A Weekend in Cologne
Last week, myself and a few bloggers descended upon Cologne, Germany for the Beauty Blogger Secrets event with Essence Cosmetics. I’ve never been to Cologne before, in fact, I’ve never been to Germany before so I was excited to explore the city.
If you know me well, when it comes to travelling I do love a good full itinerary. The Highlights of Cologne Walking Tour was a perfect starting point for us. We could catch our bearings and see some of the key sights in Cologne. The tour, which was €11 departed from the Cologne Tourism Shop which is directly opposite the Cathedral. The guide spoke in detail about every area that we visited starting with the Cathedral, then along the Rhine River, through the Old Town to the City Hall. Along the banks of the river was truly picturesque with The Hohenzollern Bridge in the distance and pastel houses adorning the riverside. As bloggers, we all were snapping away photos of the pastel houses! The final calling point was the House of 4711 which is home to the famous namesake scent.
I’ve never done a walking tour before. I would totally recommend doing one if you are short of time and wanting to see the best bit’s. Our tour was an hour and a half and we really did see quite a lot in such a short space of time.
Let’s face it, I’m a total tourist and I do love a good Hard Rock Cafe and so does Hayley so it was inevitable we checked out the Cologne restaurant. I personally loved the meal despite the drinks being a tad expensive but Hayley found her burger not to be on point. We then returned to our hotel for a nightcap.
It was a relaxed start on our final day in Cologne. One thing to note if you are visiting Cologne or even Germany; the shops are all closed on Sundays. There is plenty of other things to be doing though! We decided to check out the Schokoladenmuseum (Chocolate Museum) which is located on the riverside of the Rhine. Outside of the museum was a huge gourmet food festival with many stalls selling local produce. We had a little explore of it all but decided to save ourselves for all the chocolate.
As a Chocolate lover, I do love a good Chocolate Museum and this one is partnered with Lindt. Even better! The museum explored the history of chocolate from the past 3,000 years and behind the scenes process of what happens at the Lindt factory. It was all really interesting, I mean it’s chocolate. What’s not to like?
On the way out there was a giant gift shop and also the Chocolate Grand Cafe. The menu at the Cafe was insane, everything sounded delicious. Kariss and I went for waffles with chocolate sauce and smarties after spying it on Mary’s Instagram. I thought I’d died and gone to heaven, it was that yummy.
The final stop in Cologne was visiting the Cathedral. It’s seriously such a beautiful building and definitely up there with the Notre Dame and the Sagrada Família. We never got to see much of the Cathedral as we weren’t really dressed for visiting a church (it was 33 degrees outside) and we were asked to leave. Not our finest moment, I may add.
One thing is for sure, you won’t be short of things to do and see in Cologne. I’d love to return again in the future and see even more of Cologne. From visiting Cologne Zoo, a boat ride on the River and seeing spectacular views from the Cologne Triangl. There’s still so much more to see!
There’s going to be more posts about my trip showing where we stayed and the Essence event so stay tuned! A big thank you to Visit Koeln and Essence Cosmetics for making this trip possible.
Have you been to Cologne before?
I have never been to Cologne, but it looks so beautiful! And those waffles look delicious!!
Yeah, I wasn’t expecting too much but it was a seriously beautiful city. The waffles were the best! xo
I spent 2 weeks in Coligne several years ago and it was amazing. I remember climbing to the top of that Cathedral and being completely exhausted at the end of it and very grateful of a cooling glass of Kolsch. There are a few great galleries in the city and seeing some works by one of my favourite artists, Dali was a serious highlight. Germany is one of my favourite holiday destinations. Sounds like you had a good whistlestop tour. X
Oh wow, two weeks! Sounds lovely, we didn’t make it to the top of the Cathedral but I don’t think I would’ve made it. It was my first trip to Germany but I hope I’ll be back soon! xo
Looks like such a lovely place and sounds like you had a great break away. Love your photos, they capture the city perfectly x
Beauty with charm
I had a lovely trip, thanks for your kind words! xo
Sounds and looks like it was an awesome trip! I’ve never been to Germany before.
Amy Ann
Straight A Style
Wow such fab clicks..this place seems sooo beautiful.. and charming…thanks for sharing hun…xoxo, Neha
http://www.theinstylejournal.com
I’ve never been to Cologne or even thought about going there, but these pictures are so lovely I didn’t realise it was so beautiful!
Amy xx
http://www.callmeamy.co.uk
Seriously these snaps are so fun! Looks like you seriously had a blast!
xoxo,Victoria
http://www.coffeeandablonde.blogspot.com
I really want to visit Germany! Keeping that cafe in mind for sure! Looks delicious!
Jamie
http://www.treatsandtrendsblog.com/
What a gorgeous city! Your pictures take me there in seconds!
XoXo,
Tamara
Wow so gorgeous! Sounds like such a fun trip!
<3 Shannon
Upbeat Soles
This is an amazing place. Never been and I wanna go!
Kisses, DadieB. ~
great pictures ! it makes me want to go out and travel
http://www.carolinapinglo.com/
I’ve never been to Cologne but from your pictures it looks a beautiful place! I will need to go
I loved your outfit! It looks like a lovely place to visit!
Wowee!! It sounds SO amazing! I am thrilled you enjoyed it! H x
I have never been to Cologne but your photos make it look absolutely beautiful!
I’m hoping to do a couple of little weekend trips like this next year and been writing down a list of places we could choose from. Cologne certainly looks like a wonderful place to visit! What a great trip!
I have never been to Cologne but it does look beautiful. I really like to do walking tours as it gives you a great feel & insight to the place.
Great way to spend a weekend! Would love to visit the Schokoladenmuseum in cologne too. 🙂
Such a beautiful place! Looks like you had an amazing time.
I arrived in Cologne last Sunday, and you are right – literally EVERYTHING was closed! We had a lovely couple of days, and I particularly liked the schokoladenmuseum. Our hotel had a spa/pool area, which we were desperate to try out, until it turned out that naked bathing is very much the thing in Cologne (yet, they stop you from going into a church wearing shorts!!!!!).
Looks super cute! Love the photo of the colourful houses. 🙂