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Group Tour Operator and DMC for Cologne, Germany

Cologne, Rhine Valley and Dragon’s Rock

  • Cologne Old Town

    Rhine Valley tour
  • View towards Cologne city centre with cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge ©Francesco Carovillano, GNTB

    A weekend in Cologne at night, Germany
  • View over Cologne city center with Cologne's Cathedral among other iconic buildings along Rhine river ©Francesco Carovillano, GNTB

    Germany - Cologne - View towards the city centre with cathedral
4 days
Price on request

Here’s a combination of a majestic city, a famous German legend and the spectacular scenery of the River Rhine.  Discover the secrets of Cologne, a city mostly destroyed during WWII. After almost complete obliteration, the rebuilt city is now the fourth largest city in Germany. Its most famous landmark is its Gothic cathedral, which looms over the city. Its filigree spires and ornate facade mark the centre of the city. Stretching out from this centre, city is awash with fascinating museums. There’s an abundance of art and art history to be enjoyed, but there’s something for every taste from sports to chocolate to the Romans. Cologne is a lively and vibrant place to explore and is also a great base from which to explore the Rhine Valley.

While here, you can also travel along the Rhine to visit ‘Dragon’s Rock’. As you travel up Drachenfels on the cog railway, a stunning landscape will be unveiled. At the summit stands the neo-Gothic Schloss Drachenburg. This remarkable castle has beautiful grounds. For even more expansive views over the Siebengebirge Hills, climb the tower. Even just the views from the train are outstanding. Furthermore, you can easily visit some of Germany’s other wonderful cities such as the former capital, Bonn.


Dates

Throughout 2024 and 2025 on request


Suggested Itinerary

Day 1

Travel to Cologne

Take a short sea crossing to France before continuing onto Germany and to our hotel in Cologne city/area for 3 nights

Day 2

Cologne Sightseeing

Explore the historic city of Cologne at leisure, which boasts a multitude of churches, museums and galleries including the famous Gothic cathedral? The two towers, completed as recently as 1880 (and one is 7cm higher than the other!) are the symbol of the city, a point of orientation and the pride of the people in Cologne. The Old Town, carefully rebuilt after being mostly destroyed during WWII, has retained its old-world charm with narrow, cobbled streets and alleys. Visit the Roman church Groß St. Martin (Great St. Martin) and the historical Town Hall, or sit down in one of the traditional ‘Brauhaus’ breweries and savour a ‘Kölsch’.

Other attractions you may want to see or visit include the Chocolate Museum and/or the Fragrance Museum which tells the story of the original and famous Eau-de-Cologne.

There is the possibility to take a cruise on the Rhine to see the city from a different perspective or just meander around the fabulous designer and tourist shops.

Guided tours/museum visits/river cruises can be arranged in advance

Day 3

Drachenfels and Königswinter

Make the short journey out of the city by road (or along the river by boat) to nearby Königswinter, a quaint old town with a beautiful riverside promenade. Against the beautiful backdrop of the Siebengebirge hills,  take the cog railway built in the 19th Century to the top of the Drachenfels, the ‘Dragon’s Rock’ (payable locally). Legend has it that Siegfried, the hero of the Nibelungenlied (a famous German poem), killed the dragon Fafnir, who lived in a cave in the hill, then bathed in its blood to become invulnerable. It seems all rather believable! The views across the Rhine from the top of the ‘rock’ are spectacular. There’s an opportunity to stop-off on the journey to the summit to visit the striking Schloss Drachenburg.

We can also arrange an optional winetasting before heading back to Cologne.

Day 4

Return to the UK

It’s time to leave Cologne and head for Calais and the short sea ferry crossing to the UK.

 

Optional extra day/excursion

Bonn, Germany’s former Capital

Capital of the Federal Republic of Germany until 1990 and now an internationally renowned hub of commerce and culture, the idyllic city of Bonn on the Rhine River is as assured and cosmopolitan as ever. Bonn is much more than just the former capital of Germany, as it enjoys a widespread reputation as a city of the arts. As the birthplace of Beethoven, Bonn spreads the joy of classical music and honours its world-famous son during the Beethoven Festival with a series of concerts held every September and October. The city lives up to its reputation as one of Germany’s finest centres for art with two of Germany’s most significant art museums – the Bonn Museum of Modern Art and the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany (better known as the Bundeskunsthalle). The Museum of Modern Art features one of the most extensive collections of German Expressionism, while visitors who stroll across the Marktplatz square, which dates back to the 11th century, can marvel at the Baroque Town Hall as they sample the delicious produce that local farmers sell here daily.  Optional guided tours available.


4 day tour Hotel Half Twin Single Supplement
2024 price on request
2025 price on request

All prices are per person based on sharing a double or twin room and with one free place in a single room, based on a minimum 25 full fare paying passengers. Prices do not include UK coach hire or travel insurance. Dates are subject to availability. Smaller groups can be quoted for on request. Greatdays Holidays Limited is a member of ABTA (Y0380) which means you have the benefit of ABTA's assistance and Code of Conduct. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. Greatdays Holidays Limited has an ATOL licence (4279) and all of our air package tours are protected under this licence. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the Civil Aviation Authority will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any monies you have paid to us for an advance booking. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this tour are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate. Our website policy is to use only copyright free images or images which have been authorised to us for free use by the owner. If you consider an image to be unauthorised or to be your property, please contact us immediately and if invalid we will have the image removed. If your image requires crediting or is missing a copyright statement then we will be pleased to add this to the webpage, contact us at info@greatdays.co.uk

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