How to spend the time before New Year’s Eve in Cologne
Between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is the perfect time for trips and activities with the family. 24RHEIN shows 10 ACTIVITIES in Cologne.
Cologne – The Christmas holidays are over and the new year is approaching. Many people have vacations between the years and time to spend with family or friends. Especially in Cologne there are many nice activities where you can spend the days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. There is something for action fans, ice skaters and art lovers alike.
Activities in Cologne between Christmas and New Year’s Eve – overview
- Walk in the Lindenthal zoo
- Drinking mulled wine at the Christmas market at Heumarkt
- A visit to the Cologne museums
- Ice skating in the Lentpark
- Eat hearty in the cozy old town breweries
- Climbing in the “Stuntwerk” in Mülheim
- Cologne Zoo with a difference: light show in the Christmas Garden
- Solve puzzles in “The Great Escape” in Ehrenfeld
- Visit the Cologne Christmas Circus
- Ride the Ferris wheel at the Chocolate Museum
Leisure activities in Cologne: Walk in the Lindenthaler Tierpark
Especially between the years you have time for long walks. If you still want to look at cute animals, you should pay a visit to the Lindenthaler Tierpark. Admission is free. Important: The animals may only be fed with the feed of the zoo. The animal feed can be bought from vending machines and costs only a few euros.
- Address: Marcel-Proust-Promenade 1/ Corner, Kitschburger Str., 50935 Cologne (District of Cologne Lindenthal)
- Opening hours (winter): 9 a.m. to 5 p.m
- Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m
- Entry: free
- Directions: KVB line 7 to Wüllnerstraße, then about 8 minutes on foot
Activities between Christmas and New Year: Christmas market at Heumarkt
Most of the Christmas markets in Cologne have been closed since December 23rd. Who else in the mood for mulled wine after Christmasis lucky: The Christmas market at Heumarkt is open until Sunday, January 8, 2023. The visit can be combined with a round of ice skating on the ice rink at the Christmas market.
- Address: hay market in the Cologne city center
- Duration: Monday, November 21, 2022 to Sunday, January 8, 2023 (days off December 24/25)
- Opening hours: daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., from Monday, December 26, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m
- Rink: Day ticket adults (Mon-Fri) 8 euros, day ticket children from 5 to 12 years 6 euros
- Directions: with the KVB line 1, KVB line 5KVB line 7 or KVB line 9 to Heumarkt
Leisure activities in Cologne: A visit to the Cologne museums
Art and history as far as the eye can see: because Cologne has a lot of culture to offer. The Cologne museums have also been open between the years. Regular opening times apply from December 27th to 30th. In the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK), for example, Susanna Taras is currently showing the special exhibition “Flowers, Flowers, Fleurs”, in which Taras fills an entire room with large, colorful flower pictures made from carpets.
- Rautenstrauch-Joest Museum: Cäcilienstrasse 29-33, 50676 Cologne (Neumarkt), 7 euros
- Museum Ludwig: Heinrich-Böll-Platz, 50667 Cologne, 11 euros
- Museum of Applied Arts: And. Law School 7, 50667 Cologne, 4 euros (for permanent collection)
- Museum Schnutgen: Cäcilienstrasse 29-33, 50667 Cologne, 6 euros
- Chocolate Museum: Am Schokoladenmuseum 1A, 50678 Cologne, 12.50 euros
- Wallraf Richartz Museum: Obenmarspforten 40, 50667 Cologne, 13 euros
- Closed on: 24th, 25th, 31st December and 1st January
Activities between Christmas and New Year: Ice skating in the Fastenpark
On the 260 meter long ice rink, visitors can in the ice rink fasting park glide over the ice. With the help of small penguins as a support, even small children can experience winter fun together with their parents. Even on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, ice skating isn’t over yet: the Lentpark is open until 1 p.m. on these days.
- Address: Lentstraße 30, 50668 Cologne (downtown district)
- Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. disco, Sunday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m
- Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Christmas Day closed
- Prices (up to 2 hours): Adults 8.50 euros, children 5.60 euros
- Directions: with the KVB line 16 and the KVB line 18 as well as the bus of the KVB line 140 bis KVB– Stop “Reichenspergerplatz”
Leisure activities in Cologne: Eat hearty food in the cozy old town breweries
If you want to take it easy after the holidays and before the new year, you can easily go to one of the many Breweries in the old town of Cologne put. Breweries such as the “Gaffel am Dom” or the “Gilden im Zims” are classics in Cologne and definitely worth a visit. Here there is freshly tapped Kolsch also delicious Cologne food such as “Halve Hahn”, “Himmel un Äd” and Rhenish Sauerbraten.
- “Gaff at the cathedral“: Station forecourt 1, 50667 Cologne
- “Brewery Zur Malzmühle“: Heumarkt 6, 50667 Cologne
- “Brewery Sion“: Unter Taschenmacher 5-7, 50667 Cologne
- “Early at the cathedral“: Am Hof 12-18, 50667 Cologne
- “Guilds in the Sims“: Heumarkt 77, 50667 Cologne
- “Brewery Paffgen“: Friesenstrasse 64-66, 50670 Cologne
Activities between Christmas and New Year’s Eve: Climbing in the “Stuntwerk” in Mülheim
Action fans come especially in the NRW climbing halls fully at their own expense. The climbing hall “Stuntwerk” in Mülheim in Cologne-Mülheim with its large, light-flooded rooms offers not only climbing fun but also parkour, ninja warrior training and numerous fitness courses such as yoga, strength and mobility or body weight exercises. There is also a lot for children.
- Address: Schanzenstrasse 6-20, 51063 Cologne (District of Cologne Mülheim)
- Opening hours: Monday to Sunday 9 a.m. to 11 p.m
- Prices: Adults 13 euros, children (4 to 13 years) 8 euros
- Directions: with the KVB line 4 to Keupstr
Activities between Christmas and New Year: Light show in the Christmas Garden
Until January 15, 2023, the Christmas light art can be seen in the Cologne zoo to be admired. Of the Cologne Christmas Garden even has some new visual highlights this time. On the approximately two-kilometer circular route, visitors will find more than 30 elaborate and lovingly staged light installations that allow them to immerse themselves in a Christmas world. The tour is accompanied by music composed for the Christmas Garden by composer and sound designer Burkhard Fincke.
- Address: Riehlerstr. 173, 50735 Cologne (Cologne-Nippes district)
- Period: Thursday 17 November 2022 to Sunday 15 January 2023
- Opening hours: Daily from 5pm to 9:30pm
- Closed: 24th and 31st December 2022
- Directions: with the KVB line 18 or bus line 140 to the “Zoo/Flora” stop
Leisure activities in Cologne: solve puzzles in “The Great Escape” in Ehrenfeld
Attention puzzle fans: If you want to feel like Sherlock Holmes, you should try “The Great Escape” in Ehrenfeld between the years. Visitors can choose between three missions: In “Scourge of Mankind” you have to find the antidote for a virus and in “Circus Mortale” you are mistaken for the bearded lady’s murderer. The third mission “Deadly Clouds” is about the weather and a super magnet. Here there is no support from a human game master, the players find themselves in an escape room that is stuffed with technology and in which there are independent hints.
- Address: In the Toscana Passage, Venloer Straße 440, 50825 Cologne (District Cologne Ehrenfeld)
- Opening hours: Daily from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m
- Prices (per person): 4 players 30 euros, 6 players 25 euros, 8 players 22 euros
- Directions: with the KVB line 3, KVB line 4 and the KVB line 13 to Venloer Strasse/Gürtel
Leisure activities in Cologne: Visit to the Cologne Christmas Circus
It has been running since December 2nd Cologne Christmas Circus and captivates young and old alike. The popular circus at the Zoobrücke is taking place for the seventh time Cologne Deutz instead of. Visitors can especially look forward to the clown duo Daris and Fumagalli. Meanwhile, at dizzying heights, four Colombian acrobats perform various tricks on a double wheel. The circus will run until January 1, 2023.
- Address: Messeplatz 1, 50679 Cologne, Koelnmesse P21 (district Cologne city center)
- Period: Friday 2 December 2022 to Sunday 1 January 2023
- Duration: Two and a half hours, including a 25-minute break
- Prices: in the range of 25 to 80 euros
- Directions: with the KVB line 3 and KVB line 4 to the “Koelnmesse” stop
Activities between Christmas and New Year’s Eve: Ferris wheel ride at the Chocolate Museum
Also the Christmas market at the Chocolate Museum is over – but it will be replaced from December 26th by the New Year’s market, which will be open until January 8th. The Ferris wheel has been standing right next to the market and the famous chocolate museum for months. For 8 euros you can go high: in a comfortable gondola you have a beautiful view of the Cologne cathedral and the Rhine.
- New Year’s market: Monday 26 December 2022 to Sunday 8 January 2023
- Opening times Ferris wheel and market: Daily from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m
- Price ferris wheel: from 13 years 8 euros, children (2 to 12 years) 6 euros
- Directions: with KVB line 1, KVB line 7 or KVB line 9 to Heumarkt
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