I will be in Germany during Easter weekend. I'm not positive which city yet but probably Cologne, Frankfurt or Rothenburg. Will all of the museums and sites, restaurants, etc be open on Easter Sunday or should I plan on spending Easter Sunday hanging out?
In any area that caters to visitors, many restaurants will be open, although some may close early. I wouldn't count on museums being open, although you would have to check the websites of any you had in mind.
I'll be in Rome on Easter Sunday. The museums there are going to be closed on Easter and the holiday Monday after. Of course, the cathedrals will be open for their services, however. If I had the choice of a city for Easter, I would choose Cologne. Their incredible Duomo was the tallest structure in the world for 300 years (until the Eiffel Tower was built.)
The Cologne Dom wasn't even finished until 1880, so it can't have been the tallest structure for 300 years. They didn't even start building the towers above the height of the main church building until 1820. The Ulmer Muenster, is the highest church tower in the world, and it was finished in 1890. The Eiffel Tower was finished in 1889. If you should be in Frankfurt over Easter, then you will want to be downtown near the Kaiserdom at 16:30 on Saturday. This is when the Pealing of the Bells happens. A tradition that dates back to the 1300's with the election of a new Emperor, there willl be 50 bells from 10 inner city churches ringing together for 30 min. Good Friday is the day when you will find almost all museums closed. In Frankfurt, the Staedel will be open, as well as the Palmengarten & Zoo on Good Friday. Restaurants will usually be open on all 3 days, but stores will be closed on Good Friday. On Easter and Easter Monday. Museums tend to trade days off with these 2 days, but most should be open, so it is best to check with the individual museums.