L’eau de Noël

  • Hiking
  • 3.82 km long
  • Round trip
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Condition: easy
  • Asphalt
  • 0:59 h
  • 3.82 km
  • 29 m
  • 23 m
  • 37 m
  • 65 m
  • 28 m
  • Start: Heumarkt
  • Destination: Heumarkt

Sensational Christmas

Experience the magic of the Christmas season - a leisurely walk through Cologne's old town combines festive Christmas markets, world-famous sights and Cologne's cozy atmosphere. This route takes you from the historic Heumarkt via fragrant market stalls to the Rhine promenade and back again.

Route: A tour that is fragrant

Start at Heumarkt, in the heart of "Heinzel's Winter Fairytale", where the Christmas ice rink and glittering stalls provide the perfect backdrop. Stroll along Gürzenichstraße and past the Wallraf-Richartz Museum before stopping off at the famous Haus Farina. The oldest perfume factory in the world invites you to take a sniff and immerse yourself in the history of the famous Eau de Cologne - a highlight for the senses, before the Glockengasse with the legendary 4711 perfume house also tempts you to take a detour into the world-famous Cologne fragrance experience.

The tour continues to Cologne Cathedral and Roncalliplatz, where the Christmas market with its impressive tent of lights and festive tree decorations is a real highlight. Afterwards, the famous Ludwig Museum and the Hohenzollern Bridge beckon with art and panoramic views before you stroll along the Rhine and through the alleyways of the old town via Heinzel's Winter Fairytale.

Finally, you reach the picturesque harbor Christmas market at the Chocolate Museum again from the Rhine promenade. Maritime specialties and charming handicrafts are combined against the backdrop of the Rheinauhafen harbour. Back past St. Maria Lyskirchen, you come back to Heumarkt, where you can enjoy the Cologne brewery flair with a cool Kölsch beer.

A combination of Christmas sparkle and sightseeing

This tour impresses with its combination of festive Christmas markets, cultural highlights and cologne. With stops in between, you have the opportunity to combine sightseeing with indulgence and shopping - an experience for all the senses!

Useful Information

Best to visit

suitable
Depends on weather

Tour information

  • Culinary Interesting

  • Cultural Interesting

  • Loop Road

  • Stop at an Inn

  • Suitable for Winter

Our recommendations

Evening atmosphere on the Rhine: Christmas market with lights, striking chocolate museum and Ferris wheel.
The Christmas market on the Alter Markt in Cologne shines in a blaze of lights with festive decorations and a festive archway, framed by blue trees.
Heinzels Winter Fairytale
  • Christmas market
A festively illuminated Christmas market with numerous red sales huts under the majestic Cologne Cathedral at night. The market is crowded, the atmosphere is lively and cheerful. A large, brightly decorated fir tree dominates the scene.