Art of Touring

02/08/2024

21/07/2024

2024 Christopher Street Day & Pride celebrations in Cologne
❤️🩷🧡💛💚🩵💙💜
Around 10,000 people participate in the parade, and this year, there was a record breaking crowd of over 1 million spectators watching along the parade route! Kölle ist bunt. Cologne is colorful!

25/06/2024

For the last 10 days, Germany has been home to the Euros 2024 and Cologne is one of the host cities!!

This city is buzzing with football fever, and fans from all over are here to cheer and celebrate ⚽️🏟

For those who don’t know, the Euros are a football (soccer) competition held every 4 years in Europe. Officially called the UEFA European Football Championship, they are informally called the Euros. Or EM in German!

Similar to the Olympics or World Cup, national teams from around Europe compete against one another for 4 weeks until one team wins the entire championship.

We welcome you to enjoy the matches, explore local bars for game day fun, and soak up the electric atmosphere 🏟⚽️

10/04/2024

Meet the newest members of the Art of Touring guide team! We hired over 10 new tour guides for the 2024 season, which is going to be our busiest year EVER! Say hello to these friendly new faces🤩

01/03/2024

Today marks the season opening at Augustusburg Palace in Brühl! We are SO excited to once again welcome guests on excursions to this stunning UNESCO World Heritage site, which is just a short drive outside of Cologne and Bonn. Who is planning to visit in 2024??

From the fascinating history to practical visitor details, this blog post covers everything you need to know about visiting Augustusburg Palace and Falkenlust Hunting Lodge in Brühl, Germany.

25/02/2024

Scenes from the latest onboarding tour with Rewe!

For the second year in a row, we are proud to partner with Rewe Group for their monthly new employee onboarding program.

The beloved local supermarket chain has corporate offices here in Cologne, so new hires come to the city as part of their training.

We work together to create a *completely custom tour* of Cologne that includes locations important to the Rewe Group as well as highlights of the city. This is a wonderful way to welcome new employees to Cologne and the Rewe brand.

During this onboarding program, trainees visit local Rewe shops, the state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Niehl, and even visit Rheinenergiestadion, where the local football team, , plays. The tour ends in where everyone can sample some of the best wine in a unique environment.

Our expert local guides provide all the insight and knowledge about Cologne, as well as coordinating the travel logistics to make this onboarding tour come to life.

15/02/2024

This week marked our first walking tours of 2024! We are so excited to see travelers visiting Cologne again, and our guides are happy to be showing them around. Let's get this new year of tours underway!!

08/02/2024

us dä Stadt met K 🤡🎉🤩🥳 Happy Weiberfastnacht to everyone in Cologne! Today marks the start of the Karneval street festivals which will last until Wednesday. Traditionally, this happens at Alter Markt in the heart of the old town. Will we see you out there celebrating??

01/02/2024

With just 1 week to go until Cologne's Karneval, brush up on everything you need to know to make the most of 2024's best party!

With the largest Carnival celebration in Germany, Cologne knows how to celebrate before Lent. From massive parties to a huge parade, this is everything you need to know about Karneval in Cologne.

18/01/2024

What a gorgeous, snowy day in Cologne's Old Town!

08/01/2024

Just one month to go until Cologne's famous Karneval! We can't wait to see all the Jecks out there celebrating 🎉🤡

06/01/2024

Happy 🤴🤴🤴 Day!

In Cologne, we are lucky to have the relic of the 3 Magi, 3 Kings, or 3 Wise Men. It has called the city home since 1164, and this relic was the entire inspiration for the construction of the glorious Cologne Cathedral.

There are special events happening at the Dom, including the opening of the relic to the public. You can get up close and personal with the 3 Wise Men 👑👑👑

Today is all about feasting and celebrating the Epiphany! How will you celebrate? Tell us in the comments!

05/01/2024

The wonderful women behind Art of Touring got surprised with beautiful bouquets of flowers at our team's holiday party. WOW, there is so much gratitude to express in just one post. We can't sum it up, so we'll just let their faces say it all 💙

25/12/2023

A very Merry Christmas from our team to yours!! Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and warm wishes to all 🎅🎄✨️

01/12/2023

Have you always dreamed about working as a tour guide? This is your chance!

Art of Touring is 🤩 NOW HIRING 🤩

We are searching for knowledgeable, reliable, and entertaining tour guides to lead our upcoming 2024 tours.

WHAT YOU MUST HAVE:
👉 Located in Cologne, Bonn or Düsseldorf.
👉 Fluent in English and/or German.
👉 Pre-existing knowledge about the history, art and culture of Germany.
👉 Willingness to work weekends and during the summer.
👉 Minimum of 15 hours availability per week from April - December.

If this sounds like a good fit for you, contact us today for more information.

20/11/2023

Today is opening day for the Cologne Christmas Markets! The Angel's Market and Nikolausdorf are officially open today. By the end of the week, all our favorite markets will welcome guests to shop, eat and be merry. Make sure you know where to find the 7 best Christmas Markets in Cologne!

Every year, Cologne celebrates the holiday season with several festively decorated Christmas Markets. Each has its own theme, and these are the 7 best Christmas Markets in Cologne.

11/11/2023

Calling all Jecks 🤡 The 5th Season, aka Karneval Season, begins today! If you're new to Cologne or not familiar with the important traditions surrounding this important local festival, read through our comprehensive guide for *everything* you need to know about Karneval.

With the largest Carnival celebration in Germany, Cologne knows how to celebrate before Lent. From massive parties to a huge parade, this is everything you need to know about Karneval in Cologne.

12/10/2023

Not only do we offer bicycle tours in Cologne and Bonn, but also in Düsseldorf. Our custom routes bring guests to famous Düsseldorf attractions, such as the Medienhafen and Frank Gehry buildings you see here, but also off-the-beaten path locations in Düsseldorf's charming neighborhoods. Designed to be inclusive, our guides can easily adjust the length and speed to accommodate all types of bicycle riders.

09/10/2023

Did you know that we offer excursions to Cochem?!?

We recently welcomed back a long-term client from Italy for a custom tour of Cochem Castle and the Mosel Wine Valley. During the private tour of Cochem Castle, guests learn about the long history of one of Germany’s most recognizable castles.

Now is the perfect time of year to visit the Mosel because it is wine harvest season – but without the crowds! Interested in adding Cochem and the Mosel to an upcoming Germany itinerary? Contact us today for destination management services!

29/06/2023

For the second year in a row, we coordinated an educational visit for University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management students. These young people travel to Germany during the summer break to learn about entrepreneurship. As part of our travel logistics and destination management package for the group, we organized a visit to the chamber of commerce, various local start-ups and a business incubator in Cologne.

24/06/2023

We are so proud to partner with the REWE Group to create a custom tour of Cologne as part of their new employee onboarding. The beloved supermarket brings recently hired team members to Cologne as part of their training. During this onboarding program, trainees visit local Rewe shops, the state-of-the-art fulfillment center and even Rheinenergiestadion where 1. FC Köln plays. Our expert guides provide insight about Cologne and manage the travel logistics to make this tour a reality.

22/05/2023

👉Meet Mia, our Tour Operations Assistant 👈

Growing up in an international family, Mia always had different cultures and languages surrounding her. From a young age, she developed a passion for travel, discovering the world before she could even walk. Tourism is certainly in her genes!

Mia is the daughter of Nadia, a single mom and Art of Touring’s founder, so Mia really grew up seeing the business grow and change over time. She is proud to work alongside her mom today. Following her high school graduation, Mia took a gap year adventure for 6 months backpacking and traveling through Southeast Asia.

19/05/2023

Art of Touring’s new partnership with the Chocolate Museum is the brainchild of two inspiring women – Yvonne & Nadia.

The women first met around 10 years ago when working together on tour logistics for river cruises. They hit it off right away! Even through career and life changes, Yvonne and Nadia have maintained their professional relationship.

Yvonne has recently been promoted to Head of Customer Service at the Chocolate Museum and Nadia is the managing director for Art of Touring. Both women are inspiring business women committed to providing exceptional customer experiences in Cologne.

17/05/2023

📣NEW TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT 📣

We are thrilled to announce that Art of Touring has partnered up with the Chocolate Museum to offer an *exclusive* guided walk and tour inside the museum. This 3 hour tour includes an old city walk, visiting the major attractions of Cologne such as the Cathedral and Altermarkt.

Then, groups will head to the Schokoladenmuseum for a guided tour inside. The tour culminates with a private chocolate tasting where you interact with the ingredients and sample 4 different types of chocolate. With this new offering, you will be able to truly experience all the best highlights of Cologne on one single tour.

15/05/2023

👉 Meet Narella, our Tour Guide Supervisor 👈

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Narella brought the enthusiastic spirit of the city of Tango across the ocean. She is fluent in Spanish, German, English and Catalan. With more than 7 years' experience as a tour guide, Narella brings significant knowledge to training and leading teams. She also studied tourism in Barcelona. She has never lost the passion she felt on her first tour. If you ask her, she can picture herself doing this job for the rest of her life.

09/05/2023

After a 3 year hiatus, we are excited to see the Rubens Tapestry exhibition return to Cologne's cathedral. Designed by Peter Paul Rubens, these baroque carpets depict the »Triumph of the Eucharist«. From now until May 24, they will hang between the pillars of the Dom throughout the main nave. Have you seen this special exhibition yet?

04/05/2023

We are proud to welcome some new faces to our office team!

👉 Meet Iclal, our Tour Operations Assistant 👈

Born and raised in Cologne, Iclal grew up in a bilingual Turkish-German household. She has always excelled in languages and is currently trying to learn additional European languages, including Italian! Iclal graduated high school in 2021, and in fall 2022, she began her bachelor's degree studying International Business at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.

18/04/2023

It has been a busy spring for our office staff, but it has all been worth it because we welcomed more than 10 new tour guides to our team! After several weeks of training, our newest team members are taking out their first guests & groups. We are so proud! There is some great energy and good vibes on our team this year ✨🙌🥰

15/04/2023

Let’s get out and get active together!

As the spring weather improves, our running and biking tours are gaining popularity. We love showing people Cologne while also staying fit and healthy. Running along the Rhine river promenade helps show the city at its best!