FAQ - Plan your visit

The Yayoi Kusama exhibition will be open on August 1 and 2, 2026 from 8 pm until 2 am. The permanent collection closes at the usual time of 6 pm. 

Anyone wishing to visit must join the queue outside the museum: “First come, first served.”

Admission is subject to capacity. Please allow for waiting time. 

Tickets for the special openings will only be sold at the museum ticket office on both evenings. Advance booking is not possible.

Annual passes, the MuseumCard Köln, ICOM cards, membership cards for ‘freunde’ and the Gesellschaft für Moderne Kunst, etc., can be used on these evenings and must be presented at the ticket office before visiting the exhibition. 

No, it is not possible to book tickets in advance. Tickets are only sold directly at the museum ticket office once you have entered the foyer. Please allow for waiting time. 

Last entry is at 1 am. 

Tuesday to Sunday: 10 am to 8 pm (permanent collection until 6 pm)

Every first Thursday of the month: 10 am to 10 pm

Closed on Mondays (except public holidays)

The Yayoi Kusama exhibition will be open until 2am on both days of the final weekend (1 and 2 August 2026). On these evenings, a first-come, first-served policy will apply from 8pm. From that time onwards, tickets will only be sold directly at the museum ticket office. Advance online booking is not possible!

All tickets purchased via the online shop for both days between 10 am and 8 pm remain valid, of course.

Regular: 19,80€

Reduced: 13,50€ 

Groups (minimum 20 persons): 14,40€ 

People with 50 degree of disability and above: 9,90€

Further information can be found here. 

Tickets are available in the Museum Ludwig online shop. To guarantee admission to the Kusama exhibition, it is essential to purchase an online ticket with an admission time.

In the Museum Ludwig online shop, you can pay by direct debit, credit card or PayPal. 

An online ticket with an admission time is a time-specific admission ticket for visiting the Yayoi Kusama exhibition. When purchasing a museum ticket, the desired day and time of visit are selected and specified. Admission times are entered in hourly intervals. Please arrive at the museum as punctually as possible at your booked time. Admission to the Yayoi Kusama exhibition is possible 30 minutes after the start of the booked time.
Example: If you have booked an admission ticket for 10 am, you can enter the Yayoi Kusama exhibition until 10:30 am. We recommend that you allow 1.5 hours for your visit. If you are more than 30 minutes late, your ticket will no longer be valid and we cannot guarantee that you will be able to enter the exhibition. Please speak to the staff on site, as there may be waiting times.

If you are entitled to free admission, e.g. via an annual pass of the Cologne museums, as a member of the friends, the Society for Modern Art, ICOM or with a press card, please book a ‘Free Admission’ ticket for the Kusama exhibition in the online shop. This guarantees you admission to the exhibition. There are no additional costs for you. Please have proof of eligibility ready for presentation at the ticket inspection in the museum.

Yes. Purchasing an online ticket with an admission time is mandatory and guarantees you entry to the Kusama exhibition. 

Yes, even with an annual pass, you need an online ticket with an admission time to guarantee entry to the Kusama exhibition. To do this, select the ‘Free Admission’ ticket in the online shop and have your proof of eligibility ready when you enter the museum. 

Yes, even with a MuseumsCard Cologne, you need an online ticket with an admission time. To do this, select the ‘Free Admission’ ticket in the online shop and have your proof of eligibility ready when you enter the museum.

You can purchase a MuseumsCard here: Veranstaltungstickets für Events in Köln - kölnticket.de

Yes, Late Night Thursday (Cologne Day) will also take place during the Kusama exhibition. 

Please note: The Late Night Thursday on July 2 is already sold out. Due to high demand for the Kusama exhibition, only visitors with online tickets will be admitted to the Kusama exhibition on this day. Admission without an online ticket will not be possible on this day. Entry to the program in the Permanent Collection on July 2 is handled separately and is subject to availability at the museum entrance.

We recommend arriving 5–10 minutes before your booked admission time to ensure smooth entry. Please also allow for possible delays due to traffic. Waiting times are to be expected during the exhibition, especially at weekends.

Admission to the Yayoi Kusama exhibition is only possible 30 minutes after the start of the booked time. If you are more than half an hour late, admission to the exhibition cannot be guaranteed. Please speak to the staff on site, as there may be waiting times.

Please bring your online tickets with you to Museum Ludwig, either printed in original size on A4 paper or in digital form as a wallet ticket on your smartphone. Please ensure that the QR code is clearly legible and undamaged. In particular, it must not be creased, dirty or wet, as otherwise it cannot be scanned. Smooth admission can only be guaranteed with a correctly legible QR code.

Purchased tickets are binding for the visit and cannot be exchanged or returned. There is no right of withdrawal.

The tickets are not personalised and can therefore be passed on to other people. 

Yes, the tickets are not personalised. Please note that discounts may have to be observed.

If you have not received a confirmation email or email with your tickets, please check your spam folder first.

Next, please contact orderderticketservice.de. 

Yes, that is possible. You can find advance ticket sales outlets in your area here: Veranstaltungstickets für Events in Köln - kölnticket.de

No, your admission ticket grants you access to all rooms in the exhibition. However, as the number of visitors to the exhibition's Infinity Mirrored Rooms is limited, there may be waiting times in the exhibition and on the roof terrace.

An extension is not possible; the exhibition will move to the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, where it will be on display from 11 September 2026. 

The exhibition rooms are wheelchair-accessible and can be reached via lifts. Some of the installations (for example, on the roof terrace) are accessible via ramps. Please feel free to contact our supervisory staff, who will be happy to assist you.

Further information on the museum’s accessibility and how to reach the museum foyer via accessible routes can be found here: Handicapped Accessibility - Museum Ludwig, Köln

The length of stay for visitors to Yayoi Kusama's ‘Infinity Mirrored Rooms’ will be approximately 45 to 60 seconds. However, this depends on demand at the venue. Please be prepared for queues. 

Please note that the artworks, exhibits and display cases in the Yayoi Kusama exhibition must not be touched.

The Cologne venue of the exhibition features several large-scale installations that are not part of the exhibition in Basel, such as Kusama's first installation, Aggregation: One Thousand Boats Show, created in 1963; the environment I'm Here but Nothing (2000 to present), a living space bathed in black light with countless fluorescent adhesive dots; and the imposing, colorfully painted bronze Flowers, which will be installed on the roof terrace of the Museum Ludwig.

Yes, there is a free activity booklet for the Kusama exhibition. It is available at the beginning of the exhibition. The activity booklet is for children aged 4 and above when accompanied by an adult, and aged 10 and above when unaccompanied. Everyone else is also welcome to use it, but please handle it with care so that children can make good use of it.

Children can use the activity booklet to guide them through the exhibition from start to finish. The pumpkin and the flower will guide them through the exhibition and have prepared some information and fun activities for them to do. There are 14 stickers in the exhibition with a pen and a page number on them. They lead to the corresponding page in the activity booklet. Children can draw and write in the booklet with a pencil, which they can also take with them at the beginning of the exhibition. Please return the pencil at the end of the exhibition or hand it in at the ticket office.

There is also an open studio for everyone above the DC Hall. Inspired by Yayoi Kusama's artworks, everyone is invited to get creative here.

Opening Hours Open Studio:

Tuesday: 1 – 5:30pm 
Wednesday: 1 – 5:30pm 
Thursday: 11:30am – 5:30pm 
Friday: 1 – 7:30pm  
Saturday – Sunday: 11:30am –7:30pm

We hope you enjoy it! 

Yes, there is a varied accompanying program for all ages to accompany the Kusama exhibition. Further information and dates can be found here.

Every Saturday from 2 to 5 pm, students from Kunst:Dialoge will be at the exhibition to answer all your questions about Yayoi Kusama. 

As part of the Kusama exhibition, there is an open studio especially set up in the museum. It is located above the large DC Hall. All visitors are invited to get creative there, inspired by Yayoi Kusama's works.

Open studio opening times:

Tuesday: 1 pm – 5:30 pm 
Wednesday: 1 pm – 5:30 pm
Thursday: 11:30 am – 5:30 pm 
Friday: 1 pm – 7:30 pm
Saturday + Sunday: 11:30 am – 7:30 pm 

Experience has shown that Kusama exhibitions are extremely popular and generate a great deal of interest from visitors. We therefore recommend taking advantage of the midday admission slots during the week. 

Yes, there is merchandise available for the Kusama exhibition. It is sold exclusively on site in the museum shop.

Yes, editions by Yayoi Kusama will be available exclusively for the exhibition. They will only be sold on site.

You can find an overview of the editions on offer here. Please scroll down for the English descriptions. 

Yes, the exhibition is accompanied by a catalog Yayoi Kusama, ed. Leontine Coelewij, Stephan Diederich, and Mouna Mekouar, with texts by Emanuele Coccia, Leontine Coelewij, Stephan Diederich, SooJin Lee, Katie Mack, Stefano Mancuso, Ralph McCarthy, Mouna Mekouar, Charlotte Sarrazin, Agata Marta Soccini, and Helen Westgeest, 20.5 x 26 cm, paperback with dust jacket, 268 pages, 280 ills., Hatje Cantz, ISBN 978-3-906053-87-5, € 38 (English museum edition), ISBN 978-3-7757-6033-1,  €48 (English publisher’s edition)

Here you will find instructions on how to book a guided tour, or go directly to museenkoeln.de | Booking to make a booking enquiry.

A maximum of 20 people can take part in a guided tour.

Group registration is mandatory for the duration of the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, even if groups wish to visit the exhibition with their own guide as an external group. Bookings can only be made up to four weeks before the date of the tour.

Registration is mandatory for groups visiting the Yayoi Kusama exhibition, even if groups wish to visit the exhibition with their own guide as an external group. Instructions for registering externally guided group visits can be found here.

Please register here: museenkoeln.de | Booking

Please note that guided tours for school groups of the Yayoi Kusama exhibition are fully booked for the entire duration of the exhibition. Self-guided tours are not permitted.

A public guided tour through the Kusama exhibition is offered every Thursday at 4 pm for a maximum of 20 people. It will be held in German. Tickets for the tour cost €2 and are issued at the ticket office 30 minutes before the start. Please note that places may be allocated quickly. Alternatively, we recommend using the exhibition's audio guide.

Yes, there is an audio guide for the Kusama exhibition in German, English and French. It costs €3.50. You pay for the audio guide at the museum ticket office, where you will receive a voucher that you can exchange for an audio guide right next to the information desk. A deposit of €10 is also required for the audio guide, which will be refunded when you return it. 

Alternatively, you can download the ‘Ludwig x Kusama’ audio guide directly to your smartphone from the App Store for €3. 

Yes, you may take photos and videos for private, non-commercial use – even in the Infinity Mirror Rooms. Please refrain from using flash, tripods and selfie sticks.

Large items such as umbrellas, walking sticks, bag packs, bags and handbags larger than A4 size (approximately 20 x 30 cm) must be left in the cloakroom. The cloakroom is supervised and costs €2. Cash only! 

Due to the expected high visitor numbers, we recommend that you bring as few items as possible with you to the museum. Please expect waiting times. 

Yes, you can find our house rules here. 

Experience has shown that Kusama exhibitions are extremely popular and generate a great deal of interest from visitors. We therefore recommend taking advantage of the midday admission slots during the week or evening admission slots on the weekends.

The Museum Ludwig is located in the immediate vicinity of Cologne Cathedral, opposite Cologne Central Station.

Address: Heinrich-Böll-Platz, 50667 Cologne

Telephone: +49 221 221 26165

Public transport: ‘Dom/Hauptbahnhof’ stop for trains, underground and suburban rail from Cologne/Bonn Airport.

Parking: The Dom car park, the Rheingarten underground car park and the Groß St. Martin car park are located in the immediate vicinity of the museum.

Yes. The Walther König bookshop runs the museum shop at Museum Ludwig and offers a wide range of art books and exhibition-specific products such as exhibition catalogues, posters, postcards and design items.

Yes, editions by Yayoi Kusama will be available exclusively for the exhibition. They will only be sold on site.

You can find an overview of the editions on offer here. Please scroll down for the English descriptions. 

Yes, the exhibition is accompanied by a catalog Yayoi Kusama, ed. Leontine Coelewij, Stephan Diederich, and Mouna Mekouar, with texts by Emanuele Coccia, Leontine Coelewij, Stephan Diederich, SooJin Lee, Katie Mack, Stefano Mancuso, Ralph McCarthy, Mouna Mekouar, Charlotte Sarrazin, Agata Marta Soccini, and Helen Westgeest, 20.5 x 26 cm, paperback with dust jacket, 268 pages, 280 ills., Hatje Cantz, ISBN 978-3-906053-87-5, € 38 (English museum edition), ISBN 978-3-7757-6033-1,  €48 (English publisher’s edition)

The Ludwig im Museum café and restaurant is located directly in the Museum Ludwig and offers hot and cold dishes made from regional and seasonal ingredients throughout the day.

Further information can be found here: Ludwig im Museum - Café-Restaurant, Köln

Tuesday to Saturday: 9 am to midnight (kitchen open from 9 am to 11 pm)

Sunday: 9 am to 10 pm (kitchen open from 9 am to 9 pm)

Closed on Mondays

You can make reservations here: Reservierung

No, you don't need an additional ticket. There is only one ticket for the whole museum, which includes the permanent collection and all other exhibitions. However, we recommend buying a timed ticket in the online shop, although this is not mandatory for the permanent collection. It is still possible to buy tickets for the permanant collecion and all other presentations at the cash desk. You can access the permanent collection of the Museum Ludwig at any time. There is no time limit.

Please note that admission to the Kusama exhibition is only possible 30 minutes after your booked entry time.

Registration is mandatory for all groups (guided tours) for the duration of the Kusama exhibition, including the permanent collection.

All groups with guided tours must register via museenkoeln.de and book their desired offer with the Museumdienst Köln.

Groups without guided tours should register at infomuseum-ludwig.de .

We are currently experiencing very high visitor numbers due to our Yayoi Kusama exhibition. To avoid overcrowding in our foyer, we have had to restrict school group visits to the permanent collection for the duration of the exhibition. Unfortunately, all available time slots are already fully booked.

We would therefore ask you to contact us again after 2 August to reschedule your visit.