Cologne vs Düsseldorf

Open, friendly, communicative people. The cathedral is gigantic, the mighty Rhine is omnipresent and brings a nautical flair (in the summer, one feels as though they're by the Mediterranean). Of course, there are (like in any big city) ugly corners or buildings, but overall, it's beautiful and very green, thanks to the many parks and forests (Inner and Outer Green Belt). The Poller Wiesen - pure nature, Rhine, cathedral view, ships, right in the middle of the city, complete tranquility; you can't find this anywhere else.  - Weather: mild winters, hot summers (if you're into that, of course), the Rhineland (and Breisgau) is the warmest region in Germany.  - Surroundings: Cologne cannot be viewed individually, it's interconnected with Bonn and Düsseldorf (just 20-30min away), hence there are 2 airports; only 50min away from Frankfurt by the ICE. Cologne, with Rhein-Ruhr, is located in the largest urban area of the EU: it's faster to get to Brussels, Amsterdam, Paris, and even London than it is to Berlin.  - The immediate vicinity with Bergisches Land, Siebengebirge, and Eifel is unexpectedly green with lots of nature; it's less than 3 hours to the sea (Netherlands+Belgium, simply beautiful). - Mentality/People: the best part of this city. A great love for beer, football, and mass festivals (Carnival).  → Cologne is chaotic, underestimated, cosy, and absolutely lovable. 👍 As the saying goes:

Apperance: Architectural mix of historic, modern and post-war-structures. Neustadt is beautiful, Ehrenfeld districs features street art. Other parts can feel a bit dull though. Activities: Lots of Museums, some historic sites, the cathedral, Cologne zoo, parks, spas, Triangle Tower, Rhine Cable Car, bars, swimming lakes, the local brewery culture. Events include Carnival, Cologne Pride, the Christmas Markets and other festivites. Weather: Summer temps in the 70s and 80s, 60s at night. Dry and wet periods, some showers and thunderstorms. Winter temps in the 30s and 40s, gloomy with some rainfall. Getting around: Decent light rail/ pre-metro network with good layout. A lack of tracks in the city leads to congestion (e.g. central tunnel) though. Service is rather unreliable and capacities are low, the number of departures is fairly good though. Education and profession: Many academic schools including University of Cologne. The city is a national center for logistics, media and more.