Cologne, Koblenz & Rüdesheim

Cathedral markets and Rhine wine towns

5 days through Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdesheim.

Cologne, Koblenz & Rüdesheim is a 5-day curated route with 3 destinations and 22 places to eat, see, and do. Preview stops and timing, then plan it in TripsCircle.

1
Destination 01
Cologne
9 places

Markets under the cathedral and in the old town; 2 nights.
- Photo: Superbass · CC BY-SA 3.0
  Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom
  Red-roofed stalls on the Roncalliplatz under a canopy of lights, directly below the cathedral's west front.
  Tip Go at dusk for the lights against the cathedral.
  SeeAltstadt-NordFree75 minDusk
- Photo: Rolf Heinrich, Köln · CC BY 3.0
  Cologne Cathedral
  Gothic cathedral with 157-metre twin spires and the gilded Shrine of the Three Kings behind the altar.
  Tip Climb the 533 steps of the south tower for the view over the markets.
  SeeAltstadt-NordFree1.5 hrMorning
- Photo: Corradox · CC BY-SA 4.0
  Heinzels Wintermärchen
  Old-town market on the Alter Markt and Heumarkt themed on Cologne's Heinzelmännchen, with an ice rink on the Heumarkt.
  Tip Skate rental is available at the rink.
  DoAltstadt$1.5 hrEvening
- Markt der Engel
  The angels' market on Neumarkt: white stalls under trees hung with thousands of star lights.
  SeeAltstadt-SüdFree45 minAfter dark
- Photo: Superbass · CC BY 3.0
  Groß St. Martin
  Romanesque church whose square crossing tower rises over the gabled houses of the Rhine riverfront.
  Tip The Rheingarten promenade below gives the classic view of the tower with the cathedral behind.
  SeeAltstadtFree30 min
- Photo: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0
  Hohenzollernbrücke
  Railway bridge over the Rhine with a footpath hung with love locks, looking straight at the cathedral.
  Tip Walk across to the Deutz bank for the night view back to the cathedral.
  DoAltstadt-NordFree30 minBlue hour
- Schokoladenmuseum
  Chocolate museum on a Rhine peninsula, with a working production line and a three-metre chocolate fountain.
  DoRheinauhafen$$1.5 hrAfternoon
- Photo: calflier001 · CC BY-SA 2.0
  Früh am Dom
  Big traditional brewhouse beside the cathedral pouring Früh Kölsch, with hearty Rhineland plates.
  Tip Try Himmel un Ääd, black pudding with mashed potato and apple.
  DrinkAltstadt-Nord$$1.5 hrEvening
- Excelsior Hotel Ernst
  Grand hotel from 1863 facing the cathedral square, a few steps from the market and the station.
  StayAltstadt-Nord$$$$
2
Destination 02
Koblenz
7 places

Old-town market where the Moselle meets the Rhine; 1 night.
- Photo: Corradox · CC BY-SA 4.0
  Koblenzer Weihnachtsmarkt
  The market spreads over the old-town squares, from Jesuitenplatz by the town hall to Am Plan and Münzplatz.
  SeeAltstadtFree1.5 hrAfter dark
- Photo: Carsten Steger · CC BY-SA 4.0
  Deutsches Eck
  The headland where the Moselle flows into the Rhine, topped by a giant equestrian statue of Wilhelm I.
  SeeAltstadtFree30 minSunset
- Photo: Dmitry Tonkonog and Ksenia Fedosova · CC BY-SA 3.0
  Festung Ehrenbreitstein
  A 19th-century Prussian fortress on the cliff opposite the Deutsches Eck, with museums and a wide valley view.
  Tip The cable car crosses the Rhine to the fortress; check its reduced winter hours before you go.
  DoEhrenbreitstein$$2 hrAfternoon
- Kurfürstliches Schloss
  The last Elector of Trier's neoclassical palace from the 1780s, set on lawns along the Rhine promenade.
  SeeAltstadtFree30 min
- Photo: Holger Weinandt · CC BY-SA 3.0 de
  Liebfrauenkirche
  Church with onion-domed twin towers on the highest point of the old town.
  SeeAltstadtFree20 min
- Basilika St. Kastor
  Koblenz's oldest church, Romanesque, a short walk from the Deutsches Eck.
  SeeAltstadtFree20 min
- Weinhaus Hubertus
  Half-timbered wine tavern on the Florinsmarkt serving Moselle and Middle Rhine wines with regional dishes.
  EatAltstadt$$1.5 hrDinner
3
Destination 03
Rüdesheim
6 places

Riesling town with the Market of Nations; 1–2 nights.
- Photo: Corradox · CC BY-SA 4.0
  Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen
  Stalls from about a dozen countries fill the old-town lanes around Oberstrasse, with a nativity scene of life-size figures.
  Tip Weekday afternoons are far calmer than weekends, when coach tours arrive.
  SeeAltstadtFree2 hrLate afternoon
- Drosselgasse
  A narrow 144-metre lane of wine taverns climbing from the Rhine, decorated for the market.
  DrinkAltstadt$$60 minEvening
- Photo: Ansgar Koreng · CC BY 4.0
  Niederwalddenkmal
  The 1883 Germania monument on the Niederwald ridge, high above the vineyards and the Rhine bend at Bingen.
  Tip Walk up through the vineyards in about 45 minutes; the path starts at the top of the old town.
  OutdoorsNiederwaldFree2 hrMorning
- Weingut Georg Breuer
  Riesling estate with a tasting shop in the old town, known for its Rüdesheim Berg Schlossberg wines.
  DrinkAltstadt$$45 minAfternoon
- Kloster Eberbach
  A 12th-century Cistercian abbey in the Rheingau hills with a working wine estate and vaulted cellars.
  Tip About 20 minutes by car from Rüdesheim.
  Do$$2 hrMorning
- Breuer's Rüdesheimer Schloss
  Hotel and wine restaurant run by the Breuer family on the Steingasse, next to the Drosselgasse.
  StayAltstadt$$$

The moments that shape this trip.

01Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom
02Heinzels Wintermärchen
03Cologne Cathedral
04Deutsches Eck
05Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen
06Niederwalddenkmal

Planning Cologne, Koblenz & Rüdesheim.

Follow the Rhine upstream by train from Cologne to the Rheingau. In Cologne, the market under the cathedral's twin spires, the Heinzelmännchen market and ice rink in the old town, and the angels' market on Neumarkt fill two days, with Kölsch at Früh am Dom in between. Koblenz, an hour south, spreads its market over the old-town squares between the Deutsches Eck and the Liebfrauenkirche, with Ehrenbreitstein Fortress across the river. End in Rüdesheim, where the Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen fills the lanes around the Drosselgasse and the Niederwald monument looks down over Riesling vineyards.

Good for Travelers who want big-city markets and small wine towns linked by a scenic river railway.

When to go

Cologne's markets open in mid to late November and close on December 23; the cathedral market and Heinzels Wintermärchen usually start the week before the first Sunday of Advent. Koblenz's market runs from late November to just before Christmas, and Rüdesheim's Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen opens around November 20 and stays daily until December 23. The Rhine valley is mild and often grey, rarely snowy; expect 2–6 °C. Weekdays avoid the coach crowds in Rüdesheim.

Getting around

Fly into Cologne Bonn (15 minutes by S-Bahn to Köln Hbf, which sits next to the cathedral) and out of Frankfurt, which is about an hour by train from Rüdesheim. Cologne to Koblenz is 1 to 1.5 hours by regional or IC train along the river, and Koblenz to Rüdesheim about an hour on the right-bank line past the Loreley. Every stop on this route is walkable from its station, so a car is unnecessary.

Tips for your crew

Sit on the river side of the train between Koblenz and Rüdesheim for castles on the cliffs the whole way.
In Cologne brewhouses the waiter keeps bringing 0.2-litre Kölsch until you lay your beer mat over the glass.
Order a Rüdesheimer Kaffee in Rüdesheim: coffee flamed with Asbach brandy and topped with cream.

Cologne, Koblenz & Rüdesheim

5 days through Cologne, Koblenz, Rüdesheim.

Cologne

Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom

Cologne Cathedral

Heinzels Wintermärchen

Markt der Engel

Groß St. Martin

Hohenzollernbrücke

Schokoladenmuseum

Früh am Dom

Excelsior Hotel Ernst

Koblenz

Koblenzer Weihnachtsmarkt

Deutsches Eck

Festung Ehrenbreitstein

Kurfürstliches Schloss

Liebfrauenkirche

Basilika St. Kastor

Weinhaus Hubertus

Rüdesheim

Weihnachtsmarkt der Nationen

Drosselgasse

Niederwalddenkmal

Weingut Georg Breuer

Kloster Eberbach

Breuer's Rüdesheimer Schloss

The moments that shape this trip.

Planning Cologne, Koblenz & Rüdesheim.

When to go

Getting around

Tips for your crew

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