The older parts of the city are contained in the Veedel and its there that the best sights and shops are found. From Cologne take the E40 southwest to Aachen. The city’s cathedral is a UNESCO Heritage Site and is one of the main Christian pilgrimage destinations being the funeral site of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne.
Route 555 leads south to Bonn. The city is the birthplace of Beethoven and although he hated the city, Bonn is proud of its famous son and has a museum dedicated to him called the Beethoven-Haus. Route 1 goes to Leverkusen and Dusseldorf. Leverkusen developed as a one man or one company city with the pharmaceutical company Bayer and its founder Carl Duisberg funding much of the civic development. Visit the Schloss Morsbroich, a former moated castle now more peaceably used as an art gallery.