9 Outdoor Things to Do in Cologne

See the city from the deck of a white and red Köln-Düsseldorfer boat. From the central Rheingarten embankment boats take visitors around riverside Cologne in an hour.

Every summer, Cologne’s Yacht Harbour, in the modern Rheinauhafen district, becomes the backdrop for a huge open-air movie theater. The cathedral towers in the back while locals sit on amphitheater-like stairs to watch the latest films.

Rheinpark is where Cologne relaxes. The walkways that crisscross the lush park, in the city’s north-east, lead visitors to a river promenade. Take a seat on a bench to see the Rhine stretch in front of Cologne’s skyline, with Rheinpark’s trees at your back.

In the beer garden of Brauerei Päffgen, off the central Friesenplatz, visitors sit under large chestnut trees, while traditional waiters, or Köbes, keep up the supply of Kölsch, Cologne’s light beer. The brewery, founded in 1883, conveniently covers the garden with a glass roof during winter.

For the most romantic view of the city, cross the river to Cologne’s often neglected east side. A night-time stroll along the Kennedy embankment shows off a brightly lit cathedral behind the dark river, next to the steel arches of the Hohenzollern railway bridge.

Rent a boat and pedal out on the lake in the middle of Cologne’s southern Volksgarten park. The sounds of family barbecues waft from behind the large trees that surround the picturesque lake.

Inside the tropical hothouses of Cologne’s Botanical Garden, exotic flowers and plants blossom. The garden, going back to the 19th century, is a beautifully landscaped oasis of calm in the north of the city, dotted with fountains, flower beds and small waterways.

Outdoor activities aren’t restricted to the summer. Hot and spicy mulled wine is served from wooden huts at Cologne’s Christmas Market, located at the bottom of the cathedral. The smell of fried potatos and gingerbread is in the air, while small stalls sell arts and crafts throughout the winter months leading up to Christmas.

Cologne’s Hohe Strasse boulevard stretches from the cathedral to Augustinerstrasse. Germany’s first pedestrianized shopping street is lined with big-name department stores and independent shops – and there isn’t a car in sight.