Frankfurt Airport to Cologne: Private day trip

Main attractions

• Cologne Cathedral (UNESCO) — 157 metres tall, with the largest façade of any church in the world; the Treasury holds the Shrine of the Three Kings, the largest reliquary in the Western world • The Romano-Germanic Museum adjacent to the Dom displays the Dionysus Mosaic (AD 220, discovered under a wartime air-raid shelter) and an unrivalled collection of Roman glass • The 12 Romanesque churches of Cologne — St. Aposteln, St. Gereon and St. Maria im Kapitol are the finest — form a remarkable circuit of pre-Gothic architecture

What to eat

• Kölsch (Cologne's own pale, top-fermented beer, served in narrow 0.2L glasses) with Himmel un Ääd (black pudding with apple sauce and mashed potato) at a traditional Brauhaus — Früh am Dom or Gaffel am Dom are the most atmospheric

Take note

• The cathedral tower climb (533 steps) offers extraordinary views but requires a separate ticket and can have queues; the south tower is open most days