Below the Dom (179 4055, www.koelnerdom.de) is the compact city centre. The main shopping street, Hohe Strasse, runs south. To the south-east, squeezed by the Rhine, are the narrow lanes of tourist-friendly taverns forming the Altstadt, the medieval centre. Pleasant green patches overlook sightseeing boats gliding down the Rhine. A ring road, with names given to each section, envelops the heart of town. Nightlife hubs are dotted at various points. Just beyond, to the west, are parks where Cologne’s sports activities are based. Here stands the recently rebuilt (and renamed) RheinEnergie-Stadion, one of the venues for the 2006 World Cup. Cologne is very much an outdoor city. Cyclists rule the city streets – listen out for loud bell rings as you make your way along the city’s pavements.

The city suffered severe damage during World War II – although thankfully the cathedral survived almost intact. Having surveyed it from above, stroll through the Altstadt, with its Roman remains. Cologne was founded by the Romans in AD 48, and was a trading centre through the Middle Ages and beyond. Wherever a new building is planned, historians are on hand to search for traces of Cologne’s past, some of which can be seen in the Römisch-Germanisches Museum (Roncalliplatz 4, 221 24438, www.museenkoeln.de/rgm, closed Mon) by the Dom, which documents the city’s history. Nearby, Museum Ludwig (Bischofsgartenstrasse 1, 221 26165, www.museenkoeln.de/ludwig, closed Mon) has a renowned collection of 20th-century art.

In the medieval heart, the Wallraf-Richartz Museum/Fondation Corboud (Martinstrasse 39, 221 211 19, www.museenkoeln.de/wallraf-richartz-museum, closed Mon) has a rich display of Old Masters.

• Tourist information: Verkehrsamt, Unter Fettenhennen 19 (221 30400, www.stadt-koeln.de).