Trip to Germany - Dusseldorf/Cologne/Bonn

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Hi everyone

I am thinking of going to Germany for 3-4 days in December to give my elder daughter the opportunity to speak German and experience the culture as she is doing it for GCSE next year. From what I have read, the Dusseldorf/Cologne/Bonn area seems to be a good area with this purpose in mind as I am looking for somewhere with not too much of an accent (if I have got this wrong and you have other suggestions, please let me know).

I haven't been abroad for nearly 20 years and am finding it difficult to get information I need. I don't know whether I am looking in the right place for the information/whether it is accurate. Essentially I want to fly in to either Dusseldorf or Cologne and travel between the 3 cities. What options do I have for this please and which is cheapest/best and which are the best websites to look at?

Also, any suggestions for good places to visit in December would be much appreciated as well as places to eat. We would do a couple of Christmas markets too so suggestions for the best ones would be helpful.

Thanks so much in advance.

Christmas markets in Cologne are indeed worth visiting, as is the Cathedral. You will have plenty of choice of hotels in both Dusseldorf and Cologne, perhaps cost a bit less if you stay outside the city centre and travel in/out by tram or S Bahn.

Cologne is lovely - though the Xmas markets are heaving at the weekend and best visited during the week. Lots of shops and museums and a zoo. You could easily fill 3 days there. Public transport (regional) is easy and cheap. You wouldn't need reservations. The Ibis hotel at Cologne Hbf is perfectly fine - across from the cathedral though I have also stayed in some pricer places. Re. airports, Frankfurt is the big one near there. It's about an hour on the train to Cologne/Dusseldorf but there is a train station at the airport. What dates are you travelling and where are you wanting to fly from. Happy to try to help a bit more.

Thank you both. The biggest thing I am struggling with is the transport around and between the cities. What are the options - eg there seem to be different types of trains? Will it be cheaper if I book in advance and if so, what's the best website to use or is it the same price to book on the day.
Will I need much cash or do most places take cards?
One attraction I like the look of, because my daughter is in to music, is the Beethoven Haus in Bonn - is this worth a visit?

Sorry, forgot to say, we are probably going to go on a Sunday and come back Wednesday or Thursday so should be able to avoid most of the Christmas market crowds - top tip, though, thanks!

For all things rail-related, seat61.com is your best bet.

My sister lives in Frankfurt and i asked her recently about Christmas markets. She told me to stay away from Cologne, it’s not great at the moment and the best Christmas market in Germany hands down is Nuremberg

I stayed in Cologne a few years ago and did day trips by train to Düsseldorf and Bonn, the latter specifically in order to go to Beethoven-Haus. The travel was very easy (my hotel was near the station) and I enjoyed visiting the Beethoven museum.

I've never heard of that - I'll have a look. Thanks!

Thanks so much for this. Actually, I did seriously consider Nuremburg for both the markets and the culture but I discounted for this trip as I think they have quite a strong accent which will be too difficult for her at the moment. She's likely to do A-level German so will look at it again in the future. If the markets in Cologne look too busy or not so good, we will also be able to go to ones in Dusseldorf and Bonn.

Hi,
I live in Cologne so maybe I can help you, too.
Quite tired right now, so just a few things:
I would not recommend a hotel that is very central because the area around the cathedral is absolutely crammed at that time. Maybe look for a place in Deutz, on the other side of the Rhine. Trams take about three minutes to the Cathedral from there or you can walk over Hohenzollern Bridge with a great view.
I don’t know if the event „China lights“ will return to the zoo in December, but if so, that’s also a great place to go to.
And you could also have a look at smaller Christmas markets that are not so central.
At the moment you can buy „Deutschlandticket“ for 58€ that you can use for buses and trams within the cities and also to travel between the cities. But tbh, it’s quite a complicated system that I haven’t had a close look at, so can’t say too much about it.
If you have more questions, feel free to ask. Cologne is a great place to visit, I think!

I live between Düsseldorf and Cologne.
I'd stay in whichever one you fly into - but stay relatively handy for the main station. (Hauptbahnhof).

The regional trains run frequently between Düsseldorf and Cologne, as do the slower S-bahns (more stops). Price and ticket is the same. You can get day tickets for individuals or groups which may be cheaper. (Don't use the IC or ICE they are hideously expensive.)

The DB App is useful for schedules and you can buy tickets on it, or use ticket machines. App and machines are available in English.

Aachen is also close, also reachable directly by regional train. Most of the Regional trains (RE) are double deckers.

All these cities are walkable, Düsseldorf and Cologne also have good tram networks (if you get a day ticket they are included)

The deutschland ticket is for a month and you gave to cancel by 10th or it rolls over. I think you it may be restricted to people with a German Bank account or address?

OP as for where to eat? As long as you're not vegetarian, try one of the many breweries

I grew up in Dusseldorf! You will love it OP and it's very easy and quick to go by train between the cities

Here’s a curve ball… Berlin. It’s an absolutely fantastic city! Also has a Christmas market though I know nothing about it as never been. I don’t have any issues understanding the accent there - because it’s a big city there are loads of non-Berliners there too. Did I mention it’s an amazing place?!

When you're in Dusseldorf you will arrive at Hbf (the main train station). From there take the metro to Heinrich-Heine Allee (3 short stops) or Koenigsallee and you're right at the big central Christmas market and the best shopping streets

No, they speak with an accent and don't pronounce words in Hochdeutsch (the proper German pronunciation). It's also much bigger and not as easy to navigate as Dusseldorf/Cologne/Bonn in my opinion

Sorry, my phone keeps posting twice

I really wouldn't worry too much about the details of accents. The reality is that the vast majority of people will not be holding a conversation with you in German anyway. By all means go for the experience, the immersion, the billboards, the food, the sounds around you in general, but with the best will in the world, a GCSE-level student is probably not going to have the vocabulary at her fingertips to be able to sustain a conversation to the point where 95% of Germans won't go "Maybe it would be easier if we spoke English?", anywhere in the country. If she insists on plodding along in German then she may come across as just wasting their time (which is one of the worst sins you can commit in Germany). Language labs and grammar lessons simply do not set you up for the reality of using a foreign language in situ.🙏

Thanks so much everyone - all of these tips are very useful!

@Doro371 Thank you! I had seen the China Lights were at the zoo last year and would really love to go if it's on again but haven't manage to establish whether it is, or not. Is it usually an annual event?

@Brefugee I hadn't considered going to Aachen - what would you recommend seeing there other than Christmas markets? I did see the Deutschland ticket but I couldn't quite work it out. I hadn't picked up on the residence requirement, if that is the case, but the cancelling by the 10th of the month confused me. So if I bought it at the beginning of December and cancelled it on the 10th, would it still be valid for the rest of the month?

@InsolentAnnie Thanks for the suggestion and not a curved ball at all as I had considered it but my daughter went there last December on a school trip and I have been there previously too so I thought it would be better to go somewhere else this time. Will definitely go back in the future as it was a fab place to visit.

@XelaM All useful tips - thank you! I think Konigsalle (sorry, can't figure out how to do an umlaut) is the main shopping street in Dusseldorf, is that right?

I think Konigsalle (sorry, can't figure out how to do an umlaut) is the main shopping street in Dusseldorf, is that right?

Yes, it's the famous street of luxury stores, but it's literally in minutes walking distance from Heinrich-Heine-Allee station and there are loads shops/cafes/restaurants around there as well as the Christmas market and ice rink

I think Konigsalle (sorry, can't figure out how to do an umlaut) is the main shopping street in Dusseldorf, is that right?

Yes, it's the famous street of luxury stores, but it's literally in minutes walking distance from Heinrich-Heine-Allee station and there are loads shops/cafes/restaurants around there as well as the Christmas market and ice rink

@XelaM Oooh, an ice rink - that sounds fun! Your phone is at it again! 😁

This was what I came on to suggest. I absolutely love Berlin and as a non native German speaker I found the German easy to understand and I was well understood there. It honestly is one of the best places to visit in Germany.

It’s interesting you say that, because the Berlin dialect in full flow can be pretty difficult to understand- I think the explanation is that the kind of people tourists are likely to encounter will probably speak more standard German (perhaps with a bit of a Berlin twang but not the full-on dialect).

It’s the same when people on here go on about how the people they‘ve come across in Berlin have been soooo kind and friendly, and I just wonder what parallel incarnation of Berlin they’ve encountered because real Berliners in the wild are notoriously, gloriously, proudly rude.

Berlin has a pretty good selection of Christmas markets in December, but post-pandemic the best markets have become horrendously full at the weekends, especially Sunday afternoons. Each market has a different vibe so you need to put a bit of thought into what you’re looking for.

I can also recommend Hamburg. Plenty of things to do and you can also take a train to Lübeck for a day.

The airport has direct public transport to the city center.