Cologne Christmas Markets

han6149

So we're heading to Cologne in december. Wondering if anyone's ever been and how many euros i should take. I heard things are quite expensive so anything about the price of gifts and so on will be really helpful.

mynameistallulah

No one can tell you how much money you need - no one knows what you want to buy! Cologne is not overly expensive, about the same as any city here.

joedenise

It really depends on what you want to buy - if anything! We went to Cologne markets a couple of years ago and only spent money on food and didn't buy any gifts because we weren't going to be at home for Christmas with the family and had agreed we'd have "christmas" in January, so bought our gifts in the sales when we got home.

The markets just have a great atmosphere they're well worth visiting just for that.

Denise

han6149

What sort of things do they sell? Never been to a christmas market before.

Backbiter

Christmas decorations, traditional toys, personalised gifts such as engraved beers or schnaps glasses, clothes (scarves, gloves, hats), candles, leather goods. Lots of things you won't see in the shops as so much is handmade.
Plus loads of food: sausages and other typical German food, sweets, fruit dipped in chocolate. And of course alcohol, notably Glühwein (mulled wine).
Cologne is fantastic at Christmas, and the cathedral is jaw-dropping at any time. There are six or seven different markets all around the city, and all are worth visiting, and the stalls are not the same at all of them. In my expeience the one by the cathedral is the most expensive and I prefer the atmosphere at the other ones.

totallybored

I took my dad the other year and he loved it. I didn't buy anything apart from a gingerbread thing though and I love shopping. I find the markets pretty to look at but there is nothing I'd like to buy. I was happier in the branch of Hema in Essen and Xenos in Bochum!

dzug1

They can be VERY crowded at weekends - I assume it's less hectic in the week though I've never been then.

Some stalls sell mainly (fairly) cheap stuff made in China - others have locally hand made products. It should be fairly obvious which is which - not only by the prices.

astramax151

While you are there it's worth hopping on the train + having a look at the markets in Bonn (not particularly large, but a very pretty town) + Dusseldorf (more markets + a large imposing place) We did both places in one day to make the most of our one day rail passes (rail travel is cheap in Germany) I'd also recommend a trip to the viewing platform of the tv tower in Dusseldorf. The view from the top of Cologne cathedral is impressive, but be warned it is a very narrow + worn endless spiral staircase to get there (passing on the stairs is not for the faint hearted!) Cologne has several markets, including a floating one on a boat on the Rhine + a medieval one near the chocolate museum. All of these towns/cities are much the same in cost as the rest of Germany + you can spend as much/little as you like. One thing we noticed in Cologne is that it doesn't wake up until after 10:00 a.m. when everyone starts to gather at the bakeries for their morning pastries.

Hope this helps.:beer:

*smurfy*

Like others have said,I don't really think there's that much to buy at the markets,its more about being there! I go to that part of Germany a few times a year Inc Christmas time,myself I drive so I have a car to get from town to town,as one night looking at each town/city is enough,by trains and trams are easy used. If I was you I'd think about visiting Duisburg,as the town its self is good for shopping and market goes down the centre,your also find it less tourist the market so has things that might buy,rather than the tat in koln.:-) also from there visiting Essen,and then there's the Rhine/rhur shopping centre,with a massive karstat. But for Christmas markets you can't beat valkenburg caves in Holland,the whole town becomes a Christmas town and certain nights of week they have a parade through town