Cologne Museums for Under-18s: Free if You Live Here, Plus KölnTag and the Two Houses That Free Every Child

Three Layers of Free Entry

Museum entry in Cologne is a stack of separate rules rather than one scheme. The nine municipal museums follow a city rule. Some of them add their own, more generous rule. And once a month everyone who lives in the city gets in free. For parents the useful question is which layer applies to which child and which day.

The first thing to know as a newcomer is that the city’s wording is built around Wohnsitz in Köln. The city’s page says residents under 18 get free entry to the municipal museums, along with pupils, KölnPass holders and Cologne residents on their birthday. If your registration is not done yet, that comes first. Our page on address registration covers it.

The rows for Museum Ludwig, MAKK, the Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst and the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum come from those museums’ own pages. The rows for the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, the Stadtmuseum, Museum Schnütgen and the NS-Dokumentationszentrum apply the city’s general rule, because the pages read for this guide do not state an under-18 rule of their own. Where a museum’s own page is more generous than the city rule, as at Museum Ludwig, ask at the desk which rule they apply to your child.

Special exhibitions are a separate question. The MAKK splits them explicitly: its permanent collection is free for all under 18, while its special exhibitions are free only for under-18s with a Cologne address. The city’s KölnPass page also notes that special exhibition tariffs are set by each museum. If a temporary show is the reason for your visit, check its ticket page first.

What Counts as Proof

The city says the ticket for the free groups is the Personalausweis or a comparable document, a Schülerausweis or the KölnPass. For adults that is simple. For a child who has no German ID card, the sources linked here do not say what is accepted. Take the child’s passport or residence document and the family’s Meldebescheinigung, and ask at the desk. Ask before you queue with a group, since a rejected child is easier to deal with when the group has not yet paid.

Pupils are a separate route. The city lists “Schülerinnen” without the residence condition, the Museum für Ostasiatische Kunst writes “alle Schülerinnen” (with two accompanying persons per class), and the MAKK says pupils worldwide. A school ID can therefore open doors for a teenager whose address registration is still pending.

KölnTag: The First Thursday of the Month

On the first Thursday of each month, except public holidays, every person with a Cologne address gets free entry to the special exhibitions and permanent collections of the municipal museums, and the museums stay open until 22:00. An ID card is enough.

The dates the museums list for the rest of 2026 are 5 November and 3 December. For later dates, use the museums’ KölnTag page, since days on public holidays are dropped.

For people who do not live in Cologne the evening still helps: Museum Ludwig charges its regular price until 17:00 and 7 euros after 17:00, and the MAKK offers a reduced price after 17:00. The city also lists the Kollwitz Museum and the SK Stiftung Kultur as taking part on KölnTag, which gives parents a few more options.

What Adults and Visiting Families Pay

Under-18 residents are free, but the adults with them are not, except on KölnTag, on their own birthday if they live in Cologne, or with a KölnPass. Our page on free culture on a low income covers who can get a KölnPass.

The reduced annual pass is for pupils, trainees, students and people with a disability grade of 50 or more, and you show proof when you buy. The MuseumsCard is sold at the desks of the participating museums, at the KVB Ticket-Center Neumarkt and through KölnTicket (0221 2801), and the annual pass at the museum desks and through KölnTicket. The first-day transport covers the VRS partner companies’ services inside the city area. See our page on KVB tickets for what else that fare area includes.

A worked comparison. Two adult tickets at Museum Ludwig cost 30.80 euros at the desk, so the 30 euro family card is already cheaper for that one visit and gives a second day. For a resident family, where the children are free anyway, the card mostly saves the adults’ money. For a visiting family whose children are not residents, it is the simplest route.

Closures and Changes to Watch

• Wallraf-Richartz-Museum & Fondation Corboud: closed since summer 2026 for a two-year renovation, according to the museums’ ticket page.
• Römisch-Germanisches Museum: the building at Roncalliplatz is closed. The collection is in the Belgisches Haus, Cäcilienstraße 46, open Wednesday to Monday 10:00 to 18:00. Our page on Museum Ludwig and the RGM with kids covers both.
• Carnival and 11 November: the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum is closed on 11 November 2026, and the MAKK lists closures on 4, 7 and 8 February 2027. Check the museum before a carnival-week visit.
• Mondays: most municipal museums are closed on Mondays except public holidays, and the Römisch-Germanisches Museum is closed on Tuesdays instead.

Steps for Newcomer Families

1. Register your address and keep the confirmation with your documents.
2. Pick the museum first, then check its page for under-18 and special exhibition rules.
3. Bring ID for every child, plus a school ID for pupils.
4. Plan one visit around KölnTag if the adults want in free too.
5. Compare the family card with desk prices if you want to see more than one museum in two days.
6. Check closures the day before, especially around 11 November and carnival.

If Something Goes Wrong

• A child is turned away. Ask the desk which document would be accepted and point to the city’s KölnTage page. For disputes, the Museumsdienst Köln is the contact for the municipal museums (0221 221 24033, museen@stadt-koeln.de).
• Your address is not yet registered. Pupils and KölnPass holders still have routes, and Museum Ludwig and the MAKK collection state no residence condition for under-18s.
• A special exhibition charges your child. That can be a different rule from the permanent collection, so ask for the exhibition’s own terms.

Compliance Note

This page describes entry rules and prices of Cologne’s municipal museums as published by the city and the museums, current as of October 2026. Prices, opening days and eligibility rules change, and each museum can set exceptions. It is not legal advice. Check the museum’s own page or ask at the desk before you travel.