Weekendo
Christmas Market at Cologne Cathedral
Right below the cathedral's twin spires on Roncalliplatz, Cologne's best-known market brings red-roofed stalls, a giant tree and a canopy of lights.
hours not confirmed yet
Cologne Geisterzug (Jeisterzoch)
Köln (parcours 2027 pas encore publié) · Cologne, GermanySeason30 January 2027
2027 dates not confirmed yet
Todayclosed
Entryfree
Whereoutdoors
Inside the zone: Cologne low-emission zone (Umweltzone)
A green emissions sticker (Umweltplakette) on the windscreen is required — also for foreign cars.
Guide: what to doofficial website
Advent 2026: on Saturdays 28.11, 5.12, 12.12 and 19.12 (9-16 h) a parking ticket from the LANXESS arena car parks or the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring underground car park is a free KVB ticket for up to 5 people; P22 Messeparkhaus Zoobrücke has a free shuttle to Heumarkt (26.11-23.12). These car parks are inside the zone (sticker needed). KVB P+R list: check each site.
About the event
The Geisterzug began in 1991 as an anti-war demonstration and is still registered as a demonstration today, with a political motto each year. It takes place after dark on the Saturday before Weiberfastnacht, making it an unconventional curtain-raiser for the street carnival. Samba and Guggen bands, pot-lid drummers and ghostly costumes set the tone. The route changes every year; the organisers are working on it and will publish the 2027 details later. In 2026 the line-up was at 6 pm and the parade left at 7 pm in the Nippes district.
Season calendar
Saturday30January 2027
hours not confirmed yet
Combine with
Christmas markets nearby for the same trip.
Heinzels Wintermärchen (Cologne Old Town)
Cologne's market of the Heinzelmännchen house elves spreads over Alter Markt and Heumarkt, with a large open-air ice rink running into January.
Harbour Christmas Market (Chocolate Museum, Cologne)
On the Rhine in front of the Chocolate Museum, the harbour market is the first in Cologne to open and stays open until 3 January.
Markt der Engel – Angels' Market (Neumarkt, Cologne)
On Neumarkt in the heart of the shopping district, the Angels' Market glows with thousands of star lights in the trees and angels strolling between white stalls.
Nikolausdorf – St Nicholas Village (Rudolfplatz, Cologne)
In front of the medieval Hahnentorburg gate, a 'village' of huts where St Nicholas makes his rounds every day and local Kölsch bands play in the evening.
Bonn Christmas Market
More than 160 stalls across Bonn's pedestrian centre, from Münsterplatz and its Beethoven statue to Friedensplatz.
Cologne Geisterzug (Jeisterzoch)17 places nearby