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(Map) has smaller fashion and shoe shops and culminates in the Neumarkt (Map), where the Neumarkt-Galerie mall is easily recognised by the upturned ice-cream cone on the roof, designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Brugge. The best streets for maxing out your credit card are Mittelstrasse and Pfeilstrasse (Map), lined with exclusive fashion, jewellery and home-accessory shops. Ehrenstrasse (Map) is another interesting strip, even though it’s increasingly taken over by international chains. Indie designer boutiques are scattered through the quiet streets of the Belgian Quarter around Brüsseler Platz (Map).

A classic gift for mum is a bottle of eau de cologne, the not terribly sophisticated but refreshing perfume created – and still being produced – in its namesake city. The most famous brand is called 4711, named after the number of the house where it was invented, which now houses a shop, Haus 4711 (Map; 925 0450; Glockengasse 22-28). Outside, up on the facade, note the cutesy carillon with characters from Prussian lore parading hourly from 9am to 9pm.

The shops in the Hauptbahnhof stay open until 10pm.

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Getting There & Away

AIR

About 18km southeast of the city centre, Köln Bonn Airport (Cologne Bonn Airport; off Map; 02203-404 001; www.airport-cgn.de) has direct flights to 130 cities and is served by 50 airlines, including budget carriers such as Germanwings, Air Berlin and easyJet.

BUS

Eurolines runs buses in all directions, including Paris (€43, 7½ hours) and Amsterdam (€23, 5¼ hours). The central bus station (Map) is on Breslauer Platz, behind the Hauptbahnhof.

CAR & MOTORCYCLE

Cologne is encircled by the heavily trafficked Kölner Ring, with exits to the A1, A3, A4, A57, A555 and A559 leading in all directions.

TRAIN

Cologne is linked to Bonn several times hourly by U-Bahn lines U16 and U18 and regional trains (€6.50, 30 minutes). There are also regional train services to Brühl (€3.30, 15 minutes), Düsseldorf (€9.60, 30 minutes) and Aachen (€14.40, 70 minutes). Cologne is also a major main-line hub with direct ICE service to Berlin (€106, 4¼ hours), Frankfurt (€63, 1¼ hours) and Munich (€127, 4½ hours).

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Getting Around

TO/FROM THE AIRPORT

The S13 train connects the airport and the Hauptbahnhof every 20 minutes (€2.40, 15 minutes). Taxis charge about €25.

BICYCLE

Rent-A-Bike (Map; 0171-629 8796; Marksmann-gasse; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct) hires out bikes for €2 per hour or €10 per day and also does tours (Click here).

Radstation (Map; 139 7190; Breslauer Platz; 5.30am-10.30pm Mon-Fri, 6.30am-8pm Sat, 8am-8pm Sun), at the Hauptbahnhof, has the same rates as Rent-A-Bike.

CAR & MOTORCYCLE

Central Cologne is now a low-emission zone, meaning that your car needs to display an Umweltplakette (emission sticker). Rental cars automatically have one, but if you’re driving your own vehicle, Click here for details on how to obtain the sticker.

Driving around Cologne can be an absolute nightmare. Unless you’re careful, you could easily end up in a tunnel or on a bridge going across the Rhine. Most streets in the centre of the city are restricted to residents’ parking only, so often your only option is an expensive public garage.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Cologne’s mix of buses, trams, and U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains is operated by VRS ( 01803-504 030; www.vrsinfo.de) in cooperation with Bonn’s system.

Short trips (up to four stops) cost €1.60, longer ones €2.40. Day passes are €6.90 for one person and €10.10 for up to five people travelling together. Buy your tickets from the orange ticket machines at stations and aboard trams; be sure to validate them.

TAXI

Taxis cost €2.50 at flag fall, plus €1.55 per kilometre (€1.65 between 10pm and 6am and all day Sunday). Call 2882 or 194 10.

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BRÜHL

02232 / pop 44,600

Brühl, halfway between Cologne and Bonn, wraps an astonishing number of riches into a pint-size package. The town languished in relative obscurity until the 18th century, when archbishop-elector Clemens August (1723