Visit to Cologne Is Like a Breath of Fresh Air

Cologne is one of Europe’s finest medieval cities, with a Gothic cathedral that takes its place beside those of Chartres, Amiens, Vienna and Paris for sheer splendor, and a dozen Romanesque churches built between 1150 and 1250.

Rhinelanders consider themselves less rigid than Prussians to the northwest, more cosmopolitan than Bavarians to the south and within the language have developed their own dialect. These things make for a friendly and gracious city.

Getting here: Fly Lufthansa or Air France to Cologne or take Lufthansa to Frankfurt and board the Lufthansa Railway Express at the airport for a two-hour run along the Rhine to the main square of Cologne.

How long/how much? Three days is enough time to make a dent in the many museums and sights. Perhaps even a cruise on the Rhine. Lodging costs are moderate to expensive, dining is the same.

A few fast facts: The West German mark was recently valued at about 1.60 marks to the dollar. Spring starts in April; summers are pleasant. There are big trade fairs in the fall (hotel reservations are always needed). One of West Germany’s most famous carnivals, Fasching, runs from Nov. 11 until just before Lent.

Getting settled in: The hotels below are in the central city, within walking distance of most sights. The Cologne Tourist Office, in the main square, has a list of 3,500 private rooms available throughout the city, most going for about $24 per person.

Europa am Dom (Am Hof 38; $94 to $135 B&B; double) has a modern exterior and an Old World interior. Furnishings create a feeling of comfort and warmth. Bedrooms have all the big-hotel amenities. A bountiful breakfast buffet in a little restaurant and bar off the lobby includes eggs prepared to order. The more expensive rooms have views of the cathedral.

Konigshof (Richartzstrasse 14; $97-$195 B&B; double) rates five stars for its modern conveniences and excellent location in the pedestrian zone, just steps from Cathedral Square. Konigshof has 85 rooms and a cozy bar, but no full restaurant. Hot-and-cold buffet breakfasts are the equal of any in town.

Pullman-Mondial (Kurt Hackenberg Platz 1; $103-$144 double) is behind the cathedral near the Rhine and has a full restaurant and pub bar. This 200-room place is very much a commercial hotel, heavy with business travelers. Breakfast costs $10.60.

Regional food and drink: Hamchen, a Cologne specialty, is a cured knuckle of pork cooked in vegetable broth and served with sauerkraut and potato puree. Almost as hearty is the city’s version of himmel un ad (heaven and earth) of apples and potatoes boiled and mashed together, then served with hot sausage.

In the Rhineland version of sauerbraten, the marinated pot roast is made sweeter by the addition of raisins rather than carrots in the marinade. Apple puree and dumplings are the traditional sides for this dish.

Kolsch caviar of smoked sausage, raw onion rings and a rye roll goes particularly well with the town’s beer, Kolsch, which is very dry, served in tall, thin glasses and run off by three dozen breweries. The lighter Mosel Riesling wines are also favorites and contain less alcohol.

Dining well: At the Hofbrau Fruh, the hirringsstip (pickled herring), seasoned with onion and apple, is marvelous, the sauerbraten its equal. Both are typical of a menu brimming with Cologne specialties. Locals say that Fruh, 200 years old, “belongs” to the city. It certainly seems large enough to seat most of the citizens.

Excelsior Keller is probably the best and coziest place in town for local dishes prepared with great finesse. Try the turbot au Riesling. Anything with chanterelles is a good choice in this fine year for mushrooms. The Keller is expensive but worth it.

Lindenhof (Gross Martin Square near Rathaus) is a bastion of gemutlichket in the city’s old section, where the goulash and schnitzels are delicious. Prices are down to earth, with the goulash $7.35. Most schnitzels are about $8.50.

Going first-class: Excelsion Hotel Ernst (Domplatz; $212-$266 B&B; double) is one of the last five-star, family-owned hotels in Europe. Nothing has been spared during its century-plus history to maintain an elegant ambience of chandeliers, paintings and bedrooms fit for royalty, including marble baths with pool-size tubs. Hansestube is its formal restaurant, and the piano bar is a town gathering.

On your own: Cologne has 26 museums, one of the most important being the Romisch-Germanisches Museum, near the cathedral and built on top of a 2nd-Century Roman villa. The Museum fur Angewandte Kunst, featuring arts and crafts, displays items from medieval days to the present.

Wallraf Richartz Museum and Museum Ludwig (both at Bischofsgartenstrasse 1) offer Cologne’s excellent collection of Old Masters and 20th-Century art.

Cologne’s Old Town is the largest in Germany, where the veedel (dialect for parishes) hide many of the town’s scenic treasures and architecture, while the Heumarkt and Alter Markt quarters by the Rhine are loaded with cafes and wine houses.

An Italian chemist made Cologne famous for a different reason in 1709 when he concocted an elixir as a cure for gout and other earthly ills. Somebody decided the stuff smelled good, and the first eau de cologne was born, the 4711 brand named for the address on 4711 Glockengasse. You can still visit the shop and give yourself a squirt from a dispenser outside for one mark.