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Our most recommended things to do in Cologne

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  1. Cologne: Kölsch Beer Brewhouse Tour

  Take a fascinating tour of the brewhouses of Cologne, taste a distinctive Kölsch beer in each, and learn more about the Cologne lifestyle. Learn about the Kölsch Convention of 1986 and how this type of beer is a protected regional speciality within the EU. Discover what a Kölsch and Alt beer have in common, and what a “Köbes” and a “Pittermännche” are. By the end of the tour you’ll understand where the German phrase “to have something on your tally stick” comes from. Visit the following brewhouses in Cologne Oldtown: Brauhaus Früh am Dom or Brauhaus Sion, Peters Brauhaus or Dom im Stapelhaus, Brauhaus zum Prinzen (replete with many photos of local hero Lukas Podolski) or Sünner im Walfisch, and finally Bierhaus en d’r Salzgass (a highlight of Cologne Carnival) or the Bierhaus am Rhein Finish the tour by receiving a souvenir certificate that proves your expert knowledge of Kölsch beer.

  It wasn't made clear that the tour was in German, which the German tour guide was annoyed about when we arrived (once we found her). Fortunately her colleague, Boris, was amazing and great fun. Should be made clear that this is not a brewery tour but a tour to some pubs essentially.

  Reviewed by George, 4/17/2017
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  2. Cologne: Guided Tour of the Melaten Cemetery

  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 square meters and around 55,000 gravesites. Enjoy moments of peace and tranquility during the 2-hour 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".

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  3. Cologne Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour and Boat Cruise

  Get to know Cologne from a different perspective. Experience a scenic cruise along the Rhine and admire the sights of the city from the water. See the modern Rheinauhafen district with its many historical crane houses, and discover interesting information about the monuments and buildings along the way. A ride on a double-decker open-top bus with fantastic views of the city makes this tour a real experience. The 1.5-hour ride takes you through the center of this bustling city. With the hop-on hop-off ticket you can get on and off the bus at any time and as often as you like in 24 hours in order to explore the best places in the city. Alternatively you can stay seated on the bus and learn all about Cologne with the audio commentary or live guide. Bus Stops: Kölner Dom / Hauptbahnhof (Central Station) / Trankgasse Excelsior Hotel Ernst Rathaus / KVB Haltestelle / Farina...

  The bus trip showed most of the sites and drop off points were close to landmarks. The river cruise was excellent.

  Reviewed by TerryHadfield, Australia, 8/26/2018
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  4. Cologne Old Town: Historical Tour in German

  Explore Cologne's old town 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. 

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  5. Cologne: Brewery Tour with Three "Kölsch" Tastings

  If you are you looking for a fun way to explore the beautiful city and history of Cologne, this renowned brewery tour is a great choice. On this tour, the guides have the freedom to choose which breweries to take you to. This allows them to make decisions based on the group dynamic, ensuring that everyone is entertained and satisfied. If you'd like an even more personalized experience, select the option with a private guide. The 2-hour tour begins near the cathedral's grand entrance by the Kreuzblumen monument. After a couple of fun facts about the cathedral and the Kreuzblume, you start the thirst-quenching journey to three different breweries, where you will taste three delicious local beers to find the one that best suits you. You will not only learn a little bit about the breweries and the local brewing culture, but most importantly, you will taste the result of hundreds of years o...

  Very enjoyable afternoon trip with Johann, our friendly guide, showing us a bit of Cologne, some breweries and telling us about the city and some of the customs around the local lager, Koelsch.

  Reviewed by Petra, 1/27/2020
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  6. Cologne: Old Town Brewhouse Tour

  Your guide will meet you at the meeting point and bring you to 4 different traditional beer houses in Cologne's Old Town. In each establishment, you can order a different Kölsch, a local beer brewed in the city. While you rest at the brewhouse, your guide will tell you everything you need to know about Kölsch, Cologne and the local way of life. Throughout the 2-hour tour, your guide will share personal anecdotes as well as interesting facts about this historic city and its unique beer culture. If you're in luck, the guide will even let you in on a local secret and explain why the person bringing you beer in Cologne is not called a waiter, and why they have a very unique attitude.

  So much fun! Learned interesting and fun facts about kolsch. The entire experience felt completely natural and fun, never did it feel uncomfortable like some tours do. Great way to spend a few hours, highly recommend

  Reviewed by Anonymous, United States, 8/23/2021
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  7. Cologne: Melaten Cemetery Celebrities and Curiosities

  Melaten Cemetery, which is over two centuries old, is an oasis of peace and quiet in the midst of this vibrant metropolis. Start the tour at its old main entrance. Your local guide will give you a short history of the area, how it was a village for the leppers, a place of execution, and finally how it became a central cemetery.

  Then, get ready to explore the area. Marvel at its parklike design and find numerous impressive monuments and objects of traditional and contemporary art. Admire Classicist to Neo-Gothic and Neo-Baroque grave monuments, symbols and sculptures.

  Melaten Cemetery has about 55,000 graves. Walk along the main paths reserved for the wealthy known as the "Millionaires Alley". Discover curious stories about the prominent Cologne citizens buried here. The tour will end at the tomb of the architect of the graveyard.

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  8. Cologne: 3-Hour Harbor Tour Cruise

  Enjoy some of Cologne’s harbors and their facilities with explanations from a knowledgeable local guide in German on this 3-hour harbor cruise. The tour on MS Rhein Cargo, MS Rheinland or MS Rheinperle examines the history of the Rheinau Harbor, offers insights into the Deutz Harbor and Mülheim Harbor and takes you into the container harbor Niehl, one of Germany’s largest inland harbors. During the tour your guide will offer you useful information and exciting anecdotes about Cologne's harbors, their history, dates and figures and you can observe the work in the harbor Niehl, a unique insight in the city.

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  9. Cologne: Guided Highlights Tour with a Local

  Explore the cathedral from the outside. View the Dionysius mosaic from the outside the Roman-Germanic Museum. Stop by the Heizelmännchen fountain. Discover the town hall, the Alter Markt, and the banks of the Rhine River. See the well-preserved Roman ruins from when Cologne was a Roman colony. Walk along the old Roman city wall and see the “Roman Tower,” the northwestern corner tower of the Roman city wall, which is almost completely preserved. Stroll down the Roman harbor road and see a section of the Roman sewer.

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  10. Cologne: 1.5-Hour Comedy Bus Tour

  Experience a comedy tour through Cologne onboard a moving stand-up stage. The mobile comedy showcase started in Hamburg before conquering the German capital and now bringing laughs to Cologne. During the 1.5-hour show in the modern bus, laugh your way through a discovery of Cologne. Endless jokes, stories, and extraordinary activities make this tour an innovative comedy adventure. Pass by all the major sights of the cathedral city and experience the origins of the jokes. Various comedians, including Keirut Wenzel, Jessica Sinapi, Dirk Volpert, Marcel Höfs or Klaus Teigel, bring the fun bus to a start every Friday and Saturday from 6:00 PM and 8:30 PM. Experience an entertaining mix of information and comedy, from spontaneous humor to historical anecdotes. Sightseeing meets comedy!