Canadians will have to pay to visit famous tourist attraction in Europe
Tourists from Canada hoping to visit a famous site in Europe will soon have to pay a visitor fee.
If you’re planning a trip from Canada to Europe and Germany’s renowned Cologne Cathedral is on your itinerary, you may soon have to pay a new fee to enter. Starting this summer, visitors will have to pay an entrance fee to visit the famous cathedral, which has long been free to access, reports The Guardian.
Tickets will be available starting in July, and although the final amount hasn’t been announced yet, fees are expected to range from €12 (C$18.91) to €15 (C$23.64). Those visiting to pray, light candles, or attend church services will be exempt from the fee. Until July, visitors can still enter the cathedral’s interior for free.
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Currently, the cathedral only charges visitors €8 per adult to view its collection of medieval art and sacred relics, and another €8 to climb the tower, according to the cathedral’s website.
Despite this, the cathedral has been struggling financially since 2019 due to maintenance and staffing costs. A total of 6.6 million people visit the cathedral each year, 99 per cent of whom are tourists, according to cathedral dean Guido Assmann.
Cologne Cathedral, or Kölner Dom, took 632 years to finish — construction started in 1248 and wasn’t completed until 1880. The basilica is considered a Gothic masterpiece and was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.
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“We have reached a point where the reserves of Cologne Cathedral will be depleted in the foreseeable future,” Cathedral Administrator Clemens van de Ven told DW.
Cologne Cathedral is just one of several popular landmarks to start charging visitor fees.
In February, Rome started charging tourists €2 (C$3.15) to visit the iconic Trevi Fountain. By the end of 2026, visitors in Australia will have to pay a fee to visit the famous Twelve Apostles.