Cologne or Duesseldorf?

Hi there,

My wife and I are flying into Duesseldorf early in December for three nights. We%26#39;ve been to Cologne before and so wondered whether we should stay there or in Duesseldorf.

We%26#39;d like to visit the Christmas markets, as well as take in a little culture and enjoy the odd coffee or beer somewhere - nothing too strenuous. Which of the two would you recommend for a relaxing weekend, and which has the better atmosphere and architecture?

Also, is there anywhere picturesque we could take a day trip to or, indeed, even spend three days in, within 90 minutes (by train) from Duesseldorf?

Any recommendations gratefully received!

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Sounds familiar.

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187371-i534-k3066…

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I%26#39;ve been to both twice and am going back to Cologne this December.

I love Dusseldorf in the Summer time but I personally prefer Cologne for the Christmas Markets. I just prefer the items at the stalls and find it more Chrismassy for some reason.

Having said that we will catch the train to Dusseldorf one of the days as a friend who is travelling with us this year has never been and we%26#39;d like her to have the chance to see both cities.

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If you already staid in Cologne I recommend to stay in Dusseldorf this time. Dusseldorf is also located directly by the Rhine river, they have a beautiful old town with lots of original pubs and restaurants and the shopping street Königsallee is one of the most famous and glamorous ones in whole Germany. For a day trip I recommend to go to Aachen. By direct train you need 1 hour and 23 minutes from central station to central station. Aachen has about 260000 citizens and is located in the very West of Germany, very close to the Belgium and Dutch borders. Aachen is more than 1200 years old and was for a long time an important coronation city. 31 German kings got crowned in the cathedral and Karl the Great is buried there. The cathedral became UNESCO world heritage in 1978 as the first one in Germany and as the second worldwide. I once visited the Christmas market in Aachen and got really impressed (you can imagine as a German I visited a lot of Christmas market before). The market is located downtown just between the cathedral and the city hall from 1349. The atmosphere is very cosy and celebratory. If it may snow you will definitely get into the Christmas groove. Of course Aachen is also a modern German city with good shopping possibilities.

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By the way: Aachen is very famous for the typical Christmas sweets Printen and Lebkuchen (richly spiced ginger biscuits and gingerbread)!