A Day in Düsseldorf and Cologne

Düsseldorf is not a famous tourist spot. It is the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia and it is a major city in the metropolitan with over 11 million population.

Geographically, it is very close to the Benelux countries – Belgium, Netherlands and Luxemburg; and it is the city that holds different international industries tradeshows and events. A few years ago, I had to hop over Frankfurt to get there; excitingly, Hong Kong will soon have direct flights to Düsseldorf from September 2015.

If you love architecture, Neuer Zollhof (The New Zollhof) is located right by the Media Harbour in the city center – it is a building complex designed by the world-renowned architect, Frank O. Gehry, the unique curves are easy to distinguish. Other than that, it is a typical clean, neat and tidy German city that you could enjoy ~

Besides, Düsseldorf is also a fashion center and visit the Königsallee (the Kö) for the upscale fashion boutiques!

Website: http://www.koenigsallee-duesseldorf.de/en

Most people would rather visit Cologne. It is only 23 mins away by train, and the ginormous Cologne Cathedral (or Kölner Dom) is right outside the train station. It is the most visited German landmark (more than the Neuschwanstein Castle and Brandenburg Gate, owing to its convenient access I guess).

The mighty Cologne Cathedral is a Classic Roman Catholic Church dating back to the mid-13th century. The construction of the façade of the cathedral began in the mid-14th century and then it was halted in 1473, the cathedral’s south tower was left undone with construction cranes remained on top for 400 years! The construction resumed in 1842 and finally completed in 1880.

The Cathedral was once the tallest skyscraper in the world for 4 years until the Washington Monument was erected and beat it by 4 meters. But still, the cathedral remained as the tallest gothic building in the world with the largest façade of a church. Therefore, “be warned”, taking a picture of the entire façade of the Cathedral could be a challenge.

The other famous products in the city, which is quite obvious, is “Cologne” itself! The 4711 “Eau de Cologne” packed in Tiffany blue wrappings and gold stamp printing, is the most iconic brand that comes with different sizes. They have tiny bottles of 4711 cologne which are a perfect souvenir for your friend and loved ones ~