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Group Travel Tour Operator and DMC for Cologne, Germany

Cologne and the Rhine Valley Christmas Markets

  • View towards the city centre with cathedral and Hohenzollern Bridge ©Francesco Carovillano, GNTB

    Cologne at night, Germany
  • Bonn Market Square

    Bonn Market Square
4 day tour
From £399 per person - minimum 25 passengers

Cologne is one of the most popular Christmas market destinations in Europe, offering several markets dotted around the city and which are renowned for their unique festivities.  They line the streets in front of the cathedral, the city’s most famous landmark, and are among the most spectacular places to get your Christmas shopping done. The historic backdrop of the giant black cathedral looms over the stalls and elaborately decorated Christmas tree.

Nearby cities such as Bonn and Dusseldorf also offer traditional markets. Bonn Christmas Market, the city of Beethoven and HARIBO, is a great destination for those in search of food, shopping and culture whilst Dusseldorf offers seven unique themed markets dotted around the city.


Dates

November & December 2025 (dates to be confirmed)


Suggested itinerary by coach

Day 1

Depart the UK

Drive to Dover and take the ferry across to Calais.  Continue  through France, into Belgium and via Brussels before crossing the border into Germany and on to Cologne for the next 3 nights.  Dinner will be at the hotel this evening.

Day 2

Cologne Christmas Markets

A full day to explore the city’s amazing markets.  At the heart of the city is the “Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral” and not far away, located on the squares Alter Markt and Heumarkt, “Heinzels Winter Fairytale” hosts a spectacular ice rink. Directly located on the Rhine, next to the Chocolate Museum, the “Harbour Christmas Market” exudes a maritime flair.  In the centre of the larger shopping areas, the “Market of Angels” is located on Neumarkt and on nearby Rudolfplatz, you can enjoy the spirit of the “Village of St. Nicholas”.   The colourful and dazzling community Christmas market “Heavenue” opens its doors and on the edge of the popular Belgian quarter, people meet at the “Christmas Market at Stadtgarten” within Cologne’s oldest park.

(The above markets are usually open daily from about 11.00 am until 8.00 or 9.00 pm – subject to confirmation for 2025)

Day 3

Rhine Valley

Continue to explore Cologne or why not make the short drive to one of the following located along the Rhine Valley:

Bonn:   Only a short drive from Cologne, the Münsterplatz is the location of the heart of Bonn’s Christmas Market, where there’s a high density of classic Christmas market stalls selling ornaments and gifts, along with tons of tasty classic Christmas market food.  Generally speaking, the Christmas market scene in Bonn is considerably less crowded than Cologne.

Düsseldorf:  Known for its seven unique themed markets, which are scattered around the city and decorated in different (yet beautiful) ways.  The entire city centre and Old Town  is transformed into a Christmas paradise, lined with hundreds of Christmas trees. Stroll around, buy presents and experience Christmas. And if you want to get up high, take a ride on the Ferris wheel on Burgplatz and enjoy an unforgettable panoramic view of the city.

(The above markets are usually open daily from about 11.00 am until 8.00 or 9.00 pm – subject to confirmation for 2025)

Day 4

Return to the UK

Make the return journey to Calais and take the ferry across to the UK, and home.


Departure date 4 days / 3 nights Single supplement
November & December 2025 From £399.00 per person From £169.00 per person

 

All prices are per person based on sharing a double or twin room and with one free place in a single room, based on a minimum 25 full fare paying passengers. Prices do not include UK coach hire or travel insurance. Dates are subject to availability. Smaller groups can be quoted for on request. Greatdays Holidays Limited is a member of ABTA (Y0380) which means you have the benefit of ABTA's assistance and Code of Conduct. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. Greatdays Holidays Limited has an ATOL licence (4279) and all of our air package tours are protected under this licence. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the Civil Aviation Authority will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any monies you have paid to us for an advance booking. All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this tour are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed on it. Please see our booking conditions for further information or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/ATOLCertificate. Our website policy is to use only copyright free images or images which have been authorised to us for free use by the owner. If you consider an image to be unauthorised or to be your property, please contact us immediately and if invalid we will have the image removed. If your image requires crediting or is missing a copyright statement then we will be pleased to add this to the webpage, contact us at info@greatdays.co.uk

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