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”.

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!

Explore the old town of Cologne on a guided tour and see the historic buildings at night. Follow the night watchman in his historical costume by the light of his lantern to another time, when every full hour was proclaimed. Learn all about the duties of the historical night watchman and life in the Middle Ages as you wander through the narrow streets of Cologne's Old Town. Learn why pigs were beaten in front of Cologne's churches and why stray dogs were so well-fed in centuries past. Discover how Cologne's citizens resisted the authorities and listen to many legends and anecdotes about Cologne's history.

Who could practice the profession of an executioner? When did an executioner receive his master craftsman’s diploma, which enabled him to let heads roll on behalf of the state? Who exiled lepers and plague-infested harlots? Who walked through medieval dark alleys and killed wild dogs and stray hogs? Who burnt spell books and could build gallows? The executioner – somebody had to do it!  Join a medieval headsman on a bloodcurdling guided tour of 1.5 hours, leading you through Cologne’s historic centre. Find out what could go wrong during an execution and how a headsman supplemented his own low income as a knacker, dog-catcher or gold-seeker.  Learn all the gory and grisly details... if you dare to join. 

"Join us for the engaging and informative WWII tour in Cologne Old Town. Your Private Guide will make sure you get the best experience. Although 95% of the city centre was destroyed during WWII, there is still plenty to see for the war history lovers. During this walking tour you will follow the traces of WWII and hear from your Private Guide tons of facts and stories about this dark period. The tour will start at the top highlight of Cologne, the Cathedral. Despite many bullet holes it survived the bombing and remains the witness of dark times. You will discover the tragic story of the nearby Trail of Remembrance and memorial Stumbling Stones, the small copper plaques in the pavement. You will find out how roman sewers beneath Cologne were used in WWII. Strolling in the Old Town streets the Guide will take you to the St. Alban Church ruins, the Memorial Hindenburgbrücke and Dombunker. Walk further north-west and find out about the bombarded St. Kolumba Church. A separate highlight to explore is the NS Documentation Center, known as EL-DE House. It was the former headquarters of the Gestapo (secret police) turned into a virtual ""place of terror"". The basements of the house had been used as prison cells and torture rooms for forced laborers and political enemies. Over 1800 inscriptions made on the walls by the prisoners can still be viewed today. The upper floors with Gestapo offices represent administrative terror and an evil system created by Nazis. Choose the basic 2-hours option to walk in the Old Town and track places connected to WWII history with a passionate and knowledgeable private 5-Stars Guide. Your guide will make sure that you spot all highlights. Discover much more in a 4-hours tour, which offers in addition 2-hours private visit in the EL-DE Haus. Learn about Nazi terror in Cologne. Your 5-Stars Guide will show you around with thorough explanations."

More than 2,000 years ago the Romans founded an early settlement in the area of Cologne’s city center, which received full city rights in the middle of the first century as well as a new name: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium. The Romans built a city wall, a street network, a water supply, a sewage system, and established residential areas, businesses, temples and stately buildings. With these measures, the Romans created an urban infrastructure, which still influences Cologne's cityscape today. Even the main shopping streets align with those from 2,000 years ago. Depending on availability, you will explore the Ubiermonument and/or the excavation underneath the monastery church Groß Sankt Martin.

Get to know humorous stories and anecdotes on this entertaining tour together with a native of Cologne. Perhaps you are thinking of Tünnes and Schäl, the Kallendresser or the notorious Kölschen Klüngel? Is it the numerous well-known songs that appeal to young and old alike, often sung during the carnival season? Or is it the countless stories and anecdotes that are often told with a wink about the city and its inhabitants?  At the end of this humorous walking tour through the old town, you will surely agree: Cologne is a way of life. This tour is only available in German.

Discover Cologne's Old Town and immerse yourself in the city's eventful past. Listen to the tales and legends and find out, whether there is an element of truth in some of them. Learn why the Heinzelmännchen (little elves) disappeared from Cologne and hear the story behind the white woman, who people still see today. Find out why there are so-called Grinköpfe (grimace masks) on some house walls and hear about the devil's relation to Meister Gerhard and a corrupt mayor. Listen to the amusing and interesting stories from the Middle Ages and see Cologne's most famous sights.

Immerse yourself in Cologne's past and enjoy a nostalgic journey through the city. Experience the 50s and 60s during this exciting journey through time. Board the vintage bus and be welcomed by your guide, who will be wearing a petticoat ‒ the famous fluffy skirt. See the city through the windows of an old Swiss postbus or a vintage bus from 1960 and experience a piece of the vivid past. Discover all aspects of Cologne after the reconstruction. Start near the cathedral, Cologne's landmark. Drive through the Gerlingsquartier, over the ring roads and through the Griechenmarktviertel until you arrive in the Südstadt. Get a glance at the picturesque Old Town before returning to the Komödienstraße close to the cathedral.

Discover the past and present of the Cologne Cathedral on a guided walking tour of the exterior. Get lost in the dramatic tale of the Cathedral as you hear about its most curious details. Uncover the secrets of this UNESCO World Heritage site. Meet your guide outside the Cathedral and begin your walking tour. Learn about how the it took more than 600 years after the groundbreaking ceremony in 1248 for the Cathedral to be completed in the 19th century. Listen as your guide answers questions like why did they construct a Gothic cathedral in the first place and why was it so enormous. Let your guide tell you about how the crane become a landmark in the city. Find out what the star on top of the ridge turret signifies. Explore the cathedral from different perspectives and find out how war damaged this piece of history. Learn about its ongoing reconstruction. Your guide will also include explanations on the highlights of the interior, so you can self-organized a visit.