Here’s Your Guide to Cologne Christmas Markets

Have a holly, jolly Christmas in Cologne, a beautiful and historic city in Germany! Not many know how wondrous Cologne can be during the holiday season. Think local food and drinks like mulled wine and potato pancakes, handcrafted gifts and decorations, and numerous Cologne Christmas markets to add to your holiday itinerary.

If you haven’t done it yet, visiting the Cologne Christmas markets is so much fun, especially if you’re with your friends, family, or loved ones. They promise amazing local food, a nostalgic holiday atmosphere, and cute items to buy for yourself or to take home! With that, we’ve listed five Cologne Christmas markets for you to visit and explore this winter season.

Your list of Cologne Christmas markets to visit will not be complete without the biggest Christmas market in Cologne: the Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral (Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom). The giant Christmas tree is the first thing that will greet visitors, both locals and tourists. With over 100 free events in this Christmas market, just taking a stroll around to see each one is already a treat.

Here, you can buy several items like clothing, glass ornaments, ceramics, handcrafted wooden toys, accessories, and so much more! Now, when it comes to Cologne Christmas market food and drinks, they, of course, have a wide menu as well. For those who want something savory, most stalls sell bratwurst, potato pancakes, raclette (melted cheese on toasted bread), handbrot (bread with savory fillings), flammkuchen (flatbread), and more. If you want something sweet after, you can try their waffles, crepes, roasted sugared almonds, baumkuchen (layered cake), stollen (German fruit bread), and more.

They also have a carousel here, as well as numerous live performances.

Situated in the heart of Cologne’s Old Town is the Heinzels Winter Fairytale (Heinzels Wintermärchen) market. One of this market’s most famous features is its ice skating rink, where everyone can just have fun and skate away. To add more to the fun, there’s also a Ferris wheel, pirate ship, and performers that add even more life and vibrancy to the Christmas market.

You can buy so many things here for yourself or for someone back home, such as handmade ornaments and decorations, German toys, books, antiques, and even clothing pieces like gloves, wool hats, and scarves.

If you’re feeling hungry, go ahead and treat yourself to some good Schweinshaxe mit Sauerkraut (pork knuckle with sauerkraut), roasted almonds, grilled sausages, mulled wine, and more!

Located in Neumarkt Square, the Angels’ Market is a classic Christmas market, as it was the one that reignited the spark of Christmas markets in Cologne back in the 1970s. It’s known for its stunning Christmas lights and angel figures situated around the market. Make sure to snap some photos of the angel figurines, as they are the highlight of the Angels’ Market.

Of course, shopping is another great part of visiting a Cologne Christmas market. Here, you can score handmade chocolates, mulled wine, waffles, and other festive treats. For items, they sell handcrafted goodies made from natural materials like felt, wood, glass, and paper.

To keep your bellies happy, the Cologne Christmas market food here includes fried potato pancakes, flatbread, flammlachs (salmon dish), spätzle (German egg noodles), and grilled sausages. To satisfy your sweet cravings, drop by stalls that sell Kölner Dom waffles (waffles shaped like the Cologne Cathedral), layered cakes, langos (fried dough with savory or sweet toppings), and roasted almonds. For drinks, they have mulled wine, of course, and festive cocktails like the Christmas Spritzer.

This Christmas market in the Stadtgarten is known for having over 60 exhibitors that change weekly. Plenty of products like fashion pieces and jewelry items can be found here, as well as honey producers and local gin distillers. If you want to dive deeper into Cologne’s crafts and culture, then this Christmas market is perfect for you.

For snacks, they have the usual sausages—bratwurst and currywurst—as well as potato pancakes, roasted chestnuts, waffles, and gingerbread cookies. For drinks, they have mulled wine, Eierpunsch (egg punch), and Kinderpunsch for the kids.

But really, what they wish for everyone to take notice of here is the organic red and white mulled wine that came from the Georg Forster Winery in Rümmelsheim on the Nahe. Their red mulled wine consists of ingredients such as cloves, oranges, and lemons. The white mulled wine, on the other hand, is refined with ingredients like cinnamon and star anise.

The Cologne Harbour Christmas Market, located just beside the Chocolate Museum, brings in the modernity in Cologne Christmas markets with its stalls decorated in snow-white pagoda tents that imitate ships’ sails. They also have a Ferris wheel here that offers views of Cologne, like the Cathedral.

As you stroll through about 70 stalls, you’ll find handcrafted ornaments, wooden items, jewelry, and other holiday-themed trinkets. And as always, your Cologne Christmas market experience will not be complete without food and drinks! Luckily for you, they offer käsespätzle (German pasta dish), traditional German sausages, fondue, Yorkshire pudding wraps, roasted sugared almonds, slow-grilled salmon, and potato pancakes.

One highlight you shouldn’t miss out on is the Lighthouse Spelunke, where you can warm up a bit from the cold winter season with Feuerzangenbowle (mulled beer).

We want you to have a smooth-sailing trip. To make transportation easier for you so you can visit as many Cologne Christmas markets as you want, definitely get yourself a Cologne City Card (KolnCard). With the Cologne City Card, you’ll be able to have unlimited access to public transportation for either 24 or 48 hours, depending on your plans. It’s a good thing that all of the Christmas markets in Cologne are located near public transportation, making the markets easily accessible by train, subway, tram, or bus. 

And wait, there’s more! The KolnCard isn't only going to make getting around easier, it also comes with up to 50% off attractions, museums, tours, restaurants, and even stores in Cologne! Here are some of the included attractions and establishments:

For museums: Farina Duftmuseum, Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln, Die Photographische Sammlung / SK Stiftung Kultur, Tanzmuseum des Deutschen Tanzarchivs Köln, and KOLUMBA – Kunstmuseum des Erzbistums Köln.

For experiences: Kölner Haie Eishockey – Ice Hockey, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Theater am Dom, TimeRide VR Cöln, and Kölner Zoo.

For sightseeing: Sightrunning-Cologne, FF Stadtführungen, Helikon Events – TV Studioführungen, Adventure World Tours, and DSC Dampfschiffahrt Colonia GmbH.

For shopping: KölnTourismus Shop, 4711 Traditionshaus, and Farina 1709.

For restaurants: Ganesha Indisches Restaurant, Brauerei zur Malzmühle, GALERIA Restaurant, and Hard Rock Café GmbH.

💸 Don’t forget to bring some cash, just in case some stalls don’t offer online or card payments.

🧣 Wear layers of clothing and other necessary accessories to keep you warm (scarf, beanie/hat, ear muffs, gloves).

💊 Bring allergy medicine since there’s a wide variety of food items sold in each Cologne Christmas market, just to be safe and ready.

🛍️ Bring a reusable bag or an extra tote if you plan to buy gifts and souvenirs. This is so you won’t have to deal with holding onto several bags.

📸T ake photos to commemorate your Cologne Christmas market experience.

👟 Wear comfortable shoes! There will be a lot of walking involved in a Christmas market, so it’s best to be prepared.

You’re now all geared up to visit Cologne’s Christmas markets. Remember to take note of each one so you can plan your itinerary accordingly. We’ve also suggested something to make going around easier for you, as well as reminders to be wary of. Happy and safe travels!

Yes, Cologne Christmas markets are definitely worth visiting so you get a feel of how other countries and cultures celebrate the holiday season. It’s also a unique way of exploring another city or country.

Most Cologne Christmas markets open from late November until late December. For the ones mentioned above, here are the dates:

Date: November 17 to December 23, 2025

Date: November 24 to January 4, 2026

Date: November 17 to December 23, 2025

Date: November 14 to December 23, 2025

Date: November 14 to December 23, 2025

Cologne’s Christmas markets are generally considered affordable, especially since everyone can enter the markets for free.