Trip to Germany - Dusseldorf/Cologne/Bonn

[IReallyNeedATimeMachine]

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.

I have an O level in German (1982) and my kids have all done GCSE in the last few years. We love Germany.
Yes, lots of people will swap to English but there are plenty who don't and we've all managed to have conversations in German. Many people have been very tolerant of my kids' attempts and let them have a go. My husband and I interrailed through Germany last year and I spent lots of time discussing delayed trains with platform staff.

I particularly recommend having a child break their foot and need 5 days in a German hospital. No, everyone doesn't speak English. I was, unfortunately, able to have many conversations in German over that time. I learned the German for x-ray, plaster and insurance amongst many other vocabulary items.

I have come across the "Düsseldorfkarte" which, if you buy the "plus" version and I have understood correctly, gives free travel on some public transport in Düsseldorf, Cologne and Bonn as well as discounts on various attractions, hop on hop off tours etc.

https://www.visitduesseldorf.de/en/book/duesseldorfcard/dusseldorfcard-plus?_gl=1xjteqa_upMQ.._gaMTg2ODE0NjI0OC4xNzU2MDU3Njc4_ga_ECYBVCNZTR*czE3NTYwNTc2NzckbzEkZzAkdDE3NTYwNTc2NzckajYwJGwwJGg1OTQ5ODg3Njk.#/

This seems like a good deal - has anyone used this and if so, have I got it right about the transport?

We went to both Hamburg and Bremen last year. Bremen is particularly nice but the docklands area in Hamburg is also really pleasant.

@IReallyNeedATimeMachine for a discount we signed up to their loyalty scheme without booking - which sent us an email after a few days for 20% off...