A photo safari by bike? Why, surely! Instead of taking a city tour by bus or even driving from sight to sight by car, photoholics on bicycles in Cologne simply saddle up and go hunting for motifs.
Stuttgart - In our series "Bike and the City" we pedal with pleasure through metropolises. Because on a bike you experience it in a completely different way! Not as a tourist but rather as a local. There are often numerous cycle paths or tours especially for bikers. In the fourth part we enjoy Cologne from the saddle. We have chosen a special tour for this.
Photo safari through the urban jungle
Pack your camera in your backpack and off you go. Special corners of Cologne are waiting to be photographed. On this tour, photogenic places that focus on something about the history of Cologne are combined with great vantage points over the city.
Peter Fox greets Cologne - the house on the lake
The tour starts at Decksteiner Weiher. The extensive meadows there are criss-crossed by a network of paths. A paradise for cyclists, walkers and those looking for relaxation. The remains of Fort VI - the former outer ring of Prussian fortifications - are well preserved and can still be admired today. If you want to enjoy the view of the Decksteiner Weiher before starting the tour, you should take a break - greetings from Berlin's Peter Fox - at the Haus am See.
Belgium is just around the corner
Well-fortified, we cycle north-west through the green belt until we cross Dürener Straße and the military ring road. Through the city forest and along the Lindenthal canals we reach another small oasis in the city with the bikes: the Aachen pond in the inner green belt. The breath is enough for a sprint up the hill. From there we enjoy a great view over the Colonius and the Mediapark.
Since the stomach makes itself felt a tiny bit, we decide to make a stop in the adjacent Belgian Quarter. Finally, it is known for charming cafes and restaurants. In the café in the tower we taste homemade jam. Delicious! In the Little Link bar we wet our parched throats with fresh drinks. Of course alcohol-free. After all, we want to cycle. Whereby - the bike-friendly hostel "die wohngemeinschaft" is in the neighborhood. Also equipped with a bar of the same name.
And if: I promised you a rose garden
But we resist the temptation and jet further north along the inner green belt to Mount Hercules. From up there, the Cologne panorama opens up from a different perspective. If you don't have enough juice in your calves, you can take the footbridge over the rails at the Mediapark up the hill.
With mountain air in our lungs, we continue pedaling along the inner canal road to the next photo stop on the Odonien grounds. The Odonien is an open-air studio, art workshop and culture under one roof. One photo motif chases the next here. There is also a beer garden. With a well-groomed cyclist, the first impressions and photos can be processed and edited even better.
After the break, we step on the gas again eastwards on the Inner Canal Road. Our destination is the rose garden on the former military site of Fort X. An exhilarating experience. Around 2,000 roses of over 40 different types are blooming in the symmetrically arranged idyll.
Düsseldorf's longest bar - Cologne's longest staircase
With scents in the air, the trip over the Zoobrücke, which leads to the Rheinpark, is on the agenda. The green oasis allows a wonderful view of the cathedral. Having seen enough, we turn our backs on the Rheinpark, cross the Hohenzollern Bridge and reach the Rheinboulevard with its 500 meter long staircase. Several restaurants are lined up here. We settle down and enjoy a great view of Cologne's old town and the cathedral.
Full of anticipation for more photo motifs, which there are in abundance on this tour, we cross the Severinsbrücke to land on the other side of the Rhine in the Rheinauhafen. Cycling further south, we reach the southern bridge. We make a small detour to the Poller meadows and the Deutz harbor because we feel like having a picnic in the green grass. What a panorama. Of course we want to take a closer look and therefore cross the south bridge. Arriving on the left bank of the Rhine, we can marvel at the Rheinauhafen up close. The crane houses are an eye-catcher for every camera. There are numerous perspectives on the old and modern architecture of the Rheinauhafen.
If you love your Kölsch, you push it
But we are not yet at the end of our tour. Across the southern part of the city, parallel to the Ring, we continue in the direction of the city center. The Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum with its impressive entrance hall is located in the immediate vicinity of the Neumarkt. In the museum café there is also everything that we cycling sweet tooth could desire: delicious cake, coffee and snacks.
Via Cäcilienstraße in the direction of the Rhine, we jet to multi-storey car park 1 of Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof. From the top floor you have a panoramic view of the cathedral in one direction and of the crane buildings in the other direction. By the way, this view is an insider tip from the #visitkoeln blog.
Via the Heumarkt and through the narrow streets of the old town we reach the Fischmarkt, where narrow, colorful houses are lined up. Together with the Cologne Cathedral and the Romanesque church of Groß St. Martin, a great picture emerges. Now the motto is: "If you love your bike, you push it". And anyone who appreciates a good Kölsch. Because the brewery culture is celebrated in the old town and we enjoy the hearty Cologne cuisine in one of the inns. It's good that our bike tour through Cologne is on the last meters.
Our bellies full to the brim, we drebble the few meters to the Hohenzollern Bridge with its countless love locks at a moderate pace. What a beautiful worldly, gaudy contrast to Cologne Cathedral! And what a grand finale to our tour. It ends on the cathedral platform with a direct view of the superlative sacred building. Now a close-up of the Cologne landmark and happiness spreads among the bicycle-riding photographers.
Info: There are more themed bike tours on the Cologne Tourism website.
Powered by Radsport Mayer
Read more in our offer:
Part 1 of the series: Discover Paris by bike
Part 2 of the series: Rediscover Vienna by bike
Part 3 of the series: Discover Copenhagen by bike
