Fact file

Getting there:

Singapore Airlines operates three flights a week to Dusseldorf. For more information see singaporeair.com

Staying there:

In Dusseldorf, I was hosted at the Breidenbacher Hof. The luxury hotel has 85 rooms and 21 suites and was recently voted hotel of the year by a German publisher. The hotel features a cigar bar, personal assistants, and private clinics for those wanting a check-up or a nip and tuck. It also has a pricetag to match. Rooms from €395 to €14,000 (NZ$613 to NZ$21,725) for the three-bedroom Royal Suite. See: capellahotels.com/dusseldorf/

When to go:

The biggest event for both cities would be carnival, with thousands attending a mass party declared open at 11 minutes past 11 on the 11th of the 11th month.

Things to see and do:

Cologne is home to the Fragrance Museum, and the world’s oldest fragrance factory, or check out the Hohenzollern Bridge, which is covered in 40,000 locks from couples who then throw the key into the Rhine. In Dusseldorf, head to the Rhine, secure a restaurant table and watch the sun go down as you have an altbier.

More information:

On Cologne visit: koelntourismus.de and for Dusseldorf check out dusseldorf-tourismus.de.