Things to do in

Cologne

Journey through the charming city of Cologne and discover its sightseeing highlights from the water. Grab some snacks and drinks from the onboard bar (at your own expense), and relax as you look out at Cologne’s historic landmarks and bridges. Get to know Cologne's Old Town, characterized by its beautiful churches and historic buildings. You'll also spot impressive modern buildings here and there, such as the Lindt chocolate museum.  Take in views of bridges from the water like the Hohenzollern, Deutz Bridge, and the South Bridge. Pass by the the German Sports and Olympic Museum and cruise through the ultra-modern Rheinauhafen urban regeneration project.  Admire the beautiful Cologne Cathedral and snap some photos from afar to capture the structure in all its glory.

See Cologne's top sights from the water on a city cruise. Spot the world-famous Cologne Cathedral, cruise under 5 bridges, and take in the running commentary from the ship's speakers. Start your Rhine cruise with the ship MS Rheinperle, MS Rheinland, or MS Rheintreue. After taking in a view of the iconic Cologne Cathedral and Old Town, cruise to the Rheinauhafen, where you can spot its distinctive crane houses. Pass under 5 bridges to reach Rodenkirchen in the south. The cruise will then take you to the main sights of the city north of the Dome, such as the Zoobrücke bridge. During the cruise, discover more about the sights of Cologne with on-board commentary and English and German. On additional evening trips (from 5:30 p.m.) you can enjoy the sunset on board with chilled lounge music and relax during the tour! (These tours are conducted without explanations of the sights.)

Come and join this 90-minute ride through Cologne and learn more about the eventful history of the city, associations, and personalities. Climb on board a double-decker bus for a tour of all of Cologne's essential spots. Use this 24h hop-on hop-off ticket to get off the bus at any of its 14 stops to see sights like the Cathedral, Zoo, old town, and Chlodwigplatz. Get on the bus and get ready to explore the city. Head up to the top deck, or stay down below as the bus cruises through the streets of Cologne. Listen to informative commentary as the bus tours around the scenic city. Come and go from the bus as you please, with a choice of 14 stops to enter or exit. Explore the city at your leisure without having to plan to a timetable, allowing you to be spontaneous in deciding what to see. Discover the city as you glide past sights like the Cologne Chocolate Museum, the Gürzenich convention center, and the Eigelstein Gate. Encounter the tall Cologne Triangle building, as well as the Odysseum, and Lanxess Arena. The stops for the bus tours are: - Cathedral (first bus leaves at 10 a.m., the last bus at 5 p.m.) - Old Town - Rothgerberbach - Chlodeigplatz - Chocolate Museum - Triangle tower - Lanxess Arena - Odysseum/Köln Arcaden - Zoo/Flora - Eigelstein - Mediapark - Friesenplatz - Neumarkt - Cathedral (the first bus arrives back at 11:30 a.m., and the last bus arrives at 6:30 p.m.) Every 30 minutes a new bus arrives at each stop.

Awaiting the visitors is a walk-in tropical house, natural history information on cocoa, exhibits from the pre-Columbian cultures of Central America, an important porcelain and silver collection from the Baroque period, as well as numerous old machines from the time of industrialisation. In a glass chocolate factory and in the chocolate atelier, visitors can experience how chocolate products are made industrially, but also individually by hand. And: there is a 3-meter-high chocolate fountain in which 200 kg of delicious chocolate constantly bubble up for tasting. Tasting is expressly encouraged!

Set out on a thrilling journey with TimeRide and experience the undestroyed Cologne and the fascinating lifestyle of the legendary twenties! Together with the charming hatter Tessa and the Cologne streetcar driver Pitter, you will discover the exciting time after the end of the First World War, the British occupation, and the Spanish flu. Your time travel in three steps: · The Cinema: In the 1920s, more and more movie theaters evolved into massive movie palaces. The cinema was a ubiquitous and glamorous part of everyday life and an important source of information. Step into our “Lichtspielhaus” and take a seat together with the fine society: an entertaining short film in the style of that time will show you the historical development of Cologne in the twenties. · The Hatter's Store: In the hatter’s store of the Riedschneider family you will dive together with Tessa into the world of glamorous fashion of the twenties. In the 1920s, everyone wore a hat and the choice of hat said a lot about the wearer! In the lovingly decorated store, the art of wearing and making hats is illustrated using numerous originals from the Diefenthal family of hat makers in Cologne. You’ll also learn more about Tessa’s urgent special order… Will her important delivery arrive on time at Neumarkt thanks to Pitter? · The VR-Ride: The highlight of your journey back in time to 1926: On your virtual ride with the first electric Cologne streetcar, you will experience the beauty of the city before its destruction in World War II. With your VR goggles, you’ll enjoy a 360° panoramic view and discover iconic landmarks of old Cologne, many of which have disappeared or are barely recognizable today: Cologne Cathedral’s surroundings at the time, the old main train station, the Schauspielhaus theater, the city hall led by Konrad Adenauer, and much more. At Neumarkt, your trip ends in the colorful carnival hustle and bustle with a “Grand Finale”.

Explore the fascinating brewing culture and history of Cologne in a relaxed way. The guided brewery tour takes you to the most renowned breweries in the city, where you will taste three delicious types of Kölsch (included). The motivated guides select breweries based on group dynamics and desires to create a tailored experience for each occasion. In addition to the traditional breweries such as the 700-year-old Brauhaus Sion or the venerable Früh am Dom, the exciting, younger breweries in the old town are also explored. The unique experience begins in the heart of the city, near the main entrance of Cologne Cathedral, and leads through the picturesque old town to the Heumarkt. No matter whether you are traveling alone, as a couple, in a group or as a company - this tour promises two carefree and entertaining hours in the beautiful old town on the Rhine.

All tours lead along the old town panorama and past the Rheinauhafen with the crane houses and back down the Rhine to Cologne-Mülheim. Continue up the Rhine to the zoo/cable car, where you can also get on and off. Finally, the cruise returns to the starting point, the pier at Dom/Hohenzollernbrücke where the trip ends.

Wander through Melaten Cemetery in Cologne and see the tombs of the city's most prominent personalities on a walking tour. Immerse yourself in the tranquility and rich history of the large park with a guide. Discover a place of silence embedded in a beautiful park with incomparable flora and fauna in the middle of Cologne. Visit the Melaten cemetery and stroll through the complex, which has an area of over four hundred thousand square meters and around 55,000 gravesites. Enjoy moments of peace and quiet during the guided tour and experience how close love, death, and suffering as well as art culture are to each other. Learn interesting facts and curiosities about historical personalities and impressive tombs and monuments and visit the former "Leprosenanstalt".

Discover Cologne comfortably and cost-effectively with the KölnCard. The card offers a vast range of discount offers on artistic, cultural, and leisure attractions, as well as gastronomy and shopping. For example: you get reduced entry to the Cologne Museums and to many other places of interest. Receive concessions at theater and music venues in the city, and travel through the entire region on a tour by boat. This offer also gives you free travel on the city's public transport network. KölnCard discounts: Museums - Deutsches Sport und Olympia Museum - 50% off museum entry - Duftmuseum Farinahaus - 50% off museum entry - Kölner Karnevalsmuseum - 50% off museum entry for adults - Käthe-Kollwitz-Museum - 50% off museum entry for adults - Kölner Senfmuseum - 50% off the price of mills tour - Photografische Sammlung / SK Stiftung Kultur - 50% off entry to current exhibition - Tanzmuseum des Deutschen Tanzarchivs - 50% off entry to current exhibition - Kolumba Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln - 40% off entry price - Schokoladenmuseum - 24% off entry price - Archäologische Zone Köln - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - EL-DE Haus NS Dokumentationszentrum - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Kölner Dom Schatzkammer - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Museum für Angewandte Kunst - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Museum Ludwig - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Museum Schnütgen - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Römisch-Germanisches-Museum - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Kölnisches Stadtmuseum - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions - Wallraf-Richartz-Museum - 20% off entry price, excluding special exhibitions Food - Karstadt Le Buffet Restaurant & Café - 20% off meals and drinks - Maritim Hotel - 20% off all meals and drinks in the Café Heumarkt - Brauhaus Sion - 15% off a main meal - Café Scholl - 15% off the daily lunch meal - Dinea Café & Restaurant in Ihrer GALERIA Kaufhof - 15% off meals (excluding special offers) - Hard Rock Cafe Cologne - 15% off in the restaurant (excluding alcoholic drinks) Sightseeing - KölnTourismus tour - 50% off the daily tour (excluding Saturdays and Sundays) - Colonia Prima tour - 28% off the costume tour "Visit Heinrich Heine's forbidden city in Cologne" - Stadtgeschichten Köln tour - 23% off all tours - CCS Busreisen GmbH - 20% off the day ticket for the Tourist Shuttle Hop On Hop Off - Colonia Prima tour - 20% off public costume tours - Kolumba Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln - 20% off public tours - Köln Düsseldorfer ferry (KD) - 20% off the regular fare, excluding special cruises - KölnTourist ferry - 20% off panorama cruises, harbor cruises and day cruises to Siebengebirge - Bike rental at Hauptbahnhof - 20% off the rental of a City-Bike for 1 day - StadtKunst Köln - 20% off all tours - inside Cologne - 15-20% off all public tours for adults - RheinEnergie Stadium tour - 17% off single tickets for adults - KölnerCity Tour e.K. - 15% off all sightseeing bus tours - KölnTourismus - 15% off tickets for public city tours - perpedalo Köln Rikscha - 15% off all rides Experience - Studiobühne Köln - 50% off ticket price - Wolters Bimmelbahn - 42% off the single ride for adults - Comedia Köln Theater - 28% off entry price - Kölner Zoo - 17% discount for adults and 24% for children - Gürzenich Orchester in der Philharmonie - 20% off concerts on Monday or Tuesday - Odysseum - 20% off entry price - Oper Köln - 20% off all events - Theater am Dom - 20% off all events - Kölner Haie Eishockey - 15% off the main round games of the KEC - Kölner Seilbahn - 15% off round trips for adults - Theater am Bauturm freies Schauspiel - 15% off the ticket price - koelnwhisky Dieter Matuschke - 10% off Whisky and Rum tastings Shopping - Hard Rock Cafe Köln - 15% discount in the Rock Shop - KölnTourismus - 15% off all purchases in the KölnShop - 4711 Traditionshaus - 10% discount for purchases exceeding 25 EUR - Duftmuseum Farina - 10% off the price of an Original Eau de Cologne - koelnwhisky Dieter Matuschke - 10% off international whiskeys, wines and liquors

Hoist anchor in the evening to glide past the exquisite backdrop of Cologne, the cathedral city. Get the best seats in town for touring the romanesque churches of St. Kunibert, Groß St. Martin, St. Maria Lyskirchen, and the massive Cologne Cathedral as the sun sets and the city lights up. Witness the charming atmosphere when twilight envelops the city and the sights of the Rhine metropolis shimmer like jewels in the light. See how the cathedral crowns the city skyline with unearthly beauty, glowing in green light. In good weather, take a seat in a beach chair or deckchair on the spacious open deck and enjoy the panoramic view of Cologne. Head below deck for comfortable seats away from the wind and see the city from the large windows. Enjoy live lounge music throughout your 2-hour journey for an extra dose of bliss. Check out the bar for a selection of cocktails, beers, or tasty snacks.