Back in December I decided to book my first overnight solo traveling trip to Cologne, Germany. I chose to travel to Cologne because it is pretty close to the Hague and its famous christmas markets.
There are a couple Christmas markets spread across Cologne. I managed to visit 4 of the Christmas markets. Traveling alone, I was able to explore the Christmas markets at my own pace. Sometimes I would even walk around a market a couple times to see everything and decide on what I wanted to buy. The Christmas markets were also great for traveling alone because I ate most of my meals at the market, so I didn’t feel that awkward eating alone (something that still kinda weirds me out). The 4 Christmas markets that I visited were: the Cathedral Christmas market, the Old Market Christmas Market, Angel’s Christmas Market, and the Christmas Market on Rudolfplatz.
I stayed at Hostel die Wohngemeinschaft and it was really great. The location was within walking distance to the city center and a metro stop. The hostel itself was really nice. They had the best beds for a hostel I’ve ever stayed at and the interior decoration of the rooms were creative as well. Highly recommend!
Apart from that I visited a neighborhood. I expected there to be lots of cool cafes. Which there were, but I think because it was the winter, it was not that lively. I’m not sure - for me it was nice to see a more local neighborhood, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you are tight on time.
Cologne, or Germany in general, also have great camera shops. I visit Foto Gregor and was super impressed by the wide range of second hand camera gear they had available. So I bought an old 135mm lens as well as an adapter and a pack of film. I also visited another camera store and bought an old vintage camera. Now, a month later, I still haven’t used the camera all that much but I still think it is a great souvenir.
