Travel: Cologne, Germany

Published on Wednesday 20 April 2011 15:51

Friday, 6pm Arrive at Cologne Bonn airport. Take a 15-minute taxi ride to the city centre. Check in at the Hotel Marriott (Johannisstraße 76-80, www.colognemarriott.com). Doubles from e110.

Saturday, 9am To Cologne Cathedral, Germany's most-visited attraction. Climb the 533 steps to the South Tower for the impressive view.

10am Shop on the Hohe Strae and Schildergasse, home to large department stores.

Noon Lunch in the Brewery Tavern, FRH am Dom (Am Hof 12, Cologne, www.frueh.de). Try a traditional meal such as sauerbraten.

2pm Visit Museum Ludwig (Heinrich-Boll-Platz, www.museum-ludwig.de), where you'll find the biggest collection of Pop Art outside of the USA. Or the Roman-Germanic Museum (Roncalliplatz 4, Cologne, www.museenkoeln.de) with its impressive Roman mosaic.

4pm Sniff out the birthplace of eau de cologne - Farina Fragrance Museum (www.farina.eu) opposite the Town Hall.

7pm Head out for a drink at Friesenplatz and Rudolfplatz.

Sunday, 9am Stroll through the narrow streets of the old town, to the banks of the Rhine, and take a one-hour round trip by boat. Tickets are available at the ticket pavilion of Kln-Dsseldorfer Shipping Company (KD).

Noon Dock at the Chocolate Museum (www.chocolatemuseum-cologne.com). Drink from the Willy Wonka-esque chocolate fountain.

2pm Check out the Rheinauhafen area, the historic dockland quarter and a hub of creativity, where you'll find the ultra-modern Kranhus buildings.

5pm Grab a quick dinner in the Belgian quarter, where the streets are named after Belgian cities. For example, you'll find Hallmackenreuther (a stylish, Sixties-style bar) at Brsseler Platz 9.

6pm Fly back to Edinburgh.

Return flights from Edinburgh to Cologne from 130 with Germanwings, www.germanwings.com

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 30 April, 2011