COLOGNE: FIRST IMPRESSIONS. FC Köln, Cologne Cathedral and cable-car, but is it enough?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 พ.ค. 2024
- I have been to Cologne on three previous occasions. On two occasions I only had enough time to step out of the station and gaze at Cologne Cathedral, then join my connecting train. On another occasion I had a curry bratwurst without stepping outside the station - between trains. This time I explore the city centre and come to an unexpected conclusion.
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*** TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:24 Cologne Cathedral
00:05:09 Cologne Old Town
00:06:05 FC Koln shop
00:07:18 Cologne Cable Car
00:10:24 Conclusion and decision
Cologne is stuffed with history. From the extensive underground Roman remains to several medieval churches to the EL-DE house which was Gestapo HQ in WWII. Then there’s the two competing 4711 eau de cologne shops and the excellent Kolsch beer.
Yes, the foot bridge on the north side of the historic bridge is closed, but on the south side, it is open! You just were on the wrong side of the train tracks. Cologne is 2000 years old, the romans were here and you still can explore what they left behind. So, come back to my beautiful hometown (12/10 😁).
The best time to visit colgne is during carnival season and also Christmas markets!!!
I hope you can visit Munich
The technical museum on the Izar River is fantastic. You can easily spend a whole day there. Downtown is beautiful. Great vlog, thankyou.
Scott, I can't believe you went all round Cologne cathedral and never mentioned the enormous gold reliquary containing the remains of the Magi ! These are the three kings from the east that followed the star that led to Bethlehem, and gave the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The reliquary dates from early 13th century, and was the reason for the building of Cologne cathedral. However completion of the cathedral took 632 years, and wasn't completed until the 14th August 1880, in the time of Kaiser Wilhelm 1st who attended the ceremony.
That's a shame it left such an unremarkable impression on you. As a Brit who has lived in Cologne for 15 years all I can say is, I love the place. You looked for something unique.
It is the only local dialect that can also be drunk. Kölsch / Kölsch.
That aside it is a very open and welcoming City. I can't see me wanting to live anywhere else. Oh and the hynm sung in the stadium gives you goose bumps. Hope if you do return it makes a better impression.
There is an office tower on the eastern side of the Rhine - Koln Triangle - which has a lift to the top floor which is an observation deck giving a view up and down the Rhine. It costs 4 Euros to go up it. You can cross the railway bridge to get there. There is a footway on both sides of the railway bridge. If they close one side, the other will be open.
Kolsch beer a speciality of Cologne. Not many tourists? Great, deffo going.
Lots of tourists but mainly German ones maybe this Scott (I'm a Scott in Scotland too but not a Scot) didn't spot them. Cathedral is the number one tourist attraction in Germany
If Cologne has anything special besides the catheadral its certainly the atmosphere.
My wife and I went to Cologne for the day once a few tears back and we loved it.
Glad it cheered you up.
@@danearl8607 Hahaha, I meant to say years back
Koln is a wonderful city been there many times
On holiday with my wife in cologne we took the cable car across and went for a walk along the Rhine and found out it was founded by the romans because of its hot springs and just up from the cable car 🚠 between the two bridges is where one of the springs emerged, we got across the bridge and it was laden down with padlocks so perhaps they were removing them as they were everywhere and were putting added strain on the bridge, great place to start a sightseeing trip down the Rhine to visit the many sights, great place to visit and if you attempt to speak to the locals in their own language they will always help
I rode a maglev in Birmingham (U.K.) in the 1980’s, manufactured in England by Metro-Cammell and Brush. It ran from Birmingham International Railway station to the National Exhibition Centre.
Runrig are huge in Germany including Cologne where they have played many many times 🎶🎶🎶 I hope to attend a game sometime soon as well
Go to Basel in Switzerland. A beautiful city also, on the Rhein.
If you want to see what makes Cologne unique in Germany, visit some of the 12 Romanesque churches that predate the cathedral. I was very impressed with Sankt Gereon. These buildings are from a time when Paris and Cologne were comparable in size. To experience more local flair, you better go to the suburbs of Ehrenfeld, Nippes, etc. Cologne is a very popular place to live today, so living there is also quite expensive.
Thanks Scott nice vid but how about trying the chocolate museum, eau de cologne factory or even the local "kolsch" beer? It might relax you a bit! The locals are a pretty friendly bunch. My first port of call is always the tourist office, normally invaluable tips and advice. Like the style though.
Should have taken the short ride to Wuppertal, home of the renowned Pina Bausch dance company and, of course, the suspended railway. Or maybe you did and it's in a future video!
Yes. Well worth the visit. Smaller one exists in dortmund near the uni
Very glad I subscribed to your vlogs. Love a bit of travel escapism combined with the witty monologue. Great effort - please keep them coming! 👍
When I was in Cologne for a day a few years ago I visited the Cathedral, the Romano Germanic Museum (beside the Cathedral), an Eau de Cologne shop (rather than a football shop!) and managed to squeeze in a short trip down the Rhine and back. I enjoyed my visit and wouldn't have minded an extra day just to have a more casual walkabout.
Nice one Scott 👍👍
I was told by a native of Köln, who took me for a tour of the city, is that the best thing there, besides the cathedral, is the Kölsch beer.
Well done 👏
Another superbly made video Scott
Great video Scott
Cologne specials: Carnival. Rose-ringed parakeets. Roman remains. "Kölsch" pub culture.
Lovely cathedral
I visited Cologne many years ago. Architecturally, not particularly interesting, as most is post-war. However, the decor inside some of the pubs is excellent, with carved wooden panelling. I visited primarily to try all the different Kolsch beers; Paffgen Kolsch was my favourite. It is, however, a good hub for ongoing train travel to the rest of Northern Europe.
Most of Cologne's inner city was damaged or flattened during WWII and quickly rebuilt afterwards to restart life - so there isn't a lot of old Cologne left above ground (underneath it's all Roman...) in the close neighbourhood of the cathedral and the railway station.
That's why I try to avoid changing trains in Cologne: many connections are missed due to the crawling pace across creaky Hohenzollernbrücke - and all there is time for during the usual 55 minute wait for the next train is a stint to crowded cathedral square or the soulless 1950s/1960s shopping street.
There are nice and very liveable neighbourhoods outside this perimeter, though - you just didn't spot them.
Went to the Cologne Christmas markets a few years ago when visiting from NZ. A taxi driver said there were more people from the Middle East living in Cologne than there were Germans??? Some of the people running businesses we shopped at were extremely rude. There were four in our party shopping in this particular souvenir shop. The owner said to us ‘if you can’t make up your minds, get out’! After finishing a meal in a restaurant I got up to pay when a waitress screamed, and I mean screamed at me to ‘sit down’ !!!! The first taxi we took ripped us off by driving an unusually long time when I noticed we’d gone past the same building twice! From then on our daughter sat in the front with the taxi drivers with her iPhone in her hand and with maps plainly displayed. The drivers appeared a bit pissed off with that! All in all the rudeness really annoyed us! Would we recommend Cologne as a destination??? I’d rather have an extremity amputated! 😡
Most German cities have more migrants than Germans now. The McDonalds in Frankfurt has an armed guard, these days.
Can’t say much about your experience about rude shop owners. But the story about more people from the Middle East living in Cologne than Germans is absolute rubbish. You probably met one of these right wing nuts who told you that.
@@marcd6897 . Actually the taxi driver appeared to be from the Middle East himself? From Iran was where he said he was from. Funnily enough he was the politest person we had anything to do with in Cologne! Anyway we were told before we left our hotel in Amsterdam that Cologne was a cesspit but we put that comment down to a personal dislike thing.
@@marcd6897what he says is close to correct - Islamic migrants have turned cologne from a very safe city to a not so safe one
Visited Cologne on a school trip nearly 50 years ago....I have no memories of the place whatsoever, except for climbing the Cathedral tower, which is helluva long way up!
Thank you Scott. Once again enjoyed the trip around Cologne and in the cable car. Must agree it did not feel as if there was any atmosphere in some places, although it could be down to the many constructions going on. Either that or everyone is on a sun lounger somewhere.
I am going to have to subscribe to this channel, i am quite enjoying these little visits everywhere, especially the street food safaris.
Went on a football holiday a few years back to Cologne (saw Köln, Dortmund and Bochum). The city is fantastic and the cathedral is magnificent, shame the stairs to the top weren’t open!
Cheers for this Scott! Cologne not looking its best just now, but still a fun tour! And that cathedral - WOW!
he is right though, the cathedral does a lot of heavy lifting in the koln tourism/nice place stakes.
The cathedral is locally called the dom
Like the cable-car!
Im from Australia and we had a German exchange student from Cologne at my school. We kept in contact and one winter I went and visited him while I was in Austria. He took me to a FC Köln game. Amazing atmosphere. Remember him and his friends trying to drunkenly teach me the words to the song before the game. Also Kölsch beer is some of the best imo.
Lol....many of germans would disagee what you have written about Kölsch, because: kölsch is like pi**....🤣🤣🤣🤣
I’ve been watching your videos for a few months, it’s mad I could of walked passed and not noticed you, I’m in Koln right next to the station.
I think the difference in a busy tourist place and a busy residential / domestic place is the reason the people are there.
The domestic place is full of people meeting friends, doing the messages, having meetings. Whilst it might be pleasant for them, it is the daily normality for them.
In the tourist place, it is full of people all there to relax and have a good time, of one kind or another. So I think the atmosphere carrys that essence.
I enjoyed your video Scott, as i was in Köln a few weeks ago too. I hope you took a ride on The Stadtbahn and had a Kölsch! I was there when 1.FC Köln played in The Europa conference League. Lukas Podolski has a Donor kebab shop in Köln too!. Maybe a Eurostar from London then ICE at Brussels that’s Köln for your future return trip. 🇩🇪🇪🇺
Hamburg is favourite city been few times have also been to Cologne
Hello Scott, have you done day/two day to likes of Barcelona, Madrid, Zurich, or Vienna? All of these cities are amazing. If you ever get the chance to go inside the Sagrada Familia then that will amaze you
Expand on the scoring system Scott - breakdown attractions, convenience of getting around to them etc. Would be good. You could call it the 'Scott score' or something 👍.
Apart from the cathedral .... a pretty big apart!
Cool T Shirts
Thanks..Enjoyed your Cologne odyssey. Italy next?
thanks, very interesting - this is one German city that I have not visited, and undecided whether to bother honestly
Fantastic Scott. However, how could you have missed the Reliquary of the Three Kings in Cologne Cathedral (or at least thought to hold the remains of the Three Kings)? What was the music you used in the Cathedral chapter? Great video.
More on the Cathedral: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cologne_Cathedral
That is beautiful! I wonder what they have for a pipe organ.
Wikipedia has the answer 😉 it is one of the biggest and best pipe organs in Germany
I also got asked for directions a lot in Germany. Am English but I guess I look like a knowledgeable German
Hi Scott yes you will have too return for football ⚽️ singing a ride across a river In a cable car quite special I think
We did some Cologne vlogs this year and of course for us it's all about Phantasialand
But the chocolate museum was great!
crikey though, just could not do the cable car thing. wow that cathedral looked huge.
It _is_ large and its church towers are the third-largest in the world. Due to its location, it is sometimes called "Germany's largest railway station chapel". :-)
You did not do Cologne justice there lots to do and see. We would live there at moment notice. We go to Cologne 3 times a year for carnival and holiday round may/ June than back again end of November for Christmas markets we been doing every year since 2003
Cologne is famous for the people living in cologne. They are some of the most open minded people in germany. Always easy to get to know people there, especially in the pubs. Also carnival is huge in cologne! It has the biggest carnival in germany. You should come back and visit some other parts of the city. In my opinion especially the old town is packed with tourists (also a lot from germany) and you only experience the real cologne in the different veedels (~the districts)
You can't compare it to Berlin tho
Hi Scott. Have you been to Nuremberg ?
Interesting, flights have been quite cheap here recently, shame accommodation is a tad pricey..
Scott did you use a train app to plan your journey?
During WWII, bombing raids on Cologne, the Cathedral was the aiming point but, at the end of the war, it was the only thing left standing.
Allied bombers would look out for it. It made no sense to destroy it.
@@icdgyixifyinstereo valid point !
Do they do river boat trips there in Cologne?
Yes we do
They do them every half hour from Easter to November. There are better boat trips from Koblenz further up the Rhine.
The work involved in planning and building that cathedral is mind boggling. The stained glass work alone is almost incomparable. Absolutely amazing. Thank God (literally) that Allied bombers didn’t reduced this treasure to rubble.
Travel safe…travel often…and…don’t forget to take us along.
Cheers 🥂 🇨🇦
Kolsch beer for starters
So Cologne is more famous for its ethos than for its tourist sights . So I guess you have to stay there for a few days to soak in the atmosphere . Hmm Scott , mebbe the next time you just gotta grow roots here .
Yes Köln is just loud and annoying and pickpocketing is the real master sport . Even the intimidating Church needed 40 times longer to build than our new airport here in Berlin. 😎
Ah Scott, should have timed your visit to see an FC Koln home game to hear Loch Lomond in German! I find I need an "event" to look forward to when I travel to somewhere new, otherwise it is pretty much following the (dare I say dull?) tourist trail: churches, museums, pubs and restaurants, maybe a river cruise? It gets a bit "samey" wherever you are in the world (please spare me the ubiquitous shopping malls!).
TBH I sometimes think the journey to the destination is 3/5 of the fun!
It could be a bridge too far
Looks like you just missed a car crash. 🚗 @8:31
You went all the way to Köln and didn't sample Kolsch (bier)! That is unique to Köln and is also geographically protected!
I visited western Germany a few years ago. A bit underwhelming If I’m honest. Austria is more interesting !
Cologne is about the culture and vibe of the people living there. It's architecture is indeed ugly and honestly it's not really a good tourist destination. But under the surface of cheaply build postwar architecture it's brimming with activity and it's one of the most liberal and open-minded cities in Germany.
Maybe your expectations were unrealistic! Everyone has an opinion.
Cologne was bombed flat during WW2 apart from the cathedral so I would think that the city doesn't possess that much old culture.
You could say that about Berlin too - but there is plenty to see.
@@andrewlong6438 Lived in Berlin for a few years in the 80's but it was not as easy to strike from the air back then and not as industrial so targets were elsewhere.
This is not the case. Cologne is 2000 years old and you can still explore, what the romans left behind.
@@tomkenyon3721 What the allied bombers didn’t destroy, the Russian invaders help flatten and the GDR didn’t help things. Berlin is a fascinating place to visit.
I thought everybody has mobile phones to find out the directions. Perhaps the person’s phone battery died or was a technophobe
Sometimes it's just the look of confidence and/or competence. I have the same problem; I get asked for directions even when I'm lost.
I get asked all the time in multiple languages. I find that sat nav on phones works well when driving but is terrible for walking. I much prefer a paper map when one is available.
In my experience, there's a lit more to do and see in Dusseldorf than in Cologne. Kinda overrated, tbh.
Meh
I like your videos, but Germany isn’t a place I will ever visit again, due to their draconian Bat-Flu muzzle rules. Muzzles are returning October 1st…..
Oh lovely - an anti-masker
Grow up
You can cross Zaragoza in Spain off your list as well. City mandates masks on public transport. It really isn’t a big deal.
What is a muzzle... is that a face Mask?
I don't like the 'face diaper' either. But better that way until we know where we stand.
U get asked for directions cos u nose everything lol
I prefer Düsseldorf