Hotels near Great St. Martin Church (Groß St. Martin)

Great St. Martin Church (Groß St. Martin) is the second silhouette on the Cologne skyline - the squat Romanesque tower with four turrets that anchors every Rhine-side photo alongside the cathedral. The current church dates to the 12th century, sits on the foundations of a Roman warehouse from around 100 AD (you can see the excavations in the crypt), and was almost completely destroyed in 1945. Restoration wasn't finished until 1985, which means the interior feels stark and modern under a very old skin.

Entry is free. The crypt is what most visitors miss - a small admission gets you down to the Roman substructure, where you can see the harbour wall that used to face the Rhine before the river shifted.

Pro Tip: Groß St. Martin is one of Cologne's twelve preserved Romanesque churches, and if you have half a day spare it's worth walking the loop of the biggest four - St. Gereon, St. Andreas, St. Aposteln and this one. Groß St. Martin is the easiest starting point because it's in the middle of the Fischmarkt tourist route.