Cologne Koln, Germany North Rhine-Westphalia

4291 Cruises availables At departure or passage at this port

AmaWaterways (331 Cruises)

Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaCerto ship

AmaCerto

162 Passengers
3500 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaPrima ship

AmaPrima

162 Passengers
3500 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaSerena ship

AmaSerena

162 Passengers
3500 tons
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Cruise Ama AmaWaterways AmaVenita ship

AmaVenita

162 Passengers
3500 tons
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Avalon Waterways (470 Cruises)

Avalon Envision

213 Passengers
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Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Panorama ship

Avalon PanoramaSM

166 Passengers
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Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Poetry II ship

Avalon Poetry II®

128 Passengers
5000 tons
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Avalon View

213 Passengers
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3 August 21 days One-way from Basel to Arles
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3 August 15 days One-way from Basel to Paris City
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3 August 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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3 August 14 days One-way from Basel to Paris City
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3 August 22 days One-way from Basel to Arles
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3 August 7 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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8 August 16 days One-way from Paris City to Amsterdam
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8 August 17 days One-way from Paris City to Amsterdam
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10 August 8 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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10 August 15 days One-way from Amsterdam to Arles
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10 August 14 days One-way from Amsterdam to Arles
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17 August 7 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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17 August 21 days One-way from Basel to Arles
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17 August 22 days One-way from Basel to Arles
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17 August 14 days One-way from Basel to Paris City
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17 August 15 days One-way from Basel to Paris City
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17 August 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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22 August 17 days One-way from Paris City to Amsterdam
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22 August 16 days One-way from Paris City to Amsterdam
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24 August 8 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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24 August 14 days One-way from Amsterdam to Arles
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24 August 15 days One-way from Amsterdam to Arles
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31 August 22 days One-way from Basel to Arles
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31 August 7 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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31 August 21 days One-way from Basel to Arles
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31 August 15 days One-way from Basel to Paris City
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31 August 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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31 August 14 days One-way from Basel to Paris City
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Cruise AVA Avalon Waterways Vista ship

Avalon VistaSM

166 Passengers
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CroisiEurope (106 Cruises)

Cruise CE Croisieurope MS Symphonie ship

MS Symphonie

105 Passengers
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Emerald Waterways (572 Cruises)

Emerald Astra

Emerald Astra

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Emerald Dawn.

Emerald Dawn

227 Passengers
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Emerald Destiny.

Emerald Destiny

227 Passengers
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1 September 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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1 September 10 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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1 September 9 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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6 September 13 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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6 September 10 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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8 September 11 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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8 September 8 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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12 September 11 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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12 September 10 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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12 September 14 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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12 September 13 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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15 September 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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15 September 7 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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15 September 11 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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15 September 10 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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20 September 13 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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20 September 10 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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22 September 8 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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22 September 11 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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29 September 10 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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29 September 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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29 September 9 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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Emerald Luna .

Emerald Luna

227 Passengers
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2 June 11 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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2 June 13 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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2 June 14 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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2 June 10 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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5 June 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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5 June 10 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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5 June 11 days One-way from Basel to London-Greenwich
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5 June 7 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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12 June 8 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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12 June 11 days One-way from Amsterdam to Basel
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16 June 10 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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16 June 11 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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19 June 7 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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19 June 8 days One-way from Basel to Amsterdam
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19 June 15 days One-way from Basel to Paris City
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23 June 17 days One-way from Paris City to Budapest
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23 June 21 days One-way from Paris City to Prague
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23 June 20 days One-way from Paris City to Prague
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23 June 18 days One-way from Paris City to Budapest
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26 June 15 days One-way from Amsterdam to Budapest
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26 June 14 days One-way from Amsterdam to Budapest
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26 June 18 days One-way from Amsterdam to Prague
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26 June 17 days One-way from Amsterdam to Prague
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Emerald Sky.

Emerald Sky

227 Passengers
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Emerald Star.

Emerald Star

227 Passengers
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Emerald Sun

Emerald Sun

227 Passengers
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Riviera Travel (243 Cruises)

MS Emily Bronte.

MS Emily Bronte

220 Passengers
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MS George Eliot.

MS George Eliot

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MS Oscar Wilde.

MS Oscar Wilde

213 Passengers
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MS Riviera Resplendence1

MS Riviera Resplendence

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Scenic Cruises (671 Cruises)

Scenic Amber.

Scenic Amber

169 Passengers
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Scenic Crystal.

Scenic Crystal

169 Passengers
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Scenic Jade.

Scenic Jade

169 Passengers
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Scenic Jasper.

Scenic Jasper

163 Passengers
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Scenic Jewel.

Scenic Jewel

169 Passengers
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Scenic Opal.

Scenic Opal

169 Passengers
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Scenic Pearl.

Scenic Pearl

159 Passengers
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Scenic Ruby

Scenic Ruby

169 Passengers
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Uniworld Boutique River Cruise (572 Cruises)

S.S Audrey.

S.S Audrey

154 Passengers
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S.S Elisabeth.

S.S Elisabeth

110 Passengers
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s.s. antoinette.

S.S. Antoinette

211 Passengers
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S.S. Victoria.

S.S. Victoria

151 Passengers
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SS Antoinette

Uniworld SS Antoinette

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Viking River Cruises (1318 Cruises)

Viking Einar.

Viking Einar

243 Passengers
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Viking Hervor.

Viking Hervor

243 Passengers
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Viking Longship Gefjon.

Viking Longship Gefjon

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Viking Longships Alruna.

Viking Longships Alruna

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Viking Longships Baldur.

Viking Longships Baldur

240 Passengers
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Viking Longships Eir.

Viking Longships Eir

243 Passengers
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Viking Longships Heimdal.

Viking Longships Heimdal

243 Passengers
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Viking Longships Hlin.

Viking Longships Hlin

243 Passengers
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Viking Longships Kara.

Viking Longships Kara

238 Passengers
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Viking Longships Lif.

Viking Longships Lif

238 Passengers
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Viking Longships Magni.

Viking Longships Magni

240 Passengers
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Viking Longships Mani.

Viking Longships Mani

242 Passengers
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Viking Longships Mimir.

Viking Longships Mimir

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Viking Longships Rolf

Viking Longships Rolf

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Viking Longships Tialfi.

Viking Longships Tialfi

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Viking Longships Ve.

Viking Longships Ve

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Viking Longships Vidar.

Viking Longships Vidar

238 Passengers
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Viking Longships Vili.

Viking Longships Vili

240 Passengers
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Viking Sigrun.

Viking Sigrun

190 Passengers
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Viking Tialfi

190 Passengers
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Long before docking, you see them: two twin spires of dark stone, 157 metres high, that dominate the Rhine's horizon. Cologne Cathedral took more than six centuries to complete, and a single glance explains the builders' determination. River ships moor along the Rhine's quays—Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer to the north, Frankenwerft facing the old city, Rheinauhafen to the south—and, wherever your berth, the Cathedral's silhouette serves as compass: fifteen to twenty minutes' walk at most.

The Cathedral, Obviously

Inscribed on the UNESCO world heritage list, the cathedral houses behind its high altar the shrine of the Magi, a gilded medieval reliquary that made Cologne one of Europe's great pilgrimage destinations. The interior astonishes with its verticality: the pillars rise unbroken toward vaults barely visible. The most valiant will climb the 533 steps of the south tower to dominate the river and roofs; others will linger before the stained glass, including the contemporary one composed by Gerhard Richter like a giant colour pixel. Entry to the building is free.

Coloured Gables and the Kölsch Ritual

Between the Cathedral and the Rhine stretches the old quarter, rebuilt post-war: the Alter Markt and Fischmarkt plazas paved in stone, narrow houses with coloured gables, lanes where the scent of hops drifts. Here unfolds the most Cologne ritual imaginable: the Kölsch, blonde and light beer, served in thin 20-centilitre glasses that the server—the Köbes, readily teasing—replaces automatically as long as you haven't set your coaster on the empty glass. Accompany it with a regional dish in a traditional brewery, and you will have grasped the city's mood: direct, laughing, unpretentious.

From Romans to Pop Art

Cologne was a Roman colony—its very name stems from this—and two thousand years of history surface everywhere. Depending on available time, choose your century: the Ludwig Museum, close to the choir, lines one of the world's most significant pop art collections outside the United States, Picasso included; the Hohenzollern Bridge next door, weighed down by tens of thousands of lovers' padlocks and offering the best photographic perspective on both spires; and perfume lovers will search for the House 4711, cradle of Cologne water that carried the city's name into our bathroom cabinets.

Rheinauhafen and Chocolate

To the south, a twenty-minute promenade along the river leads to Rheinauhafen, a former harbour basin converted into a contemporary quarter, recognizable by its three buildings shaped like inverted port cranes. The chocolate museum occupies a peninsula there: history of cacao, a working production line and a chocolate fountain where you dip warm wafers. The return can be made by the streetcar line that reaches the centre in one stop, if legs need mercy.

What You Should Know Before Setting Out on Foot

  • Main quays → cathedral plaza: about 1 kilometre, flat promenade along the Rhine.
  • Rheinauhafen → plaza: 1.5 kilometres, or streetcar from Heumarkt.
  • Building entry free; tower and treasury paid.
  • Sunday morning, the historic quarter sleeps late: breweries mostly open from noon onward.

Leaving With the Carillon

At departure time, if the hour permits, the bourdon housed in the south tower—the "Decke Pitter," one of the world's largest working bells—sometimes rolls above the river. The Cologne people say you never quite leave their city: you have simply left a reason to return. Between a Richter stained-glass window, a glass of Kölsch and a golden shrine eight centuries old, each will find theirs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Along the Rhine quays: Konrad-Adenauer-Ufer to the north, Frankenwerft opposite the old town, Rheinauhafen to the south. Wherever your berth, the cathedral's silhouette works as a compass: fifteen to twenty minutes' walk at most.
No, entry to the building is free. Only the south tower climb and parts of the treasury charge admission.
The Shrine of the Three Kings, a gilded medieval reliquary kept behind the high altar, which made Cologne one of the great pilgrimage destinations of Europe. The interior startles with its verticality: the piers rise in a single sweep toward vaults you can barely make out. Do not miss the contemporary window by Gerhard Richter, composed like a giant pixel field of colour.
Yes, but you have to want it: 533 steps lead to the top of the south tower, with no lift, for a view over the river and the rooftops. The twin spires rise to 157 metres. Anyone saving their legs will linger over the stained glass instead.
Cologne's pale, light beer, served in slim 20-centilitre glasses. The ritual matters: the waiter, known as the Köbes and cheerfully teasing, replaces your glass automatically until you set your beer mat on top of it. That is the gesture that means stop.
The postwar-rebuilt historic quarter between the cathedral and the Rhine: the cobbled Alter Markt and Fischmarkt squares, narrow houses with brightly painted gables, lanes carrying a smell of hops. It is where you catch the mood of the city: direct, cheerful, unfussy.
Yes, and its very name comes from it: Cologne was a Roman colony, and two thousand years of history surface everywhere in the city. Depending on the time you have, you can pick your century, from the ancient forum to pop art.
A museum right beside the cathedral apse, holding one of the most important pop art collections outside the United States, Picasso included. It is the modern counterpoint to the Gothic stone, and takes an hour or two to see.
A former dock basin converted into a contemporary district, about twenty minutes' walk south along the river, recognisable by its three buildings shaped like upside-down harbour cranes. The chocolate museum occupies a peninsula there: the history of cacao, a working production line and a chocolate fountain where you dip warm wafers.
From the main quays to the cathedral square: about 1 kilometre, a flat walk along the Rhine. From the Rheinauhafen to the cathedral: 1.5 kilometres, or one tram stop from Heumarkt if your legs have had enough. The Hohenzollern Bridge, close to the cathedral, gives the best photographic angle on the twin spires.