Well this is actually a post about traveling to Germany pre-Christmas and why you need to go see it!
Two words: Christmas Markets!!! The food! The glühwein! The joy of Christmas! I was literally addicted to bratwurst, sauerkraut, and glühwein for four days straight, I couldn’t get enough.
We traveled to Germany December 10-14 of ’23 and split our time between Cologne and Munich. We were doing a jam packed 12 day tour around Europe, so we only spent a short time spent in each city, but saw enough to make us want to go back!
Most of our stay in the two cities revolved around eating and wondering around at the Christmas markets, but I do have a few experiences and take-a-ways to share with you 🙂
Our Germany trip started once we trained from Amsterdam to Cologne, which took about 3 hours. We stayed right near the train station and cathedral area, which I highly recommend the area for walking purposes, but I can’t exactly recommend the hotel we stayed in (Garrett booked this one lol.)
-Again, the Christmas markets were the star of the show, but particularly in Cologne!! They have multiple around town, all busy with locals eating, drinking and socializing, even on the weekdays. I can’t imagine coming back to Germany during December and not going to the Christmas markets in Cologne.
–See the cathedral (the Kölner Dom)
If you’re traveling to Cologne, then you already know that the cathedral there is a must see! Due to pauses in construction & WWII bomb repairs needed, it took over 600 years to complete the cathedral. I mean I can see why because it is MASSIVE—it’s the second tallest church in Europe, and the third tallest church in the world.
–Go to a football game! ⚽️
This could really happen in any city in Europe, but it was more affordable and easier to access compared to Premier Team Leagues.
It wasn’t the most entertaining football match lol, but it was a great experience seeing how loyal and committed their fan base was!
Okay so a few things to note from our experience: We bought our tickets on Stubhub.
It appears that you must be a member of the team’s league to buy tickets from the website, so a lot of the time you’re not going to be able to buy tickets through the actual team website, unless maybe you are quick the day they go on sale to the public.
Although I was a little worried I’d get scammed, the Stubhub tickets worked just fine and we got in no problem.
Sometimes with the bigger stadiums, you will need to create a profile through their website and submit your picture. This is so they can keep track of who’s in their stadium for security purposes. If they require a profile, you will not get in unless you do this step. Cologne’s stadium did NOT require this step, which was nice. I am not a professional on this, so I encourage you to do your research when going to a football game in Europe/ the U.K.
Make sure you buy a home team scarf in the stadium to blend in with the fans & they’re great for the mems 🙂
–Drink Kölsch!
Did you know that in order to be a true Kölsch the beer has to be brewed within 30 miles of the Köln Cathedral? It used to be that the brewery had to be able to see the spires of the cathedral in order to call themselves a Kölsch, but with time, they have gotten more relaxed on the exact location. I had no idea of this, because we are serving Kölsches in our craft breweries here in America. So, although they are brewed to taste like the Kölsch in Germany, it is impossible for it the actually be a true Kölsch.
What you need to know about the culture of drinking the Kölsch in Köln:
Garrett and I didn’t know any of this and we were laughed at when we tried to wave the Köbes down for a beer refill lol, so you’ll look like a pro by knowing this before you go.
We didn’t book a tour, but there are a few Kölsch tours through Airbnb experiences that I would definitely book if I were you!
This rooftop bar is funky– It’s all themed with monkeys & space. You get a cool view of the city (I would go before it gets dark) & the drinks & vibe are great! The hotel lobby of the hotel is also super cool.
Munich is known for their brauhauses and Bavarian culture. If you’re looking to drink your beer out of a large stein served by people in traditional lederhosen in a large beer hall, go to Munich!
–Climb St. Peter’s church
This was my favorite activity in Munich. The view was so beautiful, as pictured above.
To note: It didn’t feel like a crazy number of stairs, but it is very narrow, and you will be sharing the staircase with those coming back down.
–Walk through the English Gardens (Englischer Garten).
The Englischer Gartens is the largest inner-city park in the world. They have multiple beer gardens in the park– we went to the one at the Chinese tower (Chinesischen Turm) which is very cool to see! The park also has a river wave where the locals are surfing.
Activities we didn’t get to, but are recommended:
-Take a world war II guided tour. We booked one, but it ended up getting canceled due to not enough people booking the tour.
–Go to the BMW museum
–Go to the Munich Residence (Residenz München)
Breakfast:
Luffy Pancake– holy moly you have to go to this place if you’re in Munich! They serve the pancakes Japanese soufleé style, which makes them super fluffy! SO GOOD!
Lunch and dinner:
When we weren’t at the Christmas markets, we were eating traditional Bavarian dishes at the brauhauses—Hofbräuhaus being the most famous! You must go here during your time in Munich—it’s iconic!
Bars:
Although we were in Germany, we loved going to the Scholars Lounge to get our Irish pub fix!
A note about weather: If you travel to Germany in the winter it will likely be overcast, cold, & rainy or snowy! So be mindful to pack a warm a** coat, with a hood or rain jacket you can layer and a compact umbrella as well as comfortable waterproof shoes! I Personally wore my Blundstone boots.