How to Spend a Rainy Day in Cologne, Germany

On my recent trip to Cologne, Germany, I had a wonderful itinerary planned out with all the main attractions highlighted.  When we arrived, it was cold and pouring down rain.  What do you do when the weather ruins your plans?  I quickly had to pick just a few sites to visit and find indoor activities for us to do.  In this blog, I’ll give you some tips on how to spend a rainy day in Cologne, Germany.

The rain subsided when we exited the train station, so we went to visit the Cologne Cathedral.  The Cologne Cathedral is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic Architecture.  In 1996, it was declared a World Heritage Site.  This Cathedral is the largest gothic church in Northern Europe.

The entrance to Cologne Cathedral is free.  They have boxes set aside for donations inside the church.  The cathedral is exquisite outside and inside.  We walked around at our leisure and enjoyed looking at the stain glass windows, columns, and beautiful artwork.  I could not believe how this landmark once survived 14 hits by aerial bombs during World War II.  The Cologne Cathedral should be a must-visit for everyone.

Across from the Cathedral, we made our way to the Hohenzollern Bridge.  Overlooking the Rhine, this bridge is full of love locks.  I was amazed by how many locks adorn the fence on the bridge.  If you are interested in attaching a lock, make sure it’s a sturdy one.

Our trip to Cologne was during November, so the Markets for Christmas were not set up yet.  That didn’t stop us from finding shops that sold Christmas goods.  The rain started to come down and we made our way to the Galeria Kaufhof to shop for Christmas decorations.

On our walk to the shops, we passed through Old Town.  Cologne Old Town is the historical center of the city.  We couldn’t spend a lot of time in the area, because of the rain.  From what we saw, there is some great historical architecture, shops and restaurants.

The Galeria Kaufhof is in the shopping district of Cologne.  This is where we spent most of our afternoon.  If you visit Cologne from November-December, all the larger department stores are decorated for Christmas.  The Galeria has a Christmas section in the middle of the first floor.  What’s better than buying Christmas decorations made in Germany?  The prices were very good, and they had a large selection of everything you can think of to decorate your house for Christmas.  Don’t forget to check out the beautiful window displays on your way out.

We made our way to Neumarkt Gallery Koln for lunch.  This is a huge mall with shops, cafés, and restaurants.  Neumarkt Gallery is a fantastic place to shop and pick up souvenirs, especially German treats and chocolates.  I enjoyed my time shopping and eating, especially the German pretzels.  After a few hours, we headed back to the train station.

If you’re traveling during the fall months to Cologne, most likely you will encounter some rain.  It’s good to have a plan b.  Although we didn’t get to enjoy the whole city like we planned, we did have fun with shopping and sightseeing to a few places.  Cologne is on my list of cities to revisit.  The architecture is amazing, and the people are so friendly.  Have you been to Cologne before? Leave a comment below.