City hiking in winter? Admittedly, we, Silke and Hannah, weren't really convinced of our idea at first. But cities in particular offer so many stops and places to eat and drink that we set off for Cologne-Ehrenfeld in the cold and wet weather - and discovered not only cosy cafés and small shops, but also lots of colour in the winter grey. Follow us on a tour of around eight kilometres, which was certainly longer in reality because we turned lots of corners and peeked into lots of streets.
Attention architecture fans!
Next stop: Cologne-Ehrenfeld. The Veedel, as the people of Cologne call their neighbourhood, has its own train stop. And here we are greeted by street art and it quickly becomes clear: it's colourful here. So we pull out our mobile phones and cameras and take a mural tour around Ehrenfeld station.
From there, our first destination is the Neptunbad. Even from the outside and in the entrance hall, the historic Art Nouveau baths are architecturally impressive and stylishly furnished. For wellness fans, we recommend this stop at the end of the tour - for a relaxing finish. Here you can warm up again in the various saunas or activate tired muscles with a swim. Today, however, we're only taking a look at the spa from the outside, but we're sticking with the theme of water, Cologne water.
The building of the former 4711 factory is our next destination and is easy to recognise. The turquoise and gold colours bear witness to the original purpose of the building, which is now home to various companies. It's worth taking a look at the staircase. The history of the world-famous "Echt Kölnisch Wasser" lives on here. And the impressive company logo high up on the roof will accompany us throughout the day. We discover it again and again from different angles.
Cologne Carnival Major and Turkish coffee
The journey continues towards the Melaten cemetery. An impressive park with a total of 55,000 graves and imposing monuments. Many famous Cologne personalities are buried here, such as Willi Ostermann, Willi Millowitsch and Dirk Bach. We also find the Cologne way of life here: a red clown's nose adorns a statue depicting a carnival major. We enjoy the peace and quiet, stroll around and watch a squirrel nibbling on nuts.
It's not far from the cemetery to the Cologne Grand Mosque. Its architecture and size are impressive. If you would like to visit the building, you can take part in a public guided tour. We marvelled at its size and strolled through the small shopping arcade, where you can find an ice cream parlour, bookshop and snack bar. Our first stop was the "Ehrenfeld Café" nearby, where we had Turkish coffee. And a slice of warm cake straight from the oven. Delicious. We warm up here briefly before continuing on. In the direction of Körnerstraße.
Körnerstrasse: Love at first sight
When we arrive on Körnerstraße, the sun makes a brief appearance. The colourfully decorated street with its fairy lights and garlands really shines in the light. We switch from walking to strolling. We peer into shop windows, look at the street art on the façades and are constantly surprised by the beautiful little townhouses lined up here. There is even a small winter market at number 22 - with an exhibition and mulled wine in the courtyard.
The streets around it are also worth a visit. We continue our stroll through the neighbourhood, stopping here and there to let the sun shine on our faces. We press our noses against the windows of a sports bar. "Make Skee Ball great (again)!" is the slogan here. The Red Fox Bar not only has pinball machines and wonderfully old-fashioned slot machines, but also a funfair game that is popular in the USA. We decide to come back when the bar is open to try out the game.
Liquorice and other treats
We have now covered a few kilometres. Despite the icy temperatures. But we've only ever touched the central shopping street in Ehrenfeld: Venloer Straße. Our stomachs are starting to growl. Passing Kebapland, which is said to have the best kebabs in the city (beware, there can be very long queues here!), we set off in search of something vegetarian - and choose dessert over the main course: Schwarze Liebe, a liquorice shop. A mixed bag and a liquorice cola are a must, at least for one of us. We stop off at Hanoi Vegan for lunch. A vegan Vietnamese restaurant that also serves delicious homemade lemonades. The right choice. It tastes simply delicious.
Tourismus NRW e.V., Schaufenster des Lakritz-Ladens "Schwarze Liebe" in Köln-Ehrenfeld Tourismus NRW e.V., Einkauf im Lakritz-Laden Köln-Ehrenfeld Tourismus NRW e.V., Getränke im Restaurant Hanoi in Köln-Ehrenfeld Tourismus NRW e.V., Vegane, vietnamesische Gerichte gibt's bei Hanoi Vegan in Köln-Ehrenfeld.
Sustainable shopping
Refreshed, we stroll further down Venloer Straße. In the "Kleiderei", a second-hand shop, we have the shop's sustainable concept explained to us: You pay a monthly fee and borrow clothes in return, so you have variety in your wardrobe, but not a full wardrobe. As you can also buy clothes here, we briefly go into shopping mode. How about this jacket? Stop. We still want to see more of Ehrenfeld. And it's slowly getting dark. We think about coffee, tea and cake and go in search of something. Schamong, for example, is Cologne's oldest coffee roastery. However, we decide on "Ain Café" and drink fresh peppermint tea, cappuccino and share a slice of pumpkin chocolate cake.
Finally, we treat ourselves to mulled wine and a bit of Christmas spirit. A small Christmas market in the courtyard of the Bumann & Sohn pub is located right next to Ehrenfeld station. Small and tranquil, a few stalls offer home-made goods from the neighbourhood. We review the day. Walking around the city? A pleasure even in winter - especially in such a colourful, creative and lively district as Cologne-Ehrenfeld.
Hiking hacks for Cologne-Ehrenfeld
Our tips for your experience
- Look out for the Helios Tower ...it is a landmark of Ehrenfeld and the only lighthouse in NRW.
- Have a rucksack with you... for souvenirs and gifts.
- Stroll... instead of wandering, so as not to miss any of the many creative ideas and works of art.
