Christmas is undoubtedly one of the biggest holidays of the year for Europeans. When mentioning this holiday, we cannot ignore the Christmas markets decorated with bright lights, with stalls filled with the fragrant smell of cinnamon and mulled wine.
Christmas markets in Europe usually open from mid-November until Christmas Day on December 23, or sometimes extended to early January in some large markets. This year, Christmas markets have begun to welcome visitors after two years of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Each market has its own unique decorative style.
Cologne, Germany is considered one of the most visited cities during Christmas in Europe with its large and famous Christmas markets. These Christmas markets are scattered around the city, and each market has its own theme, with different style of stalls.
The two most famous markets that every tourist probably wants to visit at least once are the market at the legendary Dom church (Köln Dom), and the market in the old town (Heinzels Wintermachen).
Heinzels Wintermachen market is located right in the old town and is also just a few hundred meters from the market at the Dom church.
As soon as I stepped out of Cologne train station, I saw a stream of people rushing towards the sparkling lights and the giant 25 meter high Christmas tree of the Christmas market located right next to the famous Dom church. Not only the sight attracted me, but also the aroma of mulled wine, waffles, and German sausages made me stop.
People often say: If you come to the Christmas market without trying mulled wine, you haven’t been here yet. In the cold weather of European winter, there is nothing more wonderful than the feeling of slowly sipping mulled wine, your body gradually warming up, not sure if it is because of the alcohol or the heat of the wine…
The aroma of hot specialties kept me at the stalls.
The mulled wine here is often served in cups with unique and distinctive decorations of each market. For example, the cup at the Dom Cathedral market will not lack the iconic image of the church, the Angel market will have angel-shaped cups with different expressions, etc. When paying, I was asked to deposit an additional 3 euros for the cup and it will be returned when I return the cup or if I like, I can accept the loss of the deposit and keep the cup. Because I was so impressed with the unique 1-0-2 designs on these cups, I decided to keep and collect the cups in the Christmas markets as a way to reminisce. This is also considered one of the effective ways to promote wine sales and sell souvenir cups of the Christmas markets.
Mulled wine, also known as glühwein, is a must-try drink at any Christmas market.
Coming to these Christmas markets, some people may not like the crowded and jostling atmosphere here. Sometimes the market is so crowded that people have to line up to move and inch by inch. However, I personally find that this bustling, crowded and bustling atmosphere is an indispensable part of the popularity of the Christmas market in Cologne. Surrounded by groups of people chatting, holding cups of hot wine, I feel the warmth and joy of the Christmas festival in a foreign land.
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Move:Cologne, also known as Köln, is the fourth largest city in Germany, about 200km from Frankfurt. From Vietnam, you can fly directly from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to Frankfurt and take a train for about 1.5 hours to Cologne.
Time:You can choose to visit Cologne in all seasons of the year because the festivals in this city are spread all year round. However, you can prioritize coming here from October to February every year to participate in the famous Carneval festival, or visit the brilliant Christmas markets.
