@birminghampost that is a well reasoned argument by @johnmorrishello Time for London Birmingham Airport? http://t.co/KQPMoQym
All direct flights to Cologne from the UK & Ireland
Flight Summary
Cologne Bonn is one of Germany's fastest growing no frills hubs, being a base for several German no frills airlines, as well as offering a good range of scheduled flights from London Heathrow.
Destination Summary
Cologne is the largest city in the German industrial heartland of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Quick Facts
- Airport Code: CGN
- Alternative Name: Konrad Adenaur, Koeln
- Miles From City Centre: 34
- Miles From London: 513
Mark Says
Situated on the banks of the Rhine, this former Roman stronghold - the home of the imperial Governor, who dubbed it 'Colonia' - presently comprises the fourth largest city in German after Berlin, Hamburg and Munich. The Romans brought Christianity to town as well as a real understanding of trade, two elements that, even today, remain much in evidence across Cologne, between the gleaming spires of its Cathedral (see below) and the city's much-loved Christmas Markets.
The Cathedral itself is - as one visitor guide puts it - 'a five-aisled Gothic basilica with triple-aisled transept', if that floats your boat. Taking either 542 or 632 years to be completed, depending on which guide you use, and under more or less continual restoration (making it something of a perpetual in-joke amongst local residents), the Cathedral holds what's claimed to be the relics of the Magi and has recently opened a 'Treasure Chamber' to show off its numerous religious riches. An observation platform, 32 stories up (or 509 steps, almost one for every year of its construction), offers God's-eye views of the city.
Moving from the sacred to the varyingly profane, Cologne's other main attraction is its vibrant contemporary art scene. The city attracts thousands of prospective dealers every year for trade exhibitions such as Art Cologne, art.fair and the Cologne Fine Art Fair. The huge Museum Ludwig specialises in Pop Art and, alongside works by Dali and Andy Warhol, can boast one of the world's largest collections of works by Picasso.
Your Comments (3)
Will Fallow
I read on your news section that Germanwings were starting flights to Stuttgart from Heathrow - what about adding this as their next new route?
James Avery
As for Birmingham, you always havwe the option of flights to Dusseldorf or Frankfurt instead - these cities are very interchangeable with each other, and not far at all by train - although Dusseldorf is closer and cheaper than Frankfurt. Alternatively, you can also take advantage of Bmibaby's flights to Cologne from East Midlands - they don't operate every day of the week, but prices I've looked at seem very competitive compared to the flights from Birmingham I mentioned.
Cologne Bonn is more of a budget airport than the other two, but as with any airport, it has to have the right deals at each end for a route to work. I'd have expected much more demand for flights to Germany from Birmingham, but then again East Midlands is a larger base for bmibaby.
Herman @CGN
Even though I am usually travelling to cities that are closer to Düsseldorf, I prefer to fly with Bmibaby from East Midlands to Cologne when possible, rather than having to go down to Birmingham airport and end up at the sprawling mess that is Düsseldorf international. One thing I really dislike is the confusion of working out which station to go to the onward train journeys -- Cologne Bonn with its single station serving the whole airport is so much easier in this respect -- Birmingham airport please take note!