What are nice day trips from Cologne?
Short answer
Willich, Hilden, Ratingen and Schwelm are some potential day trips within 50 km of Cologne. Andernach, Eschweiler, Viersen and Baesweiler are within 100 km of Cologne. Kusel, Burgsolms, Obernburg am Main and Weilburg are within 200 km of Cologne by train. We list 47 places below, including 41 lake or river towns (Zülpich and Rheinbach), 19 old-world towns (Juchen and Euskirchen), 6 wine towns (Dietkirchen and Hatzenport) and 4 family getaways (Hemer). More below.
Within 50 km 16 places
Within 100 km 22 places
By train, within 200 km 9 places
Places with a railway station within a 10-minute drive. Each one links to public-transport directions from Cologne, so you can check the route and journey time.
Weilburg
A photogenic pocket-sized town in Hesse set on the Lahn river between the Westerwald and Taunus uplands, Weilburg was for centuries the residence of the Nass…
Horn-Bad Meinberg
Home to the Externsteine — a striking formation of tall, narrow sandstone columns rising from the Teutoburg Forest — Horn-Bad Meinberg is a tiny city in the…
Oppenheim
Little Rhine-side wine town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Oppenheim is home to the German Wine Museum and produces wines under the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen desig…
Obernburg am Main
This tiny Bavarian town on the Main river where the Mümling flows in, Obernburg am Main sits at the eastern foot of the Odenwald hills with vineyards in the…
Kusel
This modest town in the Nordpfälzer Bergland of Rhineland-Palatinate, Kusel sits along the Kuselbach river with scenic hill terrain in the surrounding area a…
Lich
A cobblestone street lined with rows of well-preserved half-timbered houses with red-tile roofs gives this modest Hessian town a walkable old-town core worth…
Vormeppen
This red-brick market square anchored by a stepped-gable town hall with an outdoor café beneath its arches gives this Lower Saxony river town a lively, walka…
