Our free walking tours have no fixed prices and are based on a “name your own price” system. At the end of the tour, you can contribute as much as you wish. See it as a reward to your guide and pay whatever the tour was worth for you.

We are confident in the quality of our walking tours. We are also sure that you will be satisfied with your experience and that you’ll feel like giving something back to your tour guide. We also offer private tours, neighbourhood tours and National Socialism in Cologne tours for which we charge for in advance.

Our free walking tours start at the ‘Eigelstein-Torburg’, which is one of the old city gates. We meet directly underneath the gate. Here you can find a map and photo. For the Dark Side of the Dom tour, the Cologne neighbourhood tours and the National Socialism in Cologne tour, please click on the link or check your ticket.

Arrive by public transportation

The Eigelstein-Torburg is close to the station ‘Hansaring’ where the suburban railways (S-Bahn) S6, S11, S12 and S13 and the tram lines 12 and 15 run. Even closer is the station ‘Ebertplatz’ with the tram lines 12, 15, 16 and 18 as well as the bus lines 127 and 140.

Walking

Are you close to the Cologne Cathedral? It’s only a 10-15 minutes walk from there. Ask locals where the ‘Eigelstein-Torburg’ is (people from Cologne generally like to talk and help) or use your smartphone.

In a few words: Stories and facts which show the soul of Cologne. We won’t just tell you facts, numbers and dates. Our main goal is to show you the Cologne way of life by visiting the typical sights, but also hidden places. We want to welcome you to our wonderful city by introducing you to the ‘Cologne feeling’. We’ll also give helpful recommendations for the evening and can answer all questions you might have for your stay in Cologne.

Yes. Due to the current situation with COVID-19, we only accept visitors with bookings. For that, we’ll need you provide your name, phone number and full address. That way, we can contact you in case of an infection during the tour.

Furthermore, it helps us planning the tour when you make a booking. The booking is free of charge and will be available until 2 hours before the tour starts. You can cancel it at any anytime.

If you are a group of 8 or more people traveling together please contact us in advance. From experience, we know that larger groups have the tendency to involuntarily interrupt the tour. We want all our tour guests to enjoy the tour, therefore, we do not accept groups of 8 or larger on our free walking tours. Sorry! You are welcome to book a private tour. Thank you for understanding!

Your guide will be the person that looks super friendly and is standing underneath the old city gate. He or she might be wearing a shirt with a chameleon and will approach you to say: Hi!

Each tour starts on time so please try to be punctual. The tour leaves the meeting point about 10 minutes after the start time out of respect for those who did arrive on time. If you are running late or cannot find the meeting point, please contact us!

No. You can always hear the tour guide. We have strong voices. 🙂

Each free tour lasts approximately 2.5 hours.

The free tour covers about 2.5 km to 3 km. It is an easy walk and the route is accessible. The tour goes at a moderate pace for the average walker.

Yes, the route of our city tour in Cologne is accessible for wheelchairs.

No, our free tours end up in the old town near ‘Heumarkt’ and during Christmas time at the Christmas market.

Ask your hotel staff or find the meeting point here.

We have no scheduled toilet break during our walking tours. Please ask your tour guide about the nearest toilet at the meeting or finishing point. Toilet facilities are very limited on the walk. Nevertheless, don’t hesitate to ask us where the nearest restrooms are. We are happy to help!

We recommend bringing a bottle of water in the summer but we often stop at a kiosk.

Children of any age are welcome. You know your own children better than we do. 🙂 Bring some snacks and/or refreshments, however, younger children may find these tours too tiring. We think that our free walks are suitable for children over the age of 12.

Lucky you, as you will have a personal tour guide to show you around Cologne. Unlike other free tours in Cologne, we will still do the tour just for you.

Freewalk Cologne tours are held rain or shine. Wet weather gear is useful. We do some route adjustments to accommodate poor weather conditions. There is no wrong weather, only wrong clothes – as we like to say in Germany. 😉

Absolutely. We love pets!

In protection of the intellectual copyright that goes into the tours, no forms of video or audio recording are allowed on the tours. The interesting stories that we share with you are the result of painstaking research over many years, so do show your appreciation by listening with attentive ears, open hearts and obedient hands! Photography is allowed. Thank you for your cooperation.

All walking tours are available for fully customized premium private bookings with pick-up and drop-off anywhere within Cologne city centre. See and enjoy only what you want. We have organised private walks for international school groups, multinational companies, groups of private or business friends, etc. For more information, please check our private tours page or contact us.

Tours have no fixed prices and are based on your contributions only. Supporting us is not compulsory and participants are free to give as much or as little as they feel the tour is worth. This concept makes the tour available for everybody interested in Cologne, no matter what your income is or where you’re from. You could literally pay nothing and walk away at the end, but most of our guests find the tours to be extremely informative, entertaining and engaging, so they appreciate their tour guides and with their contribution keep the project alive for the future.

This is an independent project without financial support from any third parties (there is NO other business or governmental involvement on any level). The suggested contribution is 12-15€/pp. The reason we suggest a number is for those who are unsure of what is helpful for us to keep running our tours for free. 100% of our funding comes from your contribution. Again, nothing is compulsory, everything and everybody is welcome!

Absolutely. As a registered company, Freewalk Cologne UG has to pay taxes, social security etc. on a regular basis.

Like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and tag yourself on the photos (#freewalkcologne). That’s how you can reconnect with your travel buddies, plan your next Cologne trip, share tour photos and tell others about your Cologne experience.

You can also become a free walking tour guide or an author for our blog about Cologne.