family travel guide
Cologne is one of Germany's oldest, largest and most interesting cities. Architecture lovers will be enchanted by its Romanesque cathedrals, art lovers by its collection of paintings and sculptures, gourmets by its extensive knowledge of German cuisine and children by the magic of its Christmas markets. A family holiday in Cologne may be different, but it won't be boring.
How do you choose when to go and what to see on a family holiday in Cologne? Useful information about the city's climate, sights and attractions can be found in our overview.
The city of Cologne is located in the western part of Germany, in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (the administrative centre is Düsseldorf). Cologne is 585 km from Berlin, 44 km from Düsseldorf and 190 km from Frankfurt.
Thousands of years ago, the banks of the Rhine were inhabited by the Celts — the archaeological finds in the Roman-German Museum in Cologne vividly illustrate this page of history. In 38 BC, the military leader Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa founded the military settlement of Ubiorum.
Less than 100 years later, Ubiorum became a colony of the Roman Empire, thanks to the efforts of Agrippina, the wife of Emperor Claudius and a native of Ubiorum. Initially known by the long name 'Colonia Claudius and the Altar of Agrippina', by the Middle Ages the shortened version 'Colonia', or 'Cologne' in the local language, had come into use.
After the Second World War, Cologne was a smoking ruin — only Cologne Cathedral survived in the old town. The entire historic area has been painstakingly restored, and today the town hall, the towers of the medieval fortifications and St Martin's Church look as if they've been standing in their place for hundreds of years.
If you're prepared to swap the sea and the beach for a stroll through the old town, a holiday in Cologne will be a real treat. Two thousand years from a small military camp to a modern city of millions have left their mark — the Roman praetorium, the towers of the medieval fortress, the Romanesque churches, the graceful and powerful Cologne Cathedral.
A journey through space becomes a journey through time, and from the street you can step into a Roman palace.
Cologne is an interesting place to visit with children, simply because history is not a collection of dry facts and dates. The city, with all its antiquities, is very much alive and can be experienced with all the senses. And even the museum exhibitions often appeal to emotions rather than logic.
Cologne also offers many unexpected attractions for children. For example, you can turn into a Neanderthal, play in the water at the Bubenheimer Spieleland park and walk with the dinosaurs at the Odysseum (for more fascinating things to do, see the What to do and Amusement sections).
Cologne's hotels are unpretentious: whatever their glamour, they offer comfort to their guests. To have a good time with your child, you don't need to look for a family hotel (there are none in the city), as you'll spend most of your time walking and exploring. Only families with an infant should pay more attention to what services a hotel offers.
Cologne's tourist season has no fixed boundaries: the ancient city is interesting at any time of year. But summer is the peak time for tourists, during the school holidays. There are crowds of travellers at every sight, and you have to queue to get into one of the popular museums.
Summer is not a good time to go on holiday with children, partly because the weather is often rainy. Of course, this is not an obstacle for a museum visit, but the rain will put a stop to a visit to the zoo or a ride on the children's train. The chances of clear weather increase in August.
The reason to visit in summer is the Cologne Lights Festival in July, which features a theatrical musical performance, a procession of ships and fireworks.
A great time to visit Cologne is early autumn. September is usually cool but sunny, most of the tourists are gone, and you can stroll around the city enjoying the views and the surprisingly good street food. Autumn is also the best time to visit Cologne with an infant, as the hotels are quiet.
The weather turns nasty in November, but in the meantime tourists flock to Cologne for the carnival. It starts on 11 November and lasts for almost three months. The main events take place in November, the opening day of the carnival, and in February, before the carnival season ends.
In December, the city prepares for Christmas. There's a noisy, fun fair with carousels, baked apples and gingerbread for the children. The main Christmas market is in front of Cologne Cathedral, but there are also magical decorations near the Town Hall, Neumarkt and Rudolfplatz. Before you decide on the best time to visit Cologne, it's a good idea to find out more about the city's climate.
Cologne's temperate climate is ideal for sightseeing. Summer is usually warm, but not too hot, and winter temperatures are usually above freezing. Cologne has a long wait for warmth in spring, but in autumn the weather lasts until November.
Rain is a frequent visitor to Cologne, with most rainy days in late spring and summer. An umbrella in your luggage is a must, but chances are that the weather will be sunny during your holiday.
If you want to pack less warm clothing, plan your Cologne holiday for May. The average daytime temperature during the month is +18°C, sometimes a little cooler, and the temperature can drop to +8-10°C at night.
In summer, the thermometer readings vary between +15°C and +30°C. The average temperature is between +20 and +23°C. The average temperature is between +20 and 23°C. A jacket is definitely a good idea as it can get down to +10°C at night.
The weather in September is usually clear, but temperatures can vary greatly from year to year. Sometimes it's summer for a whole month, but sometimes it gets as cold as +15°C in early September and the heat never returns.
In October the temperature drops to +10-14°C, in November to +8°C and from December to February the thermometer shows +4-6°C during the day and +1-3°C at night. You can't count on snow, but the skies do occasionally frown and rain down on the city. January and February are the wettest months.
In March, the air gets as warm as +10°C, while in April it can reach 14-15°C. The weather is unpleasant, but with less rain than in summer and winter.
What is the best time to go on holiday to Cologne with children? If you only take the weather into account, the first half of autumn is a good time for a family holiday. However, you should also bring clothes for both the heat and the colder weather down to +10°C.
Cologne's gastronomy is diverse and delicious. There are German, Central European and Oriental restaurants, pizzerias, traditional sausage stands, numerous cafés and pastry shops.
Street food, so popular in Germany, is not limited to sausages for the people of Cologne. Here, as in Düsseldorf, you can enjoy a Halve Hahn sandwich with rye bread, Gouda cheese, pickles and mustard.
Also on the streets of Cologne you can enjoy potato pancakes Reibekuchen with... apple sauce. Children may enjoy roasted chestnuts, which are prepared on the street in a roasting station. Adults should try the Kölsch beer. The light, pale beer is served in 0.2-litre, sometimes 0.1-litre, thin-walled stein glasses.
The city's main attractions are easily accessible on foot, and for longer journeys, Cologne's public transport system is convenient and punctual. The city is served by the U-Bahn (or metrotram as the locals call it), the S-Bahn and buses.
Public transport starts early in the morning and runs until midnight, with some night services. There's no need to look for a timetable: all the stops have electronic signs showing when the next train or bus will arrive.
There is a single ticket for all public transport in Cologne. You can buy tickets for a short trip for €2.1 or single tickets for €2.60 — €4.2 (depending on the zone), but it is cheaper to buy a day ticket (€6.30 — €10.10 for a single person or €11.60 — €19.10 for a group of up to five people) or a weekly ticket (€22 — €38.10).
Children under the age of 5 travel free on public transport, and children aged 6-14 pay almost half the adult fare.
In Cologne, tickets differ not only in their validity, but also in the areas they can be used. Zone 1 is Cologne itself, 2 is the immediate suburbs, 3 and 4 are towns within the municipality, 5 is towns in neighbouring municipalities (e.g. Düsseldorf).
The KölnCard is recommended for free public transport and discounts at many popular museums, restaurants and shops.
The card is available at the KölnTourismus tourist information office, at the airport and in all hotels in Cologne, but can only be used with an identity card. The card is valid for 24 hours and costs €9 or €18 for 48 hours. A card for a group of 5 people for 24 or 48 hours costs €19 or €38.
Travelling around Cologne by taxi can be more economical than taking the bus or underground if you are travelling in a large group. The cost per kilometre is €2.20, with a base fee of €4.50.
The most inconvenient way to get around Cologne is by car. Traffic in the city is heavy, there are not enough parking spaces and only residents are allowed to enter the city centre. A good way to get around is by bike.
Next to the train station is Radstation, which rents out bikes for adults and children for around €15 a day. There is even a special excursion route for cyclists.
A family holiday in Cologne proves to be very fulfilling. It's a shame to miss out on just one attraction or entertainment. So how do you spend your time with the kids so that you can do everything at once?
Children are surprisingly eager to go on a tour of old Cologne. And how can you remain indifferent to the gnome fountain, the colourful houses in the fish market square or the brick and glass ship that stands out among the pleasure boats?
You can get around the old town on foot, by bike, by sightseeing train or by double-decker bus. If you want to see Cologne from a different perspective, take a boat or a cable car.
An incredible panorama of the city opens up from the viewing platform of Cologne Cathedral. It is the city's most famous landmark and the third tallest church in the world.
The 517 steps of the spiral staircase are not for kids, but older children have no problem climbing them. From the cathedral you can see the entire Old Town, the Altstadt.
A day out with children in Cologne should include some outdoor activities. Here are some places where the whole family can have a great time.
When it comes to walking, there are plenty of places to take your child for a walk in Cologne. There's the Volksgarten with its playgrounds and duck swimming lake, and the enormous green space of the Hiroshima-Nagasaki and Innerer Grüngüntel parks covering the Old Town.
Many tourists choose to relax in the Botanical Gardens. Here you can walk on the lawns and the beauty of nature will put you in a calm, lyrical mood.
The Sculpture Park is a good place to take children who are no longer interested in slides and swings. The exhibition is outdoors, which in itself gives a fresh perspective on contemporary art.
While the list of things to do in Cologne with a child is extensive, there are also good reasons to visit neighbouring cities.
Brühl, a 15-minute drive from Cologne, is home to Phantasia Land. You can get an idea of how many rides it has by looking at the high demand for two-day tickets. The park's fairy-tale theme is anything but saccharine: there's a gloomy castle, a dragon flies and trolls occasionally roam the paths.
There are fantastic theme parks in Oberhausen, Bottrop and Altenberg.
Oberhausen Park is none other than Legoland Discovery Centre, a play city for the whole family. Movie Park in Bottrop promises a journey in the footsteps of cartoon and film characters. And Märchenwald (Altenberg) has no rides, but brings children's fairy tales to life.
If you go to Oberhausen, it's for a few days: as well as Legoland Centre, the town has a large indoor water park, a zoo and the Sea Life aquarium. The underwater world is fascinating, with inhabitants of the northern and southern seas, dangerous and harmless fish, impressive turtles and octopuses. Before the tour, check the feeding schedule to see how the sharks are fed.
There are many museums in Cologne, and many different ones, but we'd like to start with one that's interesting for children and is about an hour's drive from the city. This is the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann. Near the museum is the 'Ice Age Reserve' with models of prehistoric animals.
At the museum you can meet Neanderthals and become one yourself. During the tour, children are transported back 300,000 years and can try their hand at making a stone spear, tracking an animal and making a fire in a cave.
Now we can move on to the sights of the city. What's on offer for children in Cologne?
If children are interested in archaeological discoveries, visit the Roman-Germanic Museum at the very walls of Cologne Cathedral. One of the highlights is a floor mosaic from the Roman Empire.
For a more authentic experience, visit the actual archaeological site beneath the town hall. In the underground hall you can see the ruins of the Praetorium, the governor's palace from the 1st-4th centuries AD.
Next door is the Ludwig Museum, one of the world's most famous collections of modern art. Here you can show your child works by Kandinsky and Picasso, Rothko and Pollock.
If you're more interested in 16th and 19th century paintings, take your child to the Walraf-Richartz Museum in Cologne. There are many famous names here: Rembrandt, van Dyck, Dürer, Renoir, Manet and van Gogh.
The stunning Rautenstraugh-Jost Ethnological Museum may not be the easiest for children to understand, but it is a must-see. It compares important traditions from many cultures around the world: notions of human existence, attitudes to the body, initiation into adulthood, marriage and funeral rites.
The children's museum is part of the adult museum, but it's not a playground, it's a philosophical exhibition about growing up.
And another logical answer to the question of what to see in Cologne: the Perfume Museum, also known as the House of Farina. It is dedicated to the oldest perfume factory in the world and the history of Eau de Cologne.
To make your stay in Cologne with children not too serious, you can visit the Chocolate Museum. The tour starts in the greenhouse where the cocoa beans are harvested and ends at the chocolate fountain - taste a freshly made delicacy right there in the museum.
The Museum of Sport and the Olympic Games is rather playful. It's not just children who will want to take part in a cycle race, throw a puck around a hockey pitch or train a football team: the interactive exhibits will also appeal to adults.
Deciding where to stay in Cologne is easy: all of Cologne's attractions are centrally located and there is not much to see outside the old town.
Cologne's most popular tourist area is the Old Town. It encompasses the entire historic city centre and is also home to the train station. The city centre is divided into several parts: Old Town, Neustadt-Süd, Neustadt-Nord and Deutsch.
Living in the Old Town is convenient because you don't have to waste energy, time and money travelling around the city. There are plenty of supermarkets, restaurants and cafes in the area. But there are also disadvantages: The Old Town has the most expensive hotels, train noise can be heard near the station, and in high season you may be disturbed by strolling tourists.
When choosing a place to stay with children, check that the windows of the hotel or apartment face a busy street and that the room is well soundproofed. An important consideration if you are bringing a pushchair is whether the hotel or apartment has a lift.
Neustadt-Süd borders the Old Town from the south. There are far fewer tourists here and the main sights can be reached on foot in half an hour. This is one of the best places to stay in Cologne with children. Most of the apartments for rent in this area are located here.
The Deutz district is on the right bank of the Rhine. The old town can only be reached by train or underground.
Neustadt-Nord is the least fun part of the city, because that's where the train station is. Even if you plan to move around Cologne a lot, you should look for accommodation away from the train.
Respectable areas close to the centre are Rodenkirchen and Lindenthal.
There are good hotels here and you can rent an apartment or house for an independent holiday in Cologne with children. The disadvantages of these areas are the lack of grocery shops and the 30-40 minute drive to the city centre.
For the same reason, it is not a good idea to look for accommodation near Cologne.
How do you choose a hotel in Cologne for your family holiday? Take a look at the facilities:
Some five-star hotels cater for young guests with a cot, highchair, toys and children's menu.
Cologne/Bonn International Airport is located in the town of Porz, 15 km from Cologne. The city is easily accessible from the airport by train S13, bus no. 161 or the Airport Express Bus shuttle to the main railway station.
Another way to get to Cologne is to fly to Düsseldorf, where there is a major airport, and then change to a train or bus.
Cologne Central Station is located in the city centre, on the Bahnhofsvorplatz, next to Cologne Cathedral. Trains connect Cologne with other cities in Germany as well as France, Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux countries. For information on timetables and to buy tickets, visit the Deutsche Bahn website: https://www.bahn.de.
There is a bus station next to the railway station, with buses from many European cities.
You can hire a car for your trip to Cologne on arrival: there are car hire offices at the airport. The official website of the city of Cologne provides information on car parks, prices and availability. If you intend to drive your own car to Cologne, you will need an environmental sticker. The stickers are issued by the state registration authorities, technical inspection centres and certified petrol stations, and can also be ordered online by sending a copy of the vehicle's registration document.
How to get to Cologne:
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