The offers compared
| Offer | When | Price seen | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cologne Christmas market day tour from Amsterdam, small group (GetYourGuide) | About 11 hours, about 3.5 hours of road each way | Read on your date | Guided Old Town walk, cathedral stop, free time at the markets |
| One-day trip to Aachen from Amsterdam (GetYourGuide listing seen in search, link not retrieved) | About 11 hours, pickup available | About $307 to $323 depending on the page; operator rating 3.6 to 3.8 | Aachen Cathedral; no Cologne visit in the summary seen |
| Direct train Amsterdam to Cologne, on your own | ICE of about 2h38 to 2h40, around ten a day | Advance tickets from about €19.99 one way | The freest; Aachen then needs another connection, to be checked on bahn.de |
| The markets themselves | Cologne: cathedral 16 November to 23 December 2026, Old Town 23 November to 10 January; Aachen 20 November to 23 December | Entrance not read | Aachen: 11 am to 9 pm daily, 11 am to 10 pm on 12 December, 11 am to 8 pm on 23 December |
Our pick
Our pick is the small-group day trip to Cologne: a guided Old Town walk, a stop at the cathedral and free time at the markets. For Aachen, a one-day trip with pickup exists (about $307 to $323), but its exact link could not be retrieved. If you want to see both cities, the train is more flexible: a night on site avoids two 3.5-hour road trips on the same day.
How to choose
- Cologne, nothing to organise: the small-group tour.
- Cologne, at your own pace: the direct ICE, early out, back in the evening.
- Aachen: the one-day trip with pickup, or the train with a connection.
Practical tips
- The dates. Cologne: cathedral 16 November to 23 December 2026, Old Town 23 November to 10 January; Aachen 20 November to 23 December, 11 am to 9 pm daily (koeln.de, Aachen's official site).
- The road is long. The tour counts about 3.5 hours of road each way: wear warm clothes and expect a late return.
- Markets close before Christmas. Last day 23 December for the Cologne cathedral market and Aachen.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the trip from Amsterdam to Cologne? About 2h38 to 2h40 by direct ICE, and about 3.5 hours by road for the coach tour.
When do the Cologne and Aachen Christmas markets open in 2026? Cologne: cathedral 16 November to 23 December. Aachen: 20 November to 23 December.
Can you do both cities in a day from Amsterdam? No combined tour was found; by train the day would be very long, and it is better to sleep on site.
Going further
More December ideas: Christmas in Amsterdam.
