Cologne Cable Car

The Cologne Cable Car (Kölner Seilbahn) has been carrying passengers across the Rhine in small four-seat gondolas since 1957, linking a station next to Cologne Zoo with the Rheinpark on the opposite bank. The six-minute ride is one of the most relaxing things to do in Cologne: the river and the Zoo Bridge pass right beneath you, and the twin spires of Cologne Cathedral rise on the skyline. It pairs perfectly with a zoo visit or an afternoon in the park.

A bit of history

The cable car was built for the 1957 Federal Garden Show and started running on April 17, 1957. When the Zoo Bridge was built in the 1960s, one of its pylons was in the way, so the line was dismantled in 1963 and reopened on August 22, 1966 with a longer route of 935 meters (about 0.6 miles). Today 41 cabins circulate on the line, carrying up to 1,600 people an hour. After an incident in July 2017, when firefighters had to rescue 65 passengers, the system was overhauled and resumed regular service in March 2019. More than 20 million people have ridden it so far.

What you will see

• Views upriver to the cathedral and Cologne's Old Town.
• The Zoo Bridge directly below, with traffic surprisingly close.
• The green Rheinpark and Claudius Therme spa on the Deutz side.
• Colorful cabins, some painted with characters from a famous German children's TV show.

Dogs ride for free. Operations may pause in strong winds.

Opening hours and tickets

As of October 2026, per the official website:

• Season 2026: March 12 to early November, daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (last boarding 5:45 p.m.).
• Advent weekends: November 28–29 and December 5–6, 12–13 and 19–20, 2026.
• Fares: one way 5.50 EUR, round trip 9.50 EUR; children 4–12 pay 3.30 or 4.80 EUR.
• Discounts with a Cologne Zoo ticket, KölnCard or VRS day ticket.

Tickets are sold only at the station ticket office, cash or card; reservations are not possible. Expect lines on sunny weekends.

How to get there

Cologne is about 1 hour 5 minutes from Frankfurt by ICE, and the Deutschlandticket covers local trams. From Cologne Hauptbahnhof (Breslauer Platz side), take tram line 18 to Zoo/Flora; the cable car's Zoo station is at Riehler Strasse 180, next to the zoo entrance. On the other side, the Rheinpark station is a pleasant walk through the park from Köln Messe/Deutz station. According to OpenStreetMap data, neither station is wheelchair accessible.

Is it worth visiting?

Yes, as a fun, inexpensive add-on rather than a destination in itself. Ride one way, walk back over the Zoo Bridge or through the Rheinpark, and continue south along the Rheinboulevard in Deutz for the classic view of the cathedral across the river. Nearby, Cologne Zoo and the Flora botanical garden make it easy to fill a whole day with kids.