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There are several boat tours and short day River Cruises on the Rhine in Cologne Germany. Here we compare the various providers and routes, and give you a recommendation for a Rhine cruise in Cologne .
We also provide you with the timetable, mooring location, sights and price for the boat trips from Cologne.
Inhalt
- 1 Rhine Cruise in Cologne – our recommendation:
- 2 Which provider do you recommend for a boat River Cruise in Cologne, Germany, and why?
- 3 Route of the boat tours & River Cruise on the Rhine in Germany
- 4 Experience one of Germany’s largest and most beautiful cities from the water
- 5 Discover sights in Cologne from the Rhine on a short day Cruise
- 6 Rhine Cruise in Cologne at a glance:
- 7 At what times is this boat trip offered?
- 8 How do I get tickets for the Cologne River Cruise in Germany?
- 9 What other types of boat trips are there in Cologne?
- 10 Do you think a boat trip in Cologne is worthwhile?
- 11 Where do you get your experience from?
Rhine Cruise in Cologne – our recommendation:
Rhine River Cruise Cologne
Company: Köln Personenschifffahrt am Dom GmbH
- Rhine boat trip to top sights
- Duration: 1,5 hours
- Host & Audio in German & English
- Prices: Adults 19,90€, children, pupils, students 9,90€, seniors 15,90€
- Cancellation free of charge up to 24 hours before departure
- Meeting point: Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer, No. 10, Cologne
Which provider do you recommend for a boat River Cruise in Cologne, Germany, and why?
We recommend the boat tours in Cologne with the provider “Kölntourist Personenschiffahrt am Dom GmbH”(book tour here).
This provider has collected over 800 reviews on the booking portal GetyourGuide with an average of 4.4 out of 5 points and is currently the most frequently chosen boat tour on the Rhine in Cologne by tourists.
Route of the boat tours & River Cruise on the Rhine in Germany
You can follow the route of your boat tour in Cologne in the graphic below. You can see which sights and highlights await you along the way:
Experience one of Germany’s largest and most beautiful cities from the water
Cologne – along with Hamburg and Berlin, among others – is one of the most popular travel destinations in Germany. Tourists and visitors from all countries flock to the lively city on the Rhine to get to know the culture and way of life of the people of Cologne and to visit the city’s sights. According to the latest figures, tourism in Cologne has recovered well from the coronavirus crisis: In 2022, there were 3.2 million arrivals and 5.6 million overnight stays in the cathedral city in the Rhineland.
If you opt for a boat tour in Cologne, you get a great view of the city with its buildings and highlights from the water. The tall buildings in particular, such as Cologne Cathedral and the crane houses at the newly built Rheinauhafen, have a different effect on the viewer from a distance and from the water than if you were standing right in front of them.
Discover sights in Cologne from the Rhine on a short day Cruise
“Which famous buildings and places in Cologne can I see during the boat trip?” If this question is also on your mind, here is a list of sights that you can see from the boat (with the naked eye or in more detail with binoculars):
- Cologne Cathedral
- Triangle Tower (in Deutz on the other side of the Rhine)
- Hohenzollern Bridge (the bridge directly next to the cathedral)
- Other bridges: Severinsbrücke, Südbrücke (pure drawbridge), Rodenkirchener Brücke (painted in Adenauer green)
- Cologne old town with Rhine promenade
- Chocolate Museum
- Sports and Olympic Museum
- Modern Rheinauhafen with 3 crane houses
- Poller Wiesen (green area opposite the Rheinauhafen)
- Rodenkirchen district (“Cologne Riviera”)
If you opt for a different boat tour, e.g. the three-hour tour to the ports of Cologne in the north, other highlights await you:
- Deutz harbor
- Port of Mülheim
- Niehl container port
By the way: You can find more details about the individual sights in this article.
Rhine Cruise in Cologne at a glance:
- Jetty/boarding point
- Timetable
- Duration
- Prices
- Positive things about the provider
- Negatives about the provider
1st jetty/boarding point
The meeting point is at Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer, jetty no. 10, opposite the Musical Dome and Goldgasse, not far from Cologne Cathedral and the main railway station. (click on the link).
2nd timetable
The boat trips take place several times a day during the high season, between mid-morning and late afternoon. When booking your ticket, you can select and book your desired time from the tours on offer.
3. duration
The trips we recommend last 90 minutes.
4th route
The route of the standard boat tour recommended by us leads from the banks of the Rhine in Cologne in a southerly direction to Rodenkirchen, where the boat usually turns around and returns.
5 Prices
The prices for the boat tour are €19.90 (adults) and €9.90 or €15.90 reduced (pensioners, schoolchildren, children, students).
Positive things about this provider:
- reputable, experienced provider of boat tours in Cologne
- rated well on the GetyourGuide booking portal with 4.4 out of 5 possible points (over 800 reviews in total)
- large panoramic windows, where you can enjoy a good view of Cologne and the Rhine from inside in bad weather or cold weather
- beautiful outdoor area where you can spend time during the tour in good weather
Negatives about this provider:
- criticized that the recordings of the audio guide came a little too quietly over the speakers
- the coffee is not necessarily the tastiest (we didn’t try it ourselves)
- the audio guide is only available in 2 languages (German, English), tourists from France, Italy, Spain etc. have to make do with English
At what times is this boat trip offered?
- The boat trips usually take place at least 3 times a day. The first trip is at 11:30 in the morning.
- The boat trips take place at the following times: 11:30 am, 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm.
- When booking, you can select your preferred time from the available start times.
How do I get tickets for the Cologne River Cruise in Germany?
What other types of boat trips are there in Cologne?
- In addition to the classic Rhine boat trip, there is also a 3-hour harbor tour cruise where you can discover Cologne's harbors and their facilities.
- There are also the equally popular Cologne Party Boat Tours with dance music (usually in the evening), e.g. with the Ahoi Party Ship.
Do you think a boat trip in Cologne is worthwhile?
- Yes, we come from beautiful Cologne ourselves and think that the view of Cologne from the boat is simply super exciting and a boat trip is definitely worthwhile!
Where do you get your experience from?
We are a small team of trained editors, journalists and travel bloggers. With this website, we have specialized in the topic of boat tours and boat trips in various cities and therefore have a good overview of the offers, prices and what is currently in demand among tourists. Would you like to find out more about the people behind this blog? -> Go to our about us page.
F.a.q.:
The ticket price for a boat trip on the Rhine in Cologne is €19.90 for adults. Kids, schoolchildren, students and senior citizens pay a reduced price.
Yes, the boat trips presented on this page can be booked online.
Unfortunately, the audio guide is only recorded in two languages: German and English.
However, the toilets and the open deck are only accessible via stairs.
Contact the provider:
If you have any questions about a Bruges boat trip, please contact the respective provider:
- Köln Personenschifffahrt am Dom GmbH: +49 0221 121600, info@koelntourist.net
If you have already purchased a ticket from Get Your Guide and have a question about your booking, please contact their customer service.
Tip: For fans of tourist sightseeing boat tours, it is also worth taking a look at the tours in other German cities on rivers, e.g. in Düsseldorf and Koblenz. Also popular are the light cruises in Hamburg and boat tours in Dresden.