The Cologne Cathedral is the dominant fact of the city — it is visible for miles and the first thing most arrivals see when they step out of the main train station directly below it. At 157 metres, it is the tallest twin-spired church in the world and held that record as the world's tallest building from 1880 to 1884. The interior is vast and genuinely impressive: 56 pillars, magnificent medieval stained-glass windows including the 13th-century Dreikönigenfenster, and the golden Shrine of the Three Kings — the largest reliquary in the Western world, said to contain the bones of the biblical Magi.
Climbing the south tower takes 533 steps on a narrow spiral staircase and rewards you with a panoramic view over the city and the Rhine. This is the best way to understand the city's layout. The cathedral was a UNESCO World Heritage Site from 1996 and narrowly survived World War II — surrounded by rubble, it stood through 14 direct bomb hits on the structure. Entry to the cathedral itself is free; the tower climb and treasury require tickets.