After multiple cities and multiple markets, we found our favorite European Christmas market at our final stop in Germany. The Cologne Christmas market was the best.
There were two areas right in the main part of town with markets. One was underneath the beautiful cathedral, and the other was sandwiched in between the older buildings and had an amazing gnome theme.
A Little Background on Cologne, Germany
Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany. It is located on the Rhine River and is home to many universities. With around 1 million people calling it home, there is plenty to do and see. During World War II, the city was bombed by the allies and 61% of the buildings were destroyed. But they have rebounded and the city is a beautiful place to visit.
It is the home of the Kölsch beer and every bar in town will drop it off at your table as soon as you sit down. At the few places we visited, they dropped off small glasses and made tally marks on our coasters to count the number. When we didn’t want to drink anymore, you’d put the coaster on top of your glass and they would bring the tab. I loved the simplicity of it.
We joined millions of other visitors to the city during the Cologne Christmas market and it ended up being our favorite, with the Leipzig Christmas market being a close second.
The Famous Cathedral
The Cathedral is recognized as an UNESCO World Heritage Site and should not be skipped on a trip to Cologne Christmas markets. It’s right behind the main market and next to the main train station in town.
You can read more about the history on this website. It is an incredible building and has even more interesting stories. Because of its central location, it just cannot be missed.
The Gorgeous Cologne Christmas Markets
The main reason for our visit was the Cologne Christmas market. It was magical. We loved all the gnomes everywhere skiing, drinking beers and hanging out with polar bears. The other big market was underneath the famous cathedral with a large entertainment stage and the most beautiful tree. We ate cheese fondue, potato pancakes, and a few new desserts. There were multiple kinds of gluhwein to try. It was the perfect finale for our Germany and Austria Christmas market tour. We will just let the pictures speak for themselves.
More Details About the Cologne Christmas Market
The markets are located right in the center of town just steps from the main train station. The city is well linked to other large cities and fairly easy to get to.
We had a pretty horrible Airbnb experience here (our first and last of the trip, thankfully), but the hotel we found for our second night made up for it. We would definitely recommend this hotel if you are visiting the Cologne Christmas market or visiting any time of year.
Let us know if you have a favorite Christmas market in Europe. If you need other ideas, make sure to check out our other posts on Leipzig, Berlin, and Vienna.
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