Follow the night watchman into the medieval past of Cologne's old town with its dark secrets. Walk past the historic buildings of the city and listen to eerie tales and legends.

About this activity

Free cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
Duration 1.5 hours: Check availability to see starting times.
Reserve now & pay later: Reserve now & pay later to book your spot without any charges today. Learn more
Live tour guide: German
Wheelchair accessible

Highlights

Experience an informative and amusing guided tour through the old town of Cologne
Follow a traditionally dressed night watchman
Embark on a journey through time to medieval Cologne and hear more about life and work in a time long past

Full description

Explore Cologne's old town on a guided walking tour and see the historic buildings lit up at night. Stroll through the alleys at the side of the night watchman and discover beautiful but also eerie things. Learn why pigs were beaten in front of Cologne's churches and why stray dogs were so well fed in those days. Learn how the citizens of Cologne defended themselves against the authorities and listen to many legends and anecdotes about Cologne's history. Follow the night watchman in historical costume to another time when every full hour was still proclaimed. Learn all about the tasks of the historical night watchmen during this eerie tour through the narrow alleys of the city.

Includes

Walking tour
Guide

Tips

Covid-19 precautions

You must book this activity online because the ticket office is closed

Meeting point

Meet in front of the town hall entrance Alter Markt (not historical town hall)

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Important information

Know before you go

This tour is only available in German
The guided tour is also suitable for children (from approx. 10 years)
Children aged 12 years or younger can participate for free
Sturdy footwear is recommended
This is a barrier-free tour

Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.7 /5

based on 455 reviews

Review summary

Guide
4.7/5
Value for money
4.6/5
Service
4.7/5
Organization
4.7/5

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I can only recommend this tour to anyone who, as a visitor to Cologne, wants to go on an unusual sightseeing tour. Everyone found their way to the meeting point ... The guide ... ☆ Awesome !!! ☆ We were about 20 people on the tour and the "night watchman", a great guy, made it super funny. He spoke good beginners' kölsch that everyone understood. Just recommendable!

October 5, 2020

The night watchman tour had only a few stops at which something was told. This may have been due to the Christmas markets. Even if the 90 minutes were kept, I would have liked a few stops and (possibly shorter) stories more, especially since there is a lot to see in the old town even at night. For example, nothing was said about the cathedral or other churches and medieval buildings.

December 10, 2019

Highly recommended and entertaining tour! The group size was pleasant and our night watchman Bernd really had a good mixture of interesting, funny and scary stories from the old "Cologne" to report. The participants were involved in a very pleasant way. We registered as a third party and we really enjoyed it!

October 21, 2019

Cologne: Guided Old Town Walking Tour with Night Watchman

Cologne: Guided Old Town Walking Tour with Night Watchman

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