Cologne, Germany

My parents came to visit over Christmas and we decided to take a short train ride to Germany to check out the Christmas markets. The markets were great! It was fun to wander around and see all the crafts and the food was fantastic.

Where we stayed

I almost always try to stay in Hiltons if we can because I have elite status there and we usually get nice upgrades. The Hilton Cologne was right next to the cathedral as well, which is where the biggest Christmas market is held. The hotel was super nice and had a great breakfast spread. It was also very conveniently located, a short walk from the train station and the cathedral. We had an upgraded room with a view of the cathedral too!

Our view of the cathedral

How to get around

We took the train from Amsterdam to Cologne which took about 3 hours. From there we basically just walked everywhere! For our short trip we didn’t venture out too far.

Things to do

Christmas Markets

We were in Cologne for the Christmas markets of course, so we went to three of them. They were all decorated a little differently but a lot of the things they sell tend to repeat. We went to the Cathedral market (which is right outside the cathedral), the Old Market Christmas market, and the Angel’s Christmas market (on the Neumarkt). The last one was the least crowded at the time that we went (sort of late on a Sunday) so I was able to get the most photos. The others we went to on a Saturday afternoon and they were pretty packed!

Cologne Cathedral (Kölner dom)

When you get out of the train station in Cologne the cathedral is basically just RIGHT THERE outside. It is huge and so beautiful. It was also something we did not expect to be as cool as it was. It ended up being my parents’ favorite part of their Europe trip. It was huge and honestly incredible. We also paid the extra €6 to go through the treasury, which was super cool. It had tons of old artifacts and beautiful items from the past. It has really put a shadow over every other cathedral we’ve seen!

Cologne triangle (KölnTriangle)

This is on the other side of the river from the main part of downtown but was worth the quick trip. It’s an observatory high up where you have great views of the city. It was unfortunately very rainy and cloudy so the pictures we took aren’t great but it was definitely very cool to see.

Schloss Drachenburg

This was one I was really excited about but found sort of disappointing. The castle was very cool from the outside but the inside was not that exciting. There was a small Christmas market outside the castle which was cute but not really worth the trip necessarily as the other markets in Cologne were cooler. If you’re going somewhere nearby the castle might be a nice quick stop but overall I was a bit disappointed by this one. We rented a car just for the trip and the drive was about 45 minutes each way from Cologne.

Where to Drink

Cologne is known for Kölsch beer, so they have it basically everywhere. Its served in a tiny glass and they just continually bring you more of it and mark down each beer on a coaster until you’re done. We just found a random beer hall to drink in - it’s not hard to find Kölsch in Cologne!

Where to Eat

Gilden im Zims

We made this reservation a few weeks out - it seemed very popular but we wanted to try some good German food. I had a crispy pork knuckle and it was a magical experience.

Christmas Markets

The Christmas markets were definitely our eating highlight of the weekend.

Starting top left: Käsespätzle (like better German macaroni and cheese!!! the best thing), Curry wurst, flammkuchen (like a flatbread pizza sort of with bacon!), bread with raclette cheese, a Kölner Dom shaped waffle, and a bad photo of the best pretzel I’ve ever had