Cologne

The cathedral, Romanesque churches and the Belgian Quarter in two days

Two days are enough for Cologne's highlights. Start at the cathedral at opening time for the Shrine of the Three Kings, the Gerhard Richter window and the south tower climb, add Museum Ludwig, then walk the Altstadt to the Rheinauhafen. Day two covers the Romanesque churches and an evening in the Belgian Quarter.

Day one, morning. Go to the cathedral at opening time, before the tour groups. Look for the golden Shrine of the Three Kings behind the high altar and Gerhard Richter's pixelated window of 11,263 coloured squares in the south transept, then climb the south tower. Next door, Museum Ludwig covers 20th-century art from Picasso to Warhol.

Afternoon. Walk south through the Altstadt to Groß St. Martin and the Heumarkt, then follow the river to the Rheinauhafen, where three bent-crane office towers rise over the old harbour and the Chocolate Museum sits on its own little peninsula. Head back through the old town for dinner in a Brauhaus near the Alter Markt.

Day two. Spend the morning in the medieval city: pass the Rathausplatz, where the MiQua museum is being built over the Roman governor's palace (opening planned for 2029), then visit St. Maria im Kapitol with its trefoil choir, and the Kolumba museum built over a ruined church. After lunch, see the EL-DE-Haus, the former Gestapo headquarters with prisoners' writing still on the cell walls. Take the U-Bahn to Friesenplatz, browse the Belgisches Viertel and finish with a drink on the Brüsseler Platz.

Day three. Walk across the Hohenzollern Bridge early for the classic view, then take the train to Bonn for the Beethoven-Haus or to Brühl for the rococo staircase of Augustusburg Palace, both under half an hour away.

Kölsch and Brauhaus food in Cologne

Eat in a Brauhaus in Cologne, where the Köbes waiter brings Kölsch in 0.2-litre Stangen and replaces each empty glass until you cover it with your beer mat. Früh, Gaffel and Peters are near the cathedral. Order a Halve Hahn, a rye roll with Gouda, or Himmel un Ääd with black pudding.

Food in Cologne is hearty Rhineland pub fare, and it is best eaten in a Brauhaus, the brewery tavern. The beer is Kölsch, a light, top-fermented ale served in slim 0.2-litre glasses called Stangen. The blue-aproned waiter, the Köbes, carries them in a ring-shaped tray and replaces each empty glass automatically; lay your beer mat on top when you have had enough. Früh, Gaffel and Peters near the cathedral are the famous names, but Päffgen on Friesenstraße and the Schreckenskammer north of the station feel less touristy.

The menu has its jokes. A Halve Hahn (literally "half a chicken") is a rye roll with a thick slab of Gouda, mustard and raw onion. Kölsche Kaviar is blood sausage with onions. Himmel un Ääd (heaven and earth) mixes mashed potato and apple sauce, served with fried black pudding.

For something substantial, order Rheinischer Sauerbraten, beef marinated for days in vinegar and spices and served with a sweet-sour raisin gravy and potato dumplings, or a Hämmchen, the local name for pork knuckle. Reibekuchen, crisp potato fritters with apple sauce, are sold at Christmas markets and in some taverns.

Away from the Rhineland classics, Ehrenfeld has Turkish bakeries and grills along Venloer Straße, and the Belgian Quarter is the place for brunch. Finish with a drop of the old Eau de Cologne: the 4711 house on Glockengasse still pours it from a fountain.

Carnival from 11.11 to Rosenmontag, plus Gamescom and Advent

Cologne's year revolves around carnival, which opens on 11 November at 11:11 and peaks between Weiberfastnacht and Rosenmontag, when a parade of floats draws about a million spectators. Gamescom brings crowds in summer and Advent brings the cathedral Christmas market. The climate is mild, with steady rain all year.

Cologne has the mildest climate of the big German cities. January highs average 6C with lows near freezing, while July and August reach about 25C. Rain is steady all year, from 48mm in April to around 85mm in each summer month, so a showerproof jacket is never wasted.

The year turns on carnival. The season opens on 11 November at 11:11 with crowds in costume on the Heumarkt, then pauses for Advent. The street carnival proper runs from Weiberfastnacht, the Thursday before Lent, through the weekend of school and district parades to Rosenmontag, when a parade of floats several kilometres long throws sweets and flowers to a million spectators. Hotels sell out and many pubs only let in people in costume.

Summer brings one of Europe's largest Pride celebrations in early July, and in August the Gamescom video games fair packs the Koelnmesse and fills hotels across the region. The Rhine promenade and the Rheinpark lawns in Deutz are the places to be on warm evenings.

From late November the city runs a string of Christmas markets: under the cathedral's west front, on the Alter Markt by the town hall, the angel-themed market on Neumarkt and a harbour market beside the Chocolate Museum. They are crowded on weekend evenings; weekday afternoons are calmer.