Arts & Culture

Visiting museums

Small and select — or big and famous: more than 100 museums in Cologne are waiting for your visit. And they’re well worth visiting even if it’s not a rainy day. Let the Fragrance Museum enchant you, the Sports Museum warm you up, the world of chocolate stimulate all of your senses, and learn much more about the cultures of our world in these and other museums. If you’re interested in art and culture, Cologne offers you all this and much more. In addition, numerous art galleries look forward to having you drop in. There’s lots of art and culture in Cologne — for a day trip or a tour lasting several days. Just come to Cologne again and again — we’ll keep you up to date on our museums, exhibitions and events.

Top 4 Cologne museums

Museum Ludwig

Important art museum

Kolumba

Art museum of the archdiocese

Chocolate Museum

The whole world of chocolate

MAKK

Museum of Applied Arts

Exhibitions

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  • Open detail page 'HERE AND NOW at the Museum Ludwig' (08/11/2026)
    Hand holds tightly bundled silver metal cones hanging from fabric ribbons.
    HERE AND NOW at the Museum Ludwig08/11/2026
    from €13.50 p. p.
    10:00
    Exhibition
    Museum Ludwig, Heinrich-Böll-Platz, 50667 Köln
  • Open detail page 'Michael Schumacher Private Collection' (08/11/2026)
    Red formula car in glazed exhibition hall with large-format photos of Michael Schuhmacher in the background
    Michael Schumacher Private Collection08/11/2026
    10:00
    Exhibition
    MOTORWORLD Cologne Rhineland, Butzweilerstraße 35-39, 50829 Köln
  • Open detail page 'return' (08/11/2026)
    A glowing circular installation in the "return" exhibition, with groups of visitors in the room
    return08/11/2026
    10:00
    Exhibition
    Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum: Cultures of the world, Cäcilienstraße 29-33, 50667 Köln
  • Open detail page 'Bubble Planet' (08/11/2026)
    People play in a pink illuminated ball pool with floating balloons
    Bubble Planet08/11/2026
    10:00
    Exhibition
    COLONEUM Cologne, Studio 52, Butzweilerstraße 255, 50829 Köln
  • Open detail page 'Light in Dark Times' (08/11/2026)
    Miracle of Pentecost, Southern Netherlands/Flanders, 1540, stained glass, Kyiv, Khanenko Museum, 301 БР МХ, photo: Rhei-nisches Bildarchiv Köln / Marion Mennicken
    Light in Dark Times08/11/2026
    10:00
    Exhibition
    Museum Schnütgen, Cäcilienstraße 29-33, 50667 Köln
  • Open detail page 'Along the Color Line' (08/11/2026)
    Exhibition space featuring a suspended installation and colorful pictorial friezes at the Museum Ludwig
    Tip Along the Color Line08/11/2026
    10:00
    Exhibition
    Museum Ludwig, Heinrich-Böll-Platz, 50667 Köln
  • Open detail page 'The Fascination of Jewellery' (08/11/2026)
    Colorful brooch made of geometric elements arranged in a star shape on a grey background.
    The Fascination of Jewellery08/11/2026
    10:00
    Exhibition
    Museum of Applied Arts, An der Rechtschule 7, 50667 Köln
  • Open detail page 'Ser Serpas - Strange Days' (08/11/2026)
    Lighted vanity tables with wig heads and props in front of a green wall
    Ser Serpas - Strange Days08/11/2026
    11:00
    Exhibition
    Kölnischer Kunstverein, Hahnenstraße 6, 50667 Köln

Museum landscape

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    Gallery scene

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      Sights

      Cologne is home to about one million people — and about six million visitors come to this metropolis on the Rhine every year to explore the city and its tourist attractions. Of course the most outstanding highlights are Cologne Cathedral and the city’s 12 famous Romanesque churches. One good thing about Cologne is that you can combine visits to many highlights, monuments, hotspots and museums by simply walking around — for example, from the Cathedral through the Altstadt (Old Town) to the Rheinauhafen (Rheinau Harbour) district and back along the Rhine. Or you can visit the Zoo and the Flora botanical garden, cross the Rhine in a cable car and walk back along the right bank, crossing the Rhine again to the Cathedral via the Hohenzollernbrücke with its load of “love locks” weighing many tonnes. Cologne is a green metropolis with many attractive parks and gardens that offer pleasant opportunities to relax after gathering so many new impressions.

      Romanesque churches

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        Roman Cologne

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          Parks & Gardens

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            Fountains

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              Public Art & Monuments 

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                Discover More

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                • Open detail page 'Melaten Cemetry'
                  Moss-covered graves and a historic headstone at the Melaten Cemetery in Cologne
                  Tip Melaten Cemetry
                  Cemetery
                  Aachener Straße 204, 50931 Köln
                • Open detail page 'Historic City Hall'
                  View of the historic town hall in the old town from below, showing the Gothic architectural style with detailed statues.
                  Tip Historic City Hall
                  Historic building
                  Rathausplatz 2, 50667 Köln
                • Open detail page 'Tünnes and Schäl statues'
                  The bronze figure group shows the Cologne originals "Tünnes and Schäl" in the historic center of Cologne. Both figures are designed to be lifelike.
                  Tip Tünnes and Schäl statues
                  Monument
                  Lintgasse 9, 50667 Köln
                • Open detail page 'Cologne Central Mosque'
                  Hall columns and domed roofs characterize the striking façade of Cologne's modern central mosque.
                  Tip Cologne Central Mosque
                  Mosque
                  Venloer Straße 160, 50823 Köln
                • Open detail page 'Gürzenich'
                  The façade of the historic Gürzenich Köln with high windows and towers, under a clear sky.
                  Tip Gürzenich
                  Historic building
                  Martinstraße 29-37, 50667 Köln
                • Open detail page 'Ubier Monument'
                  The picture shows historical masonry from the ancient Ubiermonument in Cologne. In the foreground is a cylinder, behind it brightly lit stone walls that emphasize the archaeological atmosphere.
                  Tip Ubier Monument
                  Archaeological site
                  An der Malzmühle 1, 50676 Köln
                • Open detail page 'Synagogue'
                  Romanesque façade of the synagogue made of sandstone with large, round windows and pointed towers.
                  Tip Synagogue
                  Synagogue
                  Roonstraße 50, 50674 Köln
                • Open detail page 'Cologne Cathedral'
                  Cologne Cathedral in Cologne: majestic Gothic cathedral with two magnificent towers under a blue sky.
                  Tip Cologne Cathedral
                  Church
                  Domkloster 4, 50667 Köln