Hi, and let's take a look at three of Cologne's Christmas markets in 2021
and this was part of our three cities road trip
which saw us visit Aachen, Münster before returning to Cologne, and then heading home
and this was our 12th visit to Cologne at Christmas
and this time it was under the '2G' rules
which meant we had to prove that we'd been vaccinated or recently recovered from Covid
and although we were here on a Monday and Tuesday
it seemed a lot quieter than it would be during a normal season
but that didn't mean that it still didn't have that wonderful German Christmas spirit
it also meant we had the opportunity to visit old haunts
such as one of our favourites, the Bierhaus en d'r Salzgass
that's the one over to our left
and this is one of the many little cobbled lanes that weave your way through the old town
and takes us towards the river Rhine which leads us down to our first German Christmas market
and that's Cologne's Harbour market
situated on the edge of the river Rhine
surrounding Cologne's chocolate museum - yes, it has a chocolate museum
and new for this year it has a 48 meter high Ferris wheel which we can just see in the distance
and Cologne's Christmas Harbour Market is one of seven main markets within Cologne
I'll pop a link in the description to the tourist information to give you more details
and this is Monday afternoon around about half three
and the first impression is that it seems a little quieter than on normal years
but as always there's a great selection of food and drink
as well as around about 70 stalls selling some fairly unique and interesting gifts
there's that chocolate museum on our left
In all the 12 years that we've been we still haven't managed to squeeze in enough time to visit the chocolate museum
oh well that's just an excuse to come back again next year
and maybe next year we'll actually get to go on the Ferris wheel, who knows?
I would imagine the Ferris wheel gives you a pretty stunning view over the city
the lights below and the river Rhine on which Cologne sits
and it's on this market that you can find the lighthouse tavern
which I believe is the only market stall that sells hot spiced beer
now I know, don't knock it till you tried it it's actually quite nice
and as I always say these markets always look stunning after the sun has gone down
Once again a wander through the stalls provides you with a mix of great food, drink and some interesting gifts
we didn't pick anything up this year, but we have in the past
it's always nice to be able to buy some of the gift which you know they won't find on the high street
and over to our left is one of our favourite German Christmas market treats
and that salmon cooked over wood
stuffed in a bun this is a must-try
I know it's a Monday but it still seems incredibly quiet around here
let's take a look at our next market
the Dom Christmas market with its giant Christmas tree
set in the shadow of Cologne's amazing gothic cathedral
this year's market is smaller than previous years but that's not due to covid
the redevelopment of the old Dom Hotel appears to have encroached onto the space of the old market
that doesn't mean there's not plenty of stalls and a lot of the old favorites are still there
the big difference is obviously the face coverings as well as the mandatory "2G" requirements
once you've proved that you've met the "2G" requirements
you'll get a stamp on the back of the hand which means you don't need prove at every food or drink stall
and once again whilst it looks quiet here, there are certain areas which I think are going to get busy
so it depends on how comfortable you feel in those spaces
I think one of the most congested areas is in the central region by the tree in front of the stage
However, if you just want to have a glühwein and stand to the side there are plenty of places that give you that opportunity
once again as we wander through here I see gifts on stalls
I think, oh I bought that for my sister, I bought that for my mother
I bought that for myself, I guess I just get sucked into the Christmas spirit
and now for a little look in high speed
and relatively new addition since about 2015
is the Christmas pyramid that seems to nestle up alongside the Dom market
Mainly serving food and drink it's a great place to get fed and watered on our way to our next market
and without a shadow of a doubt, our favorite market
and that is, the Elf market
and I think this market is particularly wonderful
and one of the features that I really like about it is the band who played by the fountain
again, it looks stunning in the evening with its beautiful illuminations
over the years this market has improved so many times
and it now runs from the Alter Markt or the old market
all the way through to Heumarkt or the hay market
and guess what another band
and isn't that an impressive drinks hut but if you think that's impressive
let's take a look at the ice rink
updated in 2013, I think this has to be one of the best ice rinks we've seen at a Christmas market
let us know your thoughts what's your favourite Christmas ice rink?
leave us a comment we'd love to know and also if you enjoyed this one why not subscribe
we'd really appreciate that
and that's going to complete our look at Cologne in 2021
I really hope you like what we put together
thanks so much for watching
I hope you enjoyed it, but most importantly stay safe, stay well, and happy travels