2025 ULTIMATE COLOGNE GERMANY CHRISTMAS MARKET GUIDE | 5 Festive Christmas Markets

2025 ULTIMATE COLOGNE GERMANY CHRISTMAS MARKET GUIDE | 5 Festive Christmas Markets

Merry Christmas, Zumbo. And the first väen, first groovine of the year. Smells so good. Nice and uh spicy and warm. And we are in Cologne by the Colona Dome or the Cologne Cathedral for our very first Christmas market of the year. And we are so excited to kick off this holiday season and to show you where to get the best fun, the most fun, and the most excitement for your money and your holiday time. So, let’s go explore the Cologne Christmas Market. Ho ho ho. Wow, look at that. The master. Whoa. Yeah, the master. Hello. Merry Christmas. Look at this y’all. Our first Rya cooking uh cartou pufa potato pancakes of the year right here in Cologne underneath the cathedral. Going to dip it into some of that applesauce. Did you hear that? Wow. That’s a crunch. This is good stuff. How much was it? It was €6 for three pieces and um not a bad price. Delicious. I got the traditional applesauce. You can also get it with garlic sauce, but uh this is quite tasty and warm. Look at that. Look at that. And we are going to dig into some they call them rival cooking here. We’re going to dig into some ribbou cooking here in Cologne. Having a great time at the Christmas market. a mug from 2025 Christmas market at the Culner Dome. And we’ve got the um it’s got uh the cathedral, Christmas tree, and old Staint Nick flying over the town. It says 2025 and it’s quite festive. Um, I don’t know what the deposit was on this, but the glue vine were the glue vine were €5 each. So, I think we’re going to keep one cuz they’re quite pretty. And this is our first time ever at the Cologne Christmas market. So, uh, we like it. But each market in Cologne has a different type of mug. But I like this one. I think we’ll keep this one. We’ll see what else we can find. Like one or two of them aren’t open yet. They’ll open up later in the week, but uh, most of them are open right now. We’re here uh the week before Thanksgiving to my friends watching from the United States and uh kicking it off. And this is one of the very first markets opening up for the year in 2025. So, we’re going to walk around. We’re going to let you see it and uh have a great time here in Cologne. For my vegan friends, look right here, the Vigana Ferai. That means vegan butcher, I believe. And it’s right underneath the the Cologne Cathedral. So, if you don’t like meat, you could come here and get your vegan meat right here and enjoy it just like everyone else. And also, for those of you who don’t drink alcohol, there’s plenty of non-alcoholic options. Um, there’s punch, there’s hot chocolate, and stuff like that. So, you do not have to drink alcohol when you visit a Christmas market. All right. So, you can eat vegan and you can also be non-alcohol. Ho ho ho. Look at that. We got a blacksmith right here in Cologne. Look at this cool stuff he’s making. Now, this would be a unique present. Um, we got some flamlocks or sometimes they call it foyer locks, but basically it means salmon that’s cooked over an open flame. It’s smoked. We got it right here underneath the dome from that nice young man over there who’s originally from Egypt. And um look at this. It’s very good. And flamlocks is one of our favorite things. We love it. We love it when we see them roasting over the fire. It’s delicious. And um so this plate was €14. It’s a little expensive. You can get it in a roll for €9. So like a sandwich at €9. That probably is a better bargain actually. Or you can get it with a baguette on a baguette for €12. But uh anyway, we didn’t really want any bread. So, we got this and u it’s very good. It is very good. Little expensive. There’s quite a lot of salmon in there. This is an apple spritz, which many people are familiar with that. But this is actually a hot apple spritz. So, it’s got some steam coming out it. So, on the Christmas market, you just you go from drinking cold apple spritz in the summer to drinking them nice and toasty hot in the winter. Quite good. Reviewers commented on our last video said, “We always have nice weather.” A couple people have commented that. Um, but actually it’s starting to rain here in Cologne. So maybe our luck is has ran out. But as they say in Germany, so there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing. So hopefully our clothing is okay and it’s going to keep us warm and toasty and dry. So we have a great time here at the Cologne Christmas Market. still. Okay, so we walked over. Now we are at the the Hoffen Väox Mart which means the port Christmas market right along the Ryan River and they have a big reason Rod which means which we would call a ferris wheel but it means huge wheel I think. Um, and so I have we have different cups here. If you can see that it’s it’s dark. So it’s so we have it’s blue. It says Hoffen Väox Mart and it has like different symbols of the river and the Colner Dome in the background. And um, so I have hot cocoa. And so like I said, you can you don’t have to drink alcohol. I have a nice hot cocoa. And we’re sitting here by the river. It’s starting to rain. It’s been raining a little bit hard, but uh, it’s very nice. and uh having a good time here in Cologne despite the rainy weather right now and walking towards the uh the Rezen rod, the ferris wheel and we’re here at the Hoffen Market which is right by the Huffen Mart which is right by the um the chocolate museum. So if you’ve um ever been to Cologne, you might know that Cologne has a chocolate museum, Shakaladin Museum. And uh so it’s right, this is where the the Hoffen Mark or the Harbor Market is. It’s right by the chocolate museum. And really nice. So that um hot chocolate I had was excellent. And it’s really pretty here. We’ve had some off and on rain, but uh it’s a nice night, I tell you. Um it’s cool, of course. you know, we’re in November, but uh it’s not freezing cold, very pleasant, having a good time. People are in a great mood. There aren’t a lot of people here, so it’s not very crowded. So, I tell you, if you come the first week of the Christmas market in Cologne, um you’re not going to be pushing around a lot of people. But, uh really nice. It’s uh very nice evening. And I can recommend I tell you um if you’re traveling around definitely come to Cologne and try to hit it uh the first week because um like I said it’s really nice and you’re not going to be fighting the massive crowds that you’re going to find later. And of course I’m in the middle I’m here in the middle of the week. It’s a uh Tuesday so it’s going to be obviously it’s going to be more crowded on the weekend but it is absolutely beautiful. having a great time. And um I can say I highly recommend the the Cologne Christmas Market to get you into that holiday spirit. So, we are on the Rezen rod and we’re going up over Cologne by the chocolate museum and uh it’s a very nice ferris wheel. It’s nice and covered. It’s very new. Looks like a brand new ferris wheel. Um so, when the weather is not great, uh you’re covered, which is very nice. And um like I said, there aren’t many people here tonight. Oh, wow. This is nice. We’re looking over the Ryan River and we’ve got the city of Cologne over there to my right. So, it’s very nice. Um, €9 per person. That’s right. It’s €9 per person and you go up and you look at the city and we’ve got a great view. This is really cool. Looking over the Ryan River. Having a great time here in Cologne. You only gave a close to you. And so here at the um at the harbor market, they have a nice um it’s kind of nautical theme. They have a nice boat nice long boat bar behind me. So, to get your drink there and um it’s really cool. We’re going to walk around and show you some more footage, but uh I noticed this uh nice ship bar and I thought that was pretty cool here on the river on the Ryan River here in Con Okay, so we are on the we’re on the Noi Mart here in con. And this is called the Angel Box Mark, the Angel Christmas Market. And look at these pretty mugs. Um, white with angels on them. They’re cute, I guess. And I have a broad verse. And this is the prettiest one we’ve market we’ve been to here in Cologne. It’s really nice. The decorations are really pretty. Um it’s really crowded, but it’s got a nice carousel. A lot The food smells great. I tell you, there’s a lot of good food stands and uh Tuesday night. Uhhuh. For a Tuesday night, it’s really crowded. Um but I have a good classic brock burst. And um so I’m going to take a bite. But we’re walking around here and it’s really pretty here at the Angel Market on Manoi marked in con. Merry Christmas. Oh yeah. Oh man, that’s a good word. Very hot. They just took it off the grill. The mustard’s great. And um that’s good. Okay, so the brw worst was good, but I went back and we’ve eaten half of it already. But then we decided it’s so good, we got to talk about this. We have this um cheese filled sausage. I believe it’s a crack hour. Maybe they were called a quesriner like in Vienna last year, but it is delicious. We got it here in Cologne at the Angel Market and I tell you, we were eating it and we’re like, man, we got to put this on film. So, I apologize about it being half bitten, but it’s quite delicious. Um 7. It’s a big sausage, but uh very delicious. So in the angel market, you got to come in and get yourself a uh they have really good broughtwurst and the cheese filled crackau are delicious. So, this is the Hinsel Market, the Hinsel Christmas Market. And uh it’s supposed to be one of the nicest Christmas markets in Cologne. Unfortunately, it doesn’t open until the 24th of November. So, we’re here about a week early. Most of the other markets are open, but this one isn’t open yet. So, unfortunately, we’re not going to be able to go in there, but when you come to Cologne, you’ll be able to go in there, and it’s supposed to be really nice. Lots of uh handcrafts and things like that. So, it’s supposed to be the one of the mark nicest markets here. Um, skating rink has a skating rink. So, um, yeah, when you come to Cologne, make sure you check out the Hezel market. I wish we could, but maybe you can and share it with us. Okay. So, sometimes the weather’s just not great. you’re visiting Christmas markets, but you got to find something to do. So, here in Cologne, they have a very nice chocolate museum and you can come inside and it teaches you everything about the uh uh the production of chocolate from where it’s grown, how it’s harvested, and how they produce it to make delicious um chocolate that we all know and love and the different products that come with it. uh they teach you about the hardships of the people who raise chocolate and are involved in the harvesting and even though twothirds of all the chocolate in the world only comes from two countries they are very povertystricken so it’s a you know kind of makes you I guess have awareness of the people who produce chocolate for us and maybe we can make the world better for them but you come here and they have a nice beautiful chocolate fountain and the lady dips it in there and gives you a sample and it is quite delicious so on a rainy in Cologne, we can highly recommend coming to the chocolate museum and learning all about chocolate. When you finish exploring the chocolate museum, after learning how cocoa beans become the world’s favorite treat, don’t rush out just yet. Make your way to the museum’s cafe. This is where you can truly taste what you’ve just learned. The cafe is packed with indulgent chocolate treats, but the stars of the show are definitely the rich, velvety hot chocolate and the chocolate cake. If you’re a chocolate lover, this place feels a little bit like paradise. Grab a seat by the windows overlooking the rine and enjoy a sweet break before you continue your day. And before you leave, be sure to check out the chocolate shop. It’s filled with beautifully packaged chocolate bars, pralines, and unique cocoa creations. Perfect souvenirs or gifts for friends and family if you can resist keeping them for yourself. A visit to the chocolate museum isn’t just a tour. It’s a full chocolate experience from start to finish. Now we we are at the uh the heaven heaven new heaven um Christmas market here in Cologne. And this is not your grandfather’s Christmas market. This is not the old This is not a traditional Christmas market. It’s a very young vibe, very colorful, lots of party music going on. Um, you know, kind of a cool atmosphere. So, if you want your traditional gingerbread house, uh, Christmas market, this is not the one for you. But, it’s really cool. So, I do recommend coming here. Now, we’ve got some blue vine. They have rainbow cups, rainbow mugs, which is what we’re looking for. This is not one of those. Um, but they are making there’s a stall making homemade spetzle, which we love specets. Um, German noodles with cheese. They’re making it homemade. We’re going to get some of that and try that. It looks delicious. But, uh, a really nice market. I think it’s really cool here in Cologne and recommend you coming uh, after you do the more traditional ones. Come here and check out Heaven and see what you think. But, uh, I think you’ll like it. It’s really nice. All right. So, we have our our cheese fetz fetzla with um with hers ram rum sauce, deer cream sauce, and onions and cheese. Let me get in here. Oh, wow. That’s very tasty. That’s good. Um the sauce is really good. Oh, wow. The berries go really good with the uh with the cream sauce. It’s delicious. And they’re making it homemade right here. Really cool. When you come to Heaven, get yourself some pesto. And you can get it um they have vegan options, too. So, this is deer cream sauce. It’s not vegan, but you can’t get the vegan option. It’s quite tasty. It goes great with your glue vine. Oh, yeah. So, I was walking around. These guys gave me a sample and it’s whiskey. But it’s peanut butter flavored whiskey and I’m not really a whiskey drinker. I don’t really like whiskey but I love peanut butter and so uh it was good. I thought it was quite tasty. Um I mean it was free. I’m not going to probably probably not going to buy a bottle but um I thought about it for a second but it was it was really good and had a really cool it’s weird the peanut butter flavor mixed with the whiskey was quite quite nice. I really like it and it really is a cool market. I recommend uh coming down to Heaven and checking out this this I guess hip modern young market if you will. All right. Good evening from the Nicolas Mart or the Nicholas Market and we are here on Rudolph Plats here in Cologne and it’s a beautiful market. Halftimbered buildings and uh lots of uh festivities, a lot of gammudite. It’s a little bit wet, but we are not letting that damp our holiday spirit, and we’re having a great time here in Cologne. All right, so we found one of our favorite treats, one of our favorite Christmas market treats here on the Nicolas door. We have Prager, which means um Prague style ham. And we always get this when we find it in the Christmas market because we love it. It’s usually always delicious. Look at that. Big thick pieces of ham. They’re roasting it. I took pictures of that. So, let me get a nice bite here. Wow, that is a good ham sandwich. Let me tell you what. One of the fun surprises at the Nicolas Dwarf Christmas Market are the glue vine mugs. They’re shaped like little boots. And on the toe of each boot, you’ll find one of the famous sayings from the Kona Grungazett or Cologne’s light-hearted basic laws. Now, these aren’t actual laws. They’re more like the city’s philosophy of life written in the local Kulch dialect. So, we have one that says vat is esot, which basically means what’s gone is gone. And so, other mugs have sayings like that. loosely translate to it happens as it happens or take it easy, it’ll all work out. So, it’s a fun way to bring home a piece of cologne culture from your Christmas market experience. And there’s something else that we’ve never seen at any other Christmas market before, and that you can actually order a thermos of glue vine to share with your friends. So, it holds enough for about six cups, but you only pay the price of five. So, it’s perfect if you’re visiting with a group or if you just want to stay warm a little longer. Okay. So, one really nice thing that uh we found here in Cologne is that every market we’ve been to, they all have um plenty plenty available um uh restrooms to use. So, you see the VC sign behind me. And uh they’re they’re at every market. They’re very clean. They ask for like a one euro um donation or€1 to to use the bathroom. My opinion, it’s very worth it. So, bring some change with you. The bathrooms are clean. They’re nice. They’re fully stocked with everything you need. So, uh that’s a nice thing. Sometimes you kind of have to search around a little bit to find bathrooms. It’s not so easy, but here in Cologne, we found that not to be the case. All right, guys. Thanks for joining us on this uh wonderful tour through the Christmas markets of Cologne, the first Christmas markets of the year. You know, we had a great time despite uh you know, some bad weather. Uh we had a little bit of rain yesterday, but we still went out and uh it was a great time, you know, so don’t let that dampen your mood because the reality is, you know, everyone wants to come see a nice white uh snowy scene for their Christmas market. The truth is you’re much more likely to uh have rainy weather than snowy weather. So, uh, that’s just the way it is. But don’t let that dampen your spirit. We had a great time. Thanks for watching. If you enjoyed this video, please hit that like button. Uh, leave us a comment. Let us know what your favorite part of the video was. And, uh, where is your favorite Christmas market, okay? So, um, and join us next week to see where we go then. All right. Talk to you later. Bye.

Step into the heart of Cologne, Germany’s Christmas magic as we visit 5 of the city’s most stunning Christmas Markets! 🎄✨ From the iconic Cologne Cathedral Market to the vibrant Harbor Market, we’re taking you on a festive tour through Cologne’s best holiday spots. Along the way, we indulge in some of the most delicious seasonal treats, including Reibekuchen (potato pancakes), Glühwein (mulled wine), and so much more!

Join us as we explore the enchanting Angel Market, the charming Heavenue Market, and the whimsical Nicholas Market, all surrounded by the city’s beautiful winter scenery. Each market offers its own unique vibe, but all are filled with twinkling lights, festive stalls, and plenty of holiday cheer. 🎅
And when the rain threatens to spoil the fun, we head to the Chocolate Museum for a sweet escape—because what’s better than diving into the world of chocolate on a rainy day? 🍫☔

From festive foods to cozy market strolls, get ready for a true German Christmas experience! Don’t miss out—watch now and start planning your own Cologne holiday getaway!

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