Sightseeing hours are daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. (last admission 5:30) and on Sundays and church holidays from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. (last admission 4:15), always outside service times; building work or special events can shorten them at short notice. Tickets are sold on the cathedral's own ticket site up to three months ahead, nine per booking at most, or at the central ticket office in the Kurienhaus at Roncalliplatz 2, open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Ticket holders enter by the main portal.
The reduced price is for school pupils, students and trainees aged 14 and over and for holders of a North Rhine-Westphalia social pass. Entry is free for children up to 13, for visitors with a recognized severe disability (and one companion where the disability card carries the "B" mark) and for members of the cathedral building association. Being Catholic or living in Cologne brings no exemption for sightseeing. The south tower, 533 steps with no elevator, and the treasury are priced separately: €8 each, €4 reduced, or €12 for the two together.
Good to know before you go: the prayer area in the north transept is normally open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. outside service times and also leads to the Blessed Sacrament chapel. Every Mass is free and needs no reservation; the cathedral lists weekday Masses at 6:30, 7:15, 8:00 and 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Sunday Masses at 7:00, 8:30 and 10:00 a.m., noon and 6:30 p.m. Only small bags, up to 40 x 35 x 15 cm (about 16 x 14 x 6 inches), are allowed inside, so leave suitcases and large backpacks at your hotel or the station. These hours and prices were checked on the cathedral's website on October 10, 2026.