Looking for a quick getaway full of relaxation, food and music. We are! So we’ve decided on a October getaway on a Pacific Coastal Cruise. Here are the details.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
PDX to San Diego
San Diego
Catalina Island
At Sea
San Francisco
San Francisco
At Sea
Ensenada
San Diego
San Diego to PDX
Day 1 – Friday
Alaska Flight XXX PDX to San Diego, BC 6:59pm – 9:47pm Staying at Manchester Hyatt Grand (Costco deal)
I’ve been to Christmas Markets in Germany & Austria. Nuremburg and Vienna are some of my favorites. I’ve been to Cologne and Heidelberg in the springtime and absolutely loved our time there. Now I’m ready to combine two things I love – Christmas Markets and Rhine River Cities into one awesome trip. Follow me I as research this trip and add detail to this journey!
Cologne is 1h by train or 2h by car from the Frankfurt Airport and Aachen is another hour. This trip is scheduled to be 9 days understanding 2 1/2 of those days are travel days.
Here is one of our favorite travel couples. They visit 6 markets in one day & night.
Overall Timeline
SAT
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
Fly Out
Frankfurt to Cologne
Cologne
Aachen Day Trip
Cologne
Cologne to Heidelberg
Heidelberg
Heidelberg to Frankfurt
Fly Home
Day 1 (Saturday)
PDX to Frankfurt
Leaving in the morning from PDX, we need to arrive in Frankfurt around 9:00 AM.
Day 2 (Sunday)
Frankfurt to Cologne
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Arrive in Frankfurt
Eberbach Abbey & Winery
Cologne Advent Christmas Market
Abbey Tavern
Peters Brauhaus
Once we arrive and make it through customs, we are picked up by our private transfer and head to Cologne. We’ll leave the airport around 10:30 am and just outside of Frankfurt, overlooking the Main River, we’ll make a stop at Eberbach Abbey & Winery. We’ll spend 2 hours touring the 12th century Abbey and 18th century Winery and then visiting their small Christmas Market on the grounds.
Then we’ll make it to Cologne by 3pm just in time for checking at our hotel, the CityClass Hotel Alter Markt. The hotel is situated at the entrance to the best market in Cologne. Lets drop off our bags and explore the market and grab some food and glühwein!
The Weinachtsmarkt koelner spans from the old town square where we are staying to the heumarkt. This market has an ice skating rink, bavarian curling rinks, handicraft booths, and lots and lots of Food and drink…
Here’s a great video of the food of this market. Just a note – while this couple thinks they are visiting 2 markets besides the one at the Dom, its actually just this 1 very large, very beautiful market.
Day 3 (Monday)
Cologne
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Cologne Weinachtsmarkt
Cologne Cathedral
Market Food
With a bit less crowds we can take a second run at the Weinachtsmarkt Koelner outside our hotel this morning.
With its imposing Gothic façade and dramatic twin towers, the Cologne Cathedral (Kölner Dom) is the city’s most recognized landmark. Protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the magnificent cathedral is one of the most important in Germany and dominates the city skyline.
After visiting the church there is another market in the plaza in front of the market.
On the way back to our hotel (about 2 blocks), is a small intimate Market on Am hof – the Advent Village Market. Don’t forget to make a stop!
Definitely get a reservation for dinner, Peters Brauhaus, is just 250 ft from our hotel and the market.
Day 4 (Tuesday)
Daytrip to Aachen
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Travel from Cologne to Aachen
Aachen Cathedral
Aachen Christmas Market
Aachen Christmas Market Food
Postwagen Zum Ratskeller or Goldener Schwan
Take a private transfer from Cologne to Aachen for a day trip!
Aachen is a town on the borders of Germany, Belgium and Holland about a 50 min from Cologne. Aachen is one of Europe’s most important cities with historical significance. This prominent city is where several German Kings (Holy Roman Emperors) were crowned. The city is filled with buildings dating back to the medieval period, old city gates, and beautiful fountains.
Located in the heart of the old city, Aachen Cathedral is one of the main attractions of Aachen. Its architecture and features still highlight the significance and imposing nature of the building, which was completed at the end of the 8th century at the request of Emperor Charlemagne. It is also the final resting place of King Charlemagne. Some of the other major attractions are Aachen Cathedral Treasury, Rathaus, Couven-Museum, and Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum.
The Aachen Christmas Market conveniently located right in front of the Aachen Cathedral. We will spend the rest of the day/night at the market eating and drinking our way through.
The Market is open until 9pm.
Day 5 (Wednesday)
Cologne
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Cologne Chocolate Museum
Harbor Market
Christmas Markets
Chocolate Cafe
L’Osteria Köln Zollhafen or Harbor Market
We’ll take a taxi over to the Chocolate museum for a 10am Brunch or Chocolate Treat at their Chocolate Cafe.
Opened by local chocolatier Hans Imhoff in 1993, the Cologne Chocolate Museum (Schokoladenmuseum) is devoted to Cologne’s chocolate-making history. This fun attraction lets visitors peek behind the scenes of a working chocolate factory and sample delicious Lindt chocolate. After our time in the Cafe, we’ll tour the museum and sample the chocolates in the Chocolate shop!
The Cologne Harbor Christmas Market is a riverside Christmas market along the Rhine with a nautical theme and a more relaxed, airy atmosphere than the city’s other larger markets. It offers a selection of food, drinks, and local crafts in a cozy, yet festive, waterfront setting, making it a popular, albeit smaller, seasonal event.
Next we’ll head to the Angel Market. At Neumarkt, centrally located near the larger shopping streets, the Market of Angels presents itself as an enchanting Christmas wonderland. Countless glowing stars and fairy lights in the trees create a special atmosphere. Wide alleys invite you to stroll and linger between the elaborately designed houses, and from time to time, illuminated mythical creatures on stilts and magical angels can be seen.
Next we walked about 1/3 mile to the Village of St. Nicholas at Rudolfplatz. The “St. Nicholas’ Village”, staged on Rudolfplatz in the city centre, is situated in front of the historic Hahnentorburg gate. The magical Christmas world offers a unique world of experiences and St. Nicholas and Santa Claus are omnipresent. The “house of St. Nicholas”, the huge “advent calendar”, the “village chapel” and the “children’s workshop” whisk visitors away into a world of Christmas magic.
Day 6 (Thursday)
Cologne to Heidelberg
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Walk around town
Travel to Heidelberg
Christmas Market
?
Mainz Christmas Market
Market Food
We will private transfer to out of Cologne to Heidelberg around 11:00am. On the way we’ll stop in Mainz.
Mainz is a city where 2,000 years of history breathes through every cobblestoned street. The birthplace of Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the printing press and introduced letterpress printing to Europe, this Rhine-side gem charms visitors with its medieval cathedral, patrician town houses, narrow lanes, and beautiful squares that reflect the fascinating history of the city. Half-timbered buildings dating from the 17th and 18th centuries create an intimate, manageable old town filled with distinctive pink-red sandstone architecture. As the wine capital of Germany, cozy wine taverns are tucked behind baroque and rococo façades and add to the city’s warm, welcoming atmosphere.
from Tall Girl Big World, Mainz Christmas Market Guide
The Mainz Christmas Market dates back to 1788, making it one of the most historic Christmas markets in Germany. Set against the 1,000-year-old St. Martin’s cathedral, the market creates a magical atmosphere with about 100 lovingly decorated and illuminated stands. What makes this market special is its perfect size—while big city markets can get shoulder-to-shoulder crowded and small town markets might lack variety, Mainz fits perfectly in the middle with plenty of local families creating an upbeat, genuine atmosphere, plus seating areas where you can relax rather than just standing and eating. Handcraft lovers will be impressed by the artists’ factory that serves all sorts of handmade pieces, and with everything walkable in the compact old town, you can explore the main market, and wander charming side streets lined with half-timbered houses all within our two-hour stop.
from Tall Girl Big World, Mainz Christmas Market Guide
Then off to Heidelberg, where we’ll be dropped off at our Hotel, NH Heidelberg City Center around 3:30pm. This hotel is the former Heidelberg Brewery converted in 2005 to a hotel. This is approximately a 2.5 hour drive.
Once we check in, we can rest for a little bit then head out to do a little exploring in the old town. Heidelberg is a beautiful town on the river Neckar and is steeped in history. With five different Christmas market squares offering over 140 stalls spread across the cobbled streets of the medieval old town, plus an ice skating rink beneath the castle, Heidelberg effortlessly blends centuries of history with enchanting holiday magic.
Today, we’ll climb the hills via funicular to the ruins of the Heidelberg castle. Tickets for the Funicular and Castle are combined and cost 11 Euro/person. Rides begin at 9am and go every 10 minutes. The ruins of Heidelberg Castle majestically tower over the valley and river below. Built as a fortified castle with towers, casemates and moats in around 1300, the site developed over 400 years to become the feudal flagship of the Palatinate Electors.
Once back in the town we’ll walk around the town visiting the sights and the market on our own terms. We can’t miss out on walking down to the river and checking out the
from HelenInBetween Ultimate Heidelberg Guide
For Dinner, Vetter’s Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus is recommended. Its a modern brewery in the old area of town the reviews are fantastic we should be able to find a taxi back to the hotel after.
Day 8 (Saturday)
Heidelberg to Frankfurt
Morning
Afternoon
Evening
Travel to Frankfurt
Christmas Market
Christmas Market
Hotel Breakfast?
Market Food
Schwarzer Stern or Frankfurter Wirtshaus
Its a 1 hour transfer from Heidelberg to the Frankfurt. We will stay in the Frankfurt old town overnight so we can get one more day and night of Christmas markets in!
Day 9 (Sunday)
Fly Home
We’ll transfer from Downtown Frankfurt to the Frankfurt airport where we board a plane and head home.
Organized Travelers 