Itinerary followed during this Interrail throughout Germany, Denmark and Switzerland

Colonia - Koblenz - Copenhagen - Helsingor - Hillerod - Roskilde - Berlin - Potsdam - Crucero Rin - Friburgo - Strasbourg - Selva Negra - Rhine waterfalls - Schaffhausen - Stein am Rhein - Constanza - Zurich - Basel - Interlaken - Luzern - Zermatt - Brig - Bern - Geneva - Heidelberg - Munich - Dachau - Fussen - Nuremberg - Rotemburgo (ODT) - Wurzburgo - Jungfrau and Lauterbrunnen - Brienz - Geneva

This is a city that worth being visited if you pass near it in you travel plan. We made a stop in our way to Copenhagen . From Cologne you can visit the nearby Koblenz in a short excursion or take a cruise along the Rhine . Cologne has, above all, its impressive and huge cathedral, a black mass visible from every point of the city. Half of a day or one-day is enough to see the cathedral, the Rhine , the old city and their surroundings.
This was our second Interrail and Cologne was the first stop, that we reached in the morning after a night trip.
Cologne is the fourth city of Germany and was almost completely destroyed during II World War. It was reconstructed with extreme speed and great efforts. A the beginning the growth was a little anarchic because they needed to accommodate thousands of people, that lost everything, in a short time. Some after they started to concern about the city face and they restored many things.
Apart from the war disaster, Cologne has a rich history that dates back till the Roman Empire, but there are little rests of this period. You can visit the Roman-Germanic museum if you are interested in.
We left the backpacks in lockers at the train station to suddenly and directly find in front of us the huge cathedral.

The cathedral of Cologne is one of the most sold postcards in Germany. It has two 160 m. high towers. Its history goes back to Frederic Barbarossa, who was pressed during the 13th century by the congregation to build a cathedral with the purpose of keeping the Wise Men relics that were brought from the Holy Land. The proposed temple aimed to be the biggest world-wide, but at the end they didn't get it.

The works finished by 1880 after many stops during the construction. The result is a little elegant mixture of styles, but impressive anyway. The peculiar black colour of the stone is due to dirty and pollution. It seems that is no possible to clean it without damaging the stone.
The inside contrasts with the exterior, as it is very high and slender. It keeps the Wise Men relics. It is worth ascending to the towers to have a look on the magnificent panorama that the city and the Rhine offer.

The Rhine banks have much activity and although not very old, the centre has been carefully restored and we can appreciate pretty high houses with pinnacles. Have a relaxing walk through the old city and the Rhine.
Visit the nice Rathausplatz , where the Rathaus is located, a building from the 15th century that was reconstructed after II World War. It stands out due to its 60 m. high tower.

There is an immense cultural offer of any sort, such as museums, big concerts and little life concerts in pubs. Don't forget the famous carnival at the end of January. You will find many pubs and bars. Taste the typical beer from the region, called Kölsch.
It also comes from here the authentic and original "cologne". After this, a lot of imitations were developed, but the original recipe is only known by one person that transmits it from generation to generation.

We were amazed by the variety of bread, not only here but in the whole Germany also. In Cologne there is an odd black kind of bread.
We spent half a day here although the city could require longer to appreciate it deeply. In the afternoon we made an excursion to Koblenz , less than 1 h. far by train.