Cologne is distinctive and original, a city with its own dialect, its own mentality and a merry twinkle in its eye - and not just during its famous carnival ! Cologne is the twin-spired cathedral, the Rhine and great art. It is 2,000-year-old Roman sites, mighty Romanesque churches, medieval houses, lively shopping streets, super-modern architecture, museums and art galleries. A centre of business and the media and a major trade fair venue.

For contemporary art from Pablo Picasso to Andy Warhol, admire canvases gracing the Museum Ludwig, or get up close to classic masterpieces at the Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, housing works by Rubens and Rembrandt. Trace the Rhine's Roman roots at the Roman-Germanic Museum to find the famous Dionysos mosaic (made of a million tiles) and the tomb of Poblicius, then journey through Japan, Korea and China at the Museum for East-Asian Art .

Chocoholics can satisfy their craving at the Imhoff-Stollwerck Chocolate Museum, and maybe even learn how the delicious product's made. Beer lovers head for the hoppy Brewery Museum .

Retreat to one of Cologne's corners of greenery; take a boat along the Rhine and stop at the Zoo to meet the apes and lemurs, stroll past orchids and palms at the grand Botanical Gardens, then relax beside quirky statues in the Sculpture Park. Venture west to cycle through ancient woodlands, north to bathe in Fühlinger See (lake), and south to wander the leafy Forestry Garden or spot deer in Dünnwald .