Germany // Cologne Christmas Markets

One of my main goals for December in Europe was to visit as many Christmas Markets as possible. Delft had a great little market and we attended a few in Amsterdam, but the highlight of this holiday season were the Christmas Markets in Cologne, Germany. We took a short (3 hour) train to Cologne for an overnight to explore the many markets they have during the holidays. We were able to see four out of the nine (Alter Market, Cathedral Xmas Market, Angels Market, and the Old Market Christmas) and they were stunningly beautiful and super festive. Each market had it's own theme and there were festive markets and stalls set up selling everything from roasted nuts and christmas trinkets to mulled cider and roasted pig. There was music, carolers, live performances, and games, and it was a treat to explore each places. We collected unique mugs from each of the markets and tasted as many sweets and treats as possible.

Besides the markets, Cologne wasn't all that appealing to me. The main cathedral was huge and beautiful, but the rest of the city was pretty modern and unremarkable. Cologne was demolished during WWII so it didn't have as much charm and quaintness as I would have liked, and most of the places we walked through were shopping malls and massively crowded with tourists. Granted, we were only there for a few days and didn't get to explore that much, so I can't hate on it that much. But, if you have the chance to go to Cologne in the winter definitely do because these markets were well worth it!