Cologne Christmas Market: Between mulled wine and lights, winter quietly shines

#7月好去处2025 During the few days I stayed in Cologne, I happened to encounter the Christmas market season. Lights were lit up everywhere in the city, and the air was filled with the smell of cinnamon and icing sugar. Rather than sweeping the attractions in one go, I prefer to walk around the market, drink mulled wine, listen to live music, watch children ride carousels, and see the shining festive feeling in the eyes of adults. ⸻ 📍Cologne Christmas Market (Kölner Weihnachtsmarkt) One of the most classic and large Christmas markets in Germany. It is mainly scattered in several different locations, the most famous of which is the market in front of Cologne Cathedral. Various wooden house vendors sell Christmas decorations, handicrafts, desserts and mulled wine. Each market has its own cup pattern, which has become one of the collection targets of many tourists. ⸻ 🚆Transportation ． Take the DB train to Köln Hbf (Cologne Central Station), and you can see the cathedral and the market right after exiting the station. . The market usually runs from the end of November to Christmas Eve, and the theme and cup design are different every year. ⸻ 🫀Personal experience The romance of this market is not the decoration in a corner, but the whole city becomes soft because of the festive atmosphere. Holding a hot red wine cup in the cold wind, standing in the square between the sea of lights and the church, there is an illusion that time has stopped. Even if my hands are almost frozen, I still want to take a few more photos and queue for hot chocolate again.