Want to see as many Christmas markets as possible in one week during the most wonderful time of the year? We’ve got you covered. This unbelievable Christmas-filled vacation around France and Germany has just the jolt of Christmas magic we’re all looking for this year. Save some headaches and many hours planning by stealing our itinerary. Here we go!
Seven-Day Itinerary Overview:
- Day 1: Fly to Frankfurt
- Day 2: Frankfurt to Strasbourg
- Day 3: Strasbourg
- Day 4: Strasbourg to Cologne
- Day 5: Cologne
- Day 6: Cologne to Frankfurt
- Day 7: Fly home
Day One: Fly to Frankfurt, Germany
- Take off from your home airport and try to get some sleep on the flight
- Here are a few of our favorite things to get us through those long overnight flights
Day Two: Frankfurt, Germany to Strasbourg, France
- Arrive at the Frankfurt airport early in the morning
- Go through customs, then follow the airport signs to the airport’s train station.
- Take the train from Frankfurt airport to Strasbourg Station
- Purchase train tickets easily from your phone upon exiting customs with the Trainline app.
- Pro-tip: Try to catch a nap on the train to combat some jet lag weariness.
- Arrive at Strasbourg Station, then take an Uber or Freenow rideshare to your hotel
- We loved our stay at Hotel Cour de Corbeau! It was luxurious, lovely, and within walking distance of many Christmas markets.
- Walk around the city center and get a feel for the city
- If you have enough energy, pop into a market or two! But for today, plan to take it easy.
- Want the full guide to visiting Strasbourg for Christmas? Check it out here!
- Walk back to the hotel and sleep off the jet lag and prepare for a full day tomorrow
Day Three: Christmas Markets in Strasbourg, France
- Casual French breakfast
- Typically consists of espresso and a croissant.
- Explore a few of Strasbourg’s many Christmas Markets
- Strasbourg is home to almost a dozen markets! Our favorite to visit were at Place de la Cathédrale, Place Kléber, and Place Broglie. Read our full guide here.
- Enjoy dinner at one of the food booths at Place Broglie
- Recommended: the pork knuckle at the last booth. Don’t forget the spaetzle!
- Walk back to your hotel and rest up for the next day
Day Four: Strasbourg, France to Cologne, Germany
- Wake up, pack up, and take an Uber to the Strasbourg Train Station
- Take the train from Strasbourg to Cologne
- Skip the ticket line and easily purchase train tickets from your phone or desktop from Trainline.
- You’ll always make one stop and transfer to a new train in either Frankfurt or Mannheim along the way to Cologne. This is a quick and easy train journey that takes about three hours total.
- Take an Uber from the train station to your hotel
- Fingers crossed you can check-in early! If not, you leave your luggage and check-in later.
- We stayed at 25 Hours Cologne and absolutely loved our time at the hotel!
- Tour around Cologne
- We recommend taking a day break from visiting the markets to see the best of the city! Some of the best ways to see the city is through a tour of the Rhine in the most romantic way possible – by boat! What else goes better with a boat tour than a visit to an incredible chocolate museum? Get your tickets in advance here. Get a sneak peak and an early visit to the riverside Harbor Market while you’re there.
Day Five: Christmas Markets in Cologne, Germany
- Casual German breakfast to gear up for a full day
- Typically consists of bread with jam, coffee, and orange juice.
- Visit up to six Christmas markets
- We only visited five as one is more out of the way. Read our full guide here.
- Our recommended schedule is: Dom Market, gnome market, angel market, St. Nicholas market, and then the harbor market. It’s walkable to each stop, but there is a Christmas tram which stops at each market if you need it!
- Enjoy dinner at one of the food booths at the gnome market – Heinzelmännchen
- Recommended: the fire roasted salmon or handbrot…or both!
- Stop by the Dom market one more time to see it beautifully lit up at night before bed
- Head to sleep for a full day tomorrow
Day Six: Cologne to Frankfurt
- Wake up, pack up, and take an Uber to the Cologne Train Station
- Take the train from Cologne to Frankfurt
- Skip the ticket line and easily purchase train tickets from your phone or desktop from Trainline.
- This train journey is typically direct and takes about 1.5 hours.
- Take an Uber from the train station to your hotel
- Fingers crossed you can check-in early! If not, you leave your luggage and check-in later.
- We stayed at Moxy Frankfurt City Center and enjoyed our stay. The location was perfect!
- Explore Frankfurt’s Christmas Markets
- Frankfurt is home to about four Christmas ! Our favorite to visit was the largest market, Roßmarkt. Read our full guide here.
Day Seven: Fly Home
- Wake up, clean up, and pack up
- Take an Uber back to the airport
- Check-in at the airport and kiss the markets goodbye (for now!)
