TimeRide
TimeRide GmbH is a German Virtual Reality Edutainment company that operates immersive historical time-travel experiences across seven German cities, combining themed physical sets with VR carriage rides and walking tours for tourists, families, schools and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersCologne, Germany
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What TimeRide does
TimeRide GmbH is a German Virtual Reality Edutainment company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Cologne that operates immersive historical time-travel experiences across seven German locations (Cologne, Frankfurt, Dresden, Munich, Kloster Andechs, Münster, plus Berlin in restart). The product portfolio is built on three formats: TIME RIDE SENSEUM, an indoor themed experience in which guests move through authentic room replicas and costume-clad stations before a VR carriage ride through a historical city (the Frankfurt 1891 experience contains 490 buildings, 5 bridges, 34 ships, 62 carriages and 2,277 animated figures); TIME RIDE GO!, outdoor guided walking tours with mobile VR headsets at multiple stations that overlay past cityscapes on present-day locations; and TIME RIDE SPECIALS/REELS, short 10–15 minute thematic VR experiences (German history, GDR history, Dino VR, seasonal Halloween and Christmas specials). Content is produced in-house via TIME RIDE STUDIOS, combining 3D art, music and direction grounded in historical paintings, photographs and documents, with vibration and spatial audio effects layered into the VR carriages.
The business model is direct-to-consumer ticket sales, with standard tickets priced from €7 to €31.90 (school group bundles at €180–€330 for 15 students + 1 free accompanying adult) and premium add-ons (absinthe tasting €59, brewery tours €16.90–€18.90) sold through the company's own Webshop powered by BookingKit and on-site box offices. Group and corporate bookings are captured via inquiry forms, and a Gray Line Frankfurt channel partnership distributes combination sightseeing tickets. Customer segments are horizontal: individual tourists and families, K-12 school classes (grade 5+), corporate events, and bachelor/bachelorette parties; named B2B engagements include Haribo's 100th-anniversary event and Junges Theater Bonn's 'Real-Virtual-Theater' TKKG production. Marketing relies on organic social, newsletter, earned media from major German outlets (ZDF, ARD, FAZ, Süddeutsche Zeitung) and a German National Tourist Board partnership positioning TimeRide as part of Germany's digital tourism innovation strategy.
The company is privately held (TIME RIDE GmbH), discloses no funding rounds, revenue or headcount in the available material, and is endorsed by Prof. Dr. h.c. Roland Berger as 'Germany's leading provider of Virtual Reality Edutainment.' Geographically it is domestic-only (Germany), with Berlin temporarily paused for relaunch and operational risk concentrated in physical retail/showroom execution across multiple heritage cities.
TimeRide firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TimeRide
- Legal name
- TIME**RIDE** GmbH
- Website
- https://timeride.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- TimeRide GmbH is a German Virtual Reality Edutainment company that operates immersive historical time-travel experiences across seven German cities, combining themed physical sets with VR carriage rides and walking tours for tourists, families, schools and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
TimeRide industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Virtual Reality Attractions
- NAICS
- Amusement Parks and Arcades (7131)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Virtual & Hybrid Event Platforms (Webinars, Virtual Venues, Event Hubs) (THAHAOAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Night Tours (Illuminations, Ghost & Legends) (THAJAAAH)
Keywords
Where TimeRide is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cologne
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
TimeRide business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: One-time ticket purchases for time travel experiences at various locations. Tickets are sold online via Webshop (best prices with fast-track entry) and at box offices. No reservations are made; bookings are binding.
- Gift Vouchers: Location-based value vouchers valid for 3 years until end of year. Purchased online through ticket portal and redeemable for any TimeRide product at the issuing location.
- Group Bookings: Exclusive tours and special tours for larger groups (corporate events, school classes, bachelor parties) available on request with personalized pricing.
- Combination Tickets: Partnership with Gray Line Frankfurt offering combination tickets for VR experience plus Grand Tour city sightseeing (2x 1h) for €24+.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | TimeRide Senseum Frankfurt 1891 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Go! St. Paul's Church Tour |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Go! Old Town VR Tour |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Creepy in Old Frankfurt (Limited Time) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | GO! Old Town Tour Cologne |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | GO! Cologne Cathedral Tour 360 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Heinzel VR Cologne (Christmas Special) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Absinthe Tasting Cologne |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Andechs Brewery Tour WITH Beer Tasting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Andechs Brewery Tour WITHOUT Beer Tasting |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | VR Experience Knowledge, Wonder, Impact Andechs |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Class Dresden 1719 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Class Dresden GO! Old Town VR |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Class Frankfurt 1891 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Class Frankfurt GO! Paulskirche |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School Class Frankfurt GO! Old Town |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
TimeRide product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TimeRide develops and operates immersive virtual reality time-travel experiences across multiple German cities. The core offering combines physical themed rooms with authentic historical replicas and costumed guides with proprietary VR content (360° video, 3D animation) to deliver indoor SENSEUM experiences and outdoor GO! walking tours. Each location features a unique historical period (e.g., Cologne 1926, Frankfurt 1891, Dresden 1719) with detailed 3D reconstructions that guests experience through VR headsets.
Product overview
TimeRide is a Virtual Reality Edutainment company offering immersive historical time travel experiences across Germany. The product portfolio consists of three core offerings: TIME RIDE SENSEUM (indoor themed VR experiences with authentic room sets and VR carriage rides), TIME RIDE GO! (outdoor VR city walking tours with mobile headsets at historical stations), and TIME RIDE SPECIALS/REELS (short thematic VR experiences). The company operates fixed Senseum locations in Cologne, Dresden, Frankfurt, and Kloster Andechs, plus GO! city tours in Berlin, Cologne, Dresden, Frankfurt, Munich, and Münster. Each location features location-specific historical periods (Cologne 1926/1945, Dresden 1719, Frankfurt 1891, Munich through 7000 years of Bavarian history, Münster cycling history). The Münster location offers the unique Leezodrom bicycle time travel experience. Special experiences include brewery tours at Andechs, pharmacy tours exploring medical history, seasonal Halloween specials, Christmas markets, and Dino VR. Experiences target visitors aged 6+, with specific offerings for school groups, corporate events, bachelor parties, and families.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- TIME**RIDE** SENSEUM: Indoor immersive experience with themed rooms and virtual reality time travel.
- TIME**RIDE** GO!
- TIME**RIDE** REELS
- TIME**RIDE** SPECIALS
- Leezodrom
Products and services
- TIME RIDE SENSEUM Indoor immersive VR time-travel experience featuring themed rooms with authentic historical replicas, costume-clad guides, and a virtual reality carriage ride as the highlight. Each location offers a unique historical period (e.g., Cologne 1926, Dresden 1719, Frankfurt 1891). Guests progress through 3-4 designed rooms before the VR highlight. Targeted at tourists, families, and history enthusiasts aged 6+.
- TIME RIDE GO! Guided outdoor city walking tours combining in-person sightseeing with mobile VR glasses at multiple stations. At each historical location, guests don VR headsets to see the present-day spot as it appeared in the past. Available at multiple cities including Cologne, Frankfurt, Dresden, Berlin, Munich, and Münster with various themed routes.
- TIME RIDE SPECIALS / REELS Short VR experiences (10-15 minutes) covering specific historical themes. Includes Germany Time Travel (journey through German history), DDR Time Travel (GDR history), Dino VR, Absinthe Tasting, Spooky/creepy city tours, and Christmas specials like Heinzel VR. Currently available primarily at the Dresden location.
- Frankfurt 1891 (Senseum) Senseum experience set at the Electrical Engineering Exhibition of 1891 in Frankfurt. Features merchant Theodor Riedel's store, a study room with historical insights, and a VR carriage ride through Frankfurt before WWII destruction. Includes 490 buildings, 5 bridges, 34 ships, 62 carriages, and 2,277 people in the detailed reconstruction.
- Dresden 1719 (Senseum) Senseum experience in Dresden featuring the spectacular wedding of Friedrich August II and Maria Josepha of Austria. Highlights include the Hall of Mirrors, Juggler's Stage with paper theater, and VR carriage ride through the Merkur Festival to the Zwinger. Located near Dresden Zwinger.
- Cologne 1926 (Senseum) Senseum experience set in Cologne during the Golden Twenties. Features a hat store, working world of historic Cologne, and virtual tram ride through Alter Markt to Neumarkt with views of Cologne Cathedral under construction. Includes carnival celebration finale.
- Cologne 1945 Limited-time experience showing Cologne after Nazi rule and bombing raids. Depicts massive destruction of the city center, everyday life between scarcity and improvisation, and the emotional moment of people returning to their city. Available May 8 to June 25, 2026.
- Leezodrom (Münster Bicycle Time Travel) Bicycle-themed time travel experience in Münster. After a short film 'Leezenliebe' about cycling culture, guests explore five interactive exhibition stations, culminating in a VR ride on stationary bikes through historic Münster streets with fictional characters. The bike serves as the common thread through the experience.
- Alte Apotheke Andechs (Old Pharmacy) Interactive tour through a reconstructed 18th-century pharmacy at Kloster Andechs Monastery. Four experience stations with audio guide led by monk Heinrich Breitenacher, exploring the history of medicine, healing, and monastic life. Culminates with VR journey showing historical medical practices. Available in German, English, and Italian.
- Kloster Andechs 360 (Brewery Tour) VR-enabled monastery brewery tour at Kloster Andechs. Six stations trace brewing history from 1455 to present, with VR glasses revealing historical views of the brewhouse, fermentation cellar, and modern robotic barrel loading. Option to include guided beer tasting at the end. Located 50km from Munich.
- Spooky Old Frankfurt Halloween special showing Frankfurt's dark history including forgotten legends and eerie figures. Mixed-reality horror adventure with spatial sound, visual imagery, and tactile effects. Features a high-speed carriage escape through a nightmare version of Frankfurt. Ages 12+, available October-November 2026.
- Heinzel VR (Cologne Christmas Special) Christmas special at Cologne featuring the 'Heinzelexpress' vintage bus taking guests on a virtual trip to experience the historical Heinzel market vendors between Alter Markt and Heumarkt. Limited seasonal availability.
- TimeRide Gift Vouchers Location-based value vouchers valid for 3 years until end of year. Purchased online through the ticket portal and redeemable for any TimeRide product at the issuing location.
Quantifiable outcome
- Guests ages 6-99 can experience time travel
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use TimeRide
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
TimeRide technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability2 records
Feature5 records
TimeRide partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.
- Gray Line FrankfurtcorePartnership for combination tickets offering TimeRide Frankfurt 1891 VR experience combined with Gray Line Grand Tour (2x 1h) through Frankfurt. Tickets available from €24. Extends reach to existing Gray Line tourist customers.
- DidactaminorTimeRide exhibited at Didacta, an international education trade fair, indicating focus on educational sector and school market partnerships.
- German National Tourist Board (GNTB)flagshipFeatured as a leader in Germany's digital tourism innovation. TimeRide's VR time travel experiences are showcased as part of GNTB's strategy to attract modern travelers with immersive technologies. Positions TimeRide as Germany's premier VR tourism attraction.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
TimeRide competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- teamLab: Japanese digital art collective operating permanent immersive art museums worldwide (Tokyo, Shanghai, Helsinki, etc.). Broader incumbent in immersive ticketed experiences, overlapping with TimeRide on technology-driven, multi-sensory paid attractions for mass audiences.
- Madame Tussauds: Global wax museum chain operating location-based attractions in major cities. Comparable as a multi-city, ticketed themed entertainment operator targeting tourists and families, though specializing in celebrity figures rather than VR-driven historical immersion.
Direct peers
- Meow Wolf: US-based operator of large-scale immersive art installations with permanent venues in multiple cities (Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Denver). Comparable as a multi-location immersive experience operator combining physical sets with technology-driven storytelling for ticketed public audiences.
- Sandbox VR: Global chain of location-based VR entertainment venues offering group immersive experiences. Both companies operate multi-city VR entertainment venues selling per-person tickets to consumers and groups for shared immersive sessions.
- TimeLooper: TimeLooper is a direct competitor offering location-based VR historical experiences at museums and historic sites globally. Both companies use mobile VR to transport visitors to historical periods at real-world locations, making product offering and target customer highly comparable.
- The VOID: Pioneer of location-based VR entertainment with themed walk-through VR experiences in retail/entertainment districts. Direct peer in operating VR-driven themed attractions where guests physically move through purpose-built sets enhanced by VR headsets.
- Museum of Illusions: International chain of immersive, photo-driven 'edutainment' attractions franchised across major cities. TimeRide and Museum of Illusions both target tourists and families seeking short-duration, ticketed, visually immersive cultural experiences in city-center locations.
Regional players
- Lascaux IV - International Centre for Cave Art: French replica cave site using advanced 3D and immersive technology to recreate prehistoric art. Comparable as a European heritage attraction combining physical recreation with immersive/digital technology for ticketed public audiences.
- DDR Museum Berlin: Berlin-based interactive museum dedicated to everyday life in East Germany. Comparable as a German historical edutainment attraction offering immersive, hands-on exhibits; same market, same German tourism audience, complementary rather than directly competing with TimeRide.
Emerging players
- DARK MATTER (Berlin VR Experience): Berlin-based operator of immersive VR and dark ride experiences with multiple titles and a permanent location. Comparable as a European VR experience operator competing for similar consumer spend on ticketed immersive entertainment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
TimeRide social profiles
Digital presenceTimeRide financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TimeRide leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
TimeRide funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TimeRide M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TimeRide
What does TimeRide do?
TimeRide develops and operates immersive virtual reality time-travel experiences across multiple German cities. The core offering combines physical themed rooms with authentic historical replicas and costumed guides with proprietary VR content (360° video, 3D animation) to deliver indoor SENSEUM experiences and outdoor GO! walking tours. Each location features a unique historical period (e.g., Cologne 1926, Frankfurt 1891, Dresden 1719) with detailed 3D reconstructions that guests experience through VR headsets.
Is TimeRide a public or private company?
TimeRide is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TimeRide founded?
TimeRide was founded in 2016.
Where is TimeRide based?
TimeRide is headquartered in Cologne, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does TimeRide make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are gift Vouchers, group Bookings and combination Tickets.
Who are TimeRide's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are teamLab and Madame Tussauds. Direct peers are Meow Wolf, Sandbox VR, TimeLooper, The VOID and Museum of Illusions. Regional players are Lascaux IV - International Centre for Cave Art and DDR Museum Berlin. DARK MATTER (Berlin VR Experience) is listed as an emerging player.
Does TimeRide have an API?
No public API is recorded for TimeRide.
What industry is TimeRide in?
TimeRide's product category is Virtual Reality Attractions. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAHAOAA, Virtual & Hybrid Event Platforms (Webinars, Virtual Venues, Event Hubs), with a secondary code of THAJAAAH, Night Tours (Illuminations, Ghost & Legends). Its NAICS code is 7131 and its SIC code is 7990.