Cologne

Seasonal & Holiday Activities

Our most recommended Cologne Seasonal & Holiday Activities

• 

  1. Cologne: Chocolate Museum Entrance Ticket

  The Chocolate Museum is located in Cologne's old town, on the Rheinau harbor peninsula, surrounded by river on both sides. It can be easily recognized by the Malakoff Tower, which is located directly in front of the museum.   The museum houses a collection that traces 5,000 years of chocolate history. The 4,000-square-meter space contains exhibits that shed light on the origins and the culture of chocolate and how it has developed through centuries.  The treasure trove looks into pre-Colombian, Maya, and Aztec ways of using chocolate at the time when cocoa was a drink dedicated for Gods. From America cocoa travelled to Europe, where it became accessible only to wealthy classes. Cologne's Chocolate Museum will show you how chocolate became a treat for everyone and how media and advertising campaigns started spreading the news about this sweet snack.

  Visiting this museum was one of the best step for our short vacation there in Köln. My family and myself we were very surprised about this type of presentation, this line process to produce chocolate there was more than interesting. Thank you Chocolate Museum!

  Reviewed by Dan Aurel, 9/10/2020
• 

  2. Cologne: Night Watchman Walking Tour

  Be transported back in time with a walking tour of Cologne after dark. Follow the nightwatchman through the city as he regales you with frightening stories of centuries past. Walk past some of the most prominent historic locations in Cologne. Hear about the nightwatchman’s duties in the Middle Ages, as he patrolled the city to maintain order and peace. It was his job to protect the sleeping population from fire and thieves, to check the closing of the city gates, and to call the striking of the hour.  Learn about the modest lifestyle that the nightwatchman would lead. Listen to scary stories of the spooky goings-on that he would witness during the nighttime stillness.

• 

  3. Executioner's Tour of Cologne in German

  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. 

• 

  4. Cologne: Ghost Tour in German

  Over the centuries, Cologne's residents told legends about all the things that terrified them and put fear into their hearts: stories about the devil and ghosts, tales of werewolves and secret courts of honor. Enjoy this tour through Cologne's nocturnal old town with the night watchman's wife. This tour also operates on October 31st, Halloween.

• 

  5. Cologne: 90-Minute Tour in German from Cathedral to Old Town

  If you haven’t got enough time for a detailed city tour but would like to discover the most important sights and get to know more about the 2000-year-old city history, then this tour is perfect for you. Discover “Kölle janz flöck” – Cologne dialect for “Cologne very quickly.” Within 90 minutes, you will get to know the highlights of Cologne which has made it the major city of the Rhineland for 2000 years. See the Cologne Cathedral, Dionysus mosaic, City Hall and the old quarter. Listen to the stories about the famous people from Cologne and the Cologne way of life. Sample a delicious Kölsch, the city's famous beer.

• 

  6. How the Magi Came to Cologne – Myths and Legends

  Why is there a curse upon Cologne Cathedral? What is it about Cologne’s patron saint, Saint Ursula, who was accompanied by eleven thousand virgins during her pilgrimage? Why did the Cologne Heinzelmännchen leave the city for good? Cologne is full of places connected with tales and legends, both well-known and lesser-known, some told since the Middle Ages, some of more recent origins. Yet they all have one thing in common: most legends have some basis in the truth or they mirror the wishes, fears, and ideas of the people from the time when they were first told. Listen to old legends and get an insight into the life and the world of ideas in former times during a walking tour through the old city center. Of course, you will find out, why and how the relics of the Magi got to Cologne.

• 

  7. Cologne: Advent and Christmas Customs Tour in German

  Discover the atmospheric, pre-Christmas Cologne and learn all about the old traditions and customs. Admire the beautifully decorated houses and listen to the stories about Santa Claus and Knecht Ruprecht. Listen to what these customs are all about and stroll through the festively lit centre of Cologne. Learn more about the origins of Christmas traditions and enjoy a leisurely tour for the whole family as a pleasant preparation for Christmas.

• 

  8. Cologne: Halloween and Walpurgis Night Costume Tour

  Over centuries, Cologne’s residents loved to tell mysterious and gloomy stories and scary tales. They spoke of everything that filled the medieval city with fear and terror, including stories about death and the devil, and tales about beasts and specters roaming the city by night. On this tour you can learn about the drastic penalties by the secret courts of honor of the city nobility, and how a brave woman ended the practice of these secret courts with the so-called “Femegerichte”. During Walpurgis Night, the witches gathered at street crossings, riding on their brooms. You can hear about Katharina Henot, the best-known witch of Cologne, and listen to fright-inducing tales about werewolves as told by the wife of the night watchman during your walk through the old town center of Cologne.

• 

  9. From Amsterdam: Cologne Private Sightseeing Tour

  Start your sightseeing tour with pickup from your accommodation in Amsterdam. Cologne is located near the border of the Netherlands and is a beautiful city to visit with plenty to see. The Cologne Cathedral is the most famous church in Germany and is a great place to visit on this tour. You can also visit Alter Markt, a historic square with beautiful narrow alleys in the old town of Cologne. It's now a popular place to go out for a drink. If you are a beer lover, try the Cologne beer Kölsch. Also, make sure you take a look at the historic Gaffel Haus at Alter Markt. If you like shopping, you should definitely visit the Hohe Strasse. This is the main shopping street in Cologne. If you are visiting around the Christmas period, don't forget the Christmas markets. Christmas markets are typically German. Experience the cozy, warm Christmas atmosphere with a glass of mulled wine or hot choco...