Did you know Cologne has some of the best Christmas Markets in Germany? We recently visited to immerse ourselves in the magic of the holiday season, and we can’t recommend this city enough! Here’s a complete guide to the Cologne Germany Christmas Markets, plus more fun things to do here during the winter.
Our Cologne Christmas Markets Trip
This was actually our second visit to Cologne this year! We had spent an amazing two days here earlier in the summer, so we couldn’t wait to get back.
It ended up being one of our favorite cities in Germany, and retuning for the Cologne Christmas Markets only made us love it more. Here’s some of our favorite things to do in Cologne before you go.
As you can imagine, it was a completely different experience being here for the holidays. The city literally transforms into a winter wonderland, with so many unique markets to explore.
While the biggest one in front of the Cathedral is the most popular, know that there are endless markets to see throughout the city. Here’s our 12 best tips for planning your own Cologne Christmas Market trip.
12 Tips For the Cologne Germany Christmas Markets
1. How Long to Visit Cologne
We recommend spending at least two days in the city. The Cologne Christmas Markets typically start opening in mid-November, and run all the way up until December 23rd.
Many travelers from abroad will likely be including Cologne in a longer Europe vacation. For instance, we started at the Budapest Christmas Market and then flew to Germany for the Hamburg Christmas Markets.
From there, we went to the Frankfurt Christmas Market, boarded a 4 night Main River Cruise, went to the famous Nuremberg Christmas Market, and then finished in Cologne! Two days seemed like the perfect amount of time, but we could’ve easily spent 3 or 4 without running out of things to do.
2. Where to Stay in Cologne
One of the best parts about the Cologne Christmas Markets is that they’re sprinkled all around different parts of the city. This makes it simple to pick a hotel, as you’ll never be too far from your next market.
With that said, we liked staying near old town for the most central location. Some of our favorite hotels in this area are Motel One Köln-Neumarkt, B-Chill Cologne, and Dorint Hotel am Heumarkt Köln.
We also loved neighborhoods like Ehrenfeld, Nippes, and Lindenthal! Our choice ended up being Wasserturm Hotel Cologne, which was just a short walk from the Heinzels Wintermaerchen Christmas Market.
3. Getting Around the City
If you’re staying outside of old town, don’t worry! Their fantastic public transportation system is an easy and stress-free way to get around Cologne.
The KölnCard is a great option, as it includes the trains, discounts to attractions, and even the hop on hop off bus. On this visit to Cologne we pretty much walked everywhere we could.
By staying close to old town, you’ll be within walking distance of all the best Cologne Christmas Markets. It’s even cheap to get an Uber if you’re tired one night and ready to warm up back at the hotel.
4. See ALL the Cologne Christmas Markets
Believe it or not, Cologne actually has seven different Christmas Markets to explore! The main one you may have seen pictures of is Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom directly in front of the Cologne Cathedral.
Yet, there are many more sprinkled around the city in different neighborhoods. Honestly, the entire city is so decorated, it felt like we were in one giant Cologne Christmas Market.
One of our favorites was the oldest Christmas Market in Cologne called Markt der Engel (Market of Angels). You can find this one in the Neumarkt square with a spectacular display of hanging lights.
Another market we made multiple visits to was the Heinzels Wintermärchen. This is great for kids and families, with the ice rink serving as a magnificent centerpiece in the middle.
5. Dress Warm
You’ll definitely want to layer up for the Cologne Germany Christmas Markets! It wasn’t crazy cold in mid-December, but the temperature dropped quickly at night.
We wore our boots, winter socks, and a merino wool layer under our coats. You’ll also want to bring a hat and gloves to stay extra warm.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get much snow during our tour of the Germany Christmas Markets. Nevertheless, it’s better to be safe than sorry when packing for your trip.
You can always bring a backpack with you to store more layers. It will definitely come in handy when picking up your souvenirs, too!
6. Get Your Glühwein Mug
Trying the delicious hot wine is a must on your visit to the Cologne Christmas Market. If you’ve never been to Germany before, know that there is a special way they do things when it comes to this lovable drink.
How it works is you leave a deposit for a specially designed mug on top of the price of a glühwein. Then you have the option to return it for your money back or keep it as a souvenir.
We assembled quite the collection of mugs during our time in Germany. It was hard to give them back since they are all so special!
7. When to Go to the Cologne Christmas Market
While it is certainly worth seeing the Cologne Christmas Markets at night when they’re all lit up, know that this is the most crowded time to be there. This is why we preferred going in the early afternoon as opposed to later on.
The nice part is it gets dark pretty early in the winter anyway, so you can get a taste of the lights as soon as 4:30-5pm. The later it gets in the evening, the more people show up.
This is especially true for the popular market in front of the Cologne Cathedral. It got quite uncomfortable at some points at night and a bit less enjoyable.
Just keep this in mind when planning your own visit to the Christmas Markets in Cologne. If possible, you also may want to visit during a weekday instead of the busier weekends as well.
8. Climb the Cologne Cathedral
Ready for the best view of the Cologne Christmas Market? Then it’s time to climb the famous cathedral!
Be aware though it’s no easy task to get to the top. This is the third tallest church in the world after all!
It will require a decent level of fitness to climb the 533 stairs. However, once you get there, you’ll have glorious views of the Cologne Christmas Market and cityscape.
Read all about our ascent to the top of the Cologne Cathedral from this past summer. Just like the markets, you’re better off going earlier to avoid crowds.
9. Taste Traditional German Food
Did you know this region has some of the best food in all of Germany? One of the most exciting parts of the Cologne Christmas Markets is tasting all the delicious German food from the local stands.
Some of our favorites include bratwurst, potato pancakes, and pretzels. You’ll obviously want to taste as much glühwein as possible, but don’t miss out on the fire bowl.
Known as the Feuerzangenbowle in German, this special glühwein concoction is made with a twist. They set a rum soaked sugarloaf on fire over the hot wine adding a fun kick to your drink!
10. Experience a Kolsch Brauhaus
When you’re ready for a bigger meal, we highly recommend heading to a traditional Bruhaus. Not only will you be served incredible German dishes, but the special Kolsch beer is only brewed in the Cologne area.
Just getting served drinks is a fun time in itself, as they will keep bringing them out until you’ve quenched your thirst. The only way to stop the beers from coming is actually capping off your glass with a coaster!
We had the chance to go to the popular Früh Am Dom on our visit over the summer for an amazing dinner. On our Christmas markets trip during the holidays, we went to another great spot called Peters am Hahnentor. This is the 2nd location of Peters Brauhaus that is near the old town.
This restaurant is right next to Nicholas Village Christmas Market at Rudolfplatz, which is also worth a visit. The Schweinshaxe (pork knuckle) dinner we had here was one of the best of our entire trip in Germany!
11. Morning at a Cologne Thermal Spa
If you have some extra time, you wont want to miss out on a thermal spa. This is a wonderful morning activity that you can do before the Christmas Markets in Cologne even open up.
While there are many around the city, Claudius Therme is the premier spa in Cologne. You can find it just on the other side of the Rhine River from old town. Nothing beats a warm dip in the thermal waters during the winter time!
Before heading to Cologne, we were visiting spa capital of Europe in Budapest. Be sure to check out our articles about Scheznyi Thermal Bath and Gellert Baths if you’re planning a visit there.
12. Go To a Cologne Museum
Don’t get us wrong.. we absolutely LOVED the Cologne Christmas Markets. Still it was nice to get out of the cold and warm up when we could. Most of your day will be outside, but you can easily plan to go to one or two museums.
During our visit, we had a morning when it just wouldn’t stop raining! We ended up heading to the Ludwig Museum that showcases some of the most spectacular art in Europe.
It’s conveniently located next to the main Cologne Christmas Market and Cathedral, so it was easy to stop in for a couple hours. We also had a delicious lunch here at the Ludwig Museum restaurant. Our meal consisted of a winter salad, roast duck, and incredible beef dish.
More German Christmas Markets
As we mentioned, many travelers include Cologne in a larger Christmas Markets itinerary. Germany has the best Christmas Markets in the world and it’s very simple to hop on a train to get between the cities.
The markets in the big cities are unbelievable, but don’t miss out on the small towns either! If you’d rather drive, renting a car from Cologne is a great way to explore the surrounding areas.
You can even make the 30 minute drive nearby and spend 1 day in Dusseldorf Germany.
Have any questions about the Cologne Christmas Market or want to share tips from your own visit? Leave us a comment below!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
This trip was made possible in partnership with Cologne Tourism. As always, any opinions and recommendations remain our own.
*We receive a commission for purchases made through links in this post. This allows us to continue our travels and keep providing great content to our readers! Also, as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We’re Brigitte and Jake! American travel bloggers currently based in Spain. If you can believe it, we started Nothing Familiar way back in 2015 on an Ipad in the Ecuadorian jungle. Ever since, we haven’t stopped traveling! We’ve now been to over 60 countries around the world, with our expertise being Europe and Southeast Asia. We love outdoor adventures, tasting local specialties, and island hopping through tropical destinations. Hopefully, our guides and authentic experiences will inspire you on your own travels!
