air Arabia Maroc 3O (A320) · 1 route: El Aroui
- Alitalia AZ (F70) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- British Airways BA (A319, A320, 737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Berlin*
- easyJet U2 (A319) · 1 route: London
- Finnair AY (A319, A320, 737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Berlin*
- Flybe BE (Dash 8-400, Embraer 175) · 1 route: Birmingham
- Hainan Airlines HU (A319, A320, A321, 737-800, 737-700) · 1 route: Berlin
- Iran Air IR (313) · 1 route: Tehran
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (F70) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Meridiana IG (A320) · 1 route: Olbia
- SkyWork Airlines SX (D38) · 1 route: Bern
- Swiss International Air Lines LX (A319, A320) · 1 route: Zurich
- Turkish Airlines TK (A320, A321) · 1 route: Istanbul
- Ural Airlines U6 (A320) · 1 route: Moscow
- Wizz Air Ukraine WU (A320) · 1 route: Kiev
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Cologne Bonn Aiport (CGN); 4 other airports serve the wider area. Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: CGN has direct flights to 92 destinations on 26 airlines (incl. Antalya, Berlin, Palma de Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Tenerife…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 20 km (nearest: Weiß - Zündorf, 9 km); routes include Personenfähre Köln-Deutz, Fähre Weiß-Zündorf, KD Koblenz - Köln.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Cologne (Köln), Germany. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Local transit
Trains & rail
Coaches & shuttles
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.