What if you could climb aboard a 1926 streetcar and watch Cologne's golden era unfold around you in 360 degrees? TimeRide makes it possible.

Welcome to a museum unlike any other, where the past doesn't stay behind glass. At TimeRide Cologne, tucked into the heart of the city's old town on Alter Markt, you'll experience the Roaring Twenties through immersive virtual reality technology.

This isn't about quietly observing history. You'll sit in a reconstructed streetcar, don VR goggles, and journey through a meticulously recreated Cologne as it looked nearly a century ago, complete with moving wind, authentic sounds, and 700 digitally reconstructed buildings.

A New Kind of Time Travel

TimeRide GmbH opened its first location here in Cologne in September 2017, pioneering a fresh approach to experiencing local history. Founded in Munich in 2016, the company saw potential in combining museum storytelling with cutting-edge VR technology.

The concept proved successful enough that TimeRide expanded to Dresden, Berlin, Frankfurt, and even Andechs monastery. But Cologne remains special as the original, where the formula of cinema, immersive environments, and virtual reality first came together to transport visitors back to the golden 1920s.

Three Stations, One Unforgettable Journey

Your experience begins in a period-authentic cinema showing original newsreel footage from the 1920s, the kind that played before main features back then.

Next, you'll step into the charming hat shop of Tessa Riedschneider, a fictional milliner who serves as your guide and narrator. Her beautifully appointed shop offers insights into fashion, craftsmanship, and daily life during the era.

The finale takes place aboard a faithful streetcar replica. With VR goggles on, you'll glide through reconstructed Cologne with 3,000 animated figures, 250 vintage automobiles, and carnival celebrations unfolding in immersive 360-degree views.

History Built From the Ground Up

What sets TimeRide apart is the extraordinary research behind those virtual scenes. The team painstakingly reconstructed 1926 Cologne using historical film footage, vintage postcards, city plans, drawings, and archival materials to ensure authenticity.

The physical movements of the streetcar, combined with carefully calibrated wind effects and period-appropriate sounds, create a genuinely immersive sensation of traveling through time.

Beyond the main attraction, TimeRide also offers walking tours that use mobile VR technology. These guided experiences trace Cologne's evolution from Roman times to today, bringing different historical periods to life at their original locations throughout the city.

TimeRide Cologne Highlights & Tips

• The Virtual Streetcar Ride The centerpiece VR experience puts you aboard a 1926 tram with 360-degree views, motion effects, and wind simulation as you journey through meticulously reconstructed Cologne during Carnival season.
• Tessa's Hat Shop Step into this lovingly detailed recreation of a 1920s millinery where your charming host shares stories of fashion, craft, and everyday life in the Weimar Republic era.
• Authentic Newsreel Cinema Experience genuine 1920s newsreel footage in a period-style cinema, offering a window into how people of that era saw themselves and their world.
• Plan for 45 Minutes A complete tour through all three stations takes approximately 45 minutes, making it perfect for fitting into a broader day of exploring Cologne's old town.
• Perfect Old Town Location Located at Alter Markt 36-42 in the historic center, TimeRide sits amid Cologne's most iconic attractions, making it easy to combine with cathedral visits and riverside walks.
• Additional Tour Options Consider booking one of TimeRide's walking tours. The 90-minute GO! experience covers 2,000 years of history, while the 60-minute Cathedral tour focuses on the Dom's fascinating construction story.
• Dino VR Experience For something completely different, TimeRide also offers a prehistoric adventure that takes you back millions of years to encounter dinosaurs in their natural habitat through VR technology.

TimeRide Cologne proves that history museums can be as thrilling as they are educational. By combining meticulous historical research with cutting-edge technology, it offers something rare: the genuine sensation of stepping into another era.

Whether you're a history enthusiast, a technology lover, or simply curious about what life was like in the Roaring Twenties, this innovative attraction delivers an experience you won't find in traditional museums. The streets of 1926 Cologne are waiting. All you need to do is step aboard that streetcar and let the past come alive around you.