When to Visit - Arts and Events

Maintaining a 600-year-old tradition, 'Karneval' takes place for seven days from the Thursday before Ash Wednesday up to and including Ash Wednesday. Fun and flamboyant, everyone has the chance to participate in the city's most celebrated festival.

Continuing the carnival atmosphere, 'Christopher Street Day' is a gay-lesbian street celebration, which takes place each July. Attracting visitors from around the world, with exotic costumes and outrageous happenings, the festival is a highlight of summer in Cologne.

August is the time for 'Popkomm', a mammoth, free music festival and trade fair. Showcasing some of the world's top bands, it attracts up to two million visitors annually. The 'Weihnachtsmarkt' is Cologne's Christmas market, which runs from the end of November through to Christmas. Delightfully festooned stalls sell gifts and food whilst school choirs sing festive songs, captivating visitors from all over Europe, many of whom return each year to share the warmth and friendliness of Cologne's Yuletide spirit.

Cologne Dining

Cologne was the summer residence of Charlemagne, who claimed the view of the river reminded him of Paris. The city's enduring lightness and elegance is echoed in its approach to food, whose influence is more French than German. It has more cafes and bars than any other German city and is home to some of the best restaurants in the country; a city where world-renowned chefs prepare imaginative and appetising dishes such as chicken fricassee with baby vegetables, roast goose with onion, apple and celery stuffing, braised rump of veal in white wine, salmon and sour cream omelette and dorade baked in a salt crust.

Cologne Tipping Advice

There will be a service charge for hotel bills. In the case of taxis, hairdressers, doormen and others who provide a service, a tip is usually expected. In restaurants the bill is usually rounded up to the nearest euro, and a 10% service charge will already be included.