The coloured houses
Narrow painted fronts with stepped gables — the classic picture of the old town.
The square genuinely is old and was the trading centre from the Middle Ages, but most of the buildings around it were destroyed in wartime bombing and rebuilt afterwards in the same old style. The place is historic; the buildings are reconstructions.
The atmosphere is excellent and the location ideal, but prices are touristy and quality varies. For Kölsch in a more genuinely local place, walk a street or two off the square, where the taverns are older and cheaper.
Great St. Martin is immediately behind, the cathedral five minutes away, and the Rhine bank and Hohenzollern Bridge close by. The whole old town is a small walking area.
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The Alter Markt is Cologne's oldest square and was the city's trading centre from the Middle Ages. The coloured houses around it, with their narrow stepped gables, are among the best-known images of the old town, and most were rebuilt after the war in their original style. Today the square is full of cafés and restaurants that spread outside in summer, along with traditional brewery taverns serving the local Kölsch beer. At its centre stands the Jan von Werth fountain, and in December one of the city's Christmas markets fills it. The square is free and always open.
Narrow painted fronts with stepped gables — the classic picture of the old town.
Local houses serving Kölsch in small glasses, with their own rituals of service.
In December the square fills with market stalls and becomes one of the loveliest spots in the city.
Alter Markt, 50667 Köln