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Where to stay, where to eat, what to do

No expense spared

Stay The five-star Excelsior (00 49- 221 2701, www.excelsiorhotelernst.de; doubles from £187) has been courting high society for more than a century. A stone’s throw from the cathedral, rooms have an old-school charm. The Dom Hotel (221 20630, www.sofitel.com; doubles from £184) is also marvellously positioned.

Eat Chef Hendrick Otto is in his second Michelin-starred year at La Vision at the Hotel Wasserturm (221 20080, www.hotel-im-wasserturm.de) and he’s only 30. The food is exceptional: neither Brad nor Madonna wrinkled their noses. Try the foie gras starters (£16) or the Breton sole main (£22). The small French bistro Le Moissonnier (Krefelder Strasse 25; 221 729479) is excellent, with four-course taster menus at £32.

Do See Cologne from the air in a 1930s light aircraft. Iron Annie holds 17 people, £112pp for 30 minutes. Contact Eventflug (228 945 8594, www.eventflug.de).

Middle of the road

Stay Hopper et Cetera (Brüsseler Strasse 26, 00 49-221 924400, www.hopper.de) is in the fashionable Belgian quarter. The rooms are on the small side, so splash out an extra £3 for a large double (from £87). Or, a few streets along, the Chelsea Hotel (Jülicher Strasse 1; 221 207150, www.hotel-chelsea.de, doubles from £60) has simple rooms and a popular cafe.

Eat That Clinton and Blair have eaten at Em Krützche (Am Frankenturm 1-3, 221 258 0839, www.em-kruetzche.de) is not in itself a reason to come, but the hearty Rhineland dishes are. Try the boiled beef with horseradish, £12. The Italian La Cena (221 310 4491, www.lacena.de) has a seven-course feast for £23.

Do Take a day trip on a boat down the Rhine. It leaves Cologne at 9.30am from the pier near Heumarkt. You’ll chug down to Linz and back to Cologne at 7.50pm. The trip costs £21. Contact K-D (221 208 8318, www.k-d.com).

On the cheap

Stay Pension Jansen (00 49-221 251875, www.pensionjansen.de; doubles from £42), in the lively Belgian quarter, has six spacious rooms. Bathrooms are shared. Das Kleine Stapelhaüschen (Fischmarkt 1-3; 221 272 7777/221 257 7862, doubles from £43, shared bathroom) is in the heart of the old town. Rooms are simple and rustic.

Eat The Päffgen beer hall (Friesenstrasse 64-66; 221 135461) serves simple food in hefty portions to accompany its ale. Try wiener sausages with potato salad and a bread roll for £3. And a tip for late-night revellers — Wurst Willy’s stand, by Friesenplatz, is the sausage stand to be seen at for a nocturnal snack.

Do Brush up on your history with a tour of the cathedral. The English version runs Mon-Sat at 10.30am and Mon-Sun at 2.30pm, and takes 45min; adults £3 (221 9258 4720, www.domforum.de). Meet inside the main door.

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