German Sport & Olympic Museum
The German Sport & Olympic Museum offers an engaging journey through 3,000 years of sports history, featuring over 2,000 exhibits and interactive installations.
Planning your visit
The German Sport and Olympic Museum occupies a former customs warehouse in Cologne's Rheinauhafen, and it takes a long view — 3,000 years of sport, from antiquity through the modern Olympic movement to the present, across more than 2,000 exhibits. The ancient section covers the original Games at Olympia; the modern sections cover the revival, the individual Olympiads, and German sporting history including the periods that require careful handling: the 1936 Berlin Games as a Nazi showcase, and the systematic state doping programme in East Germany.
The 1972 Munich Games and the massacre of Israeli athletes are addressed.
What makes it work for families is the rooftop: a sports field on top of the building where visitors can actually play — football, basketball, running — with the Rhine and the cathedral in view. Interactive stations throughout let you test reaction times, cycling power and other measures against athletes' benchmarks.
It sits in the Rheinauhafen redevelopment, alongside the Chocolate Museum, which makes an easy pairing for a family day on the river. Allow two hours. The main booking is an entry ticket. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is German Sport & Olympic Museum?
German Sport & Olympic Museum is in Cologne, Germany.
How long should I allow for German Sport & Olympic Museum?
Allow two hours. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
What are the opening hours of German Sport & Olympic Museum?
TUE - SUN 10.00 – 18.00. Hours change on public holidays, so check the official site before travelling.
Do I need to book German Sport & Olympic Museum in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
