Cologne Cathedral & Old Town: Self-Guided City Game

Play your way through Cologne instead of following a guide

An e-scavenger hunt through Cologne using a free smartphone app where you answer questions and complete search assignments at landmarks like Cologne Cathedral, the Hohenzollern Bridge, and the Old Town. You start and stop whenever you want, use GPS to navigate between sites, and learn facts about each location as you play. The app works in English, Spanish, Italian, French and two additional languages.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Cologne city highlights

• Start city game on smartphone
• Visit Cologne Cathedral
• See relics of the Three Kings
• Walk through Cologne Old Town
• Pass Hohenzollern Bridge
• Explore Heumarkt square
• Discover 4711 Eau de Cologne
• View Wallraf-Richartz Museum
• Visit Roman-Germanic Museum
• See Great Saint Martin church
• Relax at Alter Markt square
• Visit Saint Gereon's Church
• Pass Praetorium ruins
• See Basilica of St. Ursula
• View garden gnomes fountain
• Explore old harbor area

What’s included

• Access to the free city game app.
• GPS-guided navigation between landmarks.
• questions and search assignments at each stop.
• facts about Cologne Cathedral, the Hohenzollern Bridge, Old Town squares, museums, and Romanesque churches.
• the ability to start, pause and resume whenever you choose.

Times

• Every day No fixed time

Before you book

Group Private

Audio guide English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Dutch Another language? ›

Meeting point and pickup No hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refunds Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Good to know

Low physical effort Wheelchair accessible Accessible transport Stroller-friendly Pets welcome Public transport nearby Not recommended with heart problems

Operated by Qula

Prices and times updated 13 days ago

Traveler reviews

4.00 ★★★★★ Very good 11 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

The experience

The game lives on your phone. After booking, you'll get instructions to log into the free city game app, then you're free to start whenever suits you: morning, afternoon, or split across two days. GPS guides you between stops: Cologne Cathedral (a UNESCO World Heritage Gothic masterpiece that survived two world wars), the Hohenzollern Bridge built between 1907 and 1911, the narrow streets of the Old Town, and squares like the Heumarkt and Alter Markt. At each location, the app prompts you with questions about what you're standing in front of and search assignments that pull out details most visitors miss.

The pace is entirely yours. You're not tethered to a group or a schedule: pause for coffee, linger at a museum, or skip ahead if a stop doesn't grip you. The app feeds you interesting facts as you go: the relics of the Three Kings housed in the Cathedral since 1164, the story of 4711 eau de cologne born in this city, the Wallraf-Richartz Museum's 3500 square meters of European art from the 13th century onward, or the Roman-Germanic Museum built above the remains of a third-century Roman villa. You'll walk past Saint Gereon's Church (the oldest in Cologne), the Basilica of St. Ursula, and the restored harbor where old buildings meet modern shops.

This works for solo travelers, families, and large groups alike. There's no boring narration, no one talking at you. Just the game, your phone, and the city. The whole route takes somewhere between two and four hours depending on how deep you go into each stop and how many museums you enter along the way.

Top questions

What's actually inside the Cologne Cathedral that makes it worth the stop?

Cologne Cathedral houses the relics of the Three Kings, which have been kept there in a reliquary since 1164. The building itself is a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and was added to UNESCO's World Heritage list in 1996.

Can I do this game if I don't speak German?

The app is available in English, Spanish, Italian, French and two additional languages, so you can play in your preferred language from the start.

Do I need to visit museums to finish the game, or can I just walk the streets?

The game works entirely on the streets and squares. You answer questions and complete assignments at outdoor landmarks like the Cathedral, bridges, and plazas. Museums like the Wallraf-Richartz and Roman-Germanic Museum are stops the app mentions, but entering them is your choice.

What happens if I get lost or the GPS doesn't work?

The app uses GPS to guide you between locations, but you're in control of the route. If you lose signal, you can still see the map and navigate manually, or simply pause and resume whenever you're ready to continue.

Is this suitable for kids, or is it just for adults?

The game is family-friendly and works well for children. It's designed as a fun activity rather than a lecture. Large groups of mixed ages can play together at their own speed.

How long does the whole thing actually take?

The route takes between two and four hours depending on how much time you spend at each stop and whether you enter any of the museums along the way. You set the pace.