The Cathedral from Below and Above

Cross Hohenzollern Bridge at dusk. Position yourself on the south walkway facing west — the Cathedral’s twin spires catch the last light while their reflection moves across the Rhine below. This is the shot every photographer knows but the timing is everything.

Order Kölsch correctly. Place your coaster flat on the bar to signal you want another — cover the glass with the coaster when you’re done. Cologne’s white-jacketed Köbes waiters never ask; they refill by reading the table. Saying nothing is the correct local move.

Climb the south tower of the Cathedral. The 533 spiral steps to the top take about 20 minutes and reward you with the only panoramic view in Cologne where you can see all the way to the Belgian Ardennes on a clear day. The Cathedral from outside is famous; from above the city it is something else entirely.

Visit Kolumba on a quiet weekday morning. Peter Zumthor designed the museum’s narrow slit windows to shift the quality of light across the Roman ruins in the basement throughout the day. The excavated foundation looks completely different at 10am than at 4pm — most visitors see one and not the other.

Eat at the Alter Markt on a weekday lunchtime. The square between Gross St. Martin and the Town Hall fills with locals when the tourist restaurants are at capacity — the food is identical at a fraction of the wait.